Neck Radius Issues...

Butch Snyder · July 25th, 2003, 09:39 AM

I received my 50's Tele yesterday. It looks fantastic. Fender has been running these models with an an almost opaque white finish. Mines almost Mary Kay. It's beautiful.

Here's my issue. The neck radius is a killer. I'm used to my Les Paul (12"), Music Man Albert Lee (10"), and my Nash B-Bender Tele (9.5"). This one (7.25") is a lot harder to play. I'm taking it to my tech today for a good setup. Maybe he'll be able to make it better for me. I don't want to think bad about it. After all, there are some great players who use 7.25"r necks. Let's see, there's:

1. Scotty Anderson
2. Brent Mason
3. Albert Lee (on his '53 Tele when he plays it)
4. Johnny Hiland
5. Redd Volkaert
6. Bill Kirchen
7. Dany Gatton
8. Roy Buchannan
9. Brad Paisley

The list goes on and on...

Can y'all give me some insight for this?

Cheers,

eryque · July 25th, 2003, 09:48 AM

I think this is just one of those things you have to get used to, and you either like it or you don't. I never have problems with 1 or 1 1/2 step bends, and I never hear anyone but Dickey Betts doing more, so I don't know why the flatter fretboard is necessary.

I found that once I got used to the 7.25" fretboard and small frets, I'm not so fond of anything else.

Butch Snyder · July 25th, 2003, 09:49 AM

Yes, I'm hoping that getting a good setup and just digging into intense practice will help.

Lew UK · July 25th, 2003, 09:57 AM

it has taken me a while getting used to the 7.25 neck,but anything else feels a little odd now,give it time.

Butch Snyder · July 25th, 2003, 09:59 AM

That's a little scary considering my Albert Lee has a 10" radius; but I'm planning, when it's completed, on making this Tele my #1.

Lew UK · July 25th, 2003, 10:05 AM

my mia with modern neck is getting no time,for no reason other than im loving the vintage neck.

im sure you will find room for them all,but do give it some time

Scotland · July 25th, 2003, 10:07 AM

It just feels right somehow. I would prefer the frets to be a little beefier though.

Butch Snyder · July 25th, 2003, 10:20 AM

Meeeeee too...

Michael Murphy · July 25th, 2003, 10:37 AM

I love vintage radius necks.

I briefly had a Ric 450 Combo in '62 (first electric, I have no idea even today what the radius was, but that neck was skinny thickness-wise). I traded it in on a new Tele in '63, and I was stuck on vintage from there on out.

I can't hardly play a flatter radius. 9.5 is about as flat as I can tolerate, and even that's a struggle. I do have a USACG compound radius that goes from 7.25 to 9.5, and it's fairly comfortable (but I find myself staying on the low end of it quite a bit). 12 or 15 inch? Forget it! How do people play those things???

-Michael
Charter Member S. Texas He-Man Emoticon Haters Local #316

Butch Snyder · July 25th, 2003, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Murphy

I
I can't hardly play a flatter radius. 9.5 is about as flat as I can tolerate, and even that's a struggle. I do have a USACG compound radius that goes from 7.25 to 9.5, and it's fairly comfortable (but I find myself staying on the low end of it quite a bit). 12 or 15 inch? Forget it! How do people play those things???

-Michael
Charter Member S. Texas He-Man Emoticon Haters Local #316

Interesting...

What is it about the flatter radii that you don't like?

Telecaster · July 25th, 2003, 10:54 AM

Butch, PLAY, PLAY, PLAY that thang. You will get used to it very quickly. I was very comfortable with my Tele's and the 9 1/2" radius. When I got the 52 RI, I had to adjust a little. Now I can switch between all of them with no problems. As a matter of fact I now like the 7 1/4" better. Larry

WrapAround · July 25th, 2003, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Butch Snyder

Yes, I'm hoping that getting a good setup and just digging into intense practice will help.

