Compound radius neck - any opinions or experience?

[Mike Gug]

My next purchase will be a one-piece maple neck for a Squier Franken Strat (there's not much "Squier" left in it actually).

 

I'm considering a compound radius neck (7.25 inches to 9.5 inches). Anyone ever use or own a CR neck? I tried and didn't care for the Warmoth standard CR (9.5 to 16 inch). 16 was too flat. I'm not a lead player by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Thanks!

[Gruupi]

I love the Warmoth compound radius, but I guess each person has there own feel.

[mdrs]

I own a couple of Gibson Les Paul Elegants, which have compound radus necks.

 

I am a lead player. But, I seem tolerant to a variety of neck sizes and shapes. I seem to play them all equally well (or poorly )in spite of differences in neck size and shape.

 

I really like these CR necks. But, I'm not sure I can really feel much of a difference compared to my other LP's which do not have a CR neck.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

I like mine, which terminates in at 12 inch radius. I've owned two CR necks, and I think that the first one was flatter, maybe the 16 inch that you mention. I got used to it quickly, though it felt odd to start with. How often are you doing anything wherein the curve would matter up past the 12th fret where it gets really flat? Anyway, like I said, it didn't matter to me, it was just a different feel when I first got it, but that had no detrimental affect on my playing that I could tell.

 

I also had a mid60s Jazzmaster that had too much radius to the neck and up on the high frets it was a problem to bend strings if you ran a low action as I did at the time. My earlier (unbound, dot marker) Jazzmaster necks did not have that problem, but the later one with bock inlays and a bound neck did.

 

Bill

[Mike Gug]

I like mine, which terminates in at 12 inch radius. I've owned two CR necks, and I think that the first one was flatter, maybe the 16 inch that you mention. I got used to it quickly, though it felt odd to start with. How often are you doing anything wherein the curve would matter up past the 12th fret where it gets really flat? Anyway, like I said, it didn't matter to me, it was just a different feel when I first got it, but that had no detrimental affect on my playing that I could tell.

 

I also had a mid60s Jazzmaster that had too much radius to the neck and up on the high frets it was a problem to bend strings if you ran a low action as I did at the time. My earlier (unbound, dot marker) Jazzmaster necks did not have that problem, but the later one with bock inlays and a bound neck did.

 

Bill

 

I'm not much of a lead player, let alone an extreme bender.

 

I could probably end at a 12 inch radius, but I did want to start at a 7.25 inch at the nut. I want to start there based on an extended test drive of a Strat Relic (I forget the model) I took at Wild West Guitars, Riverside, CA. It was plugged into a Bassman Reissue. It was a magical experience.

 

Gruupi... yeah, the 16 inch radius was too flat for me. I dig standard stuff mostly. 16 inch radius felt very foriegn. That's why I'm asking around about this. It's out of the ordinary for me to get something so "customized" to my feel. Maybe I'm maturing as a player?!! Maybe my skills will reflect that someday!

[Werewolf by Night]

Yeah, I also love the Warmoth compound-radius fretboard (the one I have on a guitar is 10"r to 16"r). Not only for the fretting-hand feel, but also for the flatter plane described by the strings (nearer the bridge and pickups) presented to the picking-hand... in my case, fingerstyle/without a pick, so that's very welcome!