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Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 286
Location: North Idaho | I have never played a flat fretboard guitar with steel strings. Are they okay? Why do nylon string guitars usually come with the flat fretboard and steels with the radius frets? |
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Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I find that a flat board forces me to fret strings with my fingers more perpendicular to the strings. Demands more precise/proper technique.
The radial board seems more comfortable, accessible and fast. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | plus the strings on a classical guitar are further apart.
edited to add that I have steel string guitars with flat fingerboards, it all depends on your personal playing preference. |
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Joined:
March 2006
Posts: 269
Location: Nîmes, south of France | Flat fret board requires a stronger left hand and is more precise (it is usualy associated with WN, like classical guitars), but fretboard with a radius is easier to play fingerpicking style using your left thumb for the basses(as used by Merle Travis, Marcel Dadi and others). Just my two cents ... |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Most old Natinal tricones and style O guitars had flat boards. All Travis Beans had flat.
Why Nylons have flat and steels have radiused, I couldn't tell you. The radiused are a bit more comfortable to play however if you want to play slide the flat is better. My new 2080D is flat and I love it, works great for slide and feels just like one of my old Nationals. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | My guess is that classical guitars weren't used for barre chords and the radiused neck makes it easier to play barre chords. Pure guess. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | OK, my theory is that radius'd boards are better for bending and barres, while a flat board is better for plain fretting. |
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Flat vs Radius Opinions/History
