scotch
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Post by scotch on Nov 30, 2013 16:37:42 GMT
Hello folks, Soonish hopefully first few months of the new year I'm off to buy a new guitar Today i found my budget to increase a wee bit So now i can see a fanfret guitar being bought. I've never played a Fan Fret but would really love to try one and in Scotland i can't see anywhere where i can buy one. So what is your views of them? Thanks, Chris.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Nov 30, 2013 16:56:03 GMT
Multiscale is what I prefer to call them. Fanfret is misleading IMHO, especially as to the purpose of the arrangement, and leads to much misunderstanding. The "fanning" of the frets is incidental, and derives from the fact that the designed purpose behind the arrangement is to add length to the lower strings (which many folk using dropped tunings on the bass strings find very handy to get their preferred combination of string gauge and tension - can also help with intonation in some instances) and often to shorten the treble strings too, thereby allowing extra bendiness or a heavier string. Because of this the frets will inevitably end up not parallel and the bridge and nut will need to be askew. The crucial variables re multiscale guitars are - i) the difference between the bass scale length and the treble scale length - the greater this is, the greater will be the "unparallelness" of the frets as a result. Different players will have different requirements and preferences. ii) the "normal fret, ie the one which is at the expected angle to the fingerboard edges. This may be placed according to player preference too eg at fret 6 or fret 9 etc. The relative amounts of "askewness" of the bridge and nut will vary depending on this fret (or interfret space) decision. I have played several multiscale instruments. As someone who doesn't use lowered tunings on the bass strings to any great degree, I have no particular need for a multiscale arrangement, but playing guitars made this way is little different to "normal" instruments - if I don't look at the frets there's almost no difference at all - the arrangement is fairly transparent in use, provided that the scale difference is not too great. My only difficulty on a couple of these instruments was in playing a "thumbover" F shape at the first fret - the first fret being a little too far away for my thumb on occasion. A lesser scale difference sorts this out completely. A capo with a very curved underneath pad may twist on tightening in some positions and be difficult to get properly parallel with some of the frets, but my Planet waves NS were fine. Why do you want a multiscale instrument Chris? Talk to davewhite about them if you really want some sensible advice rather than my ramblings! Dave has made several such instruments with sensible scale differences and can tailor them, and the fret positioning to your needs. Mr Lowden's foray into such things (I've not played one of his)looks like has a rather large scale difference and doesn't look anything like as elegant as Dave's guitars with more modest scale differences and bridge/nut arrangements. keith
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scotch
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Post by scotch on Nov 30, 2013 17:07:24 GMT
Hello Keith,
Well I'm getting a new guitar which I'm planning to have for a while. I'm still relevantly new to playing guitar in my eyes. Played for 6 years but I can go away and learn pieces of music. I enjoy playing in strange tunings. With fan fret seems i could get more out of the guitar, with these tunings. Also I love bass, I like have a really prominent bass coming through a guitar.
I just thought playing it would be a slightly awkward at first.
I could get the Lowden F23C with a Fan Fret but i would have to buy it before playing it.
Regards, Chris.
P.S By linking there name does it give them a notification? Thnaks
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Nov 30, 2013 17:19:18 GMT
Hello Keith, Well I'm getting a new guitar which I'm planning to have for a while. I'm still relevantly new to playing guitar in my eyes. Played for 6 years but I can go away and learn pieces of music. I enjoy playing in strange tunings. With fan fret seems i could get more out of the guitar, with these tunings. Also I love bass, I like have a really prominent bass coming through a guitar. I just thought playing it would be a slightly awkward at first. I could get the Lowden F23C with a Fan Fret but i would have to buy it before playing it. Regards, Chris. P.S By linking there name does it give them a notification? Thnaks Chris, The tunings thing is a certainly good reason to explore multiscale - hopefully some folk with experience of using them for that will shout up soon. Getting bass out of a guitar isn't usually a problem, in fact I often think you can get too much, but getting a nice thick and sweet treble is a bigger ask! GL knows what he's doing on both accounts though. I think the relatively large scale differences on the Lowden may not be entirely transparent in use, though it's obviously a v personal thing. For the kind of money you're thinking of, you could get a bespoke multiscale guitar with scales and fretting to your preferences/requirements rather than an off-the-peg one though. But, as you say, try the Lowden arrangement - it may well work for you. If you're serious about it you'll need to travel to try one I guess! And yes, Dave will get a notification re linking to his name, but it depends on how he's set his preferences as to how he gets that - may not be till he logs in anyway, and I'm sure he'll respond to your post. Keith PS Aha - excellent - you have a face in your avatar!
