Yngwie malmsteen plays 21 frets and a 9.5 radius with super jumbo frets and he bends the life out of the thing , Shreds beyond belief Etc . I don’t need to say anymore .
@GodkillerKoby17 күн бұрын
WOO! AH YEAH 🔥
@Nick-sh8dv26 күн бұрын
I build all my guitars with a 10-17 compound radius. Some say it's too extreme but if I don't tell them what the radius is they usually just say "holy shit that's awesome." 🤷
@frossbog2 ай бұрын
Andy Latimer, David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Rothery, Eric Clapton, SRV, Richie Blackmore, et al never had a problem bending the hell out of their guitars with 7.25" radii. The idea that you need a flat radius for bending is a huge myth.
@EvanKolesar2 ай бұрын
Agree! If your guitar is setup decently you can do any reasonable bends on any radius!
@scottdematteo2 ай бұрын
Great video and well thought out content.
@recordlabeldao78202 ай бұрын
The best advice i can give after playing guitar for 20 years i am 26 years old and professional bassist. Is try out diffrent type of guitars or basses and if u find something that feels damn good for u then check the specs so u know what u love instead of buying something that u think u might like
@4578a2 ай бұрын
This guy sounds like an idiot already
@4578a2 ай бұрын
Vaccinated?
@briandietrich13732 ай бұрын
12" radius is the best overall. Gibson nailed it out of the box. 7.25" not for me. Compound 12-16" seems to be. the best overall.
@mariorojas37243 ай бұрын
Bro, la mejor explicación del mundo sobre el tema, gracias...
@aoi.chihiro3 ай бұрын
no intro????????? :c
@LRHutch3 ай бұрын
The flatter the radius the better for slide. For rhythm and lead I use a 9.5" radius. My guitars are setup to play like butter lead or rhythm no matter what radius they are.
@TheColourofawesome3 ай бұрын
Anytime I start worrying about it I think of guys like Hendix, Gilmour or Blackmore who play incredible solos and great rhythms with their old 7.25 radius strats because that's what was available to them. 9/10 times it's better to focus on improving your playing than improving your gear, and that also makes the 1/10 time you do need to buy new gear way more rewarding and fun.
@MediocreOriginals4 ай бұрын
i got rid of Fender with a 7.25 radius i could feel and see finders going down hill to the B and high e but for playing rhythm using chords i think it works great although i can play any radius i do have some i prefer i just like the feel more, so to me it does matter.
@inquisitivenessandcontempl99184 ай бұрын
Hypothetically a radiused neck allows for more bending because a string travels more distance on a curved fret rather than dead straight one. Also there is subjective preference of convenience of playing. Then a radiused fingerboard became traditional on electric/acoustic with metal strings and that's why we have it. But whether it really matters or not is debatable.
@wavxray4 ай бұрын
I have carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis so when I try to play a radius that’s 9 1/2 to 7 1/2 my left hand goes numb. NUMB! A 10 or more radius doesn’t do this nearly as much. It’s sometimes about comfort and that is everything for me.
@user-qr7ee2cp4y5 ай бұрын
My peavey Wolfgang has a very flat radius and I'm not crazy about it... my favorite is my old warmoth neck with the 10 - 16 compound radius
@outermarker58015 ай бұрын
For me the only thing that radius affects is barre chords. But even there, if action and string tension are low enough then radius ultimately doesn't matter. Related to that is scale length, a well set up LP at under 25in can be more comfortable for everything than an over 25in strat.
@1000foxtrot5 ай бұрын
Oh simply put .... I never liked flat fingerboards like on Spanish guitars, they are also way too wide - Why ? ??? I have an old Gibson and the fingerboard is slightly under 42 mm - it's the one that suits my playing best - a couple of my new ones Tele-style, are 42 mm... and very nice. have Guild Starfire, and the fingerboard is 43 mm, but the neck profile is a bit thicker, so there are things I cannot play ... But I love the sound so much .... so there are guitars I'd never use - played a Martin some years ago and it simply did not work for me ... Instead I bought a Crafter - and it felt right from the start for my stage work ... Had it for 20 years now ...
@sonicrose84305 ай бұрын
the entire soundtrack has some HEAVILY underrated bass guitar.
@jasherarcega26555 ай бұрын
radius 12 for me is the best you can.still have.comfortable bar chords and you can shred that is why other fender are being customized in to 12 inch radius
@user-sx2fg9wl8t6 ай бұрын
7.5 way more control and easier to bend. U bend the b string u are bending up and over. The flat knecks u are lifting against all the tension.
