Scalloped fretboard

stufisher · September 2023

Earlier this week, I took a couple of guitars to my preferred guitar tech for fettling and proper set up. When we met and discussed what I wanted him to do I noticed that he had one of these on his workbench:

https://www.dv247.com/en_GB/GBP/Fender-Ritchie-Blackmore-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar-/art-GIT0015135-000?campaign=GShopping/GB&ProgramUUID=HADAqJarPzAAAAFlea9yjI.G&campaign=BShopping/DE&ProgramUUID=0oHAqJarcl4AAAFlQQx58M3j&msclkid=1fd90e29b02412ef989b6ad37b2070b3

It's the first time I've been up close and personal with a guitar that has a scalloped fingerboard ... to say I was perplexed would be understating matters ... I can't fathom the purpose of such at all.

The owner of the guitar turned up to collect it and I asked him his reason for purchase and what's the purpose of scalloped frets ... he said it is to improve control of string bending and vibrato. I remain unconvinced.

I'd be grateful if someone will explain to me in plainspeak what scalloped frets are all about. Am I missing something really fundamental?

jellybelly · September 2023

I think it allows you to play with a really light touch, particularly useful when shredding??

A friend had a Squier Strat that some previous owner had scalloped. Couldn't play it myself. He tried for a bit too but inevitably moved it on.

jasonbone75 · September 2023

jellybelly said:

I think it allows you to play with a really light touch, particularly useful when shredding??

A friend had a Squier Strat that some previous owner had scalloped. Couldn't play it myself. He tried for a bit too but inevitably moved it on.

It is more chicken and egg than that - it REQUIRES you to play with a light touch. Any excess finger pressure will push your fretted notes sharp - however that holds true for any high frets so you can argue the scalloping simply makes your frets higher. There would be no point in having a scalloped board and massive high frets for instance. A scalloped board with low frets makes some sense and means you are only ever playing on the frets and never touching the board.

DefaultM · September 2023

They're used to improve control of string bending and vibrato.

CasperCaster · September 2023

I recently saw that Fender are about to release scalloped versions of the Am Pro II Strat necks as a part. Not sure who the intended market is, or if they will be popular - time will tell!

https://www.fender.com/en-GB/parts/necks/american-professional-ii-stratocaster-neck-with-scalloped-fingerboard/0994910941.html

Cols · September 2023

Because the wood’s all gouged away, contact (and therefore friction) between your fretting fingertips and the fretboard is reduced or eliminated. Thus, the only friction comes from between the fret and the string, and you can have super-slippery bends and vibrato. You could even add vibrato by modulating the finger pressure on a fretted note.

The downside (as @jasonbone75 has already covered) is that unless you play very lightly and precisely you can easily push notes sharp.

Voxman · September 2023

I tried a friend's one years ago - felt really weird as the note changes without you having to press the string right down to the fretboard & bending just felt really strange. Certainly very 'touch sensitive' although I didn't like it at all but perhaps it's just something you get used to.

axisus · September 2023

I've never quite understood the difference for playing, I'm neither heavy handed nor light of touch but I don't think that the strings touch the fretboard much at all when I play so I don't see what the difference would be. I particularly don't understand Billy Sheehan's bass, with just 5 frets of scallop? On a bass!?!?

Image: https://usa.yamaha.com/files/feature_04_0b3e9e140b738cccdfcd5263f8cbd2d9.jpg?impolicy=resize&imwid=768&imhei=512

Having said that, they have always intrigued me. I briefly picked up a Yngwie strat in CODA once and had 5 mins unplugged. Seemed more difficult to play, but you can't really judge like that.

I quite fancy making a scalloped neck to try, maybe I will after my current build.

Lewy · September 2023

I have and love a Malmsteen strat (I don’t play like him) and the advantage of the scalloping is that it gives you a completely different level of purchase on the string for bending and vibrato. It’s a feel thing. Very clearly it’s not mandatory and 99.9% of all the amazing vibrato and bending on record has been done on non-scalloped fretboards.

The requirement for light touch in order to not go out of tune is vastly overstated in my opinion. Unless you’re a hamfisted neck strangler there’s little or no adjustment required for lead playjng. Complex chord fingerings where you may be anchoring a whole shape with one of the fretting fingers, that can be trickier.

Any other questions, fire away.

