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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 54
Location: Taiwan | I recently purchased a Balladeer 1771 LX as my first guitar.
I am thinking of buying an American Stratocaster. There are a wide variety of neck shapes and neck radii to choose from in this line up.
Can someone tell me the radius (or approximate radius) of my fingerboard and verify or discredit my speculation that my neck shape is probably closest to a "soft-V" in stratocasterese?
Thanks much. |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Hi, I own both a 1771LX and two Strats. The neck shape of the 1771LX is close to the soft-V you mention. I've tried Strats with the soft-V neck and it seemed similar.
I don't know the radius of the 1771LX fingerboard, but it seems flatter than the 7.5 of my two vintage reissue Strats.
Roger |
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Joined:
October 2006
Posts: 22
Location: Minnesota | Shot,
I'm not sure what the radius is on the Balladeer. However, I am predominantly an electric guitarist and build my own partsocasters quite frequently. I have the same neck on all of them.
A soft V is more ergonomically comfortable. It is also my preference. That being said, a lot of people like a C shaped neck, a D shaped, etc. That is really personal preference.
The other consideration is nut width on the neck. 1 7/8" is vintage width. Most of the newer necks are 1 11/16". I prefer the narrower 1 7/8" because I notice less strain on my hands as I play with my thumb over the top. I also like to have the fret board edges slightly rolled, which removes the "sharp edge" and makes it feel like a neck that has been broken in a bit. Again, play a number of them and see what feels better.
The final consideration is the radius. The lower the number (more curve to the board), the easier it is to do chords, especially bar chords but the more likely you are to "fret out" when bending strings. The higher the number, meaning the neck is flatter, the harder it is to do chording but you have less fretting out when bending. Again, personal preference. Some manufacturers will even do a compound radius neck with a rounder neck in the first few frets for chording giving way to a flatter neck further up for lead work.
My absolute favorite neck for a strat is a soft V with a 1 7/8" neck width and a 9.5" radius (happy medium for chords and string bending). This just also happens to be the neck on the Clapton signature strat. Check a few out and see what you like best. Also, if you find a strat you like but don't like the neck, you can often switch the neck out or buy one built to your prefernces from places like USA Custom Guitar or Warmoth.
The neck really makes a huge difference in playing comfort as well as how well you play. Good luck with your search. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 347
Location: Reno, NV | Originally posted by aikido777:
The other consideration is nut width on the neck. 1 7/8" is vintage width. Most of the newer necks are 1 11/16". I prefer the narrower 1 7/8" because I notice less strain on my hands as I play with my thumb over the top. since when was 7/8 smaller than 11/16? |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | aikido,i must agree with yak, 1 11/16 is your average nut width for acoustic guitars, i belive the old fender "fat necks" were 1 3/4. on a accoustic guitar such as a 1114 folklore for example..a guitar designed for fingerstyle the nut width is 1 7/8. most nylon's are a 2in nut width..with the exception for the country artist wich is a 1 7/8 also. i may be wrong but i belive the newer folklore/country artist is a 1 3/4 nut width..just my input...jason |
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Balladeer 1771 LX Neck Shape and Radius
