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Found this but it gets a little technical...

http://proguitarshop.com/andyscorner/fretboard-radius-explained

Fretboard Radius Explained

September 18, 2010

Neck Radius: What do the numbers mean?

 

The fretboard radius is a commonly misunderstood term, incorrectly referred to “neck radius”, which leads people to think about the wrong part of the neck. The radius only pertains to the curve of the fretboard, which dictates how the guitar will play and feel just as much as the neck profile. A common Fender radius like 9.5” refers to the arc of a circle with a distance of 9.5” from the center to the outer edge. You can do this right now by taking a pencil attached to a string (cut to a 7¼”, 9 ½” or 12” length). Tack the loose end of the string to a surface and draw a perfect circle. Now, if you were to cut out a segment of the circle approximately 2 inches wide, that’s the exact curve of the fretboard! With the geometry out of the way, take a look at these types of curves and imagine what would happen when you bend an outer string upwards, especially up high on the neck.

 

Fretboard Radius

 

In general, the string is more likely to “fret out” as it approaches the arc in the middle of the fingerboard. With 7 ¼” radius necks, a common remedy is to raise the action of the outer strings, or at least the B and high E.

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Found this but it gets a little technical...

http://proguitarshop.com/andyscorner/fretboard-radius-explained

Fretboard Radius Explained

September 18, 2010

Neck Radius: What do the numbers mean?

 

The fretboard radius is a commonly misunderstood term, incorrectly referred to “neck radius”, which leads people to think about the wrong part of the neck. The radius only pertains to the curve of the fretboard, which dictates how the guitar will play and feel just as much as the neck profile. A common Fender radius like 9.5” refers to the arc of a circle with a distance of 9.5” from the center to the outer edge. You can do this right now by taking a pencil attached to a string (cut to a 7¼”, 9 ½” or 12” length). Tack the loose end of the string to a surface and draw a perfect circle. Now, if you were to cut out a segment of the circle approximately 2 inches wide, that’s the exact curve of the fretboard! With the geometry out of the way, take a look at these types of curves and imagine what would happen when you bend an outer string upwards, especially up high on the neck.

 

Fretboard Radius

 

In general, the string is more likely to “fret out” as it approaches the arc in the middle of the fingerboard. With 7 ¼” radius necks, a common remedy is to raise the action of the outer strings, or at least the B and high E.

 

Great explanation and helpful for sure. There are a lot of theories about the fretboard radius and most of them get muddled as people forget that there is a huge difference between electric guitars and acoustics. The flat fretboard of a classical guitar is a problem for me. The compound radius fixes a problem that never existed. Lots of theories on the subject. Thanks for a very simple easy to understand answer.

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