If you do any guitar work, you need a set to measure the fingerboard radius and set the radius of the bridge. At southwest strings, all fingerboards are planed in house for perfect dip and accurate radius. If the radius is incorrect the bridge will be incorrect. An in progress build needs a 7 14 radius on the fingerboard.
I also show examples of three different fretboard radius. I also show examples of three different fretboard radius necks. This tutorial will walk you through the process of modeling a flawless straightradius fretboard in fusion 360, but the design principles can be used in any cad environment and even applied to your handbuilt fretboards. Once you have the correct scoop, the correct fingerboard radius or appropriately close, and have removed all holes and ripples often indicated by even texture and complete length of fingerboard plane strokes, you are ready. Luthier fretboard fingerboard radius router bit sjetool. Beginners guide to everything you wanted to know about. Guitar scientist is a free online editor create scales and chords diagrams, for guitar, bass and more.
Weekly newsletter includes free lessons, favorite member content, banjo news and more. In the example of the pictures below, the current width of the fingerboard at. There are more important factors in overall feel, like body shape and neck profile, but depending on your playstyle and how picky you are, which well discuss later a guitar with a radius that doesnt work for you simply never will. The ultimate guide to becoming a professional guitar player. Now, i simply plane away the middle of the fingerboard until the grapiterubbed pared ends are planed away. Thats where the idea of the radius comes in, and thats how we measure a fingerboards curvature. For those with good eyesite, the template fitted is 11 radius but because the router bit is going to be an inch lower than this it will actually rout a 10 radius on the fretboard. When youre setting up a guitar or bass, its great to know the radius of your fingerboard. Radius vs flat fingerboard discussion forums banjo hangout. Free download your personal guitar fretboard gps never get lost again. I definitely prefer the flat boards for slide and the radiused boards for fretting in standard or dropd, but that doesnt stop me from playing slide on the guitars with radiused boards. But there really isnt such a thing as a bad radius, just the right radius for you. Apr 08, 2014 if you do any guitar work, you need a set to measure the fingerboard radius and set the radius of the bridge.
Often, we never bother to learn the notes of the guitar fretboard, but we keep relying on fixed chord shapes and scales patterns. If you get buzzing on the low e string, then your guitar likely has a fretboard radius that is smaller than 12. Sep 24, 2015 the above is the grizzly g0574 guitar fretboard radiusing sander. Remove or loosen the strings and use your radius gauge on the fingerboard. Find out what fret board radius is and how it is measured. For a 12 inch radius, you draw a circle with a 12inch radius half the diameter. The fingerboard radius makes the position of musicians hand more. The second formula assumes that you have already determined x, the location of the origin of the cone. To achieve a perfect fit, the thalia capo comes with multiple interchangable fretpads so that you can match the fretboard radius of your specific instrument. In the past i have built router jigs to handle this task with reasonable results, but have been less than happy with the amount of effort and time required, though the router jig method is certainly much easier and faster than radiusing a fingerboard by hand with radius blocks and sandpaper. Around 99 many historic reissues les pauls had a 10 radius, i got one currently, and have had other 99s that had it too.
P special and its fretboard and frets were original, but they were only. Also can be conditioned by other factors, for example considering the. Oct 28, 2005 i have looked into juliette barkers book and she gives the radius of the viola fingerboard as 42mm. Cello fingerboard radius the pegbox maestronet forums. Ive been thinking about a refret and re radius to make the guitar much more playable for the styles i. Beginners guide to everything you wanted to know about electric guitar necks. Even with radius blocks there is endless sanding, on very hard wood, with mixed results. Likewise a 9inch neck would have a fingerboard radius of.
Bending is easier on the new guitars vs the 60s models hands down. Take your playing to the next level with the help of a local or online banjo teacher. Imagine if the neck were entirely round, and you chopped off the part where the fingerboard sits. I have two guitars with flat fingerboards and three with radiused boards. Tulshi your data will be safe even after uploading. You can now get the new gold tone ob 150 with a radiused fret board. Nov 17, 2015 the larger the radius, the flatter the fingerboard. This can be even more important for a compound radius board. Fretboard radius is the measure of the curvature of the guitars playing surface. Apr 16, 2012 what is your favorite fingerboard radius and fret size for a strat style guitar.
