Fretboard Radius Advice ????

[ngwbass]

What fretboard radius do you people prefer and why?

I am fitting a new fretboard to one of my basses and before I radius it, I would like to have other people's opinions on the advantages of using one radius, compared to another.

That is; why do some bass players use flat radii, >15" and others prefer the round 7.25" radius.

All help appreciated, as this will help me avoid doing a lot of R&D.

I am not sure if there is already some info on this subject here and if there is, can someone point me in the direction, so I don't waste everyone's time on a worn out topic.

[kesslari]

It's about what feels right to you. The best thing to do will be to play a number of basses, and figure out which fb's you like.

I like moderate-to-large radii (12" - 16"), but that's just me.

[John Wentzien]

I like 9.5
That seems to be as round as you can get without the string "fretting-out" when bending (unless you like higher action)..

[ngwbass]

John & Jon,
since you both have different preferences; what do you find preferable about the rounder or flatter boards with regard to ease & speed of playing and fretting the strings, especially the stretch to the low frets & strings?

The string bending is not as big an issue as guitar playing.
Guitarists seem to go for a tight radius for chording and a wide radius to suit string bending and in between for both.

I am more interested in why bass players use such a wide range of fretboard radii when, we don't bend all that much and we don't play chords all that much either; is one or the other better , because:
It's easier to reach the strings/frets?
It's easier to press the strings down?
It's faster?
It's just more comfortable?

[Chasarms]

IME, preference in the radius of the fb tends to match the technique of the player and the other characteristics of the bass itself.

With a four string, it matters less. The neck is typically narrow enough to cover the board without much issue. And, the differences in radius is less noticable.

If you tend to "choke" the neck with your thumb over the top and a bent wrist, the more rounded feeling is more comfortable, and it is easier to fret the D and G strings with you fingers bent.

With a wide neck five or a 6+ string bass, you are almost forced to adopt a more classical approach the instrument. That is, playing the bass higher with the neck elevated and keeping a clean, straight wrist with the thumb tip in the back spine of the neck. You have to play like this to cover the neck.

If you play with that approach, the flatter fingerboards tend to be more comfortable. In fact, many classical guitars have a zero radius fb. I also once had a Warwick fretless six that was zero radius. It was very comfortable to play considering the neck width.

[joelc1319]

My main bass, a Warwick Corvette 4-string, has a 20" radius. My other bass, a MIA Fender Jazz, has a 9.5" radius. For whatever reason, and this might just be the fact that I have DR Hi-Beams on the Jazz and DR Lo-Riders on the Warwick, I can get lower action on the Warwick without buzz.

I find them to be better suited for different things. The chunkiness of the Warwick neck combined with its flatter board makes it better suited for "powerful" and groovy lines, and it is better for slapping (IMO) and two-handed tapping (IMO). The Jazz bass is much easier to "solo" with and play faster lines.

I'd say a lot of the playability has to do with the neck profile more than the fingerboard radius (IMO). Thinner = faster neck, Fatter = slower but easier to dig into. At least in my experience that's the case. However, to each his own. The fretless that I'm constructing has a 7.25" radius, so go figure

[Deacon_Blues]

I have a harder time playing on a round fretboard than a flat. Noticed that after I bought my '62 RI Fender Jazz and sold my Warwick corvette to finance it...

I learned to play on the corvette, and it was my only bass for 6 years. It had a very flat fretboard. I never thought the difference in radius would have such a big impact on the playing as it had. It's harder to play on the G string on the Fender (7,25" radius) and the muting of the E string is harder when I play up there. I have been forced to adopt another muting technique because of that.

I think I will buy a new main bass within some time. It will definitely be one with a flatter fretboard. Perhaps a Lakland Skyline, most of them seem to have a radius for my taste.


Btw, this is post #2000 for me...

[ga_edwards]

My personal preference would be a compound/conical radius. Relatively small around 10" at the nut end to make it comfortable playing traditional grooves and flatter around 25" at the dusty end to make bends, taps and reaching over to the lower strings easier with lower action.

Trouble is, it would either have to be a custom built neck or I'd have to get a luthier to defret and reprofile an existing bass neck.

I am thinking about getting a cheaper option of this done when I get my local guy to do a fret dress on my Yamaha RBX4-A2 by grinding the upper frets down a tad more than the lower ones. I like the Yamaha's 10(ish)" radius in general, but a mix of the radius and a couple of dodgy frets means I can't get the action as low as my Warwick Thumb 5 string (25") without choking out.

I also have a Yamaha Attitude on order which has a 10" radius. Hopefully being a higher end instrument the frets will be dressed better than the RBX, so I should be able to get the action a fraction lower.

[JTE]

It's not an issue for me. My basses all seem to have different radii, and other than the Fender Vintage Series '62 P, I don't even know what the radius specs are. And I only know that Fender is 7.25" because when they first came out was the first time there was any discussion of fingerboard radius. I know my Lakland 55-01 is flatter than my Lakland 4-94s. But how much? I don't have a clue.

I like the way the basses feel so obsessing about fingerboard radius is pretty pointless to me. When I had a new fingerboard put on my fretless we didn't even discuss it, and Mikey made it pretty similar to the original radius.

jte

[John Wentzien]

I think it is mainly a comfort issue.
I started playing in the 60's and just got used to a tighter radius that was on Fender basses (that was about your only choice back then where I grew up)
My fretted jazz bass has 9.5 and my fretless is 7.25.
I can get by with the smaller radius on the fretless since bending notes involves more sliding up-and-down the string instead of bending along the fret.