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What are some scalloped fret styles?


Mr. Laguna

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Hi community,

 

I've been wanting to scallop my fretboard for a while and have all the tools I need to-do the job. I'm going to do the job to my 1991 MIJ Ibanez RG570. The neck has been repaired before and pretty much the guitar I can afford to experiment on. I also wanted to use scalloped board in hopes that it would be easier on my finger joints bc I type all damn day and wanted to take it easy on pressure. I'm very excited and this sounds like something that I would enjoy.

 

What are all your thoughts wise ones...

 

First before I get started, I'd like to know a few things in regard to these questions here :)

 

- What are some styles of scalloped fret boards?

- Is playing easier on your finger joints?

- Have you found it a challenge to transition from standard (unscalloped) fret boards to scalloped, and viceversa?

- Would you ever go back to standard unscalloped boards?

- What are some benefits/pros you've found for yourself,(regardless what people post as popular answers online) of scalloped fret boards? and what are some cons?

 

Thank you.

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I've never owned a guitar with a scalloped fingerboard, but I have recorded a couple of albums with a guitarist who used them pretty much exclusively, so I have played on them a bit.

 

- What are some styles of scalloped fret boards?

 

As far as I know there's only one "style" of scalloped fingerboard, but I am by no means an expert, so there very easily could be more.

 

- Is playing easier on your finger joints?

 

I suppose it could be for some players. You don't have to press as hard in some ways - all you're trying to do is press hard enough to get the string and fret to make solid contact. A scalloped board won't make you play with less left hand force, but it will force you to do so (at least if you want to play in tune), if that makes any sense.

 

- Have you found it a challenge to transition from standard (unscalloped) fret boards to scalloped, and viceversa?

 

Yes, somewhat. The biggest thing is that if you DO over-press, you push the string sharp. If you tend to press hard on a non-scalloped board, you may need to learn to modify your technique to avoid doing that on the scalloped board.

 

- Would you ever go back to standard unscalloped boards?

 

I never changed over, and really don't see any significant advantages to doing so. YMMV

 

- What are some benefits/pros you've found for yourself,(regardless what people post as popular answers online) of scalloped fret boards? and what are some cons?

 

It's probably a bit better for some players, and vibrato and string bends are a touch easier, but not enough IMHO to offset the other issues with scalloped fingerboards - lower resale value, requires major modification to the guitar, intonation issues when playing, etc.

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If you have a Fender style bolt on neck the easy and safe way to find out is to order a Warmouth replacement neck prescalloped

 

http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/Scalloping.aspx

 

I would be very hesitant to scallop a non bolt on neck because it is totally irreversible but if you want to do it I have an article from American Lutherie that talks about how and gives some caveats.

 

Edit - I just looked at a picture of an Ibanez RG570 and it looks like its a bolt on but not Fender. That means you will be doing it yourself. Do not carry your scallops all the way to the frets - leave a tiny bit of flat fretboard next to them. If it needs a fret job do it now, it will be a whole lot harder in the future. You might want to consider gluing in your frets. You'll need to redo the marker dots after you've done the scalloping. You might consider making a jig something like a fret slotting jig and making one pass in the center of each position with a router to set the depth of each scallop - otherwise its going to be difficult getting all of them the same depth. You'll have to decide whether you want to radius the floor of the scallop to match the board - your router jig should help with that.

 

If the board is lacquered maple you'll need to relacquer it, if its rosewood or ebony you will end up with some end grain on the sides of each scallop - the AL article suggests a bit of sealing oil (note that since your fingers will never touch the board there will be no wear in the future) Obviously don't go so deep as to weaken the truss rod cavity.

 

If you decide to do it please take pictures of the process and tell us whether you are happy with it or not.

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After thinking about it for years I decided to just do the frets near the pickups because that's where I have trouble with notes getting muted at times. While I really like them down there I wouldn't want the entire next done.

 

That's usually due to the strings fretting out. Scalloping the board won't really effect that. If the notes fret out now, they will fret out whether the board is scalloped or not.

 

Changing the set up, action and relief, may get you there.

 

If that doesn't get you where you want to be, adding some fall off to the frets in the upper register is pretty standard practice.

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After thinking about it for years I decided to just do the frets near the pickups because that's where I have trouble with notes getting muted at times. While I really like them down there I wouldn't want the entire next done.

 

That makes sense Mike. I think that is a much better idea than scalloping the entire neck.

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That's usually due to the strings fretting out. Scalloping the board won't really effect that. I

 

I totally agree, but OTOH, the divot may give a little more fingertip room and a more obviously felt "landing place" for some players up in the highest note region where the frets are closely spaced. It won't correct setup issues though.

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