As in so many other aspects of a guitar, there is no right or wrong regarding string height or string gauge. The first “electrified acoustic guitars” started to pop up here and there in the 1920’s and early 1930’s. Playability – that is all about form following the function. It is impossible to say one of them would be unambiguously better than the others. I think I slightly prefer the 9.5", but not by much. Another interesting aspect is that while playing electric guitar is a diminishing trend as a whole, it is simultaneously becoming more and more popular among women. The neck can be flat, thick, round, wide, narrow… Some players are very specific how the neck must be shaped while others can have a wide variety of different neck shapes in their roster of guitars. I like Tele necks at the old 7-1/4" radius. The scale length of the instrument affects a number of things, and not least the playability. These companies succeeded to spin the wheel in motion in such powerful way, that it ended up shaping up in its wake the whole pop culture revolution in remarkable and unforseeable ways. The body size of a guitar can make or break your guitar playing experience. The radius, together with fret size, neck shape, string height and other details define the ergonomics for your fretting hand. These days there are a number of different neck sizes and shapes. The rest of the adjustments – truss-rod, intonation, pickup height etc – follow the chosen string height and gauge. An intriguing phenomenon of the modern age, that will slowly unfold in the coming years. Hall of Fame; Members; 0 8,208 posts; Members; Share; Posted December 18, 2005. One tool will not do every operation we have so we have many tools to accomplish our goal. Fretboard radius is responsible for a neck’s certain feel, made to give it a certain character of playability and comfort. How Is Fretboard Radius Measured? A great source to learn more! Music is why the guitar came into existence in the first place! The Gear Page is the leading online community and marketplace for guitars, amps, pedals, effects and associated gear. Everything matters: The width of the fretboard – the thickness and taper of the neck – the profile shape – the size of the frets – the type of neck finish. My 3 Heritages have a 12" radius, my Strat has a 9 1/2" and my Jazzmaster has a 71/4". Which scale length is the most comfortable and best functioning in regard the string tension and tuning stability? I have never played a vintage style neck, but I've heard they are very comfortable and offer great playability. A great example of this is Steve Klein‘s approach. I have no problems with the radius on my Gibsons, love the feel. about 10"R.? Plus, to me higher action=bigger, fuller tone. Neck sizes and shapes are more of a playability concern than a tonal one. We do have certain borders that we don’t like to cross, though. They often say that different guitars inspire them to play differently. The fingerboard radius is the measure of the arc of the fingerboard across its width. The electric guitar does not depend on the soundboard and soundbox as elemental structures in order to make the instrument audible. You'll see that, contrary to what you might have thought, the fingerboard isn't flat. Guitar Necks. A round guitar neck fits the contours of the hand better and makes it more comfortable to play. There is no small enough detail in a guitar, that wouldn’t in some way contribute to the whole. about 10"R.? What happens when I stand up and hang the guitar on my shoulder? For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. There are countless stories and myths regarding who exactly invented what. Steve’s work has inspired many musicians and luthiers since. Radius is a spec I have to really look at. I wonder why that is? Talking about getting inspired of different guitars – one of my professional clients, Juha Björninen, plays both right- and left-handed instruments. Let’s touch on a couple of these points. Common radiuses (radii) include: 7.25", 9.5", 12", and 16", just to … A neck that is too thick will make it hard to play chords and will make you sore faster. For whatever reason, 12" seems to be the perfect radius for me in regards to playability and comfort. Aesthetics that appeal for women? He is a session player, and has told me that when he records various tracks, he sometimes plays some of the tracks left-handed, cause he has a clearly different style that way, making the music livelier! Different acoustic guitar neck sizes and shapes affect the feel of how the guitar is played. Since the circle is larger, the resulting arc across the fingerboard is flatter — because the width of the fingerboard is the same. This not only disturbs your focus from playing, but is also one of the reasons causing pain in the shoulders, neck and back. The fretboard radius is the measure of the arc of its width. The synthetic bone nut is pre-slotted with "pilot" string location grooves to make spacing a breeze when performing the final string slot filing, and a satin polyurethane finish on the back offers smooth playability. For some players it is essential to have the strings set super low, while others find such a guitar rather difficult to play, and need instead the instrument to “fight back” a bit more. If you are not an experienced player, it might come as a surprise that a string with a diameter of .010 feels completely … Some players have gotten used to dots or other kinds of inlays on the face of the fretboard, and it’s a good idea to take this into consideration when ordering your custom guitar. The rounder the radius, the easy to play chords but lack that bendability of a flatter radius. JasmineTea. Ergonomics designed for a woman’s body? Yes – I’m perfectly aware that I’m walking you to the actual topic, playability of an electric guitar, through the scenic road. To improve the balance of the guitar, I have shifted the waistline of the Unicorn body in such way that the balance point is right. Our first project on this field is a signature guitar model for the