Scalloped Fretboard for electric blues guitar. Part 2.

[countolaf32]

What the Hell is a scalloped neck?

[csensesfail92]

@countolaf32 the wood in between the frets has been filed down so there is a concave section in the wood of each fret. I just recently heard of this, and by "recently" I mean 3 videos before this one haha

[Cabbycabbage]

I cant agree with Kopisetic or how ever your spell his or her name. I scalloped the neck of my 1982 Tokai strat after buying it and have played blues on it ever since. Dont believe that its a speed thing that would be a mistake.One gets to feel the string more and be able to "pull at it" in a very vicious manner if you want to. Also a set of standard 9's or 10's (I use 11's) will feel like your playing 13's at times. I still own the rat tailed file that I used to do the job nearly 30 years ago!

[stringrip]

@Cabbycabbage I agree with that , I don't find it makes any difference with regard to speed. I also heard Yngwie Malmsteen himself say much the same thing in a radio interview , - he said it didn't make any difference to the way he played , he just liked the feel.

[Kopisetik]

I don't think scalloped necks are helpful for playing blues at all!! you can never get the same feeling as you can when your finger touches wood,.... I think scalloped necks are only good for speed demons like yngvie malmsteen (however you spell his name) even listening to your playing the blues ,.. it just sounded void of any emotion,... sorry.

[stringrip]

@Kopisetik It can be used for different types of music not just speed, For example the song 'Every Tear From Every Eye' from John McLaughlin 'Electric Guitarist' album. Point taken about not enough emotion , but still it was just a guitar demo video.

[marksmitchell]

@Kopisetik You tend to sound like a guy who has never spent any time playing a scalloped neck. The scallops alone have nothing to do with speed. And you don't need to feel the wood in order to play with feeling. Every song on my channel is played on a scalloped neck, that's all I play. A scalloped neck is great for playing blues...

[crazyiommi]

@Kopisetik I think they are more helpful, especially for bending. Isn'y THAT what reallydefines the blues, the expression in the bends? This guy can't BEND! Ynwgie has more 'bend' expression than anyone. Just makes it easier to hold those bends of 1- 1 1-1/2, and more. Its all feel man. 1st you gotta have FEEL!

[Dreamdancer11]

@Kopisetik If you ever played a scalloped fretboard you would know that it doesnt make playing fast easier.On the contrary it makes it slightly harder.The only thing it does is making vibrato and bending easier cause you can really take control of the string without wood in the way.Just cause this guy isnt a great player doesnt mean scalloped fretboard is to blame.You can play anything on it,but if your technique is lousy and you are using a deathgrip you ll suffer.

[MEGAS0UND]

Dear Heaven!! Scalloped Fretboard and played like a Snail with Tranquiliser!! Take your scalloped Fretboard and make a Barbecue with it. And you look for another Hobby! .... Uaahhaahahaaaa!!! :-))

[screamingtrashcans]

What does scalloping your fretboard do to your playing? Also, does it make your neck any less strong, or need any more matenence... anything like that? Thnx.

[stringrip]

@screamingtrashcans It make bending easier , some feel it helps for wider vibrato. Please see the Part 1 video there is discussion there in the recent comments about whether it affects the neck.

[flyfish777]

@stringrip but its weird if your fingers try goin under the strings, it can happen,haha,,

[shananalax]

good bye porkpie hat... one of my favorites. great taste

[stringrip]

@shananalax Please all see the video titled - "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat - 4 Versions".

[MeetyHam]

How deep did you make the frets, when you scalloped them. I want to scallop my guitar but I don't know how deep to scallop. Can someone help?

[stringrip]

@MeetyHam Its a matter of taste and playing style how deep you scallop . The best guitars to scallop are those with wide flat fetboard and thick neck.

[MeetyHam]

@stringrip What if I was to do a Yngwie Malmsteen scallop, how did deep would I have to make it??

[stringrip]

@MeetyHam In that case you don't need deep scallops , just what looks good to your eye. I think the production Malmsteen scalloped neck has medium size scallops.