PhilKing · September 2023

I have an HSS strat that Jon at @FelineGuitars worked on and I had him scallop the frets after the 12th. I really don't notice the scalloping much unless I am really starting to dig in, but since I am a habitual string vibrato player, it fits in fine with my playing.

stufisher · September 2023

Not for me then @Lewy ;.. I categorise myself as having a gorilla grip but I think I also qualify as being hamfisted neck strangler

Incidentally, the guitar that sparked my query is Blackmore signature model ... I didn't know he played scalloped frets and so I am now wondering which other pro-guitarists also play scalloped fret guitars ... anybody know?

Sassafras · September 2023

How hard must you be fretting strings if you're creating friction between your fingers and the fretboard?

Svartmetall · September 2023

Scalloped necks are very marmite; I have a couple of them, but they take some getting used to.

Lewy · September 2023

Sassafras said:

How hard must you be fretting strings if you're creating friction between your fingers and the fretboard?

Actually even if you’re a light player there’s an element of brushing the fretboard with parts of your finger, even if it’s not the tip that’s holding the string down.

But I think the more meaningful bit is being able to “get under” the string for bending and vibrato. It’s why some people who are big into that go for a higher action. With a scalloped neck you can do that with a low action.

DrBob · September 2023

CasperCaster said:

I recently saw that Fender are about to release scalloped versions of the Am Pro II Strat necks as a part. Not sure who the intended market is, or if they will be popular - time will tell!

https://www.fender.com/en-GB/parts/necks/american-professional-ii-stratocaster-neck-with-scalloped-fingerboard/0994910941.html

£759 ?

Lewy · September 2023

DrBob said:

CasperCaster said:

I recently saw that Fender are about to release scalloped versions of the Am Pro II Strat necks as a part. Not sure who the intended market is, or if they will be popular - time will tell!

https://www.fender.com/en-GB/parts/necks/american-professional-ii-stratocaster-neck-with-scalloped-fingerboard/0994910941.html

£759 ?

I guess it’s a fairy high cost, low volume thing.

Something weird is going on with the Malmsteen strat too. Andertons and GuitarGuitar are listing these Japanese made ones that are only a couple of hundred quid less than the US ones, but no sign of them on the Fender website…

viz · September 2023

The Jem has a few scallops at the top, they bloody lovely.

axisus · September 2023

PhilKing said:

I have an HSS strat that Jon at @FelineGuitars worked on and I had him scallop the frets after the 12th. I really don't notice the scalloping much unless I am really starting to dig in, but since I am a habitual string vibrato player, it fits in fine with my playing.

That looks very appealing!

blobb · September 2023

Would a Gittler guitar be the ultimate extension of this idea?

fastonebaz · September 2023

Maybe it aids speed, since there's marginally less friction between fingers and wood when blazing at the dusty end.

Blueingreen · September 2023

Lewy said:

Sassafras said:

How hard must you be fretting strings if you're creating friction between your fingers and the fretboard?

Actually even if you’re a light player there’s an element of brushing the fretboard with parts of your finger, even if it’s not the tip that’s holding the string down.

A lot depends on fret wire size. I have a light touch. The only two guitars I played for a long time were a Les Paul Custom ("fretless wonder") and a Tokai Strat with vintage size fret wire. When I first got a guitar with bigger fret wire I couldn't believe how much easier it was to bend because there was less friction with wood.

I guess nowadays, when some kind of medium jumbo wire is more or less the norm, a lot of players won't have had that experience.

FelineGuitars · September 2023

I like it on the higher frets on a few of my own guitars - makes it easier to bend and to articulate notes easily
You can execute a bend with one finger that otherwise might take 2

You can bend either up or down easily, and add vibrato very easily to that bent note

Your left hand technique can lighten up somewhat and it would reduce the tension in the hand

Obviously zero contact with the wood , so zero friction from fingertip

A change in acoustic and therefore plugged in volume of tricks like hammer ons and pull offs in my opinion

I intended this one to be so I moved the side dots over a little in that area

and also on my Judge Dredd guitar

Pre fretting scalloping done into the ebony

CasperCaster · September 2023

DrBob said:

CasperCaster said:

I recently saw that Fender are about to release scalloped versions of the Am Pro II Strat necks as a part. Not sure who the intended market is, or if they will be popular - time will tell!

https://www.fender.com/en-GB/parts/necks/american-professional-ii-stratocaster-neck-with-scalloped-fingerboard/0994910941.html

£759 ?

