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  • FretBoard Radius

    I know JAcksons have a compund radius, but not sure what the radius is on them, but If I got a guitat with a 12 radius, how is that going to differ from playing a Jackson and what happens if that guitar has a Floyd on it. I thought the Floyds had a 10 radius on them , but could be wrong.

    The guitar in Question is a Kramer Pacer if it makes any differnce.
    Madness Reigns......... In the Hall of the Mountain King!

  • #2
    Floyd nut is usually a 10" radius (R2/R3/R4 and most others). The bridge is about a 15" radius without any shims but comes with a shim under the middle 4 saddles when you buy one "aftermarket." The shim is easy to take out. That is how they are on Jacksons - the shim is removed, and the bridge is about a 15" radius.

    The Jackson/Charvel compound radius is 12" at he nut to 16" at the heel, so the Kramer will feel more like the first 5 frets of the Jackson. A straight 12" radius is common on Gibson guitars, as well.

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    • #3
      So is the 12" Part the flater part?
      Madness Reigns......... In the Hall of the Mountain King!

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      • #4
        No the 16" is flatter. The neck gets flatter as you go up higher on the fretboard.
        -------------------------
        Blank yo!

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        • #5
          Radius is literally the size of the circle that the fretboard would be a "slice" of. So the larger the radius of the fretboard pie, the flatter the outside edge of each piece would be. Here is a diagram illustrating it....



          Most sane compount radius necks have a smaller radius at the nut for easier chording and a larger radius at the other end for easier soloing/bending. Flatter radii can bend strings a little further without fretting out typically. (On smaller numbers when you bend past mid-fingerboard the string height over the frets starts to drop off.)
          Last edited by Hellbat; 05-08-2010, 12:35 AM.
          GTWGITS! - RacerX

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          • #6
            Also FWIW on a "feel" note, back "in the day" I was used to Strats and played a Kramer and I was like "Whoah, now THIS is what I've been looking for!" because of the flatter radius.

            The same thing happened again after a few years of playing Kramers and finding my first Charvel, a used red Model 4 with a Kahler. "Whoah... what have I been doing fucking around with Kramers..."

            Kramers are great guitars but I think aside from the nostalgia, anything Charvel/Jackson is a better player, at least for my taste.

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            • #7
              Kramer fretboards and mini frets feel like poop.
              -------------------------
              Blank yo!

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              • #8
                I like the Jackson compound radius neck way more that the Kramer radius necks.
                Yo Kramer Infinity Sustainer
                Kramer Focus 3000
                Jackson DR3
                Washburn SB-8 T-Bird

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                • #9
                  Were those the older Kramer necks you guys are talking about though with the 10" radius? The specks on the newer pacer have it as 12"
                  Madness Reigns......... In the Hall of the Mountain King!

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                  • #10
                    Fret board radius varies widely on Kramer's. I have a 2000 Sustainer with a 16" radius, not sure on my f3000 but defiantly not a 16".
                    Yo Kramer Infinity Sustainer
                    Kramer Focus 3000
                    Jackson DR3
                    Washburn SB-8 T-Bird

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                    • #11
                      I picked up a fairly uncommon (hard finding much info about) Kramer neck thru that has a flat radius (> 16")and nice big jumbo frets and a thin neck profile.

                      IMO, they took a soloist, blue printed the neck, and spit out CNC copies in Korea.

                      The tone is pretty good too, for having very cheap no-name pickups (not the orginal quad-rails).

                      Lets say it's got me looking at other Kramers. I'm curious about the BIS Infinite Sustaner guitar.

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                      • #12
                        Just for some helpful info.... I found a link to a radius gauge you can print and use. Maybe it will help some..

                        http://www.pickguardian.com/pickguar...s%20Gauges.pdf
                        Yo Kramer Infinity Sustainer
                        Kramer Focus 3000
                        Jackson DR3
                        Washburn SB-8 T-Bird

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by atvdave View Post
                          Just for some helpful info.... I found a link to a radius gauge you can print and use. Maybe it will help some..

                          http://www.pickguardian.com/pickguar...s%20Gauges.pdf
                          I have a set from the Dan Erlewine books.

                          How do you like the Yo Kramer Infinity Sustainer?

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                          • #14
                            ^^ me too..
                            Every man dies... Not every man really lives!!

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                            • #15
                              Where could I get a neck for a Focus, I recently got one for a real good price just for the Floyd, it's a mutt with a Squier neck on it that someone put a Floyd nut on, needless to say it's got the wrong neck angle all together and i dont think a shim will fix it,so I'm thinking about finding a neck for it , what size is the neck pocket on these.Or should I say the neck heel.

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