Can we talk about floyd radii for a second?

[vanhendrix]

I've been seriously frustrated lately trying to tweak my USAs to be all that they can be, and I've run into a real problem with fretboard vs floyd radius issues.

Now, we all know that the standard jackson compound radius goes from 12-16''. Does that mean that the nut of the floyd is set for 12'', and the bridge itself is set for something like 18'' so that it will match all the way down the fretboard? The floyd rose site has info, but jackson tends to put their own spin on what goes into their guitars (cheaping out and putting the 2 conductor versions of pickups instead of the stock 4 you get over the counter) etc.

Anyways, I'm a big hater of fret buzz, even the slightest amount, so I've been shimming the hell out of my floyds to try to get them to match everywhere on the neck. What I've found is that I can really only set the radius to be right for frets 1-12 or 12-24, but never the whole neck at once. I even took one of my guitars to a couple different techs and had the frets done and re-checked to make sure that wasn't the problem.

As it stands, I'm mainly playing my straight-radius guitars because I just can't stand the constant "not-quite-right" feeling of the compound.

[GuerillaPete]

Think this question/thread belongs in the Tech Q & A.
Admins, please move if I'm correct.

[vanhendrix]

Well it's to do with parts on my USA guitars. I figured more people would have experience with this in here, seeing as how the imports have a different radius.

Sorry if it's the wrong forum I guess

[DalyTek]

The compound radius is designed to give a more comfortable feel all the way down the neck.
If it doesn't feel right to you, you should probably move on to a radius that you like instead of trying to change it.

[shreddermon]

+1. Sounds like your problem isn't with the Floyd, so much as the fretboard. Either you like it and can adjust, or not.

[tonemonster]

Fuckin Floyds, cant do double stop bends with them, now we find out they dont work with compound radius fretboards. dammit. I am going to have to remove them from all my guitars.

[djpharoah]

I shim my floyds to 16" so that I get better action without getting dead notes during bends higher up on the neck.

[Devotee]

Fuckin Floyds, cant do double stop bends with them, now we find out they dont work with compound radius fretboards. dammit. I am going to have to remove them from all my guitars.

[vanhendrix]

I shim my floyds to 16" so that I get better action without getting dead notes during bends higher up on the neck.

Do you measure to get the 16" radius? I'm curious about this because I had a real problem with dead notes around the 10th fret with whatever the stock floyd radius is. 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.

I'm really wondering if anyone can tell me what the stock radius is on jackson floyds. The floyd site says 12" without shims, but that wouldn't make sense at all for the jackson necks. It'd be the same as the nut and end up having the strings create a straight 12" radius over a compound fretboard.

[DalyTek]

My JT-580LP on my Jackson KE3 Kelly (which is stock, unshimmed) is set to a 12" radius at the bridge.

[Hellbat]

IIRC the Jackson Floyds are set at a 12" radius. Never had issues with fretting out or buzz on mine but I'm not going for that super low action either.

[Twitch]

Also, ALL current model Jackson guitars have the compound 12/16 radius. Cant speak for some of the oddball stuff from the 90s, but I assure you, all the guitars from JS to USA Select have the compound radius now and have been that way for quite some time.

[vanhendrix]

Also, ALL current model Jackson guitars have the compound 12/16 radius. Cant speak for some of the oddball stuff from the 90s, but I assure you, all the guitars from JS to USA Select have the compound radius now do and have been that way for quite some time.

I was talking about what radius the bridge and nut are set at, not the fretboard.

Sorry for wasting your time guys, I'm just too picky I think

[Twitch]

I was talking about what radius the bridge and nut are set at, not the fretboard.

Sorry for wasting your time guys, I'm just too picky I think

Ah, I gotcha. Try shimming the saddles like what was suggested earlier. You may have a bad fret too. I dont recall having that issue with the SL2H I had.

[Trem]

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.