[MeetyHam]

@stringrip Thank you very much :D

[MeetyHam]

@MeetyHam I tried scalloping on my cheap guitar and I think it's great! :D I can go faster, I can bend the strings a lot more. Now I don't know whether this because I have a cheap guitar (and by cheap guitar I mean CHEAP) but my guitar went out of tune a lot more easily. Did this happen to you? Could you tell me all the problems you had with it and see if I had the same too? :)

[ihaveaverybadcold]

@MeetyHam well i dont have much info on scalloped neck since i found out about em today searching jumbo frets but i can tell ya i asked my local guitar guru about gettin him to install jumbo frets and asked him what the upside and downsides are and he said they will bend with ease but if your heavy handed you will likely knock the guitar out of tune....so im thinking if you are heavy handed it will just take some getting used to playin with a neck with a mod like these....anyways hope that helps

[FusionMusic1000]

@MeetyHam you also need to pre-stretch the strings before playing for recording or gigs. Strings take a while to settle in (More for Nylon strings) and the lighter gauge strings have more problems settling in than the heavier gauge ones.

To pre-stretch the strings, simply pull the strings like you would a bow and re-tune. Do this several times till you find it hold tune better.

Old strings always get intonation problems and this is sure time to replace them.

[FusionMusic1000]

@MeetyHam I find it more difficult to keep the intonation correct with a scalloped fretboard, but if the string is literally going out of tune, this is a problem with the tuners, strings or even the neck - more likely the tuners/strings. If the guitar is cheap, it won't have good tuners on it. You ought to have something like Grover machine heads with a gear ratio of 14:1 or 18:1 Their new design also grips the string automatically ruling out string slippage.

[flyfish777]

@MeetyHam dont do a valuable guitar,like i did, experiment first,,,,

[zippyXL]

how is the sliding on a scalloped fret is it harder than normall

[stringrip]

@zippyXL Its no problem , I did some sliding on the Part One video.

[vincent50cent]

Thats 1 nice guitar man:D

[TheInnsmouthShadow]

whats the advantage of a escaloped guitar?

[stringrip]

@TheInnsmouthShadow Please see video explanation there is alot written about that there.

[sify11]

i just wonder how it feals to play on such a guitar

[diego32811]

Does it matter If i scallop to deep? because I´m doing my first complete scalloped and I scalloped to deep in one fret so I had to make deeper the another ones. Hey did you take of your inlays? You should buy the inlays decals, you could buy it from "Jockomo" at ebay.

[stringrip]

@diego32811 , How deep is a matter taste and playing style . if you have done one too deep you can gradually do the others slightly less deep . The inlays were deep in the wood so they couldn't be taken off completely on the higher frets. I didn't know you could buy them , that sounds the right thing to do. - Good Luck.

[danukenator123]

@stringrip my local luther said that unless the neck is really strong like q-sawn maple it can effect the neck strength if you do really deep scallops

[stringrip]

@danukenator123 I have heard that said before . But this guitar neck is just one piece , and not particularly thick , yet no evidence of neck strength or neck straightness being affected . Never even had to adjust the neck . The other gtr I scalloped , a cheap Chinese acoustic also has never had neck problems , even tho its been exposed to heat and temperature changes travelling around with it. But if possible a wide fat neck with flat fingerboard is best for scalloping.

[geronimos1983]

@danukenator123 can you tell me the difference in Scalloped Fretboard?

[danukenator123]

@geronimos1983 google it

[stringrip]

PLEASE NOTE . Have new video up - " Playing Chords On A Scalloped Guitar" which demonstrates various chord progressions (including Joe Pass jazz progression) played on this gtr. This time the gtr is strung with 009 strings as opposed to the 011 strings on this video which are easier. The point of the new video is to show its not as hard to play chords on scalloped fretboard as many believe. There is also demonstration of inward bending also.

[onemanjazzfuneral]

to scallope only half the fret board (e b g)....you could try wittling chisles.....i mean it seems like that would work great but....ive never tried that actually so i could be totally wrong lol.......but....just an idea

[meatpole55]

any way..i have no idea why this guy even bothered to scallop a neck...im sure right now he's playing as fast as he ever will..

[MegaJaybee]

i wanted to know can you scallop half of a fretboard? like only on the G,B,and highE strings? if not then thats okay too ( I love to experement with shit like that!!!!!!!! :D )

[stringrip]

I haven't heard of anyone doing that . maybe hard to do , to scallop just the bottom half of the board . Maybe you need some sort of router to do it . Doing ithe usual way with files you would have do it at an angle so at most maybe you could only scallop the 1st and 2nd string area .

