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If anyone here is played on a guitar with fanned frets I'd be really interested in hearing your thoughts on playing complex and large chords. Are big stretches easier or harder?
TIA.
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02-28-2019 11:31 AM
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I don't have a lot of experience with them, but I have tried them briefly with 7-, 8-, and 9- string guitars. Although, I am sure there are some ergonomic reasons why you would want them on a 6-, they seem more suited to wider boards. Stretches themselves were marginally easier, but the efficiency in motion is where they really stood out. You just didn't need to shift your thumb behind the neck as much to get your fingers where they needed to be.
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The benefit for me on a 6 string is that I like to tune down from two to four semi tones while using fairly light strings. The longer scale length on the bass side would give me more more tension and stability for the bottom strings.
Originally Posted by SandChannel
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Understood. When I was noodling with the extended range instruments, the fanned frets were used to compensate for going lower by adding more strings - not down-tuning. You want to drop by SevenStringDotOrg and inquire there. Fanned frets, drop tuning, extended range (and lots of death metal) are often discussed over there. They would probably have the most real world experience with fanned frets on 6-strings.
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My two acoustics have fanned frets. I play a lot of DADGAD so they are helping maintain the snappy bass I like. There are a lot of "flavors" of multi scale. Some have a difference of up to 2.5" inches between bass and treble scale length. I found those difficult to play in the lower positions. My Greenfields have a mild 1/2 inch difference. They get the job done and are indistinguishable from a normal guitar to my 67 year old hands.
Eric
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Same as Eric, with a mild string length difference (mine is 645mm treble/ 660mm bass), it falls to the hand for chording as naturally as anything else.
The point where the builder places the parallel frets is the other factor to consider. The Avian is at about fret 6 or 7, whereas a friend has one (electric) that frets orthogonal to the neck around the octave, and is much more unwieldy near the nut.
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The scale lengths are 26.5 on the bass side and 25.5 on the treble side. The parallel fret seems to be around the 7th.
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I have owned a Wes Lambe and it was not what I wanted. I know that doesn't really offer much, but if you like 6 string, and have had a long time running with it (by your rep I would guess nothing less than that), you will eternally find yourself looking for strings in different places than they usually are etc.
This previous statement is true of any fanned fret guitar, not just extended length instruments. They are really different unless so mildly fanned that you probably would hardly notice to the eye. I don't know the scale length of my old W.L. but what I do know is that it was WAYYY too aggressive a fanned fret setup for me. Beyond that I was forever looking for shapes that I had engrained from years of practice, and constantly battling the guitar for the fanned frets and all that (stretching way too far out there with my left pointer to get to Low F or even F#).
All this to say I will play a guitar as a guitar, scale length, nut width, and all that never really mattered to me (I truly try and live by "its not what you play its how you play it," but I also hear the philosophy on wanting specific physical aspects to be tamed when spending 6hrs a day with your instrument, which in fact, I do).
The only problem outside of fanned frets and extended length ive ever had is practicing bach etudes on my tele. This actually causes some left hand pain. Other than that I just didn't like the fact that it always felt like I was fighting my instrument. The less interference between my "minds ear" and my physical output, the better I play. So after lots of digging around and probably 25 guitars of different qualities and shapes and sizes, I (ironically) landed with an es-175, and a tele modeled after a black-guard (+ jazz pickup in the neck).
If you want one, be prepared to re-learn some aspects of your muscle memory, if you gig a lot (as many great things as I've heard I don't really know you, Mr. Soloway), this may lay some unwanted shed time at your feet to adapt to these things. In the case of what you seem to be talking about (a six string fanned fret?) . I would say try before you buy is definitely in order here.. LMK what works out for you.
All my best to you-
T
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I have play nearly exclusively since I received it a year ago, a Forshage multiscale Orion. The scale on mine is 25.75-24.75. Chris wisely talked me out of a wider difference. I initially wanted what I had played on a Lowden acoustic which was a 1 and 1/2" difference.