Its a good timesaver and has the additional feature of being able to cut a compound radius whereas with radiusing blocks you are only allowed a single radius. Guitar fretboard notes complete tutorial all you need to learn the fretboard. Cutting the slots in the heel block to fit the sides with wedges. Fretboard radius one of the most confusing specs you may read or hear about a guitar is the radius. This is an universal jig to make radius profile in this case 7. I will also be able to lock the bridge and carriage in place and use a sliding feed fixture to radius fingerboards up to any practical length a bass builder would ever want for fingerboards that run the entire length of the instrument. Jan 06, 2009 if a violin fingerboard has a constant, single radius from end to end, is the same true for cello fingerboards. With the more curved profile, the string will touch the frets when you do a bend near the body end of the neck. How to adjust a guitar bridge with diy radius gauges youtube. Take the guitar off the neck jig, remove the neck, and roll the fingerboard edges with a file and then sandpaper.
The fingerboard would be too high with a 37mm radius. Your personal guitar fretboard gps download tutorials. Straight radius necks, or necks with a single radius from nut to heel have been a standard for many years. It makes the most difference on wide 5 and 6 string necks, where the flatter radius makes the lower strings easier to get to, but i find that i prefer it on 4 strings as well. Fretboard radius explained weve found over the years that feel is what really draws a player to a certain guitar. Mar 04, 20 if you were to take a section of that curve, it would match the curve on a les pauls fingerboard. Fretboard radius is an often overlooked and sometimes misunderstood part of the guitar selection process.
Typically, the fingerboard side is flatter, but it has a convex arc. For all guitarists how do i measure the radius of a guitar. I show you how i go about adjusting a stratocaster style guitar bridge with a drill bit feeler gauge and a free radius gauge template. I currently have a stratocaster with the vintage fender frets and vintage 7. The carbide tips are the extra hard a fine k01 carbide specifically for use with extra hard woods used for fretboard fingerboard such as rosewood or ebony. I do quite a fair bit of bending, play blues, southern rock, a little country as well. Over 100 examples and 78 fretboard diagrams are provided as well as backing tracks to help you achieve fretboard domination and get fit on. In addition to this i will show you exercises that will help you develop finger independence, speed, accuracy, and endurance. What are the benefits of compound radius and different radius fingerboards. After the first few shavings, check the general radius and scoop of the fingerboard we use the weisshaar number of a 41.
Tags stl radius guitar wedge guitar neck radius gauge. Certain guitars feel like a fender while others feel like a gibson, but why. The flatter radius fingerboards are better for bending. It definitely had a 10 radius, i had measured up and down the board in case it had been worn down, i. The radius cutting section of the bit is 50mm 2 so you can radius a 100mm 4 wide blank without an issue. Guitar fretboard radius jig 3d cad model library grabcad. Svg file to download and print directly from your computer if you want to install inkscape the free design software i use on all my drawings.
Thinking about changing the fretboard radius variax standard. This jig will allow me to radius fingerboards with the grain, across the grain, or both simultaneously. This is the first time anyone has ever offered a radius fret board on a banjo in this price range. Homemade fretboard radius jig constructed from surplus cigar box guitar. One of the most confusing specs you may read or hear about a guitar is the radius. Multifunction fingerboard radius jig by ledbelli bass. Samsons anyone can design the company logo to be used.
There are basically five things that determine how a guitar feels. Print, laminate and make sure that 1 line is exactly 1 long. But this is vintage correct also cause there were some of them made in the 50s with as much as a 9. A lot of people are often confused that a larger radius is flatter, but this is the reason for that. The complete jig is available in the most common radii 7. This is done concurrently with the leveling process.
Or you can use gravit designer a very cool app that is available on all platforms. If the radius is rounder or flatter than your template, you can make some corrections to steer the fingerboard radius in the correct direction. Depth is how high off the surface of the table the highest point is at the middle. Kiesel guitars offers an assortment of optional fretboard radii, to complement our award winning rapidplay custom shop necks.
The chart pdf contains several fretboard maps, each one showing a particular guitar key. The radius of the fingerboard must be symmetrical, uniform in thickness, and equidistant from the top plate. This solves for the radius at any point along the fingerboard represented by the value d. Sure the aesthetics are what may first catch ones eye, but in our experience it is the feel that gives a player that got to have it syndrome. This tutorial course has been retrieved from udemy which you can download for absolutely free. What separates those two guitars as to the way they feel. I stick the fingerboard in a custom made holder and pare down the ends to the line i marked out with my template. Neck radius gauge instructions 1 print out on a card stock check the 1 block for accuracy. Nut and saddle sander morse code words names homemade printer tech morse code alphabet for kids perfectly square nuts and saddles in seconds for solid contact and.