[MegaJaybee]

that'll work.

[stringrip]

But would be diificult to play , having to apply different pressure to the scalloped half than to the un scalloped half . Would be difficult to play chords.

[Canadianspunge]

I've heard you can do it so it must be possible... but try it on something cheap first =P

[MegaJaybee]

how about a $30 fender squier?

[Thetallywhacker0]

@MegaJaybee It is possible, just like it is possible to scallop the 12th fret up and so on

[MegaJaybee]

Sick! Im gonna try it.

[Canadianspunge]

30$ squier is definitely a good test subject =P.

Hey, lemme know if it works k?

[Canadianspunge]

*if it works well

[stringrip]

@MegaJaybee I was wrong about that , in fact John McLaughlin is currently playing a half scalloped Godin guitar with scalloping under the 3 treble strings. You can see it on the 4th Dimension Fine Line video.

[snoken3]

whats exactly the meaning of scalloped frets??

[stringrip]

It just means the fretboard has been scooped out between the frets like on a sitar .

[Weltar]

I really have to try scalloped fretboard..

[guitarfanatic300]

so in your opinion which do you think is better. A regular fret board, or a scalloped fret board.

[stringrip]

It really depends on taste , and depends on the type of music . If the music has alot of chords and arpeggios then a regular fretboard is best , in other circumstances a scalloped board can give more freedom and different bending sound . I think the best thing would be to alternate between scalloped and regular guitars according to the music being played.

[fedekiko95]

For Metal What is Best?

[stringrip]

There is no hard and fast answer to this as player's taste varies and its all about feel. For metal or other styles some really like it , others can't stand it . Its not good answer but the only way to know is to try it out , unfortunately easier said than done since not many stores have scalloped gtrs in stock.

[Funkensteinlives]

Can you play chords on a scalloped neck or just single notes?

[stringrip]

Yes , there are chords being played on this video , please also see the video notes theres more written about it there.

[AsWeAreTonight]

yeah you're right.

disorder4ever probably doesn't have a clue what scalloped frets are

[disorder4ever]

you fucked up your fretboard buy a new guitar

[toddastewart]

So Are there special measurements so it only goes up like 1 step when you push it down? And do you have to push the string all the way to the fretboard?

[stringrip]

No you only push inwards to small degree , mostly its bending up and down and the scallops allow you to add more expression . This is discussed and explained also in the notes and comments in the the Part One video.

[stringrip]

I restored the colour of the board with wood stain I bought in a hardware store . it worked well . Scalloping removes the inlaid position markers , so I stuck some small bits of plastic on to replace them

[guiltybystander77]

Could you only do this with one peice necks (instead of a separate fretboard and neckback)?

[stringrip]

You mean like a one piece maple neck ?. I can't see any resaon why you couldn't , just so long as its not valuable guitar . It would be better if the fretboard area is flat rather than rounded.

[stringrip]

I think the Fender Yngne Malmstein Signature strat has scalloped one piece maple neck.

[thrashmetal1029]

do you need to put any kind of oil on the fretboard after your done and does it mess up the inlays?

[chrisfur2]

i dont think i would ever scallop a guitar, it looks too busy. and i dont have the tools either.

[tkdbender]

Hi I am pretty good with wood...thinking of scallping a neck on one of my guitars myself...any advice you can offer would be great! like what tools and guages of files and sandpaper would be great--thanx!

[stringrip]

I used a rasp , 2 wood files and a round file and some of those sand paper blocks . You should do it outside and wear mask , the sawdust which has the fretboard oil in it can be bad to breathe in . Best thing is to watch the video here - "HOW TO SCALLOP YOUR GUITAR" posted by platinumjam-22 , he tells you all you need to know.

[mitchskater]

...oops i didnt wear a mask when i did mine

[dalung]

Smart choice, that scalloped stuff still looks tough to me, have to try it still one day. If I ever get the chance. Who on Earth fucken gave this 1 star? That's rather sly. Pretty ridiculous. Well i'll give a 5 so hopefully that should balance it out on 3 at least?