Whats your favorite fingerboard radius for building electric guitar necks?

[Mike Koss]

Still planning and aquiring tools and materials for my first build. I want to order a radius block from stewmac but not really sure what I want. What do you use? How does a smaller or larger radius effect how the guitar plays and feels? Is there one particular radius that is used most? thanks

[Pete Halliday]

I'm partial to 12" and don't really care for the tighter Fender radii as it feels kind of cramped to me. I'd recommend going to a guitar store and playing some different necks and then tracking down the specs on the one you like best.

[Gordon Bellerose]

If you are building the guitar for yourself, then definitely go to a store and play some guitars to find your favorite.
If you are the kind of player who has a smaller hand, the smaller radii, shorter scale guitars might feel good to you. I have a variety of neck radii and scale lengths in my small collection.
I have a 62 Strat with a 7 1/4 radius, which is a great feeling and playing guitar. Very comfortable for chording in the lower frets.
Some people say that a small radius will cause "Fretting Out", while bending notes. My Strat is set up for low action, and I've never fretted out while bending, even bending notes 2 or 3 steps up.

If you are a more modern player who likes finger tapping and that kind of technique, a flatter radius might be more to your liking. Some say they play a bit "Faster" for soloing. Many of the modern Metal players like a 16 inch radius.

I also own a LP with a 12 inch radius. This is really a nice, medium kind of feeling neck. Good for both chording and soloing.

The guitars I build all have a 12 inch radius and a 25 1/2 inch scale. I think, and this is purely my opinion and others will disagree, that a longer scale guitar sounds better, and is easier to play in the higher neck positions.

[Louie Atienza]

If you plan on using a Floyd Rose locking nut, the nut radius is 10", so you might want to take that into consideration. A good all around radius already mentioned is 12". I usually don't like flatter radii for electrics, because I find it more uncomfortable to pick, though depending on your style a flatter radius might be better.

Usually, however, if the persom I'm making a neck for plays more bluesy-style, where the thumb wraps around the top of the neck, I may be inclined to put more radius, as opposed to a shredder who keeps their thumb more on the back like a classical player.

[Mark Swanson]

Some people say that a small radius will cause "Fretting Out", while bending notes.

It will, if your action is low and you are bending near or past the 12th fret. If you bend an E or a B string, the bending action pushes the string into the "hill" of the radius.

[Greg Robinson]

Can I advocate a compound radius?
If you have a plane to rough in the fretboard, a long sanding board/beam to tidy it up, and a set of radius gauges to check your progress, you can easily achieve a compound radius with a need for fancy jigs.
I usually prefer about a 10" at the nut to 16" at the 22nd fret.

[Paul Rhoney]

I make all mine 12" unless otherwise requested. I grew up playing Les Pauls so it feels most natural to me. Plus it's a lot easier to find hardware that matches 12" than any other radii. Of the non-adjustable variety anyway.

[Mark Swanson]

I like playing on a compound radius, but for my own style of playing I don't feel that I need it. I prefer a higher action and I don't use the superlight strings either. that along with the added difficulty in making them, I don't use it. I use a 12" radius too. Sometimes a 14". I like to use a press for my fretting and with a compound radius, it's very hard to have a caul for the press that fits so many different radius- Mario has made himself a jig for a compound radius but I don't want to go there.

[John Kingma]

I make all mine 12" unless otherwise requested.

Me too.

That's also my preferred radius on any of my own electrics. On acoustics I prefer flatter... like 16" or 20".

[Patrick Kirkham]

I grew up with classical guitars hanging around the house, then got the Fenders when I was a teen. Later when I just HAD to get an Ibanez RG in the 80s I found I preferred their 16" radius and wide fretboards. Now I build my personals either 12 or 16 and wide depending on what the axe is for like Gordon was saying. I'm even grooving on multiscale now for my current Rockabilly/funk fingerstyle blues tickling my whimsical directions. Thumpin the E and A strings like a bass.
But, that's me. You gotta accommodate you for the playing style you are nurturing. You'll find you can be a pretty particular customer for you to satisfy. Go wild.

[James Tonguet]

Overall I prefer 12" I've used everything from 7.5 to 14 on various projects

[Rodger Knox]

Mine have all been 12", but I will be going to a larger radius or conical fretboard in the future.

[David Bennett]

I use 12" on narrow necks, solid body electrics---14" on the slightly wider archtop and flat-top accoustic necks---satisfy your self---forget the 7.25" Fender radius--- way hard to play IMNSHO.
Peace!

[Eric Baack]

I like 12" but I round my edges off a bit between the frets

[G.S. Monroe]

Strangely enough, the last 3 I have built, the customer wanted a flat "classical" fingerboard. I personally like flat fingerboards because I prefer the old Delta Blues style playing with a slide, and Flat boards are Ideal for that.