Well, I don't think I'm the target market so I won't be buying one anyway, but they are proposed to be a couple of hundred quid cheaper via Thomann. Still around £150 more than a regular Am Pro II neck, which are expensive to begin with, but they are a niche product. I don't know how that compares with having a neck scalloped professionally?

Fingers657 · September 2023

I had a Scalloped guitar itch to scratch and bought a scalloped hardtail Strat with brass nut earlier this year.just to see what it’s like?
Have to say it felt very strange at first but good fun.
The itch was scratched and I won’t be rushing out to buy another more expensive version..
https://ibb.co/pyppDMZ

MikeP · September 2023

I'd love to try one one there's no common production guitar scalloped is there?

Fingers657 · September 2023

MikeP said:

I'd love to try one one there's no common production guitar scalloped is there?

I got mine from Bax music in Holland in a sale.
Go on there and search Scalloped guitars.Not expensive except for that sweaty fat Swedish blokes signature guitar.
They do a few scalloped necked Strats with trem arms and Trev Wilkinson pickups & hardware .

Svartmetall · September 2023

CasperCaster said:

I recently saw that Fender are about to release scalloped versions of the Am Pro II Strat necks as a part. Not sure who the intended market is, or if they will be popular - time will tell!

https://www.fender.com/en-GB/parts/necks/american-professional-ii-stratocaster-neck-with-scalloped-fingerboard/0994910941.html

£760 for a neck...?!?

The acronym 'LOL' springs to mind.

SquireJapan · September 2023

axisus said:

I've never quite understood the difference for playing, I'm neither heavy handed nor light of touch but I don't think that the strings touch the fretboard much at all when I play so I don't see what the difference would be. I particularly don't understand Billy Sheehan's bass, with just 5 frets of scallop? On a bass!?!?

Having said that, they have always intrigued me. I briefly picked up a Yngwie strat in CODA once and had 5 mins unplugged. Seemed more difficult to play, but you can't really judge like that.

I quite fancy making a scalloped neck to try, maybe I will after my current build.

I have a Billy Sheehan bass (can barely play it, however). I seem to remember him saying that it's so you can bend a little easier on those frets, as you can get your fingers more parallel with the fretboard.

I also have a scalloped warmoth neck (with stainless) strat, and have that setup nice and low with light strings. Was really fun to have to re-learn to play it, which resulted in me having a much lighter touch - this transferred over to other guitars.

axisus · September 2023

FelineGuitars said:

I like it on the higher frets on a few of my own guitars - makes it easier to bend and to articulate notes easily
You can execute a bend with one finger that otherwise might take 2
You can bend either up or down easily, and add vibrato very easily to that bent note
Your left hand technique can lighten up somewhat and it would reduce the tension in the hand
Obviously zero contact with the wood , so zero friction from fingertip
A change in acoustic and therefore plugged in volume of tricks like hammer ons and pull offs in my opinion

I intended this one to be so I moved the side dots over a little in that area

and also on my Judge Dredd guitar

Pre fretting scalloping done into the ebony

That looks superb! Any reason for not scalloping a whole fretboard (I realise that you have fancy inlays on these ones)

PhilKing · September 2023

I didn't want the scalloping to affect chords. If I press too hard with one finger, I didn't want the chord to go out of tune.

FelineGuitars · September 2023

axisus said:

FelineGuitars said:

I like it on the higher frets on a few of my own guitars - makes it easier to bend and to articulate notes easily
You can execute a bend with one finger that otherwise might take 2
You can bend either up or down easily, and add vibrato very easily to that bent note
Your left hand technique can lighten up somewhat and it would reduce the tension in the hand
Obviously zero contact with the wood , so zero friction from fingertip
A change in acoustic and therefore plugged in volume of tricks like hammer ons and pull offs in my opinion

I intended this one to be so I moved the side dots over a little in that area

and also on my Judge Dredd guitar

Pre fretting scalloping done into the ebony

That looks superb! Any reason for not scalloping a whole fretboard (I realise that you have fancy inlays on these ones)

I started out scalloping a few guitars to allow a better grip on the high strings during certain solos where the high E would slip under bending (most likely George Lynch ones). I started right at the top frets and slowly worked my way back till everything above the 13th was scalloped. I didn't personally want to have the lower regions of the board done as it would be easier to push notes sharp, but as I use very big frets it wasn't so important to have those regions done.

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