13.77" radius vs 14" radius. Are they they same?

GrandmaShreds

GrandmaShreds

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As the title suggests, if a guitar has a 350mm radius (13.77") would this technically be 14"? Would you be able to just adjust saddles to be at 14" or does it have to be 13.77"? There isn't much difference so I don't think it would matter?

School me.
 
Same. I think some of my Epiphone have 12" radius, others 14". I never looked what the aftermarket parts were and didn't notice anything.
 
GrandmaShreds said:
They should, it affects the playability of the guitar
Click to expand...
It probably would if the difference was major.

Try this (I didn't): trace a 12" radius and a 14" radius circle. Superpose them aligning the top edge. Then from the center of that top edge, measure a 52mm (2.047238") width. Now compare the difference in height at the end of that 52mm (26mm from center point) distance. I wonder how much that comes up to.
 
GrandmaShreds said:
They should, it affects the playability of the guitar
Click to expand...
I can see that. Certainly the feel. I did chase the radius for years. Then I asked myself ‘why am I raising the middle saddles?’ I like low action.

Regardless. Mine follow more of a gentle slope from low E to high e. Once the low E stops buzzing, I just match the consecutive saddles accordingly. For me, that’s each one slightly lower.
 
In generalized terms 13.77 rounds up to 14.

They are not the same. But I suspect that the real question is whether it matters.

A circle with a radius of 350 mm has a diameter of 700 mm and a circumference of a little over 2000mm. From all that, and the width of your neck, you can find your central angle at rest and central angle of the string when fretted and then calculate the variations of length of your arc segment.

Then you can decide whether the ~1½% difference in radius, that the distinction between 13.77 inches and 14 inches represents, is significant to you.

Personally, I relied on feel and sound and left my slide rule in my pocket protector.

But that's just me.
 
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