12" radius neck to 9.5" radius bridge

[Tbyrne13]

Hi everyone,

I have a Nash JM63 neck with a 12" radius fitting to a Warmoth jazzmaster body with Fender American Pro (staytrem style) bridge that is a 9.5" radius. Will this give me any issues? I have yet to assemble, but these are the parts I'm working with. Would it be worth while to start searching for a 12" radius bridge to match the neck? or will I get away with the 9.5? I have heard of the opposite fitting a 12" radius bridge to a 9.5" radius fretboard...but not reversed. Thanks for the input!

Tim

[Embenny]

The only "issue" with radius mismatch is that, in this case, your D and G strings will have a slightly higher action than your low and high E strings. For people who enjoy really low action, this can be very noticeable and frustrating. For people who like medium or high action, it's a smaller change proportionally. There have been guitars sold with mismatched radius bridges and plenty of people have bought them and never noticed or cared.

Personally, I'd rather have the radius mismatch in this direction (tighter bridge than neck radius) than the other way around, because I really notice when the action of the 1st or 6th string is too high, but I care less about the middle strings.

A 2.5" radius mismatch like yours is not a huge deal. A 14" radius bridge on a 7.5" radius neck would drive me bananas, though.

[Tbyrne13]

Thanks for the response, this helps clear up some information for me. I think I also prefer the way you described tighter bridge than radius. thank you very much.

[Kinx]

12" vs 7.5" is very noticeable. I had that on my JM for a while and it iis nearly impossible to set up low action on such mismatched setup. String bends are also an issue (I bend strings a lot, so this was very frustrating). I would definitely invest in Mastery or other radius adjustable solution.

[Embenny]

Thanks for the response, this helps clear up some information for me. I think I also prefer the way you described tighter bridge than radius. thank you very much.

Sorry, i was missing a word there. I meant "tighter bridge than neck radius." Just to clarify, both the fretboard and bridge have a radius. But honestly, just set up the guitar and see if you like how it plays. Don't worry about a problem you might not even notice.

[timtam]

12" neck to 9.5" bridge curvature difference will not be noticeable to many people. Has the body already been drilled for a rocking bridge ? Unfortunately that's the semi-hard choice that has to be made (maybe already made). The Mastery is a straightforward conversion if you have MIA-compatible thimbles. Or you could go with the saddle-height-adjustable vintage-style bridge, or Warmoth's modified Mustang bridge (or the smaller-barrel Fender version), that also give you radius control. Nash favours the inexpensive fixed-radius Wilkinson-style roller bridge, which is a solid choice, but that requires the (larger OD) TOM-style body bushings.

[Tbyrne13]

12" neck to 9.5" bridge curvature difference will not be noticeable to many people. Has the body already been drilled for a rocking bridge ? Unfortunately that's the semi-hard choice that has to be made (maybe already made). The Mastery is a straightforward conversion if you have MIA-compatible thimbles. Or you could go with the saddle-height-adjustable vintage-style bridge, or Warmoth's modified Mustang bridge (or the smaller-barrel Fender version), that also give you radius control. Nash favours the inexpensive fixed-radius Wilkinson-style roller bridge, which is a solid choice, but that requires the (larger OD) TOM-style body bushings.

Thanks for all the input. I have had a mastery bridge before and it was great, easy to set up and never any problems....its just the esthetics of it, I'm not really into the look - very over-engineered but it definitely is a superior bridge. I prefer the mustang style look so maybe I will check out Warmoth's version. I can always sell the 9.5 fender pro mustang style bridge I have now if it really bothers me. I will see how it sets up and go from there I suppose. Thanks again for all your feedback everyone, I greatly appreciate it.

[Scout]

Personally I would file the slots to match the fingerboard radius, it's a few thousandths difference and easily done if you have files and set up skills.