I am doing research for my first build. I am trying to decide 3 vs 4 string. I play regular guitar so I lean towards 4 string but it seems most videos and tabs are most often 3 string and probably more educational material for 3 string. Thoughts?
Also I know commercial 6 string guitars (fender, Gibson,etc) have a radial curve on the fretboard, but is this regularly done on 3 and 4 string instruments? Or is it ridiculous to consider this for 3 and 4 string instruments? For what is worth I am going for a higher end more advanced build with full frets, a traditional nut, a hard tail bridge, etc...
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As some others pointed out, on a 3 or 4 string instrument... fretboard radius-ing probably isn't worth the time. If you really want the middle string(s) higher than the outside strings, you can probably make shallower/deeper bridge notches and control it that way (yes I realize this is radius-ing the strings not the fretboard but it may achieve the feel you want).
Also, if you're going to play it with a slide, you won't even notice the fretboard radius. When people convert "traditional" 6 string guitars to slide guitars, they generally raise the nut and aren't worried about the fretboard anymore. The frets just become note guides.
All of that said, it's your personal project, so do what you want. Blaze a trail. If it makes sense to you, it makes sense to us. Whatever you decide... be sure to share pics cuz we love seeing other people's builds.
Thanks Bruce for your thoughts and recommendations. My dad is a wood shop teacher and I have done a lot of woodworking which is one of the reasons I wanted to consider doing this. I am also wanting to us this opportunity of building the cbg as a way of seeing if I want to try and build a real guitar. However, with all that in mind, I have decided to build a 3 string cbg and agree with what most others have shared that it probably isn’t worth the headache. Especially for my first build. Thank you.
Bruce Young > Derek SuchardaMay 1, 2019 at 11:43am
A good plan. It’s one of those things where we don’t know what we don’t know until we venture forth. Though I wasn’t a guitar player when I started, and my son was (10 years playing), I had extensive woodworking experience. But in half a dozen builds, I’ve learned a lot about stuff I had no clue were even important. How to manipulate action height and scale length and so on to achieve intonation. How to diagnose and fix buzzing, the makings of good nuts and bridges, pickup selection, placement, etc. you’ll learn about tone woods and designing for acoustics and for strength. It’s a lot more than woodworking, but solid woodworking skills are a huge plus.
With a common 1 1/2” wide neck, and lets say three string, (9o+% of cbgs are three stringers) with strings on 1/2” centers, you’re really only playing a string array 1” wide, with 1/4” margins. I think a radiused fretboard is overkill. Just my thinking. If you profile the neck with something resembling a 1/2” radius (router) or soft C profile, reach ought not be difficult. I respect the idea of going to a full on “nice” guitar as a first build, but unless you’re a really talented and accomplished woodworker, I’m thinking you could be in for a lot of sweating, and the potential to screw it up is pretty high with an advanced build as a first. I’ve been building things all my life, but decided to respect the likely learning curve, and the first five builds have each been better than the last. I’m biting off a big chunk on number six, headless with an experimental tuning head and tailpiece setup, but I wouldn’t have tried that before working my way through five previous builds. Don’t worry, as far as I can tell, nobody builds just one. Settle in, and enjoy the process.
My goal is to make radius fretboards on all my CBGs. Not having a good go at it at the moment. A radius between 12 and 14 matches the curve of your fingers. So it would make chording easier. Even on a 1.5 inch neck.
I've only built 3 string CBGs so far myself, but the next one is to be a 4 string with a 23" scale tuned G2, D3, A3, E4, (Irish Tenor tuning) and I plan to use a flat fretboard.
I play an Ibanez AVT1 Tenor Guitar (23" scale) that has a 1-1/4" neck width at the nut, and 1-1/2" width at the 14th fret, where it meets the body. The published radius per Ibanez is 400mm, or 15-3/4". The height of the (mathematical) chord segment at the center of the fretboard in relation to the edges is an itty, bitty 0.218mm, or 0.0085" at the nut, and 0.383mm, or 0.0151" at the 14th fret, which to me is just about flat. It feels flat to me when I play it, no different than my flat fretted 3 string CBGs. It seems to me like it would be a lot of frustrating work with little to gain from it.
I had to read your post a couple time but I think I get it. I was wondering the same thing, especially on a narrow neck. I was originally going to do a 4 string build but I think I am going to do a 3 string build. Not so much because it is easier to build, but because I think it will be easier to play and learn.
Replies
As some others pointed out, on a 3 or 4 string instrument... fretboard radius-ing probably isn't worth the time. If you really want the middle string(s) higher than the outside strings, you can probably make shallower/deeper bridge notches and control it that way (yes I realize this is radius-ing the strings not the fretboard but it may achieve the feel you want).
Also, if you're going to play it with a slide, you won't even notice the fretboard radius. When people convert "traditional" 6 string guitars to slide guitars, they generally raise the nut and aren't worried about the fretboard anymore. The frets just become note guides.
All of that said, it's your personal project, so do what you want. Blaze a trail. If it makes sense to you, it makes sense to us. Whatever you decide... be sure to share pics cuz we love seeing other people's builds.
A good plan. It’s one of those things where we don’t know what we don’t know until we venture forth. Though I wasn’t a guitar player when I started, and my son was (10 years playing), I had extensive woodworking experience. But in half a dozen builds, I’ve learned a lot about stuff I had no clue were even important. How to manipulate action height and scale length and so on to achieve intonation. How to diagnose and fix buzzing, the makings of good nuts and bridges, pickup selection, placement, etc. you’ll learn about tone woods and designing for acoustics and for strength. It’s a lot more than woodworking, but solid woodworking skills are a huge plus.
This is really good advice! Well said Bruce.
My goal is to make radius fretboards on all my CBGs. Not having a good go at it at the moment. A radius between 12 and 14 matches the curve of your fingers. So it would make chording easier. Even on a 1.5 inch neck.
I've only built 3 string CBGs so far myself, but the next one is to be a 4 string with a 23" scale tuned G2, D3, A3, E4, (Irish Tenor tuning) and I plan to use a flat fretboard.
I play an Ibanez AVT1 Tenor Guitar (23" scale) that has a 1-1/4" neck width at the nut, and 1-1/2" width at the 14th fret, where it meets the body. The published radius per Ibanez is 400mm, or 15-3/4". The height of the (mathematical) chord segment at the center of the fretboard in relation to the edges is an itty, bitty 0.218mm, or 0.0085" at the nut, and 0.383mm, or 0.0151" at the 14th fret, which to me is just about flat. It feels flat to me when I play it, no different than my flat fretted 3 string CBGs. It seems to me like it would be a lot of frustrating work with little to gain from it.
Good luck with your build!
I had to read your post a couple time but I think I get it. I was wondering the same thing, especially on a narrow neck. I was originally going to do a 4 string build but I think I am going to do a 3 string build. Not so much because it is easier to build, but because I think it will be easier to play and learn.
If it's going to be fretted, you'll at least want a round over of the edge for better comfort.
I never put a radius on the ones I built. I must say my first guitar was an acoustic with a flat fingerboard. It's the type of thing you get used to.
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