Andy McKee explains fanned frets (Multi-scale Geometry) - Piermont, NY 3/3/09 (7/10)

[zakpulis]

Before he said 'that's what she said' I had just said it in my head!

[jtommo666]

Might be a stupid question... But are fanned frets good for any tuning? Or only really open tunings?

[Rael0505]

@jtommo666 it works for any tuning. it just provides much better intonation for dropped and alternate tunings! the problem with regular guitars is the 6th string becomes very slack if dropped down to B or C. i imagine andy's guitar handles that just fine

[Shmucko21]

@jtommo666 Well actually it really depends on the scale length. For every inch you add onto the scale length it gives you an extra half step lower. I.E what that means is that you will be able to tune a half step down but still maintain the same string tension as you would with a normal scale length. Thats why if you have a long scale getting over into the 30's, the high E string is nolonger able to handle the tension of being tuned to E, which is why they break easily.

[MultiSteini]

i was hoping to see more...

[Rael0505]

@MultiSteini i recorded the entire show, it's all on my channel if you want to watch :)

[babolatpdtp]

I was getting motion sickness from the shaking of the camera. Andy seems like a super nice guy

[gjmvi]

Whats the deal with the frets, Andy baby? Hahahahahahaha

[gjmvi]

I've played a lot of live shows and it can be a little nerve wracking. Very cool to see Andy handle himself so well when snapping a string. I'd def be in "Oh fuck!" mode.

[k0mpassi]

Oh Fuck! at the beginning of this video (and in not even fucking kidding) it crossed my mind that it would be awesome to see Andy snap a string live. Then... Snap! OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE!

What is this, i don't even.....

[TheRealSumo]

Listening to Andy talk and change a guitar string is more interesting than most of the music on the radio

[Tbak2000]

was that Austin Powers asking the question about the frets?? ahahahahahah

[Rael0505]

@Tbak2000 ahaha god I know, I was so confused by the accent

[cranie4]

A stringwinder. Someone get him one.

[Rael0505]

@cranie4 haha like I said to someone else who said the same thing, I personally hate string winders! I swear you need 3 hands to be able to use one properly. In my opinion, they're a lot more trouble than they're worth.

[tschuste2]

@Rael0505 Nope just stretchy fingers :)

[EvilHippy38]

Press 6.

[Rael0505]

@EvilHippy38 best ever.

[IfAGoatCouldShit]

Polywebs, eh. If you like the feel and tone of elixers, try a pack of Cleartone's every once in a while, great strings. Nanowebs, great. Polywebs, snapped. Never broken a Cleartone in about 2 years combined play through em.

[Rael0505]

@IfAGoatCouldShit Cleartones, huh? I'll have to check them out, thanks!

[IfAGoatCouldShit]

@Rael0505 Roughly the same price as elixers, very well rounded tone. Bright, resonant, comes in a few different gauges, I had a set of cleartones last me 8 months before tone finally died. When I played DR's, I was lucky to get 3 months life. Guy from GC recommended em to me when I went to buy a couple packs of DRs. Turns out my brother went to school with the dude and he sure shit was right. He also turned me onto the eric johnson jazz 3 picks, love the chode profile of those and grips well.

[nelsonTheBeat]

Mark 3:58.

[HeppinnMelrakki]

I'm an ernie ball man myself, electric or acoustic.

Especially electric because of the custom gauges give you more of an option as far as what kind of punch your looking for. I love super slinkys.

[Smullet90]

Thanks for uploading this! I for one like him even more now that I've heard him speak a little.

[minusjason]

Pretty impressive how he coolly changes the string and keeps telling the story. Wonder how well it stayed in tune after that.

[hellotoyouandmeandyo]

hahahah a that's what she said joke XD Andy, you're awesome.

[NEXutTORUSramenMETAL]

Advertising D'Addario



[tmatini]

hi amy explain what is multi fret and what is single fret and what is differ between?

thanks

[Rael0505]

@tmatini I don't know what the terms multi fret and single fret mean, where did you hear them? I've never heard of them before.

[clayto1332]

Skip to 4:00 for explanation. Amazing though

[cavedweller1996]

Mmmm....D'Addario strings? :D

[justslymo]

I have two words, "String Winder"

[Rael0505]

@justslymo I have a string winder and never use it! Those things are more trouble than they're worth, in my opinion.

[panhead1219]

@Rael0505 but then again, I never broke a string in my LIFE! And how can a string winder be of any trouble?

And if you never used them, please explain.

