Fender/Strat neck radius and contour preference ?

Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 10:58 am

I fell in love with my '56 reissue Tokai's neck. It has that sorta v to a soft v/c sorta back contour. It also has the 9 1/2 radius fretboad. I like this, because I can really get 'under' my bends, as well as likeing the extra tension this radius presents, enabeling one to apply a little more 'attack' to the notes. I just recieved a Musikraft maple/maple vaneered neck (ala Jimi Hendrix) that I personally filed and sanded to perfectly match the back contour of my Tokai neck. What type strat necks are you guy's liking ?

fillmore nyc · Post by **fillmore nyc** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 12:14 pm

Tone Slinger wrote:What type strat necks are you guy's liking ?

I like them with a really big back profile, like the Warmoth fatback, or boatneck. As far as fingerboard radius, I also like them pretty flat, like the 10"-16" compound radius, or just a straight 16" radius. I dont get as much fret-out when bending with the flatter radius.
As a side note, I also love huge frets, like Dunlop 6100, or even 6000's.
I've always loved Gibson necks, so that probably steers my preference toward a fat/flat/big fret neck.
I used to have a neck that had a totally flat fingerboard (infinite radius), like the early EVH necks, but I never really liked it too much. Same goes for scalloped fingerboards. I was NEVER able to come to grips with that feel, but my neck had super deep scallops, so the playing was strictly on the strings--there was no touching the fingerboard on THAT neck.

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 12:29 pm

Anything thats not real thin can grow on me. I got the warmoth boat neck and I dont think Id get that again but I like it. Something with a thinner waist like a V or even hard V might be nice.

Im still undecided for radius. I have the compound radius. I only ever had fret-out isues high on the neck and I dont play that high that often anyway. Not much past the 12 fret box position. Ive set up my guitar in the past so that high fret bends fret out awful but the lower positions play nice knowing that Im never up there anyway. I dont know that a 16" would feel right. Id have to play one.

fillmore nyc · Post by **fillmore nyc** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 12:36 pm

Billy Batz wrote:Anything thats not real thin can grow on me. I got the warmoth boat neck and I dont think Id get that again but I like it. Something with a thinner waist like a V or even hard V might be nice.
I dont know that a 16" would feel right. Id have to play one.

Thats another one that Warmoth used to make, but doesnt anymore- a hard vee back profile. I had one on a Strat neck with an 1 3/4" nutwidth and a real slick ebony fretboard, and absolutely loved it.
I think most Gibsons are straight 16" radius, but they do have that shorter scale, which will obviously change the feel of things.

yngwie308 · Post by **yngwie308** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 1:01 pm

I like mostly more rounded necks, definitely with some thickness to them.
My '57 Fullerton reissue, has a great neck and I for one do not mind a 7.25" radius.
The compound radius on my Hamer Chapparal with the 2 octave neck is great, very player friendly.
My SS80 Washburn's neck is quite beefy and feels more vintage Fender, than Charvel like.
For my money, a 9" radius on an otherwise stock Fender relic is weird, but they are popular. I like changing it up all the time between all my different guitars, but vintage Fender is my favorite profile.

yngwie308

Freedom · Post by **Freedom** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 1:12 pm

Tone Slinger wrote:What type strat necks are you guy's liking ?

Ok, first of all its always maple and nitro for me...

Now, i want the neck to be as thin as possible and as narrow as possible ...also i bend all the time so in my case i need at least 2 tone-bends without fretting on the E (2.5 tones would be ideal) and at least 3 tone-bends withouts fretting on the B string (3.5 tones would be ideal)...still i don't like high action...so 7.25 radius and vintage frets are out of the question for me...

My RI '57 neck's profile has been sanded to death and the radius has changed to 9.5" so its reeeeally thin and its also nice with big bends...oh, it has 6100 frets as well...

My CIJ '68 neck's profile has already been sanded to death as well (yeah, more than the '57) and the radius is already changed to 12" and the frets are 6105... unfortunately my tech hasnt finished the nitro job yet so its gonna take a little more time but can't wait to play it, i am pretty sure its gonna be my favorite...

Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:32 am

I guess I mind the actual shape of the back neck as much as thickness, though Ibanez necks (like the 'Wizard') are definatly TOO thin. A 'C' has too much shoulder (I guess thats the part of the back neck that is between the middle(where the truss rod lies) and the back edges of the fretboard) a soft 'V' is like a 'C' with less shoulder.

I feel that the fretboard radius is very important, for dynamics, as much as actual fretting/action aspects. The 'G' and 'D' strings on a 7 1/4 action can be set as low as a flatter radius. Its the fact that the radius curves under the ,a,e,b and high e strings. This makes those strings a little higher, which definatly affects how one plays. Too me it gives me more control over 'touch' and 'feel' type dynamics. My action is set sorta medium I guess. I have no problems with 2 step bends. Also, I like the effort one has to put into playing this vintage radius. Bends ring out with more clarity to me, sorta like those real piercing bends that Hendrix pulled alot, like on the WS 'Izabella'.

I like the newer Fender 9 1/2 radius as well. The flattest I'm confortable with is probably Gibsons '12 radius, which fits right in with those guitars construction. I cant stand the '16 and higher radiuses of the Jackson and Ibanez guitars. The tension/feel aspect is gone on those to me. My Warmoth 'EVH/Lynch/De Martini' type stat has the 10-16 radius, which I like, but wish it was like a 10-12, so things werent so flat up high.

AJW · Post by **AJW** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:59 pm

I've never played a compound radius neck before so I can't comment on that. I might like that.

I have a couple of Ibanez guitars and although they play well they could be more comfortable chording. I think the fact that my fingers don't have a lot of flesh on them affects how that feels. With the flatter radius it's more difficult to barre chords.

I have an American Deluxe strat with the 9.5" radius that feels pretty good in all aspects.

I just bought a 60's reverse strat with the old 7.25" radius which feels good, but not quite as nice as the 9.5. Once I set up the bridge saddles with a radius gauge it played much nicer than I thought it would.

Painkiller · Post by **Painkiller** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 7:13 pm

All maple, with D profiles for me. I like thick necks.

Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:17 pm

All maple for sure. There are very small or slight variences that play into a bigger, broader picture. A neck that FITS into your clasped hand, is an example.

Yngve · Post by **Yngve** » Wed May 07, 2008 2:39 am

I use Thick Necks coming from playing Classical guitar, more timber means more sustain and tone and its feel comfortable around the hand, thin neck dont mean you can play faster.

Pic of me with my custom strat made for me by Stewart Male using Tasmanian Huon one piece for the body and birds eye/flame maple neck.

All to my specs.

JimiJames · Post by **JimiJames** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:18 pm

Just like my women... they're all good ! even the fat ones... hehe
Seriously,
from the super wide HM's to the super skinny Japanese. Rose/Maple... don't matter.
I've owned & played a gazillion Strat necks and for me it comes down to this.
For radius and contour preference = style & technique.

How you play and the style of music you play will dictate what you settle on. Physical abillities as well.
I like my HM's for the mindless 32nd note stuff & my Stratocaster's for soulful bending.
2

HARLEYIII · Post by **HARLEYIII** » Sat May 10, 2008 12:28 am

Im not sure of the specs, but what ever they are on my '97 Hendrix "Tribute" Strat. I'd love to have a copy of it, just with bigger frets for my next project guitar. (something similar to a EVH style strat, but with no trem)

worldoftone · Post by **worldoftone** » Sat May 10, 2008 11:41 am

About the only thing I don't like are "V" necks. Not one Strat I own has that style. My hand favors certain ones. I dunno what the radius is. If I play any Strat for a while, I can get used to it and let 'er rip.

- WOT

HARLEYIII · Post by **HARLEYIII** » Sat May 10, 2008 4:36 pm

worldoftone wrote:About the only thing I don't like are "V" necks. Not one Strat I own has that style. My hand favors certain ones. I dunno what the radius is. If I play any Strat for a while, I can get used to it and let 'er rip.

- WOT

I dont like the "v" necks either. I played an ESP strat that had one of those. That was the most uncomfortable thing Ive ever played.

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Fender/Strat neck radius and contour preference ?

Fender/Strat neck radius and contour preference ?

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Re: Fender/Strat neck radius and contour preference ?