Why are less new guitars 7.25?

[BoringPostcards]

I think most "choke out" issues are set up related

Oh, for sure. I don’t have any issues playing lead on my Competition Mustang whatsoever, but as I said above, I prefer the 9.5 these days simply because it’s not as far off from my Gibson, as the 7.25 is.

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

As we saw in the Allparts D&B Jaguar order you have to make at least 30 to get YOUR specs…and various offers for higher numbers…
so I totally get the cost factor… but they still make them different (other frets, other profiles) - U-neck from Japan, different Cs from Indonesia, China, Mexico and the US… (only talking about offsets, I think that Strat and Tele models with V and D shaped necks exist too).

Maybe the 9,5“ is indeed the best marketed compromise ever - I honestly don‘t feel too much difference to the 7,25“. I can bend notes on either - if the bridge has the correct radius and the setup is good - I don‘t see a problem with either. BUT with the stock bridge I had this choking on my Thinline Jag.

There will always be Vintage Purists - and their market - and if the 9,5“ sells in bigger numbers I get why they currently make more of them… but do they really?

Fender Japan produced regular series models with 7,25“ until 2019 - I think it was also in 2019 that Mexico started with the Vintera series - so there you have your Vintage spec series ongoing and coming back strong with Rosewood on the Vintera II series.

You had the AVRI from ~2000 to 2012 you had the AV 65 from 2012 to 2018 both with 7,25“ while the Wildwood models had the 9,5“ - and from 2018 to 2022 you had the American Original series with 9,5“ and now with the American Vintage II back to 7,25“.
The Am Pro has just modern features and it‘s good that way…

The compound radii are much rarer than the 7,25“ - just on the Ultra Jazzmaster and the contemporary Squiers (that I can think of)

Making the cheaper series (Squier, Player) „user friendly“ with Mustang style bridges (or some compromise on the player) makes absolute sense to me. Aimed at the younger, more budget oriented guitar player who just wants to play. You don‘t need to change a lot to get happy. If a young player gets frustrated with a new guitar they‘d most likely switch to guitars that play easier… or try to make it work - worst case: they lose interest in playing guitars (that‘s thousands of dollars lost). So it‘s good to have something appealing… compromise or not.

[mashastrat]

The whole multiple radii has never made any sense to me. I mean, Gibson doesn't do that- they have 12", that's what they think is best, and that's the Gibson experience. If you like it, you like it.

Fender historically was the 7.25" experience, and it was great, and those were the guitars that set the world on fire.

Later, of course, Fender wanted to be able to compete with shredder guitars but they never would commit to anything like a 16" radius so they came up with a watered down compromise of 9.5". Those are good necks too, I'm not saying they aren't, Fender does not and never has made anything other than excellent playing guitars.

But my point is the 9.5" wasn't any better for shredding, really, so why they bothered with it I can't say. Other than, if one is to be cynical, Fender realized like all guitar companies that their primary competition was going to be their own used instruments. They all deal with this in different ways, Gibson gleefully agrees that whatever previous incarnation of Gibson was shit, and I guess Fender did that too by spinning up some bullshit about the "modern player" and their supposed needs being different than they were thirty, forty years ago.

So, to me, Fender has but been pandering all around, trying to persuade people that they still make 'em like they used to but also make guitars for the "modern player", a phrase that truly nauseates.

But obviously Fender would like to just make the one neck, that would save them a lot of money. And so them pushing towards one neck or the other would only make sense.

And boy has Fender been pushing their customer base, they've basically persuaded everyone that Chinese and Mexican made guitars are just as good as the American made ones were, I'll bet that overseas production accounts for like 90% of what Fender sells, if you count Squier, which I do.

And I'll bet you anything that they will keep on pushing their base to just accept the one neck radius, because again, that's a lot cheaper than cranking out different necks, you know?

Both Fender & Gibson made their definitive instruments the originals. They can’t better like and so over shadows everything. The thing is with production at the levels there at, word is across all there operations under all there brands they make however many thousand guitars a day a week etc.

Why now when there is so many instruments has the prices for say a 1965 Jaguar in the 1990’s was $400 and now $5000-$10000?

Is it the ever increasing world population, is there so many new players in the world, to meet the demand? Like why did Fender slash their warranty from lifetime to 10 years to 2 years? The numbers of out there, mainly from the days of a player having just one guitar to now it seems from people the average is 5 - 10 guitars… all the way to crazy number collections some of you’s are fortunate to have.

Some mentioned Rory Gallagher and his strat… arguably one of the most played strummed guitars, along with Johnny Ramones Mosrite.