[warpedminds88]

@justslymo How about locking tuners? =D

[justslymo]

@warpedminds88 Totally...I have them on my Melancon Tele and it makes restringing so easy

[GeneralStarshade14]

LOL he said a thats what she said joke lol

[prototypep4]

the sure fire way that will solve all string problems. Elixir strings. enough said.

[Rael0505]

@prototypep4 I LOVE elixir strings! They last forever and still sound great. Antoine uses those. I took lessons with Craig for a while, and he told me he didn't like them though. I forget what kind of strings he uses, he sponsors them though. I don't think I'll ever use anything other than elixir.

[Chad48309]

@Rael0505 On stage, in this video, he pulled out a pack of D'Addario strings.

[Bewarethe1]

ernie ball super slinkies for me

[Rael0505]

@Bewarethe1 I hate ernie ball! They sound good for about a day and then they need changing. They have the shortest string life of any brand I've used.

[TobyBallMusic]

@Rael0505 I live in uganda, so strings are in short supply and i use infinity by tanglewood for my acoustic, and ernie ball skinny top heavy bottoms for my electrics. Those are the only strings which last against the humidity

[TobyBallMusic]

@Rael0505 I live in uganda, so strings are in short supply and i use infinity by tanglewood for my acoustic, and ernie ball skinny top heavy bottoms for my electrics. My sister brings them out for me. Those are the only strings which last against the humidity

[TheHippoPuff]

@Rael0505 what strings do you recommend? :) i'm using elixir's and i'm pretty happy with them

[Rael0505]

@TheHippoPuff I love elixirs! Amazing string life, the "new string sound" for months, literally. The 80/20 bronze and the phosphor bronze nanoweb coating strings are both amazing. I don't like the way the polyweb coating strings feel though!

[TheHippoPuff]

@Rael0505 i have to agree! but i have yet to try polyweb strings, but in the end i think i'll just stay with phosphor bronze and 80/20 bronzes :D

[Deershanked504]

@Bewarethe1 i go for the not even slinkies

[olmo2603]

@Bewarethe1 Gibson Jumbo strings for my Sj-100. nothing can compare

[Rael0505]

@eevil123 Haha I'm not sure about that! Andy has extra guitars of course (and they are all pricey), but I don't think he wants to carry all of them on him in the off chance that he breaks more than one string in a performance. The only guitars he brought to this show were his Greenfield and Greenfield baritone, and his harp guitar. He mentioned when tuning for Shanghai after this that if the string broke again he'd move on to a different guitar. I guess he'd just play on baritone!

[WaldoChief]

Thats What She Said..

[mysteryperson1976]

I know a guitarist who changes strings everyday during his regular gigging season.

[Rael0505]

@mysteryperson1976 Interesting! I've heard Don Ross does that too, though I'm not sure. I have to wonder if it's really necessary... do the strings really go bad after just an hour or two of playing?

[mysteryperson1976]

@Rael0505 This guitarist I'm talking about does this at a Renaissance Festival, where he's performing all day, out in the sun or in the rain.

[Thisacchasnewsongs]

Only pokémons say their name over n over. Except and-uh(Andy)

[coronet67]

Why doesn't he have a backup?

[Rael0505]

@coronet67 Because when you buy $15,000 instruments, they don't generally come with "backups." He's not playing a $400 Mexican Strat that he's gonna smash at the end of the stage anyway. Only 10 Greenfield guitars are made a year and you have to be put on a 3+ year waiting list to get one (and that list is before he even begins construction of the guitar). These guitars are handmade masterpieces. And Andy plays it wonderfully.

[coronet67]

@Rael0505 Wow, I had no idea about the guitar. He does a good job keeping the crowd engaged.

I've got a Mexican strat, but it's a backup for my Eric Johnson strat.

[AnOddMusician]

@Rael0505 i would also guess because he already has a couple greensfield guitars... and at $15,000 each its not like he exactly has the money for a back-up

[InfiniteTestings]

@Rael0505 Should I feel offended for loving Mexican Strats? Nah, just kidding, there is indeed a huge difference between guitars and guitars.

[jonrg77]

@Rael0505 your right i checked out greenfield guitars out of curiosity as acoustic is not really my thing! but not being funny i had to wait 6 months for my rc8! and i think thats bad enough! i mean you could be dead in 3 years,who knows whats round the next corner!

[Rael0505]

@jonrg77 The rc8 is a monster of an instrument itself! You must be good if you own one of those. And I agree, the idea of waiting 3 years for a guitar sounds crazy to me hahaha

[djw151]

Real guitarists use D'Addarios

[TravisMaxima]

@djw151 Real guitarists use whichever strings they prefer :).

