spacey
Mike, are you implying that if you had large frets on a 7.5" radius you could bend without
fretting out? (or did you just want to expand into fretboard radius?)
And I don't agree that radius of fretboard inhibits bending more. Either can blow it to the
same failure.
Feel is the main factor I believe musicians gauge with. I could have bullet holes in the body
but a nick in the back of the neck...just can't handle that.
Personally after years of playing I wanted to know more details about the instrument.
I simply got to the point I didn't like not being able to answer myself or others about
exactly what I like or didn't.
Now if I look at a guitar that I can't get my hands on, if details are given, I know
whether or not it's a contender for my tastes.
I wasn't implying that bigger frets on the 7-1/2" would make it easier to bend on... but I'm willing to consider the possibility if someone else wants too further the idea. :-)
I'm simply saying that as I switch between my guitars I find that fret board radius seems to be the characteristic that I find most effects how far I can bend a string before it slips away from my fingers.
The curvier, tight radius boards seem, to me, to be more difficult to work.
I guess I should point out that I have many necks with jumbos, both tall and flattened, as well as guitars with the smaller frets I have said I enjoy most. So, for me and my style, I think it's the radius that seems to define how I bend the strings.
I imagine this is a situation where many people have different things that work for them... so I am simply relating what I think works good for me.
An other thing that occurs to me is that it does seem, to me, to be a bit easier to start a bend on a curvy board because you get a bit more angle or bite as you push/pull the string... but I feel like it seems much harder to stretch the move as far before the string gets slippery. If that makes any sense?
I haven't really thought that a taller fret would help keep it from slipping... and I guess I am predisposed to lower frets for other reasons so I doubt I'd get to a point where I thought to raise the frets to help with bending.
What I have found is that each guitar, neck etc puts me in a different frame of mind and I play them with different attitudes.
I think the variety is something I'll never want to give up. It's my favorite part.
all the best,
mike