Rory had acid rain for sweat for one of most relic to death Strats… he had 2 necks, one would be left to dry will while the other was in use.

Anyway 9.5” I was mistaken in thinking it was 9.45” radius.

[DaddyDom]

You’re right. Buddy Holly’s estate owns the radius on Fender guitars & the company needs to request permission each time they use it. To keep admin cost as low as possible, Fender decided to mainly use the 9.5” radius.

I don’t understand what you mean? They have to ask permission when making a signature model, as required by all artist signature models.


That’s like saying they need ask Leo Fender can we make a Stratocaster.
[/quote]

Yeah, I'm interested in many things Buddy-related - can you offer any clarification? It sounds interesting.

[MattK]

I don’t understand what you mean? They have to ask permission when making a signature model, as required by all artist signature models.

That’s like saying they need ask Leo Fender can we make a Stratocaster.

Sal was making a joke, as if there is a secret reason for not using 7.25” radius.
By the way, you keep referring to 9.45” but the modern radius you mean is 9.5” - at least on Fenders and Squiers.
I am 7.25” forever but I have some very nice 9.5” and 12” necks. How it’s made and the overall profile are just as important.

[Steadyriot.]

I’m team 9,5” or 10” (nobody can tell the difference between those anyway). When I had my Johnny Marr Jaguar refretted I had the luthier re-radius the fretboard. Only radius block I own is a 10”.

Do I dislike 12”, 7,25”, or a compound radius? Not really, though the flatter the board the less I like it it seems. Which is weird, as I started on classical guitar. I bet the Classic Vibe Tele I cut my teeth on in my teens is to blame. That one has a 7,25” neck now that I love. Neck radius doesn’t really matter all that much I guess.

[Arthon]

I prefer 9,5". Player around me who care prefer 9,5" mostly. The other one dont care about radius.

I have 7,25" guitars. It's not a deal breaker for me.

[Zeus]

I see guitars that are 9.45” I can’t help but think I’d like more if it was 7.25”. All the specifications are as I wanted but its 9.45” neck only option.

Genuine question, is there significance to repeatedly referring to the radius as 9.45", instead of 9.5"?

Do you believe it's slightly more rounded than 9.5"?

[BoringPostcards]

I see guitars that are 9.45” I can’t help but think I’d like more if it was 7.25”. All the specifications are as I wanted but its 9.45” neck only option.

Genuine question, is there significance to repeatedly referring to the radius as 9.45", instead of 9.5"?

Do you believe it's slightly more rounded than 9.5"?

He realized he made a mistake. He corrected it above.

[Unicorn Warrior]

My best fender style guitar is my Jazzmaster build with a 9.5 AVRI Dave’s special neck. While the neck is good, I wish so badly it was 7.25.

7.25 makes all the difference for me in what makes a guitar enjoyable. To me, that is the fender experience.

[GreenKnee]

I have multiple Fenders with both 9.5" and 7.25" radius necks. Honestly, the difference for me is negligible. My main gigging Jag is a 9.5" AO and when I switch to my '62 Jag or '64 parts Jag with 7.25" necks I don't really notice a difference other than fret size. None of them choke out even when doing big ol' boomer Gilmour bends.
From this I've learned that when trying out new guitars to just play and feel the guitar itself and not the spec sheet.

[mashastrat]

I see guitars that are 9.45” I can’t help but think I’d like more if it was 7.25”. All the specifications are as I wanted but its 9.45” neck only option.

Genuine question, is there significance to repeatedly referring to the radius as 9.45", instead of 9.5"?

Do you believe it's slightly more rounded than 9.5"?

He realized he made a mistake. He corrected it above.

Perhaps it’s lack of sleep or I was certain 9.45” on one of my guitar’s. I’m referring to ‘Fender’s 9.5”… and any thing I’ve said is referring to that. I won’t correct poll as that resets anybody who has voted.

[mashastrat]

Genuine question, is there significance to repeatedly referring to the radius as 9.45", instead of 9.5"?

Do you believe it's slightly more rounded than 9.5"?

He realized he made a mistake. He corrected it above.

Perhaps it’s lack of sleep or I was certain 9.45” on one of my guitar’s. I’m referring to ‘Fender’s 9.5”… and any thing I’ve said is referring to that. I won’t correct poll as that resets anybody who has voted.

[mashastrat]

He realized he made a mistake. He corrected it above.

Perhaps it’s lack of sleep or I was certain 9.45” on one of my guitar’s. I’m referring to ‘Fender’s 9.5”… and any thing I’ve said is referring to that. I won’t correct poll as that resets anybody who has voted.

[mashastrat]

https://www.fender.com/articles/setup/w ... ard-radius