[djw151]

@TravisMaxima Hi, I'm 5 months ago...nice to meet you.

[TravisMaxima]

@djw151 I wasn't aware that it being five months ago, made it any less of an ignorant statement.

Nice to meet you too.

[djw151]

@TravisMaxima And I wasn't aware one could so heavily mistake obvious hyperbole. Of course there are many fine brands of guitar strings. I simply made an innocuous comment indicating my affinity for the D'Addario brand. I shall now consider this matter closed...good day and fuck yourself.

[TravisMaxima]

@djw151 Thumbs up for thesaurus . com. Plus, calm down, no need to diminish the look of your intelligence by cursing, I had respect for your comment, up to that :).

[zatokk]

Awesome video, thanks for posting



[talha318]

Only guitar player I know who can break a string in the middle of a gig....tell a story while changing it in front of the crowd ANNNDD throw in a "thats what she said" joke.....and he takes questions from the audience.....awsome.

[HKDrider]

I was about to post a comment sayin "thats wat she said" but then all of a sudden he said it and I was like well DANG

[Shredsk8team]

lol i c an't believe he pulled a thats what she said joke xD

[tubaeli93]

My prayers have been answered... for the longest time I couldn't find a guitar that had good intonation.... and before I knew what this was I actually thought this made intonation worse lol... THANK YOU!!!

[Rael0505]

@tubaeli93 haha yeah. a lot of luthiers will make guitars with fanned frets!  unfortunately you won't find any relatively inexpensive guitar with them. you'll have to spend thousands.

[towardstheshadows]

@Rael0505 actually agile has alot of fanned fret guitars. they' re all electrics but still get the job done if thats what ur looking for

[Rael0505]

@towardstheshadows ahh really? I didn't know that! Thanks for the info. I don't believe there are any factory made acoustic guitars with fanned frets, though... you'd have to go hand-made.

[arumdevil]

@tubaeli93

Unfortunately this information is not correct. Intonation on a guitar is defined as the open string being in tune relative to the frets on the same string as you move up the fingerboard. Things that affect this are string gauge (and uniformity thereof ), accurate fret spacing, height of action, height of nut, height of saddle. The scale length has nothing to do with intonation apart from the degree to which is affected by any of the above.

[arumdevil]

Good intonation relies on all of the above being setup as carefully and accurately as possible to the string gauge to be used. A change of string gauge alone can alter the intonation significantly.

The purposes of the fanned frets include better tonal balance and overall string tension based on open tunings etc. The longer scale at the bass end requires more tension in the string to achieve the same pitch as a 'normal' scale string, this helps with dropped tunings which would normally result in

[arumdevil]

less string tension. The shorter scale at the treble end keeps the string tension down as too much tension on the thinner strings makes them unstable and lacking in sustain and clarity.

For standard tuning most players won't notice much benefit if any of a fanned fret guitar, but for open/dropped tunings it can result in a much more balanced and powerful tone.

[808koko808]

i've been wondering about the frets, so thanks for the video.....and i said thats what she said hoping he'd say it and he did! haha anyways andy you're amazing. keep it up!

[Rael0505]

@808koko808 Haha glad you liked! I was really happy someone asked about this, it made a great story. Feel free to watch the rest of the show clips I put up!

[wordthatscool]

its official. thats what she said is now funny again thanks to andy mckee

[MrDarinWarren]

Did he lose a bunch of weight? 

[Rael0505]

@MrDarinWarren Yes he did haha. he's been thin for a while!

[MattPurkis]

i love how down to earth he is 'bout it. no rodie to do it, no tuner. takes requests.

[thesplect]

String snapped for guests wellbeing, managed even from youtube.

[djausk]

Holy mother, how can he talk and just changing that without a problem

[GuyMcpersonLol]

i could just hear that "thats what she said "

coming :)

[Acousticory]

Everyone snaps strings douchebag

[Rael0505]

@Acousticory why are you calling me a douchebag? I know everyone breaks strings. I do too when I play. It is inevitable when you're changing tunings from song to song. I'm just putting it up because I recorded it and because he told some stories while changing strings.

Don't call me a douchebag for uploading the entire show. It's not just the songs we go to Andy's shows for, but it's Andy's interaction with the audience as well.

[Acousticory]

@Rael0505

I wasn't talking to you. However, I'm sure you might have felt offended for no reason so sorry about that. :(

[johnmacward]

The poor guitar got such a fright.