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Nov 30, 2013 17:27:52 GMT
Chris,
Aren't you in Dumfries? Mark Thomson lives in Dalbeattie and has two of my guitars, both of which are multi-scale. If you ask him nicely I'm sure he'll let you try them - send him a pm.
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on Nov 30, 2013 17:30:50 GMT
Chris, I have a multiscale made by davewhite and she's a beauty (seen here with Celtic Tigger - another of Dave's instruments) ALL of Dave's instruments (that I've played) have a fantastic grunty bass vibe going on, nicely balanced with mid-range and trebles admittedly, but you can almost feel the floor shake. This is even more noticeable on the multiscale instruments. If you like a nice bass line, you'd love a DeFaoite... visit his website on www.defaoiteguitars.com
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scotch
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Post by scotch on Nov 30, 2013 17:31:08 GMT
I'll keep a look out for one. Might just keep my pennies for a wee bit longer. Hopefully I'll come across one. I might get Guitar Guitar to see if they can order one. I look sooo Cheery in the photo, I'm pretty sure at that session someone was singing a song of slaughter, so may be reason for my gloomy-ness
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scotch
Cheerfully Optimistic
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Post by scotch on Nov 30, 2013 17:38:31 GMT
Ohhh just noticed the replys. I might just give Mark a wee message on Facebook. Lovely Guitars btw Dave. Nice Harp guitars, I was either going to get a nice guitar or a harp Guitar. Maybe one day in the future i can order one Just seems something really different where i don't want to risk it, just to see if i like it or not.
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Post by earwighoney on Dec 1, 2013 11:21:12 GMT
I played the Lowden FF. I liked it but I found the extreme Fan Fret (680mm on bass, 635mm on treble) it was difficult to have the kind of right handing picking sound I like. I like to pick not too close to the saddle normally, but close enough so there is a bit of tightness on the bass; but too close and the trebles sound a bit tinny.
On the Lowden Fan Fret I noticed it's impossible to have that; it's either too tight/bright sounding at the treble or not enough tightness on the bass. This particular issue seemed to create as many problems as the issue of Multiscale seeks to solve. The issue of of fretting the lowest string with my little finger seemed very awkward too.
If I was to get a FF guitar it'd be one with a 1" difference between the low and high strings.
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Post by paganskins on Dec 4, 2013 11:43:17 GMT
I've got a six string, 27-25 inch scale version of this on order - about the same as Lowden's FF scale Quite an extreme multiscale but I'm planning to use it for various C tunings with a Bb at the bottom at times and up to F on the top. Being carbon fibre and braceless angling the bridge isn't as much of an issue and doesn't incur that much of a surcharge.
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scotch
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Post by scotch on Dec 8, 2013 13:34:19 GMT
Thank you everyone for the replies.
Currently im considering orderinng one. I have a 7 day reuturn gurantee so if I do hate it I can get my money back.
I was wondering how does it hold standard tuning? And tuning the high e down to a c or even lower? Because the scale length on the high e is 630mm where its usually 650?.
I know the low e can get as low as a B but thats because the scale length has increased to 680mm.
Chris.
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Post by marcus on Dec 8, 2013 22:49:05 GMT
Sorry for being a bit late on this Chris but for what it's worth here's my experience.
I've had tendinitis in my fretting wrist for a number of years and had heard that the fan-fret design might be a more ergonomic alternative. I couldn't try one before buying and ended up ordering one with only a slight fan fret (about 1/4 inch I think) but with all the offset at the nut... the bridge was left in the usual perpendicular position. Although it did feel transparent to play, I did find it harder on my fretting wrist when playing barre chords at the first or second fret. Now part of this may have been the nut width and neck depth/profile... so I can't be 100% sure. But the slight angle I had to put on my wrist playing in those positions felt the opposite of ergonomic to me.
I'd just reiterate that this is simply one amateur player's experience. But I think it sounds like a good idea to be able to try before you buy.
All the best with it. Cheers, marcus
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