Poll: Favorite Fingerboard Radius

I voted 12. But right now I'm digging my new Reverend with a 10 to 14 compound radius.

 

9.5-10
I can do 12" fine
Hate compound radius or anything too flat over 12

 

Want my Tele to be a Tele from head to toe . . (7.25)

 

Honestly unless someone likes really low action I’m not sure how apparent the difference is between 7.25 and 9.5. And how apparent it would be if you didn’t know in advance. So I do take @Ronkirn’s point to that extent.

 

In theory I prefer compound radius because on paper it allows the lowest possible action combined with some barre chording lower beck comfort and choke free bending.

But in reality I like everything, as long as I like it!

Been a while since I played guitar on paper...

 

I'd say the only functional preference for the 7.25 is for barre chording low on the neck where some players may have some discomfort straightening the index finger enough to firmly fret the D and G strings.
Same with 9.5 over 12 where the 9.5 is closer to the natural curve of the finger than 12.

We may also have a sort of familiarity comfort in a favorite neck, but that could be as much association with a favorite guitar or a favorite neck profile.

I'd bet confirmation bias plays a big role where we have so many choices today and tend to choose our favorite guitars online without playing them. So we take a stand on what we seem to like and stick with that.

I think there is also a fair amount of confirmation bias in play when shoppers state that CV Squiers are just as good as CS Fenders.
Really analyzing how good a guitar is takes more than a like/ don't like comparison.
To some degree a guitar only needs to be adequate for me to like it.
Adequate is more about specs like neck shape, pickups, weight, comfort and fret size, to me, and I suspect a lot of players make similar value judgements.

 

@El Tele Lobo you have become quite the pollster of late.

I voted 9.5. Because I play acoustics as much as teles, I often play whatever radius presents itself, with only a little adjustment in touch/playing technique. But for me the operative words in this poll are "prefer" and "teles." So 9.5 is my answer. I'm not much for big bends or shredding, so I don't particularly value a really flat radius.

Since all my teles are custom made, I get to choose neck profile, fretboard and yes, radius. I am therefore spoiled to that, and don't even keep up with what FMIC model Teles have what radius. I've played some FMIC Teles in stores that I didn't like as much and couldn't put my finger on why, and perhaps the combination of profile and radius made it feel less appealing to me. A 9.5" radius is my preference.

 

7.25" for me (that's all I have currently on my Fenders), although 9.5" feels good in my hands too.

 

1.65"!

 

I stopped playing guitar late 90s for various reasons then kids came along and only back into it 5 years ago.

I swear when I played when I was younger no one EVER spoke about neck radius, profile or weight of guitars.

Both my Teles are 7.25, but my answer is I don't care

 

9.5 and 12

I got one of those 10-16 compound radius necks from Warmoth, and I can play it fine, but honestly, that 16" part up the neck really feels FLAT!

I wonder if a 9.5-12 would be perfect for me...

 

I really a believe a good setup and factors like neck profile and set up are as important as the radius. I said for yearssssssss that I hated 7.25, then one day I picked up a MIJ 62 reissue and it made me feel very silly!

I played a G&L ASAT in a studio once, the neck felt amazing and I would have sworn the radius was around a 12. Turns out it was 9”, not 9.5”.

 

Warmoth 9.5 to 14” (I think, have to check) compound for me since ‘85. Jumbo frets, medium C profile.

 

Old Skool!

 

My three Teles have different fretboard radii:

Road Worn 50s 7.25”
American Special 9.5”
Squier Tele Deluxe 12”

The 12” feels like I have the most room and more like my acoustic fretboard.

I like the differences between all three. I picked them precisely because they’re different from each other:

Road Worn 50s - fake wear, vintage vibe, and light! 7.4 lbs.

American Special - Jumbo frets and Daphne Blue body

Squier Tele Deluxe - Humbuckers, a belly cut, and that big Strat headstock.

 

A flat fretboard for me and a widish neck it is what i learnt on mainly, but i have other radius guitars and can get use to any really and still play nearly the same on them.

 

Have you heard of cigarettes? They sell those to people. There are plenty of people out to make a buck and it doesn't matter to them how they get it.

 

I’m saying 9.5” or 10”, because those are the radii on my two most comfortable necks (AO JM and PRS SE245), but I’m sure a huge part of that is the carve / chunkiness— those are not slim necks.
My Elite Tele has the 9.5” - 14”(?) composite radius and it works well, but 95% of the time I don’t think it feels any flatter than the JM. The only time I notice the difference is when playing slide: it’s a little easier to dig in on the Tele, I think because of the flatter radius higher up.
My Shergold has a 12” radius and is nearly as comfortable so I guess I’m pretty adaptable in the end! But flatter than that seems off-putting.