Compound Radius + TOM

[fdesalvo]

Hey, guys.

I'm looking at a few showcase necks and am considering the fact that I have a TOM setup on my strat.  Just looking for some opinions.

I've read that the compound radius option isn't necessarily the best for use with a TOM bridge due to the bridge itself having a 12" radius across the saddles.  So, while you have the benefit of the flatter radius on the upper frets, the action itself isn't really allowed to be optimized since the arc of the strings will not match the fretboard's radius.  Have any of you found this to be the case? 

Thanks for reading,


**Edit: "Oh, the search button works!"  Gnuck gnuck gnuck :laughing7:

 

[Cagey]

You just have to do some careful saddle filing and it can be made to work. The A and B string saddle heights need to be lowered a little bit, and the D/G saddles need to be lowered a little more, but it's doable. Care and patience are the words of the day. The amount they have to be lowered is less than you might think. You just have to be careful not to lower them too much because there's no bringing them back without replacing the saddle. It's a one-way operation.

 

[fdesalvo]

^ Thanks, Cagey.

 

[stubhead]

Yes, the compound radius keeps flattening as it goes towards the bridge. It's been calculated that the bridge needs to be set for about a 19" radius. There's plenty of material in tunematic saddles for adjustment, but you have to think small. Floyd Rose bridges have the same problen but in an opposite way - the outer strings need to be shimmed up. Here is a guide that tells the amonut of adjustment for a Floyd:

http://www.rackcreations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=130

Here is a table of thickness to add to each string:

Fingerboard Radius (at bridge) / E strings / A and B strings
10" / none / none
12" / .2 mm / .1 mm
14" / .4 mm / .2 mm
16" / .5 mm / .2 mm
18" / .6 mm / .2 mm

For Warmoth compound necks, use the 18" row for radius at bridge to find out what to add.

Since you'd be going from a 12" to an 18" by removing material, it looks like you'd take 0.4mm off the center two saddles and 0.2mm off the A and B saddles. However, I'd be more inclined to "measure-as-you-go" by using a radius guide, like these:

http://www.pickguardian.com/pickguardian/Images/Pickguardian%20Neck%20Radius%20Gauges.pdf

It's just a part of setting up, it's not a deal killer. If you have a guitar tech who's face goes blank at the thought, you need a better guitar tech. Here's a good explanation:

http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Neck_relief,_building_and_repair/a-compoundradius.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=22274

And Stew-Mac has a under-string set of radius guides, though it's easy enough to trace the curve of a different type and use it underneath (which takes the varying string gauges out of the equation).

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for_Neck,_fingerboard/Understring_Radius_Gauges.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=6986