Choking on 7 1/2" guitars

[brianf]

Why do 7 & 1/2" radius guitars have more of a choke off problem.

If you bend a G or B string up, it is now sitting about in the middle or high point of the fret. Now as the string is plucked and it vibrates toward the bridge, the open space below the string falls away quicker because of the steep radius on the 7 1/2" than on a 9" or 10" neck.

Yet the chocking problem always seems more common on the vintage necks.

I'm having a problem with this on my 52RI. I've tried lots of relief (12 thou.) no relief (2 or 3 thou.) heavey strings, lighter strings, raise string height etc. My other guitars never have this problem. Just my Tele.

OK theory buffs, lets have it. I'll post this on Dan E's forum as well.

Thanks


brianf

[Sven]

It's just something you have to learn to work with.

If a 7.5 inch radius doesn't work for you, then you have purchased the wrong guitar.

Buy a guitar that is better suited to your particular needs. Whether other people think it's "bitchen" or not, should never influence your decision. Buy the best tool for the job "You" want to do. Screw what the rest of us think. You are the one who is holding the guitar and doing the work.

If it's not good for you, then it sucks. No matter who says it's cool.

[Cogs]

They work fine, if you jack the action up so high that you tear your fingernails off the bed when you bend a string.

[Sven]

They work fine, if you jack the action up so high that you tear your fingernails off the bed when you bend a string.

Party on, Wayne!

I suffer for my music, you guys should, too.

[Cogs]

Years ago I had my '61 Strat re-radiused to 9.5 when it went in for a refret (6105s). That thing played like a dream after it was done, but I doubt if I could bring myself to do the same thing to my '59.

[brianf]

Well, I spent a couple of hours on it last night and it is much better now. Not perfect, but much better.
The neck is now almost flat. About 3 or 4 thou. at the 8th, Fender 11>49 strings and the bridge radius a little higher in the middle than 7 1/2" radius. The string height is a bit higher than I like but still OK.

About 5 / 64ths on the E,A,D and E. The B and G about 6/64ths.


71818, you are right about the strings jamming underneath the nail.

brianf

[ragtweed]

I have a few guitars with the 7.5" radius and they do fret out on certain strings and at certain frets. Its seems kinda funny that I can bend some notes halfway across the fretboard and then move up a fret and the bent note cuts right out. I can still solo on these guitars, but it takes an awareness of which notes can be bent and which can't. I like high action though so maybe that's why I'm only fretting out in a couple spots. My '73 Tele Deluxe has a flatter board and big frets with relatively low action and when I pick that guitar up after playing some of my others I find it difficult to bend strings at all because the strings just seem to slide under my fingertips and bending to pitch gets a little tough. I've never tried a compound radius fretboard, but the idea behind it seems pretty logical. With the 7.5" radius even with a good set-up I usually find that there's always a couple spots up in the higher register where certain notes just can't be bent all that much. It does take some getting used to, but I wouldn't ditch these guitars for that reason alone.

[brianf]

Its seems kinda funny that I can bend some notes halfway across the fretboard and then move up a fret and the bent note cuts right out.

How true!!!! Just move one fret and it chokes off. Go back down and you can bend damn near off the neck without choking.

brianf

[Fenderrookie]

Not to be an %@*, but, it is NOT a 7 1/2 radius, I beleive you mean a 71/4 radius.

[brianf]

:rofl Close enough.

brianf

[Cogs]

7 1/4? That's even worse!

[BLUELOU]

FRET PLIERS ANYONE?
HAVE HAMMER WILL FIX
ONLY JOKIN ACTUALLY MY OL 68 STRAT HAD THAT PROBLEM ITS SUPER SKINNY 7,1/4 IT WAS DRIVIN ME NUTS I REFRETTED IT AND IT WORKED BETTER ITS SAME NECK STYLE FRET WISE AS THEM THINLINES ETC ITS SHKINNY MAPLE NECK JUST A NICE SOLID NECK BUT IT USED TO BUZZ
I TOOK MY TIME AND REFRETTED IT MTYSELF IT WAS NICE TO DO SOMETHIN ON MY OWN LIKE THAT
FRETWIRE WAS LIKE 10$ TO $12
AND I USED DUNLOP TALL
WORKED WONDERFUL I LIKE HIGH ACION ANYWAY BUT THAT NECK NEVER BUZZED AT THA 15TH FRET AREA AGAIN

FOR 2 NIGHTS WIRK I SAVED A BUNDLE AND IT WAS ALOT OF WORK BUT IT WAS FUN

I PLAY WITH JACKED ACTION IM INRTO SLIDE GUITAR AND WHEN I GET ON A 9-12 RADIUS NECK IM LIKE LIGHTNING CAUSE MOST OF MY NECKS I USE ARE 7'S

I GOT 2 9 RADIUS NECKS WHICH I LOVE
AND A VERY THIN IBANEZ TYPE REPLACEMENT STRAT NECK ITS THIN THIN
FAST AND THIN VERY FLAT ITS ON MY SUNBURST STRAT
THAT GUITAR IS A MONSTER WHAT A WORK HORSE


ON MY 7'S NECKS I HAD FRET BUZZ BUT ITS SOMETIMES HOW YOU DRESS THE FRETS AND TWEAK THAT TRUSS ROD OR SHIM THE HEEL ITS ALL TWEAKING

MY 68- 69 STRATS I HAD THAT PROBLEM AND I GOT A MICROTILT MODEL 3 BOLTER OLDIE THAT DID THAT SHIT
BUT I REFRETTED THAT NECK IT WAS FUN

THA MICROTILT CRAP I BYPASS IF IT AINT NECESSARY ADD A NEW PLATE
AS FOR BUZZES ILL GUESS YOURE FRETTIN AROUND THE 12TH TO 15TH FRET NOISE WISE PLUS MAYBE YOU LIKE LOW ACTION

I DONT KNO WHY THEY DO THAT BUT IT IS SOMETIMES A PROBLEM

I DONT LIKE LOW ACTION SO ITS NOT A MONSTROSITY
PLUS JOHN O BOYLE IS GREAT AT REWORKIN NECKS
IF ITS OUT OF MY HANDS WORK WISE

FOR ME I LOVE HIGH ACTION I LIKE WORKIN MY FINGERS OFF

ON MY 3 BOLTER I ADDED A 4 BOLT NECK PLATE TO IT AND IT STABILIZED IT BETTER

[Bob Onit]

They work fine, if you jack the action up so high that you tear your fingernails off the bed when you bend a string.

LOL.......... 7.5 is for chording, wanna bend? Flatten the neck
All my Strats (yes, even the vintage ones) have been cut to a compound radius

If ya cant play it, why own it

[Cogs]

My '61 was re-radiused to 9.5, but I kept all the sawdust in a little ziplock baggie.
That would have to go with the guitar when I sold it to a big-time collector.
Just trying to preserve the originality, you know.

[Bob Onit]

My '61 was re-radiused to 9.5, but I kept all the sawdust in a little ziplock baggie.
That would have to go with the guitar when I sold it to a big-time collector.
Just trying to preserve the originality, you know.

Lol Bro
I hear ya......... I had most of mine cut to 10" - 16"
Feels like a LP and sounds like a Strat

[brianf]

When a neck is flattened to 9 or 10 inches is it just that the frets are ground down the middle (High spot) or is the neck itself flattened out?

Thanks

brianf

[Cogs]

The actual fingerboard is re-radiused.

[Huckleberry]

Here's a trick I heard about: have the frets done with a bigger radius.

My G&L ASATs(Teles) have the 7.25 radius, and I have absolutely no problems bending/soloing on them. I actually prefer the feel.