Can we talk about floyd radii for a second?

[vanhendrix]

The difference is slight math wise. Not sure why you'd be getting dead notes really, you shouldn't be else you'd think it would have been a problem for the last 25 years. The Floyd Nut is a 10" radius, that is set in stone. The bridge without any shims is 12" radius.

Around 18" radius it's actually well, 17 something but closer to 18, is what the radius of the compound of the neck would be if it extended up to the intonation point. However a compound radius from my research doesn't seem to be a perfect funnel as it were. It's a reference point but not is set in stone. Dead notes there must be a problem somewhere with your setup.

Anyway yea i am the same way and have thought of what the perfect compound would be to match the floyd. Starting with the nut at 10". But you have to take into account the width on the neck at the nut and at the last fret, and also the string spread of each. Then extend that triangle all the way out past the nut to it's zero point to figure the radius at any given point along the neck, say if you were to build one from scratch. I figured mine with my neck specs and a floyd rose pro to be the closest at 10" to 14" compound on the neck and so about 16" set on the bridge. Again the difference is still pretty slight, but if it seems to bother you i guess it's not slight enough. In the end it's going to be a bit of what feels right.

Thank you so much for this. Maybe "dead notes" was a bit too strong of a term, but I feel that any fret buzz whatsoever is unacceptable.

I found that shimming my floyds for dramatically smaller radii fixed the problem, more or less. I have them all set to match the fretboard from 1-12, and just deal with the higher action further up the neck. And like I mentioned, I took one of my guitars to have the frets done, just to narrow down where the problem was coming from on all 5 of my jacksons

[Chad]

Curious, how many of you actually shim your OFR equipped 12" to 16" radius guitars? If so, what did you set it at? I saw one person mentioned they do 16" at the bridge.

I have shimmed the Floyd on some guitars that have a straight radius, but haven't yet done any of my compound radius guitars. Am wondering if it's worth messing with.

[Animus]

I am curious....has there ever been an attempt to redesign the floyd but with the ability to raise and lower the saddles without shims? Seems like it would be a easy thing to do.

[Trem]

Ok, here is one of the article i read and the formula for getting a radius at a point on the neck. Had to find the link and didn't remember where it was from
Via Stew Mac.

http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Neck_relief,_building_and_repair/a-compoundradius.html

Imo, anywhere between a 10 and 12" straight radius would be fine to me for a floyded guitar. I don't particularly find a 10 - 16" radius much of a benefit or otherwise more comfortable really, but i prefer between 10 up to 14 at the most flat, 10 or 12 being optimal and most natural feeling to me. When i have a neck built for a floyd it will either be 12" straight or possibly 10 - 14" whichever is possible or easiest to deal with at the time as far as cost or the options offered by the builder, and i'd go straight 10" with a hardtail.

Remember the biggest noticeable difference of the radius will probably be 1 - 12th frets as the frets are farther apart thereby the radius will be more dramatic between each fret on that part of the neck. Past that it might as well just be straight 16" radius as your not going to notice it much, i don't anyway. Pretty much why i don't think compound is that impressive to me really. Probably the best benefit is with having easier chording on the first 1- 5th maybe 7th fret and a flatter picking area string to string for string skipping and sweeps are just picking in general. String buzz is trial and error. String tension, height, gauge, how hard you pick, fret dress, ect.. a total mix of things.

[VitaminG]

I have an incredibly precise virtuoso playing style. That requires that my guitars be setup to EXACTING specifications. All these 'organic' components on guitars, that expand & contract with humidity & temperature seriously impact my ability to achieve perfect union with my instrument.

Which is the real reason why I suck when I play YOUR guitar

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

My Warmoths are 10 - 16 which would be about 18.5 at the bridge and I do shim them for this, fairly flat. I like how it feels.

On Jacksons the bridge would not need to be as flat as the "cone" is not as radical since you only vary 4" instead of 6". I don't usually shim the Jacksons. I did one, and it didn't make enough of a difference to me to want to deal with it.

[Trem]

My Warmoths are 10 - 16 which would be about 18.5 at the bridge and I do shim them for this, fairly flat. I like how it feels.

On Jacksons the bridge would not need to be as flat as the "cone" is not as radical since you only vary 4" instead of 6". I don't usually shim the Jacksons. I did one, and it didn't make enough of a difference to me to want to deal with it.

It would still the same radius at the bridge weather it's 10-16 or 12-16. :think:

[Nightbat]

Since the notes were only on the D and G strings it was the radius to blame, because I don't really have my action all that low.

Define "low" and perhaps knowing what your tuning/stringgauge is might help

[toejam]

Maybe "dead notes" was a bit too strong of a term, but I feel that any fret buzz whatsoever is unacceptable.

It's normal for a tiny bit of string buzz. If you don't hear it through the amp, don't worry about it.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

It would still the same radius at the bridge weather it's 10-16 or 12-16. :think:

No, it wouldn't be. Think about it... If you flatten 6" in 22 frets versus 4" in 22 frets then clearly the geometry is different. The "cone" is not as steep and thus the radius 25.5" from the nut will be flatter on the 10 - 16" than on the 12 - 16".

[toejam]

It would still the same radius at the bridge weather

Weather can wreak havoc on a bridge and throw the radius off!

[VitaminG]

throw the radius off what? The bridge?

[toejam]

Yes. But don't jump off of it unless someone else does first.

[soulquake]

What is the problem with some fretbuzz? I don't find it to be a problem if you play rock or metal...
I used to have a hang up on that too, but it's just plain pointless to me now. I might even say a bit of fret buzz ads to the sound...

[Trem]

No, it wouldn't be. Think about it... If you flatten 6" in 22 frets versus 4" in 22 frets then clearly the geometry is different. The "cone" is not as steep and thus the radius 25.5" from the nut will be flatter on the 10 - 16" than on the 12 - 16".

I am wrong. It's true they are not the same radius at the bridge between 10-16"
and 12 -16". However the way you are describing it didn't make sense to me as it would seem the 10 - 16" radius board would have a more narrow radius than the 12 - 16. The 12 - 16 being flatter at the bridge.

So i did the math again going by stew macs formula and this is what i came up with.
I had done this prior so i should have already known it's not the same as i spec'd out a
10 - 14" radius board making a template drawing for a neck.

The thing to keep in mind though as it's not really set in stone. Each individuals preference for string height and radius can be set to what they want to a degree so it's not absolute anyway. Plus i don't think the radius of a compound fretboard will be an absolute cone, but within a tolerance. Someone who's made em would have to confirm. I've just read stuff in the past that i can't quote but that was the general consensus i came up with.

The string spacing at the nut and bridge is what we are looking at, not the actual radius of the fretboard, but rather the strings in relation to it.
Since the strings are "inside" of the edges of the fretboard they are at a smaller radius than the fretboard edge to edge.

Going by a floyd original the nut radius is set 10" no matter what, the string spacing on the bridge is set at 2.09 no matter what. The string spacing at the nut can change if you change the nut to R4 or R1 ect which would change the outcome of the radius,
but i am going by a typical R3 nut.

Still it's not totally set in stone, but neurotic people such as myself and the original poster in this thread probably would try to get it within a nats ass if we could heh.

Anyway, so if i calculated it all right (o.0) here is what i came up with.
I use the official floyd parts cat for the measurements of the parts and the stew mac infos and fretboard calc.

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/1739/neckradiusfro.jpg