Finnish award-winning blues guitarist Erja Lyytinen. Quote; Link to post Share on other sites. A compound radius offers both, starting rounder in open position and flattening out as you move higher up the neck. This can be influenced by a variety of factors, including the profile of the neck, the “action” (how high above the fretboard the strings are), the gauge of the strings, the scale length, and the neck angle, among other things. A curved guitar is great to play chords and emotional solos; a flat guitar is great for riffs and note-to-note playing. But the neck scale is shorter too. And you have lost some fret height. When I talk about the size of an acoustic guitar neck I am mostly referring to the width of the flat part of the neck. It’s fair to say that without Steve Klein giving the guitar evolution his little nudge back in the day, modern “shredder friendly” instruments by companies such as Strandberg wouldn’t most likely exist. A Gibson Les Paul style guitar is often back-heavy. Fretboard radius is one of the elements that contributes quite significantly to the overall playabilty of a guitar. It started from a need. Other common sizes for fretboard radius are 9.5″, 10″, and 12″. Most of our guitars are made with 12-inch (305 mm) fretboard radius. The neck on the right (Fig. And for a good reason, too. It feels almost effortless to maneuver around the guitar’s 20 frets, 14 to the body. To understand the term, look at the picture on the left. You can learn more about our neck shapes from the Guitar Creator. This leads to a lot of misinformation because Fender normally have … A matter of taste, but even more than that, it is a matter of what you’re used to playing, over a long period of time. Why does the majority of popular electric guitars look like a smaller, little bit modified acoustic guitar? Which fretboard radius is the best? Look for keywords like “slim neck profile” or “flat neck”, both of which will make shredding much easier and far more comfortable. Also such details whether the fretboard edge has been comfortably rolled off or how the fret ends are shaped will make a difference in how you experience the playability of an instrument. In this video I discuss the specifications used to describe the shape, dimensions and feel of a guitar neck. The Unicorn is a good example. Simply put, the best functioning features and shapes have survived and prospered through centuries. The radius, together with fret size, neck shape, string height and other details define the ergonomics for your fretting hand. i like jumbo frets and 12 inch radius. Its mahogany neck features a comfortable V profile and its rosewood fretboard has a 24.75-inch scale length and 12-inch radius. I think there's a lot more to playability than the fretboard radius. Often players have what they call their main guitar. Hmmm, well I hate a 12" radius on a Fender. Acoustic Guitars ; playability: Martin vs Taylor playability: Martin vs Taylor. I'm looking to make the jump from a (very) low end tele and an (even lower) end strat to a guitar of some actual quality. Notice, that this is not the same as saying: “that’s how it’s always been so that’s how it will remain”. How does the instrument balance on my lap when I play sitting down? I designed the first prototype in 2018, and the development is ongoing. So now, as this is slowly changing, it is invigorating to observe and be part of this fresh deviation from the past. Yet for many steel-string acoustic guitar manufacturers, using a specific fingerboard radius is one of the ways they increase the feel and playability of the instrument. Our online Maintenance Guide is filled with useful tips regarding the setup of your guitar. I started a thread yesterday about how I didn't like the MIA necks at GC. We offer various neck shapes for our guitars. This is a comfortable radius for playing open or barre chords, soloing and bending strings cleanly, maintaining low action all the way up the neck. Anyone who has ever taken a look at guitar specs has surely seen a measurement for fretbaord radius. Playability. I don’t think so. The electric guitars were always designed by men, to be used mainly by men. The fretboard radius has a direct effect to playability as well. The truth is another neck with a 10-16″ compound radius or even flatter should be considered to play solos. And "usually" guitarists want flat radius' for low action and they end up with very plinky tone, especially when they play clean. Members; JasmineTea 0 Posted December 18, 2005. What is it? Whatever the true origin may be, the electric guitar we know today was without a doubt popularized by a few guitar factories in the 1940’s and early 1950’s. You can improve a guitar’s intonation, playability, and sustain by changing the bridge. The history can teach us so much. This is a comfortable radius for playing … Which neck shape is the best one? A rounder radius of 9.5 to 10 inches is popular for open position chords. Playability refers to how the guitar’s neck feels in your fretting hand when you play, and how easy it is to fret and pluck the strings. +1 anything over 12" and it feels like a classical guitar to me. Small neck guitars usually come with a slim neck, shorter scale length, and smaller body size. But the neck scale is shorter too. It is all what is comfortable to the player, no one is better but if you want low action, you need flat! You can learn more about our neck shapes from the Guitar Creator. Who actually buys those cheesy "Signature Line" Rock Star endorsement guitars? The guitar stays in a good position without forcing it, and so your playing becomes more relaxed. HARVIALAN KARTANO 34, 13330 HARVIALA, FINLAND, TEL: +358 3 7411 9351 | juha@ruokangas.com. Or – if the electric guitar would have been designed mainly to be used by women back in the 1940’s through to 1960’s, would it be different now, as we know it today? The guitar has a strong emotional connection to our cultural identities through music. Someone mentioned they have a 12" radius. 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