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Im more inclined to want 12" radius. however I just bought a total vintage spec neck with 7.25 radius for a relic project I have in the works.
AFAIK< I wont be able to bend so much with frettting out, especially with the vintage sized frets.
Also, I guess the vintage frets arent for your fast type shred /metal riffs.
What do you think about vintage 7.25 radiused necks.
no problem bending - just need to flatten the radius on high E and B at bridge
I grew up on 7.25 radius. However my primary instrument, the Bronco had an even tighter radius on the bridge, maybe 6" or so.
I don't have any problem bending.
Me neither. Like Gris says the key is to set up the G,B, and E flat. Set up the G so it won't fret out, then raise the B and E to the same height.
I use that radius all the time no bending problems here. I don't shred but for fast run's, riff's I have no problem doing those either
I think that the bending issue was an internet myth. I've played a few and never had a problem.
I don't know about it being an internet myth. Guitars were offered with flatter radius fretboards for this very reason long before the internet was popular.
I had this "problem" with my '57 reissue Strat in the '80s. However, at that time, I was young and insisted that my high E and B string be the same measured distance from the frets as the G string, rather than where they play best.
A larger radius fretboard does, in fact, allow lower action on the high E and A strings without the notes choking out while bending.
Another thing to consider is that good technique will allow deeper bends with lower action and no notes choking out.
Overall, i prefer a larger radius fretboard, not too large, but there are more important factors in choosing a guitar.
I hate the 7.25" radius. I grew up plaing a 16" radius on my old early 90s Squier. For a while I used a 7.25" radius without knowing it (back before I even knew there was such a thing as fretboard radius) and now in retrospect I realize that's why that guitar was so much harder for me to play. I moved to a 10" radius for a while and that was better, but I picked up my old Squier a few months back and was shocked at how much better the neck felt in my hands. So now my partscaster has a replacement neck with a 16" radius.
I suspect people just prefer to use what they grew up using. Once you've gotten used to something, not much reason to switch.
I used to fret out big time with my 70's 7.25 Stratocaster. Do you know what I did to make it a little better?
I had 6105 stainless frets installed. Taller and more narrow. It made a world of difference.
Bending? That's a bit prog rock isn't it?
Bending is blues/rock...you are joking right? lol
I bend the hell out of my 7.25 necks and they are the most comfy. You need to set it up correctly
To set it up properly youd need to have the strings on the same angles as the fretboard curvature. Too much of an arc for my taste.
Great for chords, but with my playing style....not so good.
Im hard on necks. I twist the hell out of em'!