A smaller (more curved) radius is generally perceived as more comfortable for playing chords a larger (less curved) radius is generally considered better for single-note playing and bending.įender has a few of its own well-established fingerboard radius conventions. It’s a subjective measurement-there is no right or wrong degree, but there are several established conventions that players can choose among to suit their personal preferences. Fingerboard radius is an important spec because it impacts playability. If all this sounds like a scary flashback to high school geometry class, these calculations do serve a serious purpose. The lower the measurement, the greater the curvature, and vice versa. For example, a circle with a 12” radius yields a 12” fingerboard radius, which is slightly flatter than a 9.5” radius on a fingerboard of the same width. If you take the same fingerboard width from the circumference of a circle with a larger radius, you now have a slightly flatter fingerboard radius. For example, if you take a circle with a 9.5” radius and remove a line segment from its circumference equal to the width of the fingerboard, you then have a 9.5” fingerboard radius (a common modern Fender spec). The radius of the circle hence determines the amount of the fingerboard’s curvature ( see diagram below). The fingerboard radius measurement itself refers to the radius of a circle from which a small segment of the circumference equal to the width of the fingerboard is taken. You’ll be well on your way to finding the right guitar for you. Looking for a beginner guitar? Our interactive gear guide,, matches you with the perfect model by learning about your sound & style. Most classical guitars, resonator guitars, banjos, pedal steel guitars and some steel-string acoustic guitars, for example, have flat fingerboards. Other types of stringed instruments don’t have these “radiused” fingerboards. The fingerboard radius is the measure of that curvature. You don’t have to look too closely at most electric guitar and bass fingerboards to see that few if any of them are truly flat most of them have a slight convex curvature across their width.
The fingerboard radius is the measure of the arc of the fingerboard across its width.
What is that? How is it measured, and why is it important? When you’re shopping for a guitar or bass, one of the dimensions you’ll be presented with is an instrument’s fingerboard radius.
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