@aljuric58876 ай бұрын
Evan, help! I'm only days away from sending my "1951" Telecaster off for a refret and re-radius (from small vintage frets and 7.25" to medium-jumbo's and 10") because i cant get the action low enough. Am I wrong? Can a great luthier give me that low action on 7.25? Maybe just a re-fret perhaps to achieve this? Hope to hear from you, if not - thanks for the video.
@JohnnyOskam6 ай бұрын
Even with a “good setup” a curved radius will fret out unless you have uncomfortably high action. Some players like higher action (John Mayer), but most don’t. My favorite radius is 12”. Compound radius’ suck. Why would I want to adjust my left hand technique and pitch bending intonation muscle memory depending on where I am on the neck? Stupid.
@duanemartin23816 ай бұрын
Is the 10-16 the one widely used in the 80’s?
@dreamlifter27013 ай бұрын
Compound radius guitars like that weren’t really popular yet. Typically guitars that are associated with 80s shred had a flatter radius. Most Ibanez and Jackson guitars were and still are around 16” which is pretty flat. Kramer guitars on the other hand were and still are more rounded. Typically around 12” or a 12.5” radius. I find that the flatter the radius, the easier it is to play leads. It’s especially easier to bend strings on the higher frets because the notes don’t choke out as much when the radius is more rounded. From my experience if you have a guitar with a 9.5” radius or lower, notes will choke out regardless of if the guitar is setup well or not.
@wikolib68216 ай бұрын
Thanks for the great simplified explanation on neck radius. I'm an acoustic player shopping for an electric for some fun and for learning to be a lead player. I'll check my Martins, Gibson, Taylors and my Guild for neck radius again, they do vary a little bit. Thinking I''ll go for a 9.5" radius as a happy medium and to avoid fret out. I like my action on my acoustics to be just a tad higher, so If I do the same on an electric it may not be and issue (I don't like very low actions). Thanks again. Off topic: I've been upgrading my acoustic collection one by one to bone nuts and saddles and find it makes a huge difference. It makes an already great guitar into an incredible one.
@ScottCheg6 ай бұрын
got a 12-16" compound but I would be lying if I said I wouldnt love to try a 7.25 radius neck just to see what the other end of the spectrum feels like.
@micpep6 ай бұрын
When you spoke about going between Fender & Gibson i was sure you where going... PRS!
@pmkrak7 ай бұрын
I think that the whole fingerboard radius thing is blown WAY out of proportion, and the internet forums are like giant echo chambers of misinformation. The reality is that the actual difference between a 7.25 vs 9.5, 10, 12 inch radius is really just a fraction of a inch. A fretboard is only around 2 inches from one side to the other. If you're bending a string, typically you'd maybe bend it a step and a half at the most which would probably cover around half the fretboard across. So you're basically talking about bending the string about 1 inch. The reality is that that the difference in the crown of a 7.25 vs 12 radius at 1" is something extremely small, maybe 1/100th of an inch. So a vintage Fender guitar in reality only needs to have it's action raised minutely higher than a Gibson. But then people who have no idea what they are talking about saying I can't play a guitar with a 7.25" radius because the action needs to too high, although they may have never even actually ever played on (or one that was setup well). Then all of a sudden you have a bunch of people listening to his reasoning and than blindly believing his statements. I have Fenders, Gibsons, and Jacksons that range in fingerboard radius from 7.25" to 16". I setup all my guitars as well as they can be. Granted the Jackson does have the lowest action, but the Fender's have a damn low action that's nothing to scoff at and easily holds its own against the other guitars.
@michaelheller88417 ай бұрын
I have been playing guitar for over 35 years and I really never thought about the radius of the guitars until many guitarists talked about it to be honest. I’m not bashing what people believe in but I’m more of a player who doesn’t think about it at all. I have different guitars for different styles and sounds. If you spend enough time on a guitar it doesn’t matter to me about radius I just play it. The strange part about it all is that my #1 is a Gibson CS Les Paul R8 and I don’t have large hands. It is a fat neck. So it’s what works best for you. My thinnest neck is on my Gibson ‘61 SG and I have no issues with that at all. The only thing a fatter neck does for me is that I have more of a fat feel and you get more meat out of it. My Fender Custom Strat is a fat neck as well and I love it. It all boils down to preference and there is no wrong or right. There is no best. The best guitar is the one you are playing for that mood. As long as we keep Rockin’ is all that matters.
@RideAcrossTheRiver7 ай бұрын
More important than radius is neck shape and thickness. Those Fender American Standard necks are thin, just too thin--as if Fender has been pandering to shredders for 25 years.
