What do you like & why? Advantage/disadvantages to particular radii? What is better for chording, slap, fingerstyle, etc?
Edit: Let's not forget fretless!
Edit: Let's not forget fretless!
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Let's talk radius
- Thread starter bassteban
- Start date
Geoff St. Germaine
Commercial User
- Aug 31, 2001
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- Owner - St. Germaine Guitars
I like flat myself. I don't know what it's better for, but I like the feel. I guess a really large radius would be alright as well.
Geoff St. Germaine said:
I believe a larger radius would lean more towards 'flat', whereas a tighter radius would be more visibly curved- so 'large radius' & 'flat' seem to me to mean more or less the same thing. Of course I may be completely on bad crack...
bassteban said:
My first bass had a 40" radius fboard. That feels flat enough. My latest one has a flat board, they both feels about the same.
My favorite radius is the earlier Fender 7.25". After that I like 12". But I play 4's. Tight radii like those would be impractical with extended range instruments because it would add considerably to the stretch.
- Jun 6, 2004
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Geoff St. Germaine
Commercial User
- Aug 31, 2001
- 6,267
- 302
- Disclosures
- Owner - St. Germaine Guitars
bassteban said:
By flat I mean infinite radius, or no curvature to the board. And I'm also fairly familiar with the geometry of circles.
Geoff St. Germaine said:By flat I mean infinite radius, or no curvature to the board. And I'm also fairly familiar with the geometry of circles.
I think I misunderstood. Happens all the time, according to my wife.
BTW, I don't think I've ever seen a totally(or nearly so)flat finger- or fret- board. Is there a well-known, or common- so to speak- bass with such?
3" all the way, baby! Well, at least for my EUB.
Beyond that 12" seems to work for the fours, and I don't waste my time with all these extra strings.
-Nate
Beyond that 12" seems to work for the fours, and I don't waste my time with all these extra strings.
-Nate
Geoff St. Germaine
Commercial User
- Aug 31, 2001
- 6,267
- 302
- Disclosures
- Owner - St. Germaine Guitars
bassteban said:I think I misunderstood. Happens all the time, according to my wife.
BTW, I don't think I've ever seen a totally(or nearly so)flat finger- or fret- board. Is there a well-known, or common- so to speak- bass with such?
JP Basses are flat. I'm not sure of any others, but I'm sure they're out there.
Most (if not all) classical guitars use a flat fingerboard. That's what I tried to achieve on my first bass. I liked it so much that I built a couple more using flat. Try one on your next bass. They're surprisingly comfortable. After all, you can always defret, radius and refret.
budman
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- Oct 7, 2004
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- Owner/Builder of LeCompte Electric Bass
- Mar 22, 2002
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I like a 16 for 5 strings, 20 for ERBs. My six will have a 20-flat compound whenever I get done with the "Honey-Do-List"...
I prefer a semi thin neck with a pretty much flat fingerboard... that way if I decide to bend a string, the arch on the fingerboard doesn't cause the note to deaden (I prefer VERY low action, just low enough that you get no buzz)
Wow, I can't believe so many people like flat fretboards! For me I want my bass to feel like a bass not a classical guitar with their dead flat and wide fretboards. I guess I'm just too "old school".... but 12" radius has always done it for me. Obviously on a 6 string or higher bass it would have to be flat or nearly so.
Geoff St. Germaine
Commercial User
- Aug 31, 2001
- 6,267
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- Owner - St. Germaine Guitars
parttimeluthier said:
I assure you that my basses feel like basses and not classical guitars. The giant strings, wide spacing and long scale length are a dead giveaway.
As I've spent most of my playing history on an old ugly p-bass, I find the shorter radii more comfortable and "familiar". Flat or large radius fingerboards feel weird to me.
On my basses I build and sell, standard on my 4 strings and 5 strings if you don't ask otherwise is 12", with a choice of 12", 16", or 20" as options. I can do compound but haven't had that requested yet.
On my basses I build and sell, standard on my 4 strings and 5 strings if you don't ask otherwise is 12", with a choice of 12", 16", or 20" as options. I can do compound but haven't had that requested yet.
