Finally, the voice of reason!
Radiused Fretboard vs. Flat Fret board
I think this conversation is over.
Thanks you guys. I guess ,if it was good enough for Earl, it SHOULD be good enough for me.
When in doubt, just copy what Earl played.
Easier said than done…
I just received a Nechville Classic with radiused board this week, recorded my banjo lesson on it this week. I have banjos that may sound better but none that play/feel better.
Yes, @BanjoBen, I just saw the video and thought, “hey, that’s my banjo—sort of.” Nice to hear the potential built into the Nechville Classic. Someday I hope to get similar sounds out of mine. Looking forward to meeting you and your family next week!
Glad this board is already on here. I’m looking to purchase an f-style mandolin from the store near the end of the year. Currently play an oval hole A style with a flat fretboard. I just want to know one thing about radiused fret boards, in your experience with professional musicians would you say most use a mandolin with a radiused fretboard or one without? I noticed most the mandolins in the store are radiused. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos about the pros and cons and figure it won’t be a hard adjustment but just wanted to know what trend u noticed with the majority of mandolin players now.
Hi James, radiused boards seem to be the norm in bluegrass mandolins… I have one of each and enjoy them both. The flat neck is thick, and the radiused one is more dainty, They are certainly a different feel, but I like them both.
Cool, thanks for the reply @Mike_R
I like my flat fretboard just fine, just not wanting to put a good amount of money into the radiused without a little input. I’ve only held one that was radiused once and didn’t know much about mandolin then. It felt like I was pushing the strings off the fretboard. I think that will be an easy adjustment though, just changing where I apply pressure on my fingers. Seems like the flat boards u press more and the round boards are more of a grab-type pressure if that makes sense. What would u say as far as how your fret hand has to adjust? Since u have experience with both.
There are not any conscious changes I make. There is a difference in feel.
I think the radiused is way to go. If you’re looking to invest in a really really nice one, I’m considering selling my Rattlesnake.
Who builds a Rattlesnake banjo?
Mike
It’s a mandolin, built by Olin Davis who has since stopped building. Most notably played by Casey Campbell, the guy in the middle here:
Haha I wish!! I checked my pockets and all I found was an old gum wrapper and a Weigles receipt. I should have put the word invest in quotation marks…“invest”. Under 2k to keep my marriage in tact, haha. But for sure will be getting one from the BBStore.
Well Bela plays a radiused fretboard so… I played flat boards for years and had several Nechvilles with the co.pound radiused boards and in my opinion the radiused ones are the way to go no questions asked. I am going to have a radiused board done on my Crafters of Tennessee as soon as I can. They just feel way more comfy
Hi @rsirl72 Rick to @BanjoBen 's Forum. I don’t have an opinion either way. All my banjo’s have flat fretboards. No plans to add to my collection. I wish you well with your new purchase. I hope all goes well for you.
I have a flat fretboard on my travel/parlor Music City Belle banjo built by Dave Dillard. It has a short scale neck and 10” openback pot. It hangs in our sitting room, so I play it the most (real handy). But I have radiused fretboards on a Nechville (with a resonator—my bluegrass banjo) and a 12” openback Ome. They are more comfortable to play, but not enough to shy me away from flat fretboards.
Bela indeed plays a radiused fretboard…but not all the time.
I once heard (maybe a Bela interview ?) the radiused fretboard is a nod to guitar players, where the radiused fretboard is much more common, and thereby more suited to playing jazz. When you need to make weird jazz chords on a banjo, the radiused fretboard is the one of choice. If you want bluegrass slides & bends, perhaps the flat fretboard should be your choice.
Sooner or later, everything becomes a function of budget.