I've always played on flatter fretboards (12, 10, 9.5, etc) and dreaded/avoided 7.25 radius. I recently got an older Tele and was surprised how low I could get the action setup unlike other 7.25 fretbards I've had in the past. OK, so it's a little higher than my usual but still..... It's playable after practicing on it for a few hours a day for a couple of weeks. So I agree that a good setup and practicing will definitely help. :)

astro · July 25th, 2003, 11:15 AM

Butch,

Why don't you get a replacement neck and sell that neck on ebay?

I use a 10' with jumbos on my esquire and prefer it that way. I certainly don't play as fast or as clean as you, but I just like the feel of those necks. You are most likely gonna mod the guitar anyways, and all of your other guitars are at least 9.5 with med. jumbos. Going back and forth between guitars will probably feel a bit strange.

eryque · July 25th, 2003, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Butch Snyder

What is it about the flatter radii that you don't like?

I don't know what Michael doesn't like, but I know that I never liked a flat fretboard either. The smaller radius boards are more comfortable for me when chording, and since I just wrap my fist around the neck bending is more comfortable too.

LightninBoy · July 25th, 2003, 11:18 AM

Butch, maybe it's the small frets moreso than the radius. I've always had problems with vintage-style models, but they've all had the small frets. I had a '78 LP Deluxe that had really small frets and it used to give me a hard time as well. I imagine you'd have to go really high with the action if you went with bigger frets, but maybe that's an option? Hope you have better luck with yours than I've had with mine...

pc · July 25th, 2003, 11:20 AM

Same story here, Butch.

When I first got my 52RI back in '97, I'd been playing a Parker Fly for a year, and before that, 16 years of a Strat. It was weird, but I practiced so often that it quickly felt right to me. I rarely experienced "fretting-out," and I bend a lot. All was good.

The problem came a bit later when I added a new American Strat (9.5") and a Godin LGX-SA (16"!) into my gig rig. Switching between the three just seemed to confuse the heck out of my hands.

I know there's plenty of guitarists that can switch from 7.25" to 12"+ without batting an eye, but I ain't one of 'em. For me now at gigs it's one 9.5" Tele and one 9.5" Strat.

I think the others are right though. If you spend most of your time on this axe, you'll be back to your blazin' self in no time.

Butch Snyder · July 25th, 2003, 11:23 AM

Hey Pete,

Great to see you here from the TFF!! Thanks for the post!

PeterUK · July 25th, 2003, 11:33 AM

My relic (see www link) was getting most of the airtime for practice and playing/jamming and gigging and this has a compound radius neck 7.25 - 9.5 (with BIG frets) and when I went back to my 7.25 52-RI I really noticed the difference, particularly in the upper reaches.

Anyway, now the problem with the 52-RI is sorted (the tone pot just ceased to work and the volume pot got very crackly) I'm using both again and switch happily between the two.

I did however play my son's Strat (12-in board) and it was really easy to play along side the Teles.

Flatter is easier, but I agree with the comments above, you'll get used to it.

Keep twanging my friend.

Peter

Butch Snyder · July 25th, 2003, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astro

You are most likely gonna mod the guitar anyways

If you only knew...

astro · July 25th, 2003, 11:44 AM

I read the other post about the mods. JoeyV had a minibucker in his 67. Its sounded good. I like the idea of the middle pickup under the guard.

Leo made the necks bolt on so you could replace them easily. Dont be afraid. I love the neck I got from USACG. They do whatever you ask for. Why not just make it the exact guitar you want?

Blaster · July 25th, 2003, 11:44 AM

Hey Butch

I had purchased one of the 50's MIM Teles and didn't care for the neck either. My issue was that I didn't care for the u shape of the neck and I didn't like the vintage frets. I did return the guitar and went back to my MIA Tele. I do have a MIJ 62 RI Tele with a 62 style neck with the 7 /12 radius and vintage frets but I enjoy playing it. I think my issue with the 50's Tele had to do with the neck shape vs. the radius.