@EvanKolesar7 ай бұрын
It’s certainly a big factor! I didn’t really want to dive into adding neck size and carve into the mix to avoid a bloated video! That’s a great area to explore too though!
@RideAcrossTheRiver7 ай бұрын
@@EvanKolesar I got a new 2022 Pro II Strat and then a really nice '08 Strat. The '08 I discovered is almost unplayable because of wide jumbo frets and thin 7/8" neck at 12th. Pro II has lots more wood, rolled edges, and it's a weapon. But a Pro II replace neck ain't cheap!
@JR-pr8jb7 ай бұрын
For acoustic (non-classic) players, this is nonsense. A flat jet-runway radius on a wide fretboard is OK for those gifted with big, long, strong fingers that can barre anything. For those of us with smaller, weaker hands/fingers the curve provides a great advantage in leverage.
@EvanKolesar7 ай бұрын
I agree! I wrapped up the video by saying it all comes down to personal preference, the gig, and meeting your anatomical needs. I have smaller fatter fingers, so my hands cramp up pretty hard on large flat necks, so I’m more in the 7.25-9inch camp myself over here on most of my guitars!
@davidepannone60217 ай бұрын
I personally cannot stand radius above 16. It hurt my hand when playing. I don't know if this was part of the myth or not, but I don't care. It's me that has to play the instrument and im not gonna play a fingerboard with a radius above 16 because HURR DURR RADIUS IS JUST A MYTH HURR DURR. It truly feels unnatural to play such a straight radius fingerboard to my hands. For me and my hands radius between 12 and 16 are perfect, with the high preference towards the 12 as it's more curved and stresses my hands less.
@garychiasson45507 ай бұрын
I find playing chord melodies the flatter radius allows me to ring out the notes on high e easier 7:50
@EvanKolesar7 ай бұрын
I’m a 7.25” to 12” radius fan myself! Only time I can get onboard with a 16” radius is if the guitar is a compound radius and just the uppermost frets being that flat. A straight 16” or above down in open to like 9th position is just super uncomfortable for my hands. This video was more in response to the backlash to the Silver Sky having a 7.25” radius and people complaining that you can’t bend on them!
@rebeccaabraham86529 ай бұрын
With the start of arthritis in my fretting hand I’m now playing nearly all bar chords - and my strat is a god-send for me; the barre chords just flow. Because I also love playing my Walden dreadnought which has a flatter radius, I’ve had to switch to ball-end classicals - and it plays almost as nice as the strat - and has a lovely tone! All I need to do now is try and fit a Fishman pickup system to it, as obviously a magnetic pickup is no damned use!
@pdxtom9 ай бұрын
I don't have terrible large hands and for years imagined that I needed a small neck and lower radius...then I got a guitar with a big chunky neck and a 12" radius. At first it felt very uncomfortable and I was disappointed. I decided to just force myself to play it as much as possible. Within 2 days I had adjusted and began to love the feel. Sometimes you just have to step outside of what you are used to.
@hexaldecima68398 ай бұрын
This. I was about to return my ESP E-II because it had a weird feel and pain to play. But, I gave it a shot for a week of playing and OMG... I never so clean in my life when comparing to my other guitars. 🎉🎉🎉
@JohnnyApp1eseed9 ай бұрын
Ummm, actually I use screwdrivers to bang in nails all the time 😅 6:44
@Davejkn9 ай бұрын
not much use for gigging musicians who don't play guitar - eg drummers, sax players, trumpeters etc
@chrisjferro78089 ай бұрын
Im sure most guitar manufacturers use that standard floyd nut for a floyd rose guitar, as it comes in 10” radius. I heard theres various different floyd nuts thats are set in different radius but i haven’t been able to find them
@donnalaurence247710 ай бұрын
thank you, finally someone made sense to my brain
@peanutbutterisfu11 ай бұрын
I like a flat neck no matter what I’m playing I’m more accurate all around it’s just how I play.
@joeballs566911 ай бұрын
you CAN GET A LOWER ACTION ON A BASS WITH A 20'' RADIUS THAN A 10''...THAT'S THE FACT JACK !
@EvanKolesar11 ай бұрын
Mmm my action on my Fender Jazz bass with a 7.25” radius has super low action with medium gauge strings on it. You can for sure get a lower action with thicker strings on a 20” with the ability to bend, but I’m not Billy Sheehan, so that’s not a concern for my personal playing. Glad the 20” works for your style mate!
@joeballs566911 ай бұрын
keep rockin @@EvanKolesar
@joshuaafaustino11 ай бұрын
Awesome slapping! The tone really brings out the details too, nice work!
