I’ve never bought or didn’t a buy a bass because of the radius. I’ve never played a bass with a reasonably good setup I couldn’t acclimate to in a short period of time.
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Do you prefer smaller or larger radius?
- Thread starter 10emmanuel
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I’ve never bought or didn’t a buy a bass because of the radius. I’ve never played a bass with a reasonably good setup I couldn’t acclimate to in a short period of time.
I have two fretless P basses, one is 7 1/4, the other is much flatter, maybe 10”? I much prefer the smaller radius, even if the other bass sounds better (single coil vs. split P). No idea what radius my upright has, but it’s tighter than 7 1/4
Anything 9" and more will do. It's like my fingers prefer a smaller radius for the D and G strings and a flatter board for E and A.
At the risk of stating the obvious, the need for a small radius on an upright is driven by string crossings with a bow. Nothing more maddening than going to bow a note and getting more strings than you asked for
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At the risk of stating the obvious, the need for a small radius on an upright is driven by string crossings with a bow. Nothing more maddening than going to bow a note and getting more strings than you asked for
it’s always okay to be Captain Obvious, what I should have said was that being used to the tight radius on the upright is probably why I like my old bass with the 7 1/4 radius over the flatter one, even though the single coil blows away the old split pea for tone. If I could get it, I’d love a neck about 1 5/8 thick.
I think that string spacing, nut width, and radius are all linked. A bass with tighter string spacing could feel comfortable with flatter radius. Inversely, lower number, more rounded radius, can make wider string spacing feel better. I also think that those two variables can play into how a short, medium, or long scale bass feels when you play it.
Overall, I try not to pre-judge any bass I play if I'm bass shopping. The geometry of the bass is the geometry of the bass. If its set up well, or you can see the potential of how it will play if it's set up well, then it's worthy of consideration regardless of the specs...
Overall, I try not to pre-judge any bass I play if I'm bass shopping. The geometry of the bass is the geometry of the bass. If its set up well, or you can see the potential of how it will play if it's set up well, then it's worthy of consideration regardless of the specs...
well alrighty then!
i generally like a smaller radius, but: the radius + the fingerboard thickness + the width of the fingerboard work together (for me) such that i'd consider some to be comfortable, and some, not so much --- no matter the specific radius of a particular instrument's fingerboard.
most of my fingerboards are ~9.5, some are flatter. but flat+thick+wide, for example, is not my favorite. TBH/FWIW: i've played plenty of 'exceptions'.
Great observations! I’ve noticed that a smaller scale length really changes many of my pre-conceptions about string spacing and number of strings, to my surprise. However, too flat (>17”) is still too flat for me
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On both basses and guitars, I prefer at least a 12" radius, which I categorized as "larger" for the poll because it's flatter than most Fenders. I had no clue about this spec when I got back into playing in 2002, but eventually noticed I played a little better on my DiPinto Belvedere's neck, and learned it had a 14" radius. The preference really took hold a few years later with a couple of G&L basses with 12" radius fretboards.
For guitars and four-string basses, I can tolerate the typical 9.5" radius if I can get a low setup, as on my 2004 Am. Series Strat and 2003 Am. Series Jazz. I probably won't buy another instrument with a 9.5" radius, but these Fenders are fantastic and aren't going anywhere. My G&L Comanche also has a 9.5" radius and feels great too, but I am selling it partly for this reason. (Neck pickup tone is the other reason.) I recently bought a G&L Legacy HSS with a 12" radius to replace it, and I definitely prefer the flatter fretboard.
On five-string basses, I won't bother with anything less than 12", because I can't stand reaching over a "hump" to access the lower strings. This issue exists on guitars and fours too, but it's magnified by the wider necks of fives. I'd happily go with 16" or maybe even higher, which I've tried on Yamahas and others. I've sold a couple of good five-string J-basses largely because of their 9.5" radius fretboards.
For guitars and four-string basses, I can tolerate the typical 9.5" radius if I can get a low setup, as on my 2004 Am. Series Strat and 2003 Am. Series Jazz. I probably won't buy another instrument with a 9.5" radius, but these Fenders are fantastic and aren't going anywhere. My G&L Comanche also has a 9.5" radius and feels great too, but I am selling it partly for this reason. (Neck pickup tone is the other reason.) I recently bought a G&L Legacy HSS with a 12" radius to replace it, and I definitely prefer the flatter fretboard.
On five-string basses, I won't bother with anything less than 12", because I can't stand reaching over a "hump" to access the lower strings. This issue exists on guitars and fours too, but it's magnified by the wider necks of fives. I'd happily go with 16" or maybe even higher, which I've tried on Yamahas and others. I've sold a couple of good five-string J-basses largely because of their 9.5" radius fretboards.
I never paid the slightest attention until about twenty years ago when I picked up my friend Rob's original 62 jazz. WOW!! 
I'll go with the 7.25" radius on bass (I like 10-16 compound radius on them piccolo6 thingies...)
I'll go with the 7.25" radius on bass (I like 10-16 compound radius on them piccolo6 thingies...)
I don't consider radius. I actually enjoy "adapting" to basses with different radii and neck profiles. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. Lol.
Adding one more variable. This intrigues me:
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Scroll down a bit until you see:
The only neck profile Warmoth makes on a 5 string neck is "asymmetric". It's a 10" uniform radius, but the neck is thicker on the bass side and thinner on the treble side.
Another thing that they discuss elsewhere on the page in the link it "compound radius". That refers to a bass neck that is one radius closer to the nut, and changes to a different radius as you approach the bridge.
Ibanez does this, but probably others as well. - There are all kinds of ways to put together a bass...
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Scroll down a bit until you see:
Another thing that they discuss elsewhere on the page in the link it "compound radius". That refers to a bass neck that is one radius closer to the nut, and changes to a different radius as you approach the bridge.
Ibanez does this, but probably others as well. - There are all kinds of ways to put together a bass...
My left hand likes the smaller radius fretting, particularly near the nut. But, many top luthiers and builders prefer flatter construction; and the logic is that string bending on the more curved board has setup / intonation issues.
Well, newsflash, I generally don’t bend my notes. This is one guitar oriented design myth, which we just live with. My upright basses have pronounced curvature - I’m guessing the radius near the nut is 4” - 5” tops.
I get that some techniques, like tapping (again a guitar technique), are better on flatter boards. Well, I don’t tap very often.
I play the flatter boards on some of my instruments; because, that’s what is available. I don’t agree with the logic behind it.
Well, newsflash, I generally don’t bend my notes. This is one guitar oriented design myth, which we just live with. My upright basses have pronounced curvature - I’m guessing the radius near the nut is 4” - 5” tops.
I get that some techniques, like tapping (again a guitar technique), are better on flatter boards. Well, I don’t tap very often.
I play the flatter boards on some of my instruments; because, that’s what is available. I don’t agree with the logic behind it.
This.
Radii don’t exist in a vacuum. There are other factors that affect playability and they all interact. I can’t really have a strong opinion about any given radius until I’ve felt it in context.
That's definitely true. For example, even though I prefer a flatter radius, I did like the neck on my G&L JB-5 even with its 9.5" radius. For me, it was much more comfortable than my old Fender Jazz V's neck, I think because of the rear profile and narrower string spacing. It was a great design overall IMO. But I would have liked it much more with a flatter radius, which is one reason I ultimately sold it. Every time I switched to my M-2500 with its 12" radius, it just felt so much better.
