Saw an interesting guitar today

[happy-man]

I was at a memorial service for a friend today. He was a guitar player. At one point another guy (who I didn't know) played played some music for the widow. He played very beautifully. He as playing an 8 string electric guitar which was custom made. I think he said that the high string was an A and the low was a Bb; the middle 6 where like a regular guitar. What was interesting was that the frets where not straight across, they were in a slightly fanned arrangement so that the low end was a longer scale than the high end. Seem like it would make it much more difficult to play, but he said that it helped on the high string. I'm not sure if he meant the intonation or what. The saddle was in three segments (I think).

 

Scott O

[Fred Fartboski]

Aren't things complicated enough on the plain old six string?

[Terry Allan Hall]

Charlie Hunter plays a similar fan-fretted axe, and it is both the bass and the guitar in his band...3 bass strings, 5 guitar strings...don't hold me to this, but I'm thinking he tunes E A D A D G B E

[Samilyn]

Sounds like a real interesting git. Just so sorry you saw it under sad circumstances.

 

As for the one in the pic -- I'd have to grow more fingers!

[happy-man]

That's what the neck looked like on his. The headstock had 4 tuners on each side. Body was light natural wood like the picture on the bottom. Fretting chords near the headstock did not look like fun.

Scott O

[Samilyn]

Fretting chords near the headstock did not look like fun. Scott O

 

 

No doubt. Kudos to anyone who can play such a critter.

[garthman]

They are supposed to give true intonation on all strings everywhere on the fretboard - some of them also have curvy individual frets! I'm quite happy with the "approximate" intonation of my old normal guitars.

[bjorn-fjord]

I've never played one but I'm told the fanned frets actually make the guitar easier to play because they match the geometry of the human body better. If you think of your arm pivoting from a central point and your hand creating an arc, it kinda makes sense.

[guitarist21]

I've never played one but I'm told the fanned frets actually make the guitar easier to play because they match the geometry of the human body better. If you think of your arm pivoting from a central point and your hand creating an arc, it kinda makes sense.

That makes me want to try one. Not that I'd ever buy one, but are they sold in normal stores? Or are they mail-order or custom things?

Ellen

[zenbu]

might have been a Novax?

[happy-man]

The one I saw was custom made. Instead of a nut I think the first fret was a zero fret. The zero fret was of a different material than the other frets; it was black instead of silver. At the time I wondered why the 1st fret was a different color than the rest. It's just hitting me now that it probably didn't have a nut.

Scott O

[bjorn-fjord]

That makes me want to try one. Not that I'd ever buy one, but are they sold in normal stores? Or are they mail-order or custom things? Ellen

 

 

I think you'd have to look pretty far and wide to find one. This innovation has been around for at least 20 years. I guess I feel that if it was such a great idea it would have caught on by now. That said, I'd like to try one too.