@dudeguyman27 Жыл бұрын
Tapping part is a cool addition bro. Kind of reminds me of a Chuck Schuldiner lick
@mrdumbass3064 Жыл бұрын
My old gig bag was a old Star Wars suitcase
@sense1240 Жыл бұрын
Rounder radius guitar’s are harder to bend and to get proper leverage for vibrato without the action being borderline uncomfortable. I used to think it didn't matter until i had several guitars with different radius specs to compare between. (Prs,fender,gibson)
@EvanKolesar Жыл бұрын
Out of those guitars that you mentioned, which one was the “easier” one to bend on?
@sense1240 Жыл бұрын
@@EvanKolesar the flatter 12 radius fenders, and all my gibsons are easier to bend and vibrato . It's subtle and once you notice its hard to ignore. I have a few prs's with the 10 radius and a vintage spec strat as well. I think fret size also plays a part. Jumbo frets on a 7 and a half radius would probably compensate for the necessary higher string height and make bending easier.
@EvanKolesar Жыл бұрын
You were onto something in your second comment! It really is the sum of all the parts plus preference in my opinion! I have two telecasters right now, one with a compound radius 9.5-16, and on straight 7.25, and I find the 7.25 to be easier. Now it is more vintage spec, has a different bridge, no string trees, different break angle over the nut but same gauge, but I find it easier! I really do think it comes down to the sum, the set up, and your taste! But thanks for sharing your preferences friend!
@ToasterTheProtogen1297 Жыл бұрын
Im an amature bassist (About 2 years), and I have been trying to learn this song for the past week, but I have a hard time playing Slap on bass. Ill get it eventually, more practice. I play for my highschool jazz ensemble and never have had to do slap yet. Guess this is a good time to pick it up.
@EvanKolesar Жыл бұрын
Slap is hard! If you are looking for a good song to learn to develop the fundamentals, learn the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s version of Higher Ground! The verse riff is E, G, A (All octaves; root on E string, octave on D) starting in open position. You can also play it in the key of A starting in open position to work the fingerings for those string sets. So then it would be A, C, D starting on the low A string, root on the A string, octave on the G. I’d have students do 4 bars in E, then 4 bars in A to get use to moving between string sets!
@tcjensen1 Жыл бұрын
Anyone who says bar chords are easier on a smaller radius has not done an A / B test. It’s actually easier to bar chords on a flatter fretboard.
@EvanKolesar Жыл бұрын
Well so couple of things on that friend… 1) everyone’s anatomy is going to be different, so all of these discussions are general rule of thumbs but anatomy and personal preference will always be top priority 2) from a functional anatomy perspective, a flatter radius makes you have to hyper extend the tendons in your finger because it has to lay flatter as opposed to landing at a curve on a rounded radius board. So from a pure anatomical ergonomics perspective, it is objectively less tension required *in general for most people* on a rounder radius. I tend to find folks with larger hands have an easier time with flatter radius guitars, so that might be your case! I have slightly shorter fingers and more mass in my palms, so my anatomy really like the roundness! Everyone has their opinions and preferences, so thanks for sharing yours!
@tcjensen1 Жыл бұрын
@@EvanKolesar I’m an exercise physiologist by trade. I teach how the joints, bones, tendons work … and unless you are holding the guitar very low, a more curved fretboard is still harder and more unnatural to play bar chords. You have to pull back to maintain pressure toward the base of your finger. It’s just something that’s been spit out for decades but people don’t actually try it. It’s interesting. But if you are a really low holder, then it can work. I also have bigger palms and smaller fingers. Maybe I should hold the guitar lower :)
@EvanKolesar Жыл бұрын
Right on! Honestly, I would love to see a video with the research and anatomical breakdown from your work and studies! I think that would be really interesting and helpful for the community! I’m not a low slinger, I tend to be on the higher slung side, and I find the rounder boards to be comfy for longer gigs than flatter radiuses. Any thoughts on the high sling with more prominent wrist break angles? Genuinely awesome exchange and love the info!
@anderszidane973 Жыл бұрын
Your tone is great for this song. Nice job dialing that in.
@EvanKolesar Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much! Good old Fab Filter Saturn is the bulk of the tone. Multi band distortion with bass is so critical for getting the aggressive attack in the midrange while still maintaining clarity in the high end and beef in the bottom! Try heavy clipping your mids, gently clipping your highs, and leave your lows clean but compressed!
