Is there any such thing as a flat neck guitar?

[ankursamtaney]

I recently heard from someone that you have flat-neck electric guitars and you have round neck electric guitars. I found it crap, but the person seemed really convinced, and sounded like he knew what he was saying.

Is it that Gibsons and Ibanez electrics are flat neck guitars and Fenders are round neck guitars? The flatness / roundness, i assume, is to do with the face of the neck; i.e. where the strings are. The dude said, you're either a gibson / ibanez guy OR a fender guy; very few like both.

Looked on google, but couldn't find too much on it.

I haven't played too many electrics, so dont know enough. Anyone heard of this flat neck / round neck thing?

[P.P.T.]

I don't have trouble switching.
Gibsons and Gretches tend to have 12-16" radius and Fenders 7 1/2" to 9 1/2".

Some people find bar chords easier on the smaller radius.
Some shredders prefer to larger radius.

A smaller radius is rounder and a larger radius is flatter.
Think of it as the fretboard being on the arc of a circle with a 9" or a 12" radius.
Go to a shop and try them out.

[TonyB]

Dobros have both. Square neck for lap sliding.

[garww]

They didn't radius old guitar necks. Men were men : )

[brandondrury]

i assume, is to do with the face of the neck; i.e. where the strings are.

Ha! No, it's the back of the neck that has this shape. His generalization with the brands doesn't always hold water, but it is a decent general guide.

My Ibanez Superstrat has a super super thin neck and it's very flat (relatively speaking). It won't fill up your palm like an old Les Paul will.

This isn't really a mega mega mega deal. It's just a personal preference. I happen to be one of the few who is fairly flexible in the neck department.

Brandon

[ankursamtaney]

Thanks all. I could understand the difference best when i held an ibanez vs an old 'Greco' les paul copy. Just picked up an Ibanez JS 100 (the Joe Satriani series) yesterday. Had originally planned on buying the RG370, but damn! didn't know how uncomfortable I'd find the jumbo frets!

I assume all the biggies and pros use electrics with Jumbo frets; is that right? Should it be something everyone should get used to sooner or later? Or is it really a matter of personal preference (as everyone keeps harping about!)? Of course, not like i couldn't play on a neck with jumbo frets. It's just that sliding down the neck felt as though there were speedbreakers to prevent you from playing fast solos; maybe a matter of getting used to it.

Thanks again!

[P.P.T.]

It's a lot easier to bend strings with large frets. With small frets the string can more easily slip out from under your finger.
However, if you press too hard when fingering you will get an unexpected bit of upward bend.

I used to have small frets. Now I have larger and like them better.

[ankursamtaney]

Originally Posted by P.P.T.

However, if you press too hard when fingering you will get an unexpected bit of upward bend.

Ermm.. i'll keep that in mind when fingering! hahaha ;-)

But yea, i know what you mean. Thanks. I'll probably buy one with larger frets in a few months to see how well that works for me. Will surely take a bit of getting used to, but am eager to own one of those, too, now!

As for the bending, i can theoretically imagine what you mean by strings possibly slipping off when using smaller frets. But practically, i bend ALOT and have never experienced that happening.

thanks again.