If your interested I have a brand new neck that came off a MIM Tele that I would sell. It's maple and brand new and it has the 9 1/2 radius

Butch Snyder · July 25th, 2003, 11:46 AM

I really like the beefy feel of this neck. I think all it needs is a good setup and getting used to.

Joel Terry · July 25th, 2003, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eryque

I found that once I got used to the 7.25" fretboard and small frets, I'm not so fond of anything else.

I second Eric's remarks. My first serious guitar was a 1977 Stratocaster--I was still a novice, so I didn't think much about its 7.25" fretboard radius or the like; all I knew is that it was a cool-looking guitar (maple fretboard, black body, black pickguard--classic!) with which I could make cool music.

Then, in about 1990, having become a much more accomplished player, I purchased a Stratocaster with a 9.5" radius, and found that I had to get used to it. Once I did, I thought it was a very accommodating, very comfortable fretboard shape.

Then, a couple of years ago, I purchased a CIJ '57 Reissue Strat, and then I purchased a CIJ '50s Classic Tele earlier this year; needless to say, I've fallen right back in love with the 7.25" radius and small vintage frets. Now, like Eric, I find it a bit uncomfortable to play anything else, really.

I've never been able to figure out why everyone seems to get hung up on the notion that it's difficult to bend strings or fret chords on a 7.25"-radiused fretboard; of the many radii, 7.25" feels the most natural and comfortable to me, and I can bend and fret all over the place. :)

Joel

John E · July 25th, 2003, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Butch Snyder

That's a little scary considering my Albert Lee has a 10" radius; but I'm planning, when it's completed, on making this Tele my #1.

I really believe It's all in what you get used to. I prefer a flat radius and medium to larger frets now. I'm sure it's because I play a ton of acoustic in one project aside from my electric project, and the specs on acoustic are flat radius, wide nut, and med frets. Also Let me explain my style: I like to pick very fast, and play fast single note runs alot for leads, melodic 2 and 3 string stuff for accents and chording is all over the place. My style is similar on electric or acoustic... I do some bending but no more than most.

That being said, I also had a 50's Classic not to long ago with vintage specs, and my pinecaster had a neck with 9.5 radius and vintage frets. At that point I was on Hiatus from my Acoustic project, and though it took me a bit to get used to the vintage specs man it was tough at first, especially since the MIM 50's needed a proper setup... I had it strung up with 10's and they felt like steel cables until I had it set up again. After that it was just a matter of time and woodshedding, then I was playing same as ever.

Now the one major problem I had is when I ordered my thinline from USACG. I ordered the neck with 1 11/16 nut, 12" radius, and a Boatneck contour(I LOVE GIANT necks!) and strung with 11's. As soon as I put that puppy together it was like coming home... it became my number one right away. And here's where the problem lies, I picked up the MIM... And It felt like I forgot how to play! Same with the pinecaster... I eventually just stopped playing them, and so I sold the MIM 50's and also the neck off the pinecaster... my new neck with 1 11/16 nut, 10-16" radius, and boat contour for the pinecaster will be here any day now!

telemann51 · July 25th, 2003, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John E

I really believe It's all in what you get used to. I prefer a flat radius and medium to larger frets now. I'm sure it's because I play a ton of acoustic in one project aside from my electric project, and the specs on acoustic are flat radius, wide nut, and med frets.

I agree that it's whatever you're used to. I play a lot of acoustic as well and I li