@andrewhubbard4222 Жыл бұрын
Great video. One point though: You say you can overcome the disadvantages, such as fretting out, of a tighter radius, by setting up the action properly. But then you say that you yourself use a guitar, such as a Les Paul, with a flatter radius when you play a lot of solos. If you can overcome the shortcomings of the tighter radius on your Tele, why would you use your Les Paul for solos?
@EvanKolesar Жыл бұрын
Personal preference! That’s the big BUT on top of everything with music! Talking about all of these specs, how to dial in the “perfect set up” is always going to be superseded by someone’s personal preferences which is why all this stuff is so fun to talk about and explore! There is no right or wrong, just discovering what works best for you by learning all these little in the weed details. But to circle back to your question, a 12 inch flat radius is a nice sweet spot for me for most things, and that compounded with the Les Paul’s 24.75” scale length just overall leads to easy playing feel for single note work over long sessions. But if I only had a 7.25” tele at my disposal, we could for sure make it work no problem as long as the set up is sound! Hope that helps!
@januszwu973 Жыл бұрын
Its making me sad i cant set up my strat with round fretboard as low as wish and not have bends choke. You cant have everything
@EvanKolesar Жыл бұрын
Try using a lighter gauge pick and string! That is the old EVH trick. He primarily played with 8-40 gauge strings (if memory serves) in Eb standard with ultra light nylon picks with super low action on his first few guitars which had pretty vintage fender style necks. It’s all a balancing act with set up, but the lighter string and pick compounded with radiusing your saddles to your neck should get you low actions and tons of room to bend! Eddie could dial it in back in the 70’s, so you got this!!
Пікірлер
Yngwie malmsteen plays 21 frets and a 9.5 radius with super jumbo frets and he bends the life out of the thing , Shreds beyond belief Etc . I don’t need to say anymore .
WOO! AH YEAH 🔥
I build all my guitars with a 10-17 compound radius. Some say it's too extreme but if I don't tell them what the radius is they usually just say "holy shit that's awesome." 🤷
Andy Latimer, David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Rothery, Eric Clapton, SRV, Richie Blackmore, et al never had a problem bending the hell out of their guitars with 7.25" radii. The idea that you need a flat radius for bending is a huge myth.
Agree! If your guitar is setup decently you can do any reasonable bends on any radius!
Great video and well thought out content.
The best advice i can give after playing guitar for 20 years i am 26 years old and professional bassist. Is try out diffrent type of guitars or basses and if u find something that feels damn good for u then check the specs so u know what u love instead of buying something that u think u might like
This guy sounds like an idiot already
Vaccinated?
12" radius is the best overall. Gibson nailed it out of the box. 7.25" not for me. Compound 12-16" seems to be. the best overall.
Bro, la mejor explicación del mundo sobre el tema, gracias...
no intro????????? :c
The flatter the radius the better for slide. For rhythm and lead I use a 9.5" radius. My guitars are setup to play like butter lead or rhythm no matter what radius they are.
Anytime I start worrying about it I think of guys like Hendix, Gilmour or Blackmore who play incredible solos and great rhythms with their old 7.25 radius strats because that's what was available to them. 9/10 times it's better to focus on improving your playing than improving your gear, and that also makes the 1/10 time you do need to buy new gear way more rewarding and fun.
i got rid of Fender with a 7.25 radius i could feel and see finders going down hill to the B and high e but for playing rhythm using chords i think it works great although i can play any radius i do have some i prefer i just like the feel more, so to me it does matter.
Hypothetically a radiused neck allows for more bending because a string travels more distance on a curved fret rather than dead straight one. Also there is subjective preference of convenience of playing. Then a radiused fingerboard became traditional on electric/acoustic with metal strings and that's why we have it. But whether it really matters or not is debatable.
I have carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis so when I try to play a radius that’s 9 1/2 to 7 1/2 my left hand goes numb. NUMB! A 10 or more radius doesn’t do this nearly as much. It’s sometimes about comfort and that is everything for me.
My peavey Wolfgang has a very flat radius and I'm not crazy about it... my favorite is my old warmoth neck with the 10 - 16 compound radius
For me the only thing that radius affects is barre chords. But even there, if action and string tension are low enough then radius ultimately doesn't matter. Related to that is scale length, a well set up LP at under 25in can be more comfortable for everything than an over 25in strat.