Gold tone ob150 banjo with radius fretboard radius neck. Slice a piece of arc the width of your fingerboard from that circle, and you have a 12inch radius fingerboard. It would have to be made from a thicker piece of ebony. Electronic version many luthiers find that placing the proper radius, both evenly or consistently into the fretboard one of the most difficult tasks of the build. Mar, 2015 find out what fret board radius is and how it is measured. Gold tone ob150 with radius neck fretboard the new ob 150 banjo with radius fretboard and with zero glide nut installed free. Morgens system for applying harmonic concepts and visualizing the fingerboard stems from over. Bridge crown measurements are taken from the radius of the fingerboard. Need help selecting fretboard radius 12 inch or 14 inch. Free radius gauges and their many uses haze guitars.
Ive been thinking about a refret and re radius to make the guitar much more playable for the styles i like to play rock, jazz, blues and metal. Rd fingerboard radius at d a certain distance from nut d arbitrary distance from the nut. A radius in general is the length of a line from the center of a circle to the edge of a circle, so the larger the radius, the larger the circle. Fingerboard breakthrough will likewise enlighten your understanding of harmony and the fingerboard in a way that can only be described as breakthrough. The gold tone ob150 with radius neck fretboard offers. Conical and compound radius fingerboards try to merge both these features.
Since almost all electric guitars and most acoustic instruments require a. Shirshendu writing a business proposal every time you. The following table lists common fretboard radii used by major manufacturer. Btw, i have an instruction manual from a violin making school that gives 37mm radius for viola fingerboard. How to build a bass guitar radiusing the fingerboard ebass. When you see the radius mentioned on a spec sheet, its usually written in inches although you may see in expressed in millimetres instead. If a violin fingerboard has a constant, single radius from end to end, is the same true for cello fingerboards. Comparing them to my cs strat 10 radius and cs tele 9.
Fingerboard radius sometimes is not known, you can use such gauges as these below to check your fingerboard radius. Create free guitar diagrams online guitar scientist. Working with the radius on fingerboards by hand is very tiresome and timeconsuming process. Guitar radius gauges how to use with free download slideshare. Jul 12, 2007 i want to use a tape measue to measure the radius of the neck. Saxophonists, pianists and other musicians usually do their homework and perfectly know. If the constant radius works for violins, then in theory, it should work for cellos, and evan double basses. What is your favorite fingerboard radius and fret size for a strat style guitar. I have looked into juliette barkers book and she gives the radius of the viola fingerboard as 42mm. Im looking into some of the fender 52 reissue telecasters, and i see a lot of people saying the 7. I have included example projects that i have made in the first two weeks of using th.
The shape of that arc is the fingerboard radius sometimes called fretboard radius. The fingerboard is an important component of most stringed instruments. And its usually in those moments that you wish to have a better way of working. It works perfectly with the mastery bridge and sounds amazing through wide range humbuckers with the rod magnets. Is the radius of the neck important or does it vary for different people. If the imaginary neck were 12 inches around, youd have a 12inch fingerboard radius. As you can see, the radius templates are detachable, making it easy to fit alternative templates with alternative radii on. Fingerboard radius is the curvature of the fingerboard across the neck, from the lowest string to the highest string, and just like the radius of a circle, it can be described by a number. The fingerboard on a vintage fender likely has a 7. This tutorial will walk you through the process of modeling a flawless straight radius fretboard in fusion 360, but the design principles can be used in any cad environment and even applied to your handbuilt fretboards. Often touted as one of the best kept secrets in the industry, kiesel 6 string guitars and 4 string basses are available with 3 fingerboard profiles. Most mandolins and most 5string banjos have flat fingerboards, but the necks are so narrow, you dont even notice.
Even though you can buy a fingerboard blank from your supplier, it is not. The kiesel guitars custom shop just got more custom. Lets try and break down some quick things to help you better understand a what it is and b why you should choose one over the other. Just to complicate matters the radius may be different at the bridge end of your neck and at the nut end composite necks as if life wasnt complicated enough. Hi guys, thinking id like to change the fingerboard radius of my variax standard from the stock 14 to 10. This refers to a fingerboard that is slightly curved, versus fingerboards that are completely flat, such as on classical guitars. I like basses with flatter radius, but not actually flatabout 20 is perfect for me.
Guitar fretboard navigation methods from novice to advanced. Whether you prefer flat or radiused, and which radius you like best, is mostly personal feel. This is a must have for any serious guitarist no matter what style of playing. Just click on the icons, download the files and print them on your 3d printer. Most classical guitars, resonator guitars, banjos, pedal steel guitars and some steelstring acoustic guitars, for example, have flat fingerboards. The bits are precision machined to provide an incredibly accurate radius. A simple tool to help you get your guitar playing its best. In this way is easier to focus on the notes of a given key and learn the notes stepbystep. With that in mind, lets look at what each popular radius actually is, and what each is best suited for.