Does anybody know what the radius on a PitBull ES-12G is?
Has anybody reduced (smaller circle) the radius on a guitar after the neck has been set?
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Does anybody know what the radius on a PitBull ES-12G is?
Has anybody reduced (smaller circle) the radius on a guitar after the neck has been set?
I think all the PB guitar necks have a 12" radius.
It's certainly possible to reduce the radius, but it's a frets-out/nut off job and really needs to be done before the neck is set, otherwise you're at risk of damaging the top around the neck. Though with masking and being careful, it is possible to do.
You can get pre-made radiused wooden sanding blocks, and then its just a question of lightly gluing sandpaper into the block, rubbing down and going through the grades.
The smaller the radius you go for, the more of the wood at the side of the neck you will take off, so you may find that you sand the edge off some of the dot side markers.
You'll need to get new fret wire, and either buy it pre-bent or bend it yourself to suit the new radius. You may need to cut the fret slots a bit deeper as well (with the correct width saw), as the depth at the sides will have been reduced. Once the frets have been inserted, you then need to cut the fret-ends off, file them at an angle, then do a fret levelling, reprofiling and polishing exercise.
A re-fret job isn't to be taken lightly, and you really need quite a few specialised (and fairly expensive) tools to do it well.
Hmmm, the person I'd be changing this 12"? radius for is in love with a 7.25" radius guitar.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
That suggests to me a dramatic reduction of edge material.
Edit, I'll do a paper scale drawing of each radius overlaid and see how they compare.
That's a big radius change, though in reality its probably only around 1mm of each side of the fingerboard (though you'd undoubtedly end up taking a bit more off the height overall when sanding).
It's easier to play chords on a 12-string neck with the smaller radius, and as they probably won't be string bending on a 12-string, the action can still be kept fairly low.
Simon, thanks for your comments.
A job to sleep on, not going to jump in without due caution.
I got to thinking (it must be nearly bedtime)... double basses tend to have a severe fretboard radius.
Charles Mingus could certainly put some speed into his.
So why not the electric basses?
cheers, Mark.
Probably because of the playing position. Playing a vertical neck, your fingers can curve around the fingerboard a lot more (and they naturally want to) compared to playing a horizontal neck where your hand is already stretching hard just because of the position it's in.
A Double Bass fingerboard radius is generally a complex shape, but apparently is of approximately 95mm/3.75" radius. I think you'd do yourself some serious tendon injuries trying to stretch around that on a horizontal neck.
Horses for courses.
Attachment 34400Quote:
Probably because of the playing position.
Not saying it has to be the same...
The early Fender guitar had them...would have thought the basses would too.
cheers, Mark.
The first Fender bases had a 7.25" radius just like the guitars did. But I have no idea why they changed. Maybe they used the same radiusing machinery in the factory for bass and guitar necks? The 7.25" guitar radius had issues with low action and string bending, so they moved to the 9.5" radius instead which was an improvement. Obviously not really an issue with bass necks.
But unless they trialled it and people preferred the flatter radius on basses as well, it's probably all down to something pragmatic.
Or maybe Leo cutting costs again as they could use a slightly thinner fingerboard top for the necks with the shallower radius and get more blanks out of the same piece of wood?
Just found out that (on the guitars at least), they first went to a 12" radius in '83 then to the tighter 9.5" in '86. This was the period when there was a MBO from CBS in 85, so this was at the end of the CBS era.
Only stating from my own experience, but I don't have any issues with the string bending.
I think my hand seems more comfortable with the radius but it's not that great a difference.
Interesting though that the basses did in fact have a 7.25" radius...must have missed the debate that rages on about guitar radii.
I can also see the 'one-size-for-all' approach from the accounts department.
Not that I agree with it of course.
cheers, Mark.
This was the impetus for many "improvements" at Fender in the early days. Leo was a notorious cheapskate.Quote:
Or maybe Leo cutting costs again...
Speaking of that bass position, I've always had a soft spot for these guysQuote:
Originally Posted by king casey
https://youtu.be/2gOLkwj-zVI
Interesting Dave.
Was that Roger Whittaker?
Bass could benefit from a radius.
Drummer was channeling Keith Moon?
cheers, Mark.
All can be found in this link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_PeddlersQuote:
Originally Posted by king casey
There was a weekly show on ABC TV back in the early 70s that featured acts such as The Peddlers and these guys
https://youtu.be/TdALdCCpkTs
If you are of a certain vintage you may also remember Room To Move hosted by Michael Carlos ( keyboard player in Tully ) that featured mainly Prog Rock
I was a progger back then and we took our inspiration from everywhere
Hi Dave. Yes I remember Tully. They were the main act @ Parkerville Ampitheatre in W.A. late 70's.
cheers, Mark.
I'd like to think I'm not the only one on here to have seen Hair way back in the day, Tully ( augmented ) were the house band for the Sydney season