Oh simply put .... I never liked flat fingerboards like on Spanish guitars, they are also way too wide - Why ? ??? I have an old Gibson and the fingerboard is slightly under 42 mm - it's the one that suits my playing best - a couple of my new ones Tele-style, are 42 mm... and very nice. have Guild Starfire, and the fingerboard is 43 mm, but the neck profile is a bit thicker, so there are things I cannot play ... But I love the sound so much .... so there are guitars I'd never use - played a Martin some years ago and it simply did not work for me ... Instead I bought a Crafter - and it felt right from the start for my stage work ... Had it for 20 years now ...
the entire soundtrack has some HEAVILY underrated bass guitar.
radius 12 for me is the best you can.still have.comfortable bar chords and you can shred that is why other fender are being customized in to 12 inch radius
7.5 way more control and easier to bend. U bend the b string u are bending up and over. The flat knecks u are lifting against all the tension.
Evan, help! I'm only days away from sending my "1951" Telecaster off for a refret and re-radius (from small vintage frets and 7.25" to medium-jumbo's and 10") because i cant get the action low enough. Am I wrong? Can a great luthier give me that low action on 7.25? Maybe just a re-fret perhaps to achieve this? Hope to hear from you, if not - thanks for the video.
Even with a “good setup” a curved radius will fret out unless you have uncomfortably high action. Some players like higher action (John Mayer), but most don’t. My favorite radius is 12”. Compound radius’ suck. Why would I want to adjust my left hand technique and pitch bending intonation muscle memory depending on where I am on the neck? Stupid.
Is the 10-16 the one widely used in the 80’s?
Compound radius guitars like that weren’t really popular yet. Typically guitars that are associated with 80s shred had a flatter radius. Most Ibanez and Jackson guitars were and still are around 16” which is pretty flat. Kramer guitars on the other hand were and still are more rounded. Typically around 12” or a 12.5” radius. I find that the flatter the radius, the easier it is to play leads. It’s especially easier to bend strings on the higher frets because the notes don’t choke out as much when the radius is more rounded. From my experience if you have a guitar with a 9.5” radius or lower, notes will choke out regardless of if the guitar is setup well or not.
Thanks for the great simplified explanation on neck radius. I'm an acoustic player shopping for an electric for some fun and for learning to be a lead player. I'll check my Martins, Gibson, Taylors and my Guild for neck radius again, they do vary a little bit. Thinking I''ll go for a 9.5" radius as a happy medium and to avoid fret out. I like my action on my acoustics to be just a tad higher, so If I do the same on an electric it may not be and issue (I don't like very low actions). Thanks again. Off topic: I've been upgrading my acoustic collection one by one to bone nuts and saddles and find it makes a huge difference. It makes an already great guitar into an incredible one.
got a 12-16" compound but I would be lying if I said I wouldnt love to try a 7.25 radius neck just to see what the other end of the spectrum feels like.
When you spoke about going between Fender & Gibson i was sure you where going... PRS!
I think that the whole fingerboard radius thing is blown WAY out of proportion, and the internet forums are like giant echo chambers of misinformation. The reality is that the actual difference between a 7.25 vs 9.5, 10, 12 inch radius is really just a fraction of a inch. A fretboard is only around 2 inches from one side to the other. If you're bending a string, typically you'd maybe bend it a step and a half at the most which would probably cover around half the fretboard across. So you're basically talking about bending the string about 1 inch. The reality is that that the difference in the crown of a 7.25 vs 12 radius at 1" is something extremely small, maybe 1/100th of an inch. So a vintage Fender guitar in reality only needs to have it's action raised minutely higher than a Gibson. But then people who have no idea what they are talking about saying I can't play a guitar with a 7.25" radius because the action needs to too high, although they may have never even actually ever played on (or one that was setup well). Then all of a sudden you have a bunch of people listening to his reasoning and than blindly believing his statements. I have Fenders, Gibsons, and Jacksons that range in fingerboard radius from 7.25" to 16". I setup all my guitars as well as they can be. Granted the Jackson does have the lowest action, but the Fender's have a damn low action that's nothing to scoff at and easily holds its own against the other guitars.
I have been playing guitar for over 35 years and I really never thought about the radius of the guitars until many guitarists talked about it to be honest. I’m not bashing what people believe in but I’m more of a player who doesn’t think about it at all. I have different guitars for different styles and sounds. If you spend enough time on a guitar it doesn’t matter to me about radius I just play it. The strange part about it all is that my #1 is a Gibson CS Les Paul R8 and I don’t have large hands. It is a fat neck. So it’s what works best for you. My thinnest neck is on my Gibson ‘61 SG and I have no issues with that at all. The only thing a fatter neck does for me is that I have more of a fat feel and you get more meat out of it. My Fender Custom Strat is a fat neck as well and I love it. It all boils down to preference and there is no wrong or right. There is no best. The best guitar is the one you are playing for that mood. As long as we keep Rockin’ is all that matters.
