- ruger9 wrote:
- I might give the pigtails a try. I know the Setzers are 9.45", but what's the stock bridge on these... 12" right? That's what everybody's complaints were about, the mismatched radius. I haven't owned mine long enough to notice any problem with it, but I like my action a little higher than most people. In the future, I'd still like to give to pigtails a try to make sure I'm not "missing anything"...
If youre a travis style rockabilly picker or use the "nashville claw" style (sounds like
kung fu) you gotta have the low side a bit higher, and having 11g strings makes it that
much harder to stay shred guitar low on the fretboard.
I actually like the older fretboards, while I dont like the older v neck I think I got
lucky with my Jan 99' SSU. If I remember the specs (wish I had an actual brochure
still) my neck is like 14" radius with a very very soft V neck...I enjoy the 9.5 necks I
have had on other setzer models but the frets suck on such a curve. Which is why
tvjones has to refret all setzers guitars with the fattest, twangiest stainless steel Dunlop
6105 fretwire (exactly like my 91 strat). Why the hell doesnt Gretsch do a Setzer signature EXACTLY like the artist plays!! grrrr... really chaps my ass, especially when
folks like Andi believe they are getting the exact guitar Setzer plays and endorses.
(sorry Andi, its as close as you can get straight from a manufactured line).
I am having my friend from the custom shop at fender refret my 99' since my frets
are really worn. Since this is going to be so invasive, I'm going to have him bi-radius the
fretboard so that the lower neck is 9.5 and the upper is stock, along with the 6105 fretwire. Back in my shred years I use to play custom shop yamaha pacifica's that used
a warmoth built bi-radius fretboard with large frets and it was a dream to play.
Open chords, blues bends, thumb overs, pedal steel double stops,etc are a breeze with
the 9.5, but it becomes significantly harder to nail inside chords, hammer ons and moving
bassline chords and sweep arpeggios with a blues neck. the super flat fretboard with
the ABR-1 spacing is perfect.
I got off on a tangent but I just wanted to affirm how you use your bridge radius with the
newer neck radius. Its not a bad deal if you are a guitarist that uses the nashville for
a multitude of playing styles. You can also put your 12" abr-1 in a vise and take a little off
the top of the outside E strings so they sit lower on the fretboard. This is what I did so
I can get a "feel" of the 9.5 curve but not have to deal with that oh so gibson style neck feel
the newer gretsches have.