What does radiused mean?

[CSIMelissa]

I have a dumb question I keep seeing the term "radiused" but can never find a clear meaning. What is a simple definition? :mandosmiley:

[EdSherry]

Rather than being flat, the fingerboard is slightly curved from side to side (perpendicular to the neck/strings, parallel with the frets). The extent of the curve is determined by the radius. Think of a big circle of a given radius, with the fingerboard being part of that circle. A smaller radius means a greater degree of curvature.

Many players find radiused fingerboards slightly easier to play. It's become more common in recent years. Most older mandolins have flat fingerboards.

[Petrus]

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Not to be confused with fanned frets. Or scalloped frets.

[Marty Jacobson]

120146

[Dave Hanson]

put simply, convex not flat.

Dave H

[sunburst]

It means "arched". I'm not sure when arched fingerboards became "radiused", but "arched" is usually the more accurate term because sometimes the arch is not a simple radius (hence we hear of "compound radius" and other descriptions. Interestingly, in old Gibson sales literature, arched fingerboards were referred to as "oval".)

[Austin Bob]

I think it's also important to consider what it means to the player. In other words, how does a flat fingerboard feel when you are playing it as opposed to an arched one?

Having gone from a flat 1 1/8 to an arched 1 3/32, I can tell you that my fingers knew the difference immediately, but I can't say that I found either one easier to play, just slightly different. Other players swear by one or the other, but to me it's like playing a Stat or a Les Paul. Completely different animals, but it only takes a bit to adjust, and they both feel good in my hands.

[JeffD]

I find flat and radiused both have advantages and disadvantages. I like radiused because it seems more a little more natural to my fingers. But I like flat because single finger double stops are a bit easier.

The differences are not gigantic, and I am comfortable with both, switching back and forth without conscious adjustment.