Scalloped fretboards

[The New Guy]

Hey everyone,

I'm toying with the idea of getting a full scallop fretboard on my warmoth project, I've always wanted to try one, but I'm curious to know what experience you have had with them.

How do they play compared to non-scalloped?

How do they feel?

Does the lack of skin-on-wood effect the tone at all?

Any info you can share with me would help me in my decision..

As always, thanks a bunch.

Scott

 

[\m/(00)\m/]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

it's different...

:smack:

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

I haven't played one myself, but I've heard that it's not hard to play one once you get used to it. You have to teach yourself to not push the strings down very far. As to affecting tone, it doesn't hurt Yngwie. But I've never heard a straight up comparison. Sorry I'm not much help.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

Hey everyone,

I'm toying with the idea of getting a full scallop fretboard on my warmoth project, I've always wanted to try one, but I'm curious to know what experience you have had with them.

How do they play compared to non-scalloped?

How do they feel?

Does the lack of skin-on-wood effect the tone at all?

Any info you can share with me would help me in my decision..

As always, thanks a bunch.

Scott

I have a full scallop on my main guitar- the main thing is getting used to a lighter touch...it takes about a day or 2 to get used to it, but I always played lightly anyway. They feel odd, since there is no wood under your fingers- but again, I never pressed that hard to begin with. I can't hear a difference in sound between before I got it scalloped and after.
For me, it was a great decision, and I wish I could get every guitar scalloped- your bends are effortless, and with a lighter touch, you can zoom all over the place.

 

[Loserchief]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

mincer just nailed it. i have my Malmsteen strat with scalloped fretboard and it just plays lighter and makes bends easyer. i don't hear a difference in tone,just in the way of playing

 

[The Owl]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

Hey everyone,

I'm toying with the idea of getting a full scallop fretboard on my warmoth project, I've always wanted to try one, but I'm curious to know what experience you have had with them.

How do they play compared to non-scalloped?

How do they feel?

Does the lack of skin-on-wood effect the tone at all?

Any info you can share with me would help me in my decision..

As always, thanks a bunch.

Scott

They are an entirely different world altogether.

I've tried playing one myself (never owned an axe with one though), and I must say, it's almost like having to learn guitar all over again.

It requires an entirely different touch because you don't have the wood underneath. And the string will dig into your fingers too, which ain't pleasant!!

But on the other hand, it does allow for some unique expressive almost sitar-like bends and such. John McLaughlin explored this witha vengance in the mid-70's with Shakti, using specially made acoustic axes with scalloped fretboards, take alisten to some of those and see what you think.

I think Yngvie Malmsteen has his Strats with scalloped fretbords too.

Just this Owl's $0.02

 

[The New Guy]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

Thanks all, I think I'll give it a shot, if I don't I'll always wonder if i would have liked it or not...after all if I don't like it I can save up for an unscalloped neck. I really appreciate the help. As always, this is the place to come for info...

 

[Stringmachine]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

I have a full scallop on my main guitar- the main thing is getting used to a lighter touch...it takes about a day or 2 to get used to it, but I always played lightly anyway. They feel odd, since there is no wood under your fingers- but again, I never pressed that hard to begin with. I can't hear a difference in sound between before I got it scalloped and after.
For me, it was a great decision, and I wish I could get every guitar scalloped- your bends are effortless, and with a lighter touch, you can zoom all over the place.

+1

I've borrowed a ESP M1 with a scalloped fretboard, and I like the feel it gives me. As long as you got a light touch, you'll be fine.

 

[Hellion]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

I actually like them better than a normal fretboard, but as everyone has already said, they do require some getting used to. If the neck is really thin, it'll seriously compromise the strength of the neck. Anyway, I think they're great!

 

[The New Guy]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

I've always thought it would be neat to try and raise a single note in a chord simply by pressing down on a string.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

I've been wanting to try one myself..... I love huge frets and the bigger the better... On my Jacksons i am not toughing any wood at all when i'm playing as the frets are so large. I'd like to give the Scalloped necks a try

WhoFan

 

[Boston Joe]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

If the neck is really thin, it'll seriously compromise the strength of the neck.

I've known of people who scalloped the thinner necked Super Strats of the 80's only to end up with a neck like a half cooked string of spaghetti :laugh2:.

I scalloped an old '74 Strat neck that I had outfitted with larger stainless steel "scallop" frets, and it plays fantastic. But. the necks from the 70s are pretty fat, and this one was already 16 years old when I scalloped it back in 1990, so it was quite stable from years of seasoning.

 

[kherman]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

Never really got into the whole scalloped fretboard thing.

I've always been happy enough with Jumbo frets and a flat fretboard radius.

Kent

 

[Mincer]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

I will say, though, I have tried both, and scalloping feels nothing like the the large frets/flat radius combo. In fact, the frets on my Music Man are small. You don't have to have giant speed bump frets for scalloping.

 

[YJM_Rocks]

Re: Scalloped fretboards

I'm looking for the scallopwned pic right now.

 

[YJM_Rocks]

Re: Scalloped fretboards