hey all, please dont mind my newb ass comments, but what do scalloped frets do?
is it just a prefrence thing, or does it give better tone or what?
is it just a prefrence thing, or does it give better tone or what?
scalloped frets
- Thread starter War_Blade
- Start date
Matt
Active Member
RobbM
Another lefty freak...
This guy on Ebay is a pro scalloper and has a fairly good run down on it, as well as good pics, im considering sending him a neck or 2..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=7388940487
I've had 2 guitars with full scallops and I will say its fun to play, but a bitch as well, you have to have a very light touch or else the notes will go sharp when you play and it will sound like shit. the advantages are that you can do huge vibrato and huge bends easy, and once you get the hang of the light touch, you will play/can play faster...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=7388940487
I've had 2 guitars with full scallops and I will say its fun to play, but a bitch as well, you have to have a very light touch or else the notes will go sharp when you play and it will sound like shit. the advantages are that you can do huge vibrato and huge bends easy, and once you get the hang of the light touch, you will play/can play faster...
oh alright, that clears up alot.
I dont think batio uses scalloped and he is the fastest there is so i dont really think they are needed for shreading. But still it is kinda cool. If i had some extra cash i would like to buy a scalloped guitar though. I might like it who knows...
I dont think batio uses scalloped and he is the fastest there is so i dont really think they are needed for shreading. But still it is kinda cool. If i had some extra cash i would like to buy a scalloped guitar though. I might like it who knows...
Jaen
Member
"It's a fact, scallop fingerboards will not only allow faster playing, they also allow you to play more cleaner and bend strings with ease!"
this is bullshit, it wont "allow" you to play faster, cleaner, etc... It will MAKE you
this is bullshit, it wont "allow" you to play faster, cleaner, etc... It will MAKE you
Kenneth R.
Cináed
IMO its a bullshit idea only suited for a specific style of playing, and reduces the versatility of the instrument rather than increase it. you will find shredding easier, but other than that it is pure novelty.
Jaen
Member
I would recomend you try and get used to a guitar with a scalloped fretboard before you bash the whole concept.
At first, it actually slows you down, when you get used to it you'll play just as fast as you would on any other fretboard. vibrato gets a lot wider and full of life, not really a "speed" trait at all.
I dont believe it reduces the versatility at all, since i've played a whole lot of things on my guitars other than metal
At first, it actually slows you down, when you get used to it you'll play just as fast as you would on any other fretboard. vibrato gets a lot wider and full of life, not really a "speed" trait at all.
I dont believe it reduces the versatility at all, since i've played a whole lot of things on my guitars other than metal
DemonJay
Mmmmm, Blast Beats
Due to popular belief, scalloped fretboards DO NOT allow you to play faster. They allow you to have better string breakage over the frets which will allow your notes to resonant CLEARER. In Yngwie's instructional video, he even admites that if anything a scalloped fingerboard would slow you down.
Scalloping your own finger board is not something to just jump into. Once you remove mass from wood, it will find it's new equalibrium. So essentually you run the risk of your neck twisting. Esspecially if you're scalloping an all maple neck.
Basically a scalloped neck feels like your playing on a neck with really, really big frets. So if you don't like the feel of jumbo frets, I would stay away from a scalloped neck.
Scalloping your own finger board is not something to just jump into. Once you remove mass from wood, it will find it's new equalibrium. So essentually you run the risk of your neck twisting. Esspecially if you're scalloping an all maple neck.
Basically a scalloped neck feels like your playing on a neck with really, really big frets. So if you don't like the feel of jumbo frets, I would stay away from a scalloped neck.
RobbM
Another lefty freak...
A scalloped board has to be reset up and truss rod adjusted, it will not twist or warp though, this is a total myth, and utter bullshit unless you remove so much wood that your down to the truss rod. 95% of the stress put on the neck from the strings goes onto the truss rod and the the actual neck itself, NOT the fingerboard, which is just a piece of wood glued to the top of the neck.
Im going to add my 2 cents, cause i actually learned alot from that guy on ebay...
