Fingerboard Radius

[Jonny]

I had a theory in my head with fingerboard/fretboard radii. I suppose this is a semi-thread saying why I'm so shite at playing guitar but anyways..

As a metalhead, I'm really into the melodic stuff so I don't really bash on the power chords and just strum away. I like, not shred, but the likes of Black Dahlia Murder and Between The Buried and Me, stuff like that. The 'individual notes'.

So would it stand to reason that I might go for a guitar that has a flatter fretboard altogether? Because I know some are curved to fit the natural curve of the fingers and it's easier for playing chords but if I don't play chords would there be a sufficient result/improvement if I just went for flatter fretboards? :roll:

Are there any factory models that have flat fretboards that I could test this theory on?

[nfe]

The only guitars off hand I know of with flat fingerboards are classicals and the Vigier Shawn Lane (I think?).

Most modern rock guitars have very high radius guitars though.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Some Carvins have like a 20" radius - the Holdsworth model for sure.

I wouldnt call Ibanez etc curved very much - they start at about a 14" radius and get flatter

But you may indeed like a totally flat board like on a classical

[Jonny]

I was thinking of a fixed radius fretboard than a compound fretboard. I suppose it wouldn't make much of a difference then but I would like to try out flatter ones.

[JacksonRR]

It seems to be a popular trend with the bass community to have a perfectly flat fretboard. I had been thinking it might be worth a shot on the guitar as well and asked those boys a few questions. Turns out it's the same as anything else. Nothing gets astoundingly better or worse, just different.

[dave_mc]

if you already have an ibanez prestige that's pretty much as flat as it gets, barring stuff like the vigier shawn lane which was already mentioned, or maybe classical guitars.

[Alex]

The newest Petrucci model from Music Man (JPX-1) has a very flat neck with 20" radius.
http://www.music-man.com/instruments/guitars/jpxi.html

[Slartibartfarst42]

I used to always gravitate towards flatter fretboards. I had one with a 16" radius and I played a few with 18" and 19" fretboards but I found that unless you want the action ridiculously low, there's no real advantage in it. MY PRS has a 14" radius and the Jackson is compound and I've grown to love them far more than the flatter Ibanez guitars. They're just more versatile in my experience. Of the two, I prefer the compound neck of the Jackson but there's not that much in it. I'd agree with others that once you get to a Prestige Ibanez neck, you're about as flat as you can realistically get unless you're getting a custom build and then I would doubt the extra expense would be worth it.