I'm glad I went with the 1" difference. I play mostly solo arrangements and I have a large hand. Not Tal Farlow large but about a 9 3/8" hand span. A spread of say F# on the 2nd fret E string to B on the 7th fret E string is about the best I can do on this guitar and still play it cleanly. On my Martin Taylor Maestro 24.5 scale is is a snap
I own guitars of all types of scales lengths but I prefer 25 1/2 scale primarily for the tight bass and snappier tone. So this scale spread provided me with a tight bass and sweeter trebles. My straight fret on this guitar is about the 12th fret. I don't do full drop tunings but I do use drop D for some tunes and I love it on this guitar. I also don't do anything special for strings i.e. a standard TI flat .11-.12 gauge. After playing this guitar for about a year I don't have any problems with the fan frets but for that matter I didn't have any after a few weeks of playing.
On this guitar I also have a 1 13/16" nut width with an E to E spacing of 2 3/16" at the bridge. For steel strings it is my preferred nut width and spacing. I neck profile is also a moderate C shape which also helps with my comfort.
Chris Forshage is in the process of making me a nylon string Orion with a 1 7/8" nut but with TT frets instead of multiscale. It will also have a thicker body than the his Orion archtop described above.
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Jim, I think it depends on: 1)the target scale lengths, 2) the differential between the two E string lengths and 3) where the vertical fret is located. Some multi-scale guitars feel awkward to me. Others play great. I think it also depends why you want a multi-scale guitar? Many use them for altered tunings. Many play primarily in the first five frets. What works for some wont work for all. I have two multi-scale guitars, but they both have relatively small scale length differential. I like the multi-scale because I find that I get a sweeter timbre to the trebles with a rounder, stronger bass. I only play in standard tuning and I play all over the fretboard.
The guitar shown on the left only has a 1/4” scale differential (25.0”-25.25”) and the “vertical fret” is located off the fretboard over the sound hole. The guitar on the right has a 1/2” scale differential (24.9”-25.4”) with a vertical fret at the 8th fret. I forget there is anything different about them after a minute or two when playing them.
Hope that helps...
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i've had them on 2 guitars. For me personally, there was no issue with stretches or having to get used to the fanned frets for single notes or chords but what I didn't like was the spankyness of the low E when it is greater than 25.5". Since you made the longer scale instruments, I'm guessing you'd be fine with that aspect.
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Paging Marcwhy
He may have what you need
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Try before you buy! I have an Agile Renaissance 7 string with a fanned fret neck. It takes me a little while to adjust each time I play it and I find it difficult to play chords on the first fret.
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Hey Jim,
[You know I'm a fanned fret guy!]
My main axe for 10 years now has been my Novax AX-6 (semihollow-body); this particular guitar is Ralph's "extended range" (XR) model, and the fan is 25-27". As I've written many times here, it took all of about 5 minutes to get used to the neck, and I often think it's more "psychological" than "physical" for many people (since I've had people refuse to play it due to the fanned frets, and I've had others not even notice the frets, and they just played their thang! I also helped Ralph the last few years he was at NAMM, so I witnessed a ton of players sit down for the first time and have NO problem!). That being said, if you're doing "John Stowell-style" chord stretches, the first five frets are wide, and difficult for some of those stretches. The sound, however, is big, clear, and as "piano-like" as you can get (and you know how nice those 27" E-strings can sound!).
I have a newer fanned fret guitar made by Clay Conner, who worked/studied with Ralph (and is now building with Charlie Hunter and Wes Lambe), so he knows what he's doing. It's chambered, with a 24.5 - 26" fan, and is much more comfortable in the lower frets for those stretch chords (the upper frets on both guitars are pretty "normal," so no problem with chords beyond the fifth fret), and it sounds great, too! [Note: due to unforeseen tax circumstances, the Conner may be for sale soon.]
Both guitars fit in normal-size cases, and I have no problem playing them, and then grabbing my Forshage Orion, which has a straight 24.9" scale.
Thanks!
Marc
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