More important than radius is neck shape and thickness. Those Fender American Standard necks are thin, just too thin--as if Fender has been pandering to shredders for 25 years.
It’s certainly a big factor! I didn’t really want to dive into adding neck size and carve into the mix to avoid a bloated video! That’s a great area to explore too though!
@@EvanKolesar I got a new 2022 Pro II Strat and then a really nice '08 Strat. The '08 I discovered is almost unplayable because of wide jumbo frets and thin 7/8" neck at 12th. Pro II has lots more wood, rolled edges, and it's a weapon. But a Pro II replace neck ain't cheap!
For acoustic (non-classic) players, this is nonsense. A flat jet-runway radius on a wide fretboard is OK for those gifted with big, long, strong fingers that can barre anything. For those of us with smaller, weaker hands/fingers the curve provides a great advantage in leverage.
I agree! I wrapped up the video by saying it all comes down to personal preference, the gig, and meeting your anatomical needs. I have smaller fatter fingers, so my hands cramp up pretty hard on large flat necks, so I’m more in the 7.25-9inch camp myself over here on most of my guitars!
I personally cannot stand radius above 16. It hurt my hand when playing. I don't know if this was part of the myth or not, but I don't care. It's me that has to play the instrument and im not gonna play a fingerboard with a radius above 16 because HURR DURR RADIUS IS JUST A MYTH HURR DURR. It truly feels unnatural to play such a straight radius fingerboard to my hands. For me and my hands radius between 12 and 16 are perfect, with the high preference towards the 12 as it's more curved and stresses my hands less.
I find playing chord melodies the flatter radius allows me to ring out the notes on high e easier 7:50
I’m a 7.25” to 12” radius fan myself! Only time I can get onboard with a 16” radius is if the guitar is a compound radius and just the uppermost frets being that flat. A straight 16” or above down in open to like 9th position is just super uncomfortable for my hands. This video was more in response to the backlash to the Silver Sky having a 7.25” radius and people complaining that you can’t bend on them!
With the start of arthritis in my fretting hand I’m now playing nearly all bar chords - and my strat is a god-send for me; the barre chords just flow. Because I also love playing my Walden dreadnought which has a flatter radius, I’ve had to switch to ball-end classicals - and it plays almost as nice as the strat - and has a lovely tone! All I need to do now is try and fit a Fishman pickup system to it, as obviously a magnetic pickup is no damned use!
I don't have terrible large hands and for years imagined that I needed a small neck and lower radius...then I got a guitar with a big chunky neck and a 12" radius. At first it felt very uncomfortable and I was disappointed. I decided to just force myself to play it as much as possible. Within 2 days I had adjusted and began to love the feel. Sometimes you just have to step outside of what you are used to.
This. I was about to return my ESP E-II because it had a weird feel and pain to play. But, I gave it a shot for a week of playing and OMG... I never so clean in my life when comparing to my other guitars. 🎉🎉🎉
Ummm, actually I use screwdrivers to bang in nails all the time 😅 6:44
not much use for gigging musicians who don't play guitar - eg drummers, sax players, trumpeters etc
Im sure most guitar manufacturers use that standard floyd nut for a floyd rose guitar, as it comes in 10” radius. I heard theres various different floyd nuts thats are set in different radius but i haven’t been able to find them
thank you, finally someone made sense to my brain
I like a flat neck no matter what I’m playing I’m more accurate all around it’s just how I play.
you CAN GET A LOWER ACTION ON A BASS WITH A 20'' RADIUS THAN A 10''...THAT'S THE FACT JACK !
Mmm my action on my Fender Jazz bass with a 7.25” radius has super low action with medium gauge strings on it. You can for sure get a lower action with thicker strings on a 20” with the ability to bend, but I’m not Billy Sheehan, so that’s not a concern for my personal playing. Glad the 20” works for your style mate!
keep rockin @@EvanKolesar
Awesome slapping! The tone really brings out the details too, nice work!
Tapping part is a cool addition bro. Kind of reminds me of a Chuck Schuldiner lick
My old gig bag was a old Star Wars suitcase
Rounder radius guitar’s are harder to bend and to get proper leverage for vibrato without the action being borderline uncomfortable. I used to think it didn't matter until i had several guitars with different radius specs to compare between. (Prs,fender,gibson)
Out of those guitars that you mentioned, which one was the “easier” one to bend on?
@@EvanKolesar the flatter 12 radius fenders, and all my gibsons are easier to bend and vibrato . It's subtle and once you notice its hard to ignore. I have a few prs's with the 10 radius and a vintage spec strat as well. I think fret size also plays a part. Jumbo frets on a 7 and a half radius would probably compensate for the necessary higher string height and make bending easier.