July 25th, 2003, 09:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
Butch Snyder Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Lebanon, OH Posts: 643	Neck Radius Issues... I received my 50's Tele yesterday. It looks fantastic. Fender has been running these models with an an almost opaque white finish. Mines almost Mary Kay. It's beautiful. Here's my issue. The neck radius is a killer. I'm used to my Les Paul (12"), Music Man Albert Lee (10"), and my Nash B-Bender Tele (9.5"). This one (7.25") is a lot harder to play. I'm taking it to my tech today for a good setup. Maybe he'll be able to make it better for me. I don't want to think bad about it. After all, there are some great players who use 7.25"r necks. Let's see, there's: 1. Scotty Anderson 2. Brent Mason 3. Albert Lee (on his '53 Tele when he plays it) 4. Johnny Hiland 5. Redd Volkaert 6. Bill Kirchen 7. Dany Gatton 8. Roy Buchannan 9. Brad Paisley The list goes on and on... Can y'all give me some insight for this? Cheers, __________________ Cheers, Butch Snyder

July 25th, 2003, 09:49 AM	#3 (permalink)
Butch Snyder Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Lebanon, OH Posts: 643	Yes, I'm hoping that getting a good setup and just digging into intense practice will help. __________________ Cheers, Butch Snyder

July 25th, 2003, 09:59 AM	#5 (permalink)
Butch Snyder Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Lebanon, OH Posts: 643	That's a little scary considering my Albert Lee has a 10" radius; but I'm planning, when it's completed, on making this Tele my #1. __________________ Cheers, Butch Snyder

July 25th, 2003, 10:07 AM	#7 (permalink)
Scotland Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Aberdeen, Scotland, Yewrup Age: 54 Posts: 6,468 3 Photos	I love the vintage radius It just feels right somehow. I would prefer the frets to be a little beefier though. __________________ All those who believe in psycho-kinesis, raise my hand !

July 25th, 2003, 10:20 AM	#8 (permalink)
Butch Snyder Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Lebanon, OH Posts: 643	Meeeeee too... __________________ Cheers, Butch Snyder

July 25th, 2003, 09:48 AM	#2 (permalink)
eryque Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: albany, ny [not chicago] Posts: 7,089 44 Photos	I think this is just one of those things you have to get used to, and you either like it or you don't. I never have problems with 1 or 1 1/2 step bends, and I never hear anyone but Dickey Betts doing more, so I don't know why the flatter fretboard is necessary. I found that once I got used to the 7.25" fretboard and small frets, I'm not so fond of anything else.

July 25th, 2003, 09:57 AM	#4 (permalink)
Lew UK Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 1,388	it has taken me a while getting used to the 7.25 neck,but anything else feels a little odd now,give it time.

July 25th, 2003, 10:05 AM	#6 (permalink)
Lew UK Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 1,388	my mia with modern neck is getting no time,for no reason other than im loving the vintage neck. im sure you will find room for them all,but do give it some time

July 25th, 2003, 10:37 AM	#9 (permalink)
Michael Murphy Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: I can hit the Pacific Ocean and/or Canada with a rock from here... Age: 62 Posts: 1,073	I love vintage radius necks. I briefly had a Ric 450 Combo in '62 (first electric, I have no idea even today what the radius was, but that neck was skinny thickness-wise). I traded it in on a new Tele in '63, and I was stuck on vintage from there on out. I can't hardly play a flatter radius. 9.5 is about as flat as I can tolerate, and even that's a struggle. I do have a USACG compound radius that goes from 7.25 to 9.5, and it's fairly comfortable (but I find myself staying on the low end of it quite a bit). 12 or 15 inch? Forget it! How do people play those things??? -Michael Charter Member S. Texas He-Man Emoticon Haters Local #316 __________________ *Just an analog boy in a digital world...*

July 25th, 2003, 10:54 AM	#11 (permalink)
Telecaster Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 182	Neck Radius Butch, PLAY, PLAY, PLAY that thang. You will get used to it very quickly. I was very comfortable with my Tele's and the 9 1/2" radius. When I got the 52 RI, I had to adjust a little. Now I can switch between all of them with no problems. As a matter of fact I now like the 7 1/4" better. Larry __________________ I have the gear, now all I need to do is learn to play music with it!

