string arc on Tune-o-matic bridge

[curtisstetka]

I figured at least one of you s would know the answer here.

I've got a guitar with a Bigsby and a roller bridge. The bridge has a string arc of 12" which is cool because that guitar's neck also has a radius of 12".

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d2...etKingbody.jpg

I'd sorta like to replace that neck which I find uncomfortably thin with a Warmoth neck. Problem is, their compound radius thinger goes to a 16" radius.

So, could somebody please recommend one of the following:

A) a way to MacGyver my current bridge to a 16" arc.

B) a Tune-o-matic style bridge that has adjustable string height or comes with a 16" arc already.

C) reasons why I'm a complete putz and should do something totally different.


Thanks
Stetka

[LesPauloholic]

It seems like my luthier used to rant because Gibson used a 12" radius on their Les Paul neck, but the ABR-1 and maybe Gibson's Nashville tune-o-matic had 16" radiuses.... He'd have to slot the outer strings a little farther than he wanted to to get the string height nice and even across all the strings.

Stewmac has tune-o-matics, but they claim that the radius is 12"

Here's something else... Pigtail music makes 9" 10" and 12" radius replacement saddles for ABR-1 and Nashville TOM bridges... He might be willing to make you a set of 16" radius saddles...

http://www.pigtailmusic.com/Products.php

[telecast]

Curtis, the 12" radius bridge is the PERFECT compliment to a 16" compound radius board.

[Gravity Jim]

Or, Warmoth will make you a non-compound neck with a 12" radius, if you choose. But I'll bet telecast is correct.

[chuckocaster]

i have one of their compound necks, and if i remember correctly, it's 16" from like the 14th fret or so up, everything below that is 12". up that high on the neck there's not much difference. so just use the 12" bridge like telecast said and you'll be just fine.

[Kap'n]

Oh, just as an FYI, what you're referring to is bridge radius.

String arc is the deflection a string makes when it's plucked. It's why your neck shouldn't be ruler flat.

[curtisstetka]

Thanks, boys. Yes, bridge radius. I saw the term "string arc" on Stew Mac.

I realize I could just get a 12" radius for the whole thing and skip the compound bit. I just was intrigued by the concept. Prob'ly all hype anyway.

Telecast - can you elaborate??? I thought that if the neck radius ends at 16" having a bridge radius of 16" would enable the closest possibly action. I want to SHRED, man!!!!!

Just like that 8 possibly 12 year old kid that might be Russian. If I could just sound like that..... sigh....... Someday I will be able to make the sound of angry bees....

[telecast]

Like chucko said, it's a compound radius. About a 12" up to the 14th fret or so. That's perfect considering neck relief.

If you were to take a piece of paper and draw a 12" radius and a 16" radius with an intersecting point at the center, you'd find the difference at the edges of the fretboard to be really tiny. If you need to adjust, file the inside (3 and 4) saddles a touch and you'll be golden. Seriously, I doubt you'd ever know. We're talking in parts of 64ths here.

With a smaller bridge radius, the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th strings will be the closest. By the time you adjust the bridge for the 6th and 5th string clearance, I'll bet you'd think the guitar was designed that way.

[chuckocaster]

[LZ_69]

It seems like my luthier used to rant because Gibson used a 12" radius on their Les Paul neck, but the ABR-1 and maybe Gibson's Nashville tune-o-matic had 16" radiuses.... He'd have to slot the outer strings a little farther than he wanted to to get the string height nice and even across all the strings.

Stewmac has tune-o-matics, but they claim that the radius is 12"

Here's something else... Pigtail music makes 9" 10" and 12" radius replacement saddles for ABR-1 and Nashville TOM bridges... He might be willing to make you a set of 16" radius saddles...

http://www.pigtailmusic.com/Products.php

If you swap the middle and outside saddles around with the staggered saddles that pigtail sell you would get your flatter radius as long as there not any issues with the 2nd and 5th saddle being too high.

[curtisstetka]

Thanks, guys. Great information. Telecast, you are so right. It's just that my desire to SHRED is so mighty!!!! And I'm certain that it's the gear that prevents my SHREDDING. It couldn't possibly be my lack of ability.

[telecast]

Obviously the gear. :ahem

[LesPauloholic]

You should probably look for a pointier guitar... those shred better...

[Gravity Jim]

The compound radius isn't hype in my experience. The Warmoth compound is 10" at the nut to 16" at the 22nd fret. Very comfy for low chords, shredder flat in the upper range, but the entire neck just feels "right" wherever I play. Single-radius necks feel a little clunky to me now, after having played a compound radius neck exclusively for many years.

[telecast]

Jim's right, they are very comfortable. My next project is to re-do the Telebasterd. It'll have a Warmoth compound conversion neck, no two ways about it. I'll be using it with a 12" radius bridge.

Go figure.

[curtisstetka]

Suh-weet news. Thanks again. Seriously, I love that whacky Ibanez Jet King of mine - especially with the Bigsby bridge. But I can't seem to get used to the neck. For some reason it's got their "wizard" type profile - very thin like a shredder guitar. Does that look like a shredder guitar???? What were they thinking?

Anyway, I think if I can get more of a standard Fender-ish C profile on there I'll be a happy, though still pitifully slow, guitarist.

[telecast]

There's always someone faster, but there's always someone slower too.

Being a mediocre hack, I prefer to think in terms of the latter.

[Plugger]

Just for fun, I once tossed a pointy BC Rich "Warlock" thingy into a wood-chipper. It shredded *very* nicely.

-Mark

[LZ_69]

Just for fun, I once tossed a pointy BC Rich "Warlock" thingy into a wood-chipper. It shredded *very* nicely.

-Mark

Let me guess... the devil made you do it?