JazzElite Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Hi to you all !! Please does any of you already know or could make a correct fretboard Radius measurament of the Korean Epiphone Broadway( approx 2002-2003)? A local luthier here in Italy made a measurament of the korean Broadway with a homemade cardboard Radius gauge and said that it is a 13" but I'd be much more sure on the maesurament result if he had a good metal radius gauge so please if can anyone can give an help. I am also a lucky ownwer of a 2003 Broadway Elite that have a 12" radius that gradually becomes a lot more curved on both E strings. With smallish hands I feel very more confortable playing the Korean which I use with a very low action without any buzz even using a "medium" dinamics with the right hand close to the neck pup ; But the sound of the Elite Broadway is simply fantastic!! (no comparison with the korean on sound) anyway Elite needs to be refretted and the fretboard rectified ;I already had two times a fret leveling job but this didnt solve an annoying buzz on the first four frets. So yesterday I brought the Elite Broadway to the luthier and asked to reply the same fretboard radius (maybe "14?) of the korean guitar on the Elite instead of just rectifying fingerboard and also to refret with stewmac 146 frets: thats why I am asking for the exact fretboard radius of the korean Broadway that is more flat than the Elite. Getting similar playability of the korean on my Elite and eliminating the buzz on her is all I am trying to get . Any comments,opinions, answers will be appreciated. Thanks to you all , John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Hi John, a buzz on the lowest frets usually indicates that the neck has not been set up with enough relief. That is, it has been set up dead straight or even with some backbow. Even a good amateur repairer should be able to skim and set up a neck so that it doesn't buzz more in one place than any other place. I'm surprised a luthier couldn't do this for your guitar with two skims; was that the same luthier? If it was, I really hope you are taking it to someone else this time! Unless of course, you have a dodgy neck which was not correctly shaped to begin with. But in this case, the luthier should have been able to diagnose this as part of their initial evaluation. They would then determine whether they could adjust for the neck unevenness with skimming the frets, or whether re-shaping the board would be necessary. How straight is your neck? Do you know how to check relief and report back to us? Apologies if I'm telling you something you know, but here's how I do it: Hold down the top E string at the first fret (use a capo if you have small hands.) Hold the same string down at the 17th fret. Look at the string directly over the eighth fret. If you can't see a gap, push down on it to test for a gap. Is there a gap between the string and the top of the fret? No gap? If there is no gap the neck is either dead straight or backbowed. As the string is laying on the frets, you can't tell if the neck is backbowed, so you would need to adjust the truss rod anticlockwise to loosen it till you see some gap appear. I can't help with the radius of the Broadway, but my Korean 2004 Sheraton (Saein plant, serial begins with an 'I'), has a 14" radius. Hope this is useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 The specs on the Korean Broadway said 14" radius. It definitely feels to me as the the fingerboard on my Korean Broadway ('97 Peerless) is slightly flatter than my Elitist Broadway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Bumping for interest: JazzElite, did you get any further with this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzElite Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 Bumping for interest: JazzElite, did you get any further with this? Hi Vomer, thank you for the very good advices. Same days ago I brought the guitar to another luthier and he said that the buzz problem could be solved as you said but just for personal playability reasons I asked him to convert the fretboard radius (12 to 14)and to refret with stewmac 146 frets ; so I will update about the results as soon my guitar will be back home thank you again. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzElite Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 The specs on the Korean Broadway said 14" radius. It definitely feels to me as the the fingerboard on my Korean Broadway ('97 Peerless) is slightly flatter than my Elitist Broadway. Hi Parabar, thank you for your useful reply ; John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Hi Vomer, thank you for the very good advices. Same days ago I brought the guitar to another luthier and he said that the buzz problem could be solved as you said but just for personal playability reasons I asked him to convert the fretboard radius (12 to 14)and to refret with stewmac 146 frets ; so I will update about the results as soon my guitar will be back home thank you again. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzElite Posted October 27, 2013 Author Share Posted October 27, 2013 The specs on the Korean Broadway said 14" radius. It definitely feels to me as the the fingerboard on my Korean Broadway ('97 Peerless) is slightly flatter than my Elitist Broadway. Hi Vomer and Parabar, My Epiphone Broadway Elite is back home with the'14 radius and the new stewmac 146 frets ; now perfectly setted for a fantastic low action no more buzz anywhere on the fretboard but just beautiful harp sounding tone and an incredible punch with perfect tension ; I'm using mixed D'Addario Chromes strings 0.14 , 0.18 , 0.24 , 0.30 , 0.40 , 0.50 a little time ago I also changed the Frequensator tailpiece for a brass L7 style one (but always thinking to find a L5 tailpiece and pickguard) I added a pic of the new fretboard ; Many thanks for advices and teachings ; John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Glad to hear that worked out well. Looks like a neat job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Hi Vomer and Parabar, My Epiphone Broadway Elite is back home with the'14 radius and the new stewmac 146 frets ; now perfectly setted for a fantastic low action no more buzz anywhere on the fretboard but just beautiful harp sounding tone and an incredible punch with perfect tension ; I'm using mixed D'Addario Chromes strings 0.14 , 0.18 , 0.24 , 0.30 , 0.40 , 0.50 a little time ago I also changed the Frequensator tailpiece for a brass L7 style one (but always thinking to find a L5 tailpiece and pickguard) I added a pic of the new fretboard ; Many thanks for advices and teachings ; John Correct me if I am seeing wrongly but are those nibs I see in that pic? I thought all modern Korean / Chinese Epi's didn't have nibs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Vas ist das "nibs"??