My mandolin is a “The Loar LM 520”. It has a flat fret board. When I got it I didn’t really understand what that was and if it really made that big of a difference. So…for those of you who have played mandolins with both…do you have a preference?? Does it make a difference in playability??
Radius Fret Board vs. Flat Fret Board
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I have both. I like them both, I adjust to either. If forced to pick a favorite, I’d go with 1 3./16" nut radiused necks. But again, I would not worry about it unless you know it makes a big difference to you.
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Thanks @Mike_R! I’m closer to my next mandolin than I’ve ever been! And I’m just not sure if it would be that big of a difference. Hopefully I can get an opportunity to play one. I appreciate your input!!
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It’s very easy to adapt to either, but you should try to play one first just to make sure. Lots of people prefer them, I don’t really care
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Thanks @Dragonslayer! I’m sure its like many things musical…its what you get used to. Just trying to garner some “user testimonials” from folks who have handled both. Thanks again for your input!
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Find out what some of your favorite pro artists are using and even why they are using that fretboard. It may or may not help, but it won’t hurt to be a little further educated. That would apply to all aspects of their gear, not just fretboard radius.
I’ve only owned three mandolins (I have none now) and I honestly don’t know what any of them had for a fretboard, I guess I just got used to them.
Maybe go to a music store, if you can, that has lots of mandolins and compare.
Good luck!
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Thanks for the help @jw11! Yes, I would love to try out some mandolins with different types of fretboards…thing is, our local music store may have A mandolin every now and then. I’ll just have to make some time for a road trip. Couple hours from here and I’d be in some places where the pickins would be less slim…
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