You were onto something in your second comment! It really is the sum of all the parts plus preference in my opinion! I have two telecasters right now, one with a compound radius 9.5-16, and on straight 7.25, and I find the 7.25 to be easier. Now it is more vintage spec, has a different bridge, no string trees, different break angle over the nut but same gauge, but I find it easier! I really do think it comes down to the sum, the set up, and your taste! But thanks for sharing your preferences friend!
Im an amature bassist (About 2 years), and I have been trying to learn this song for the past week, but I have a hard time playing Slap on bass. Ill get it eventually, more practice. I play for my highschool jazz ensemble and never have had to do slap yet. Guess this is a good time to pick it up.
Slap is hard! If you are looking for a good song to learn to develop the fundamentals, learn the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s version of Higher Ground! The verse riff is E, G, A (All octaves; root on E string, octave on D) starting in open position. You can also play it in the key of A starting in open position to work the fingerings for those string sets. So then it would be A, C, D starting on the low A string, root on the A string, octave on the G. I’d have students do 4 bars in E, then 4 bars in A to get use to moving between string sets!
Anyone who says bar chords are easier on a smaller radius has not done an A / B test. It’s actually easier to bar chords on a flatter fretboard.
Well so couple of things on that friend… 1) everyone’s anatomy is going to be different, so all of these discussions are general rule of thumbs but anatomy and personal preference will always be top priority 2) from a functional anatomy perspective, a flatter radius makes you have to hyper extend the tendons in your finger because it has to lay flatter as opposed to landing at a curve on a rounded radius board. So from a pure anatomical ergonomics perspective, it is objectively less tension required *in general for most people* on a rounder radius. I tend to find folks with larger hands have an easier time with flatter radius guitars, so that might be your case! I have slightly shorter fingers and more mass in my palms, so my anatomy really like the roundness! Everyone has their opinions and preferences, so thanks for sharing yours!
@@EvanKolesar I’m an exercise physiologist by trade. I teach how the joints, bones, tendons work … and unless you are holding the guitar very low, a more curved fretboard is still harder and more unnatural to play bar chords. You have to pull back to maintain pressure toward the base of your finger. It’s just something that’s been spit out for decades but people don’t actually try it. It’s interesting. But if you are a really low holder, then it can work. I also have bigger palms and smaller fingers. Maybe I should hold the guitar lower :)
Right on! Honestly, I would love to see a video with the research and anatomical breakdown from your work and studies! I think that would be really interesting and helpful for the community! I’m not a low slinger, I tend to be on the higher slung side, and I find the rounder boards to be comfy for longer gigs than flatter radiuses. Any thoughts on the high sling with more prominent wrist break angles? Genuinely awesome exchange and love the info!
Your tone is great for this song. Nice job dialing that in.
Thank you so much! Good old Fab Filter Saturn is the bulk of the tone. Multi band distortion with bass is so critical for getting the aggressive attack in the midrange while still maintaining clarity in the high end and beef in the bottom! Try heavy clipping your mids, gently clipping your highs, and leave your lows clean but compressed!
Great video. One point though: You say you can overcome the disadvantages, such as fretting out, of a tighter radius, by setting up the action properly. But then you say that you yourself use a guitar, such as a Les Paul, with a flatter radius when you play a lot of solos. If you can overcome the shortcomings of the tighter radius on your Tele, why would you use your Les Paul for solos?
Personal preference! That’s the big BUT on top of everything with music! Talking about all of these specs, how to dial in the “perfect set up” is always going to be superseded by someone’s personal preferences which is why all this stuff is so fun to talk about and explore! There is no right or wrong, just discovering what works best for you by learning all these little in the weed details. But to circle back to your question, a 12 inch flat radius is a nice sweet spot for me for most things, and that compounded with the Les Paul’s 24.75” scale length just overall leads to easy playing feel for single note work over long sessions. But if I only had a 7.25” tele at my disposal, we could for sure make it work no problem as long as the set up is sound! Hope that helps!
Its making me sad i cant set up my strat with round fretboard as low as wish and not have bends choke. You cant have everything
Try using a lighter gauge pick and string! That is the old EVH trick. He primarily played with 8-40 gauge strings (if memory serves) in Eb standard with ultra light nylon picks with super low action on his first few guitars which had pretty vintage fender style necks. It’s all a balancing act with set up, but the lighter string and pick compounded with radiusing your saddles to your neck should get you low actions and tons of room to bend! Eddie could dial it in back in the 70’s, so you got this!!