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 "Nibs," plastic binding extending up alongside the exterior sides of the frets as opposed to just covering the side of the fingerboard and not the side of the frets. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 "Nibs," plastic binding extending up alongside the exterior sides of the frets as opposed to just covering the side of the fingerboard and not the side of the frets. m Indeed, and for me the "nibs" are what makes an (upper grade) Gibson neck stand head and shoulders above every other make of guitar (and here we are with a Korean Epiphone?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Yep, love those big-bodied blondes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 PIN... I take it you don't care much for the 175 except as a lower-end Gibbie? m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Nice job on the frets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 It looks like a reflection off of the filed and polished fret ends, not "nibs" on the neck binding. Nibs are not evident on the "far" side of the neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 PIN... I take it you don't care much for the 175 except as a lower-end Gibbie? m I have never played one mate. It is not that I won't play a guitar without nibs. After all, my "jazz box" is my Yamaha AE12 and like all Yamaha's including my SG2000 it doesn't have nibs. But I stand by what I said and of course admit that it is entirely a personal preference - give me a choice and every single one of my guitars would have the fretboard bound in the same way as Gibson binds most of its "upper end" guitars. To be honest, I thought the 175 was a "nibbed" bound board and I am surprised you imply it isn't. But that doesn't make it a bad guitar anymore than my Yamaha AE12 or SG2000 is a bad guitar or any other "un-nibbed guitar" is bad. It is just a matter of preference that's all. I think the neck feels better with rather than without. And yes, it may just be the light catching the ends of the frets to make it appear nibbed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 I've never personally been that much of a fan of the nibs. Then again playing nylon strings, I'd on occasion by intent pull a bass string or two clear to the side. Gives an interesting "snare drum" effect. Not such a good deal on a steel string, electric or not, but I've also never seen a classical guitar with nibs regardless of price tag. So that likely also plays a role in not particularly caring about them. I do know a lotta LPs, apparently some SGs have had 'em. OTOH, I also know that the nibs aren't always appreciated when guitars ain't new and there's a gap between the nib and the fret. That's even on "new" guitars, even customs, built in more humid conditions and then taken to less humidity - or the reverse. It also appears that a number of custom archtop makers in the "high end" do not do the "nib" thing on frets. So... I guess you pays yer money and takes yer choice. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzElite Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Correct me if I am seeing wrongly but are those nibs I see in that pic? I thought all modern Korean / Chinese Epi's didn't have nibs. sorry but this is not the Korean Broadway but the" Elite Broadway" that use to have nibs but now they are gone after the re radiusing of the fretboard and refretting, and yes in the picture seems they are there but is just the reflection of the shine of the new frets. Anyway I dont care too much about nibs except the visual aspect . The guitar now feels great to me with the '14 radius and the the new low and large frets. You are right about the Korean version Broadway that dont have nibs on the fret edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzElite Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Nice job on the frets Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzElite Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 It looks like a reflection off of the filed and polished fret ends, not "nibs" on the neck binding. Nibs are not evident on the "far" side of the neck. yes you are right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzElite Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 I've never personally been that much of a fan of the nibs. Then again playing nylon strings, I'd on occasion by intent pull a bass string or two clear to the side. Gives an interesting "snare drum" effect. Not such a good deal on a steel string, electric or not, but I've also never seen a classical guitar with nibs regardless of price tag. So that likely also plays a role in not particularly caring about them. I do know a lotta LPs, apparently some SGs have had 'em. OTOH, I also know that the nibs aren't always appreciated when guitars ain't new and there's a gap between the nib and the fret. That's even on "new" guitars, even customs, built in more humid conditions and then taken to less humidity - or the reverse. It also appears that a number of custom archtop makers in the "high end" do not do the "nib" thing on frets. So... I guess you pays yer money and takes yer choice. m Yes Milod I Agree with all you said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Jazzelite... Is English your first language? If not, you do very well. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.