Yea thats true, the neck won't warp. It doesnt really matter how deep your scallopes are anyways, scallopes are scallopes. It can be compared to a boat. It feels the same weather your in 20 ft. of water or 200 ft.
Yea thats true, the neck won't warp. It doesnt really matter how deep your scallopes are anyways, scallopes are scallopes. It can be compared to a boat. It feels the same weather your in 20 ft. of water or 200 ft.
Kenneth R.
Cináed
rofloozle at people who always say "you should try it before you bash it" at everything i have an opinion on. i'm not stupid enough to bitch about things i haven't given a go...
oh and btw, surprise! not all necks have a fingerboard "glued" on. see most Fenders for example.
oh and btw, surprise! not all necks have a fingerboard "glued" on. see most Fenders for example.
RobbM
Another lefty freak...
Jaen
Member
Kenneth R. said:
hmm well the it seems strange to me that you have reached that conclusion after playing with a scalloped neck, if you have indeed played with one...
MartyF
Member
ABQShredHead
©1970
They're pretty weird to play. Scalloping the frets removes most of the sensory feedback from your fingertips since your fingers rarely hit the fretboard any longer. The scallops pretty much set the neck up for mongo frets (way above jumbo size, if you will).
I can't really say a scallop job will speed up your playing or slow you down, but it will feel weird till you get used to it. My opinion is it will make the notes crisper since you are able to get more downward pressure across the top of each fret.
Remember that experiment you did in third-grade where you stretched out a slinky between two people about 10' apart from each other and watched the waves propagate along the slinky? Same principle here - you can get much better energy reflection from person to person if the slinky ends are held in place tighter. More downward pressure on the string across the fret enables more of the "wave" energy to reflect between the string end points, allowing more resonation of the the string and a "crisper" note to sound.
I can't really say a scallop job will speed up your playing or slow you down, but it will feel weird till you get used to it. My opinion is it will make the notes crisper since you are able to get more downward pressure across the top of each fret.
Remember that experiment you did in third-grade where you stretched out a slinky between two people about 10' apart from each other and watched the waves propagate along the slinky? Same principle here - you can get much better energy reflection from person to person if the slinky ends are held in place tighter. More downward pressure on the string across the fret enables more of the "wave" energy to reflect between the string end points, allowing more resonation of the the string and a "crisper" note to sound.
RobbM
Another lefty freak...
The thing is, is that you cant apply much downward pressure at all or the notes will go sharp...
ABQShredHead
©1970
Correct, but you do get more pressure since you don't have the fretboard stopping your fingers.
And, as more than a few have mentioned, scalloped frets make you play so much faster that you don't have enough time to put too much downward pressure on the fret to cause the note to go sharp.
Too much to get used to, in my opinion; but, others find them more suited to their styles and favor scallops. To each their own...
And, as more than a few have mentioned, scalloped frets make you play so much faster that you don't have enough time to put too much downward pressure on the fret to cause the note to go sharp.
Too much to get used to, in my opinion; but, others find them more suited to their styles and favor scallops. To each their own...
eaeolian
Division Guitarist
Kenneth R. said:
It's got it's good points and it's bad points, but it's hardly novelty - Blackmore's had his guitars scalloped for what, thirty years? The technique can be some work, but it's really not that hard, and if you play "properly" (i.e., not strangling the neck), chording and all the usual stuff you do is no different. I happen to have a light left hand touch, so I don't really have any issues with it.
eaeolian
Division Guitarist
I wouldn't get your main player scalloped unless you're sure you like it. I can play scallops, but I don't own a scalloped guitar at the moment. (That will probably change soon, however.)ptah knemu said:
Believe it or not, our drummer (who also plays guitar) got into the idea, and he's been doing great work - he does "progressive" scalloping, where they're shallower on the low frets/bass side and get get deeper as you go up/across the neck. It's a pretty cool concept:
High E side:
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e51/goetzja/2006_0207Guitars0090.jpg
Low B side: (This happens to be a seven string)
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e51/goetzja/2006_0207Guitars0088.jpg
Hmm. No image posting?
Follow the links, then.
