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Comments
radius schmadius!
It depends on what you are playing really, even a well set up 7.25'' is more difficult to play fast on in my experience, not that it's a bad thing. I had one of my 7.25 strats refretted with jumbos and he radiused the frets to 9.5, much easier to play and do big accurate bends on
I'm also wary of 7.2 radiuses, but have one on my MIJ Jaguar and find nothing wrong with it, but since then I have started playing different guitars and none of them have 7.25, closest are the strats with 9.5 and I think that's where I'd like it.
I do prefer flatter radius and my Jackson soloist is great in that regard!
There are rumours 7.25 are harder to bend on, but remember there are many legendary guitarists that had no problem with 7.25 and bending, like Gary Moore, Dave Murray and Jimi Hendrix. I think Stevie Ray's guitars were flattened due to playing and refrets but there is no reason other than preference to choose one over the other.
I've got a bass with 7.5 and it definitely seems to feel different, never tried on a guitar though.
Now, going from a 12-16 compound radius straight to one of these IS a bit of a shock to the system.
I believe existing guitars were much flatter so it does seem like there must have been a reason. Might well be to do with ease or cost of manufacturing rather than playing.
Ideally, I prefer a 10" on a fender scale guitar. Would never buy one with less than 9"
Had an interesting decision today. I'm in the middle of building a guitar at Crimson and had to decide on radius. Ended up going with 7.25". Doing the frets tomorrow.
All fingerboards should be compound radius anyway - not just for playing ease, but simple geometry - because the neck tapers, if the radius is constant the edge of the board would have to be lower as you go up the neck. (Or the fingerboard thicker.) If it’s not, the radius must be slightly larger at the body than the nut. Compound radius is just specifying that accurately and exaggerating it slightly.
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