• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Neck Radius Confusion

SteveC

SteveC

Supporting Member
Nov 12, 2004
31,665
46,802
60
NE ND
#1
So the larger the number, the flatter the neck, right?

If a Fender jazz is a 12" radius, why does my Lakland 44-02 with a 10" radius feel flatter?

I'd love a jazz with a neck like my Lakland, but I don't want a Lakland as they don't offer an active jazz and I don't want to mod.

What am I missing?
 
#2
SteveC said:
So the larger the number, the flatter the neck, right?

If a Fender jazz is a 12" radius, why does my Lakland 44-02 with a 10" radius feel flatter?

I'd love a jazz with a neck like my Lakland, but I don't want a Lakland as they don't offer an active jazz and I don't want to mod.

What am I missing?
Click to expand...

Fretboard radius refers only to the fretboard, not the neck itself. The necks probably have a different profile and it seems flatter to you.

EDIT: Also, here's a picture I just made that compares the two radii. The black circle is a 12" radius, the red circle is a 10" radius, and the light blue area is a 4" long chunk. The difference, even at 4" (which is wider than nearly every radiused bass neck), is nearly negligible. I used a scale of 1":50 pixels.
 
#9
SteveC said:
OK. That makes sense.

Is there a number or way to tell the thickness or profile of the neck...other than actually playing on a neck?
Click to expand...

The short answer is "no."

The long answer is that some companies give specs in the form of thickness at various frets, some companies, like Fender, will label them with different profile letters, and some companies will just call them thick or thin (or variations of those two terms).
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back