[xT3hDoct4hHsojx]

BAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA­HHAH LMFAOLMFAOLMFAOLMFAOLMFAOLMFAO­LMFAOLMFAOLMFAOLMFAOLMFAOLMFAO­LLMFAOLMFAO THAT'S WHAT SHE SAAAID HAHAHAHAHHAHHA. That makes me Love this man so much fucking more... he's amazingly friendly and modest. gaaaah. The most amazing guitarist of all time.

[DakotaTheGuy]

He snaps a lot of strings at his concert, how does he talk and tune and string at the same time ? It doesn't even slow him down, Andy McKee is The World's BEST Double Tasker, when he's playing, and when he's talking

[Rael0505]

@DakotaTheGuy Haha, breaking strings is kind of inevitable when you're changing the tuning with every song. I'm definitely impressed with how he doesn't need a guitar tuner - he does everything by ear!

[clevelandtyler2]

@Rael0505 its really not too hard when ur playing in so many different tunings....u get used to how each string should sound by using ur other strings for reference.

[fjrsm]

I love how he's like "Oops. anyway, as I was saying..." =P

[BigJplkoplko]

Rofl at thats what she said!

[1LHPrincess]

You'd never think he'd be soooo nice!

[Guitareben]

"That's what she said" hahahaha

[6XstringXsamurai]

that was a cool video! thanks for the post brotha

[Cryce7]

God... he spins the peg so fast. One string just snapped, wasn't he worried that the new one would too? That's a pro for you, I guess.

I would be too scared too spin it like that. Got to do it carefully.

[Masterphonic]

Those frets create an optical illusion and make it seem as if the neck were warped.

[blizzfool]

after all that we don't even get to hear the song?////

[Rael0505]

Of course you do - this is number 7 in a playlist of 15 videos. go to video 8 for Shanghai.

[brashier101]

andy mckee is my hero already but when he said "thats what she said" i just absolutely lost it cuz i say that just about everyday lol. but yeah andy rocks

[Rael0505]

haha aww, you're stuck with new youtube? I hope they decide against that... I'm glad I still have old youtube with star ratings.

[pilaratwork]

I liked how calm he remained when he had to change a string. I would probably pass out...haha.

[pimphatandcoat]

lol i was thinking the same thing "thats what she said"

[gotnoodle]

he's very good with an audience, not only with his playing

[Rael0505]

You should check out videos of him performing form a couple years ago to compare, it was so different. He's gained so much confidence in front of the audience now and it's amazing to see him live because of it!

[JoeyVans008]

"That's what she said." Classic! Never gets old.

[1992dwayjohn]

what kind of guitar is that????

[Rael0505]

A guitar handbuilt by Michael Greenfield. The base price of a Greenfield guitar is $12,500, and you get put on a waiting list for several years before he even gets around to making one! Luckily he caught Andy a great deal in exchange for his sponsorship.

[ronspeck]

I can confirm this information down to the bone.

[Rael0505]

Andy pretty much said it all during the show ;) I got the base price off Greenfield's website himself.

I was like 15 feet away from Andy and that's probably the closest I'll ever get to touching one of those guitars.

[ronspeck]

Same here man, I'd love to play one once in my life but that's almost assured not to happen.

[FGrantMusic]

this guy is hilarious

[jh4124]

I had no idea those guitars existed, but I want one now.

[Rael0505]

yeah, it's a shame you can't get one not in the multithousand dollar price range...

[odinogle]

"That's what she said" I love this guy!

How could someone be that talented and layed back?

Well I suppose all nice people I know are pretty succesful really! ='D

Did I just contradict myself, or just answer my own question?

[AyanRafique]

Oh my god, he and his personality and his voice reminds me of shawn lane!!

[crafterbustamante]

when he broke a string at the show i went to someone in the audience said "that's what she said" when he said gotta find the hole...haha, andy's stories make the live experience even better

[inthedesert69]

That's what she said.. Haha.. Such a cool guy. Amazing musician also.

[3245james]

These guys must spend so much on new strings.

[Jexey]

they're sponsored!! Free strings!

[Rael0505]

really? I never knew that! Who sponsors him? D'Addario?

[DuskY1991]

What strings are those? I'm guessing EJ12s or EJ17s judging from the red packet?

[Rael0505]

Looks like phosphor bronze medium gauge strings to me... not sure what EJ12s or 17s are haha. maybe someone else could correct me on that though.

I used to use those, but I recently tried elixir and I think I prefer them

[DuskY1991]

Yo man, over here.