July 25th, 2003, 11:15 AM	#13 (permalink)
astro Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: North Shoa, MA Posts: 872	Butch, Why don't you get a replacement neck and sell that neck on ebay? I use a 10' with jumbos on my esquire and prefer it that way. I certainly don't play as fast or as clean as you, but I just like the feel of those necks. You are most likely gonna mod the guitar anyways, and all of your other guitars are at least 9.5 with med. jumbos. Going back and forth between guitars will probably feel a bit strange.

July 25th, 2003, 11:18 AM	#15 (permalink)
LightninBoy TDPRI Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The Crossroads Posts: 29	Butch, maybe it's the small frets moreso than the radius. I've always had problems with vintage-style models, but they've all had the small frets. I had a '78 LP Deluxe that had really small frets and it used to give me a hard time as well. I imagine you'd have to go really high with the action if you went with bigger frets, but maybe that's an option? Hope you have better luck with yours than I've had with mine... __________________ "Would you like some fries with that?"

July 25th, 2003, 11:20 AM	#16 (permalink)
pc Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Columbus, OH Age: 41 Posts: 515 3 Photos	Same story here, Butch. When I first got my 52RI back in '97, I'd been playing a Parker Fly for a year, and before that, 16 years of a Strat. It was weird, but I practiced so often that it quickly felt right to me. I rarely experienced "fretting-out," and I bend a lot. All was good. The problem came a bit later when I added a new American Strat (9.5") and a Godin LGX-SA (16"!) into my gig rig. Switching between the three just seemed to confuse the heck out of my hands. I know there's plenty of guitarists that can switch from 7.25" to 12"+ without batting an eye, but I ain't one of 'em. For me now at gigs it's one 9.5" Tele and one 9.5" Strat. I think the others are right though. If you spend most of your time on this axe, you'll be back to your blazin' self in no time. __________________ Me

July 25th, 2003, 11:23 AM	#17 (permalink)
Butch Snyder Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Lebanon, OH Posts: 643	Hey Pete, Great to see you here from the TFF!! Thanks for the post! __________________ Cheers, Butch Snyder

July 25th, 2003, 11:33 AM	#18 (permalink)
PeterUK Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: . Posts: 2,828	I noticed it too, Butch My relic (see www link) was getting most of the airtime for practice and playing/jamming and gigging and this has a compound radius neck 7.25 - 9.5 (with BIG frets) and when I went back to my 7.25 52-RI I really noticed the difference, particularly in the upper reaches. Anyway, now the problem with the 52-RI is sorted (the tone pot just ceased to work and the volume pot got very crackly) I'm using both again and switch happily between the two. I did however play my son's Strat (12-in board) and it was really easy to play along side the Teles. Flatter is easier, but I agree with the comments above, you'll get used to it. Keep twanging my friend. Peter __________________ .

July 25th, 2003, 11:44 AM	#20 (permalink)
astro Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: North Shoa, MA Posts: 872	I read the other post about the mods. JoeyV had a minibucker in his 67. Its sounded good. I like the idea of the middle pickup under the guard. Leo made the necks bolt on so you could replace them easily. Dont be afraid. I love the neck I got from USACG. They do whatever you ask for. Why not just make it the exact guitar you want?

July 25th, 2003, 11:44 AM	#21 (permalink)
Blaster Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Down in Western Colorado Age: 51 Posts: 423	Hey Butch I had purchased one of the 50's MIM Teles and didn't care for the neck either. My issue was that I didn't care for the u shape of the neck and I didn't like the vintage frets. I did return the guitar and went back to my MIA Tele. I do have a MIJ 62 RI Tele with a 62 style neck with the 7 /12 radius and vintage frets but I enjoy playing it. I think my issue with the 50's Tele had to do with the neck shape vs. the radius. If your interested I have a brand new neck that came off a MIM Tele that I would sell. It's maple and brand new and it has the 9 1/2 radius

July 25th, 2003, 11:46 AM	#22 (permalink)
Butch Snyder Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Lebanon, OH Posts: 643	I really like the beefy feel of this neck. I think all it needs is a good setup and getting used to. __________________ Cheers, Butch Snyder