Is a Flatter Neck Radius really any better for Shredding?

[Cammi]

It's pretty well know that a flatter radius is meant to improve shredding, and a more curved radius is meant to improve chording - hense the invention of the Compound Radius.

BUT...

IS IT REALLY ANY BETTER..?

The reason I say this is because you see players like Yngwie Malmsteen using a Fender neck which is just over 7", and all he does is mainly shred.

Then you see players like Petrucci using 20" Straight Radius necks, and whilst he does shred, he also does a hell of a lot of complex chording which involves using the frets before the 12th.

Thirdly, Acoustic Guitars are known to have very flat necks, especially Classical Guitars. But isn't an acoustic guitar well know to be used for chording, etc. 99% of the time?

So looking at the above, what do you lot think? Oh and before anyone says it, I know a flatter radius lets you have your strings closer without choking.

[gwEm]

choking only occurs on vintage radius necks when you do bends.

a good tech can give a compound radius type feel with a fret dress, even on a vintage spec neck. Bravewood and Feline Guitars do this for example - and with this type of dress, I don't really notice it fretting out at all.

i play just as badly whatever the radius :) but I sort of prefer around 10"

[Philly Q]

a good tech can give a compound radius type feel with a fret dress, even on a vintage spec neck. Bravewood and Feline Guitars do this for example - and with this type of dress, I don't really notice it fretting out at all.

True, but I dont think that's possible if the frets are tiny vintage ones?  There's not enough height in them.


I don't really know a lot (or indeed anything) about shredding, but it looks like they don't bend strings very much most of the time - so I wouldn't think radius matters all that much.  More a case of personal preference.

[JacksonRR]

Yeah, it's all about comfort and what feels right to you. A few companies do infinite radius fretboards like Hufschmid and Vigier's Shawn Lane model.

[darkbluemurder]

A flatter radius assists in setting the string action rather low and still not having bends note out. A "compound" radius is a conical radius, i.e. it is smaller in the lower registers and gradually tapers to a higher radius in the upper registers. The result will be the same.

Ultimately it is a matter of what you prefer. Some blues players that play with high action will not have bends note out even with a vintage 7 1/4 radius - however such a setup will make legato playing and tapping more difficult. On the other hand if you have a floating bridge such as a Floyd set up for extreme upbends there is a limit on how low you can go with the action because the strings will lay flat on the fretboard with an extreme upbend. In such cases you may have to settle for a compromise.

Cheers Stephan

[dave_mc]

I don't really know a lot (or indeed anything) about shredding, but it looks like they don't bend strings very much most of the time

???

sure they do. they bend all the time.

i find playing quickly a lot easier with a flatter radius (combined with other things, too), though whether that's an objective thing or just personal preference, I dunno.

[Philly Q]

I don't really know a lot (or indeed anything) about shredding, but it looks like they don't bend strings very much most of the time

???

sure they do. they bend all the time.

Maybe I missed it because of the high speed!  :oops:  :lol:

I said I didn't know anything.

[Cammi]

Well you gotta think! Yngwie plays on like a 7" Radius, and he bends probably more frets above the original note, than the notes he shreds haha.

[viking]

I would say it's easier...like having high-gain, compression,delay & noise-gate etc. :) Then,came trems like the FloydRose & Co,and if you  use them a lot,i guess you'll need a flat neck radius.Malmsteen'neck being scalloped in the upper frets is one of a kind...

[Cammi]

I would say it's easier...like having high-gain, compression,delay & noise-gate etc. :) Then,came trems like the FloydRose & Co,and if you  use them a lot,i guess you'll need a flat neck radius.Malmsteen'neck being scalloped in the upper frets is one of a kind...

Aint all his frets scalloped? lol

[Philly Q]

Well you gotta think! Yngwie plays on like a 7" Radius, and he bends probably more frets above the original note, than the notes he shreds haha.

OK, I'll probably get this wrong too, but I believe Yngwie uses light (plain) strings and quite a high action - so they're easy to bend and don't "fret out" despite the 7.25" (or 9.5" on the signature models) radius.  He often goes on about how important it is for the strings to be able to vibrate freely.

Also the scalloped fretboard lets him get a better grip on the strings when bending.

[Cammi]

Well you gotta think! Yngwie plays on like a 7" Radius, and he bends probably more frets above the original note, than the notes he shreds haha.

OK, I'll probably get this wrong too, but I believe Yngwie uses light (plain) strings and quite a high action - so they're easy to bend and don't "fret out" despite the 7.25" (or 9.5" on the signature models) radius.  He often goes on about how important it is for the strings to be able to vibrate freely.

Also the scalloped fretboard lets him get a better grip on the strings when bending.

Yh, his strings are like 8 or 7s on the bottom, lol. Id end up snapping em everytime lol. Nevermind trying to bend the 21st fret upto like the 27th and beyond like Yngwie haha

[James C]

the malmsteen strat is a 9.5" radius with HUGE frets and scalloped.

In the last couple of days i've been playing different necks (in my mind i'm speccing a custom and not wasting my lunch break drooling at guitars :lol:)

an EBMM petrucci has a 15" straight radius and large frets and is very slick to play, likewise the Jackson Adrian smith has a 12" to 16" compound radius fretboard and i felt was very slightly more comfortable at the lower end for chording than the EBMM.

The problem is that when comparing these models and radii its hard to judge how much the neck shape comes into play as a thinner neck generally tends to aid faster playing, but having massive hands means that i found the U shaped Baja telecaster neck and 7.25" radius comfortable for shredding as well

[JDC]

played a few 20" radius guitars, not spent enough time with them but I think I prefer it flatter, I like the action as low as possible. Anything that makes the guitar play itself has to be a good thing.

You're right yngwie uses 8s but in Eb!!! I believe the newest petrucci model is 20" but the frets are not as big

[Cammi]

played a few 20" radius guitars, not spent enough time with them but I think I prefer it flatter, I like the action as low as possible. Anything that makes the guitar play itself has to be a good thing.

You're right yngwie uses 8s but in Eb!!! I believe the newest petrucci model is 20" but the frets are not as big

Yh the EBMM JPXI has Medium Jumbo. I really wantto try one so I can get a feel for a 20" Radius