17s are PBs and 12s are Bs, I have EXP12s myself which are similar but coated. My guitar came with Elixirs, and thought I'd wander off and try other strings. After all, those Elixirs are like the most expensive guitar strings... Have you tried Dean Markleys yet?

[Rael0505]

I tried some Dean Markleys. I actually meant to buy some "gold alchemy" kind or something like that after I saw Andy say they were his favorite but I realized later I bought the wrong kind because it's all the store had.

Back in late November I bought new elixir strings and put them on my guitar. Then a month ago a string broke and I put on a spare D'Addario (not phosphor bronze) and that string already sounds old compared to the elixirs! I wonder if that's because it wasn't phosphor bronze.

[DuskY1991]

What a bummer, I bought both GoldPhos and GoldBronze set to try out. My guitar came stock with phosphor bronzes, so I suppose that the GoldPhos would be the one to go with, but it never hurts to try. Local store doesn't even carry Deam Markley, I had to order them from Germany (while I live in the Netherlands).

Generally, the phosphor bronze should be harder and tougher. According to D'Addairio the PBs exert more tension on the neck than the Bs.

What do you think of the Elixir's coating?

[Rael0505]

I thought they seemed good, not noticeably different to me from phosphor bronze D'Addarios... VERY different from the plain steel D string I have strung on mixed with Elixirs though. Never buy the plain steel D'Addarios, they're awful!

I'm always breaking D and G strings because I play in all kinds of alternate tunings, and the D and G strings don't handle the changes in tension very well so I buy extra singles... usually the singles they have aren't very good!

Ernie balls are the worst, btw

[DuskY1991]

I'm also just starting to see the awesomeness of alternate tunings and I also have some singles. D'addario plain steel and nickelwound singles. Infact the B and E string from the coated EXP strings aren't even coated! They're just plain steel! What should I buy for back up instead?

[liam8984]

@3245james he is sponsered by d'addario (a string compony) and he gets free srings for his guitar tony mcmanus also is sponsored

[urudufusmisrael]

IF that cord never pooped , we probably would never hear these stories

Andy = sooooo cool !

[Noir2129]

Mad string changing skills. +2pts

[CarlEkmanStudio]

I saw Andy live last night here in Uppsala, Sweden! He was awesome and I got to talk to him a bit after the show. :D

He didn't play Shanghai, but he did play three new songs from his upcoming album "Joyland", two of which he had never played on stage before! It was really cool.

<3 Andy

[lewisldurham]

haha, proper funny watching him flinch when it snaps!

[Hal0Elite42]

hahahahaha

"thats what SHE said"

hahahahahahahahaha

he gets +9001 for that

[Hal0Elite42]

andy seems like such a cool guy

like you could be like "hey wanna hang out this weekend?" and hed be like "yea sure"

i would love to meet him

[xcessedidentity]

Nice VDo man!!! Got to know the background of shanghai!!

[rdsseigl]

lol 'thats wat she said'

[JudoJ1M]

i was on this tour, i went to see him on the second to last one last night at maidstone, amazing tour and amazing player

[poisenbery]

holy shit you werent kidding about this! haha

*erases his rickroll video* >_>

[guitar2adam]

i thought andy used dean markley strings.....

he's using d'addario here

[Rael0505]

Haha, I noticed that too.  I don't know if he switched over to D'Addarios, or if it's just what he happened to have lying around.

Dean Markley and D'Addario happen to be my two favorites anyway :)

[GetnFunky]

Remember that this is a Baritone guitar. He is using Bass strings on this guitar. Dean Markley's on his normal guitar. :)

[guitar2adam]

this is not a baritone. His Greenfield G4 is a baritone

[GetnFunky]

rly? In that case I would like to have 1.. which set/type of D'addarios he's using?

[guitar2adam]

not exactly sure...but i think they are medium gauge because of the red box...light gauge strings come in a blue packaging

[guitarthing]

you dont use bass strings on a baritone. .13s i expect maybe 14s

[Rael0505]

FYI, D'Addario actually makes baritone strings. .016-.070.

But yeah, the guitar here isn't a baritone.

[121jigawatts]

you are exactly right, I have the same strings on my guitar right now. They are D'addario EJ17's.

[ratchet20751]

its a g2

[theperfectcell6]

this guitar is fannnned fret.

the low strings are baritone and the high strings are standard scale

[emosucks89]

It's actually a Greenfield guitar, not Stonebridge.

[Rael0505]

Oops, thanks for the correction! I was thinking Antoine Dufour while I was typing the video description for some reason... I'll fix it.