RickBlacker Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 So, if 25.5 means that's the measurement from bridge to nut. Then how does that play with 22 vs 24 fret? Does it just mean that a 24 fret neck would extend a little further into the body of the guitar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotYou Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 So, if 25.5 means that's the measurement from bridge to nut. Then how does that play with 22 vs 24 fret? Does it just mean that a 24 fret neck would extend a little further into the body of the guitar? Yes. Sorry for the short answer, but I guess there isn't a whole lot to explain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 I saw this post and was hoping it was a question on the advantages you gain from giving up the 23rd and 24th frets. I've recently developed a definite preference for 22 frets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Same here Dave. As you know my current board has 24, but the extra bubinga board I have and my new ziricote one have 22. Next I want to play with scale lengths and see what I really prefer. I think the extra bubinga board I have is 25" 22 fret, look forward to using that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadovfor Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 So, if 25.5 means that's the measurement from bridge to nut. Then how does that play with 22 vs 24 fret? Does it just mean that a 24 fret neck would extend a little further into the body of the guitar? Yes. Sorry for the short answer, but I guess there isn't a whole lot to explain. This is not necessarily true. If you had a body that had the neckpocket and bridge routed for a 22 fret neck, yes ... you'd have to route the neck pocket slightly further into the body to accommodate the small 23rd and 24th. But if you're starting a build from scratch, then you decide the amount of overlap and fret access. So it may be that the neck extends slightly further away from the body ... rather than into it ... if you can picture that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 I saw this post and was hoping it was a question on the advantages you gain from giving up the 23rd and 24th frets. I've recently developed a definite preference for 22 frets. I used to play a 22 fret guitar as my main guitar(Ibanes sabre)..but now it drives me crazy if I don't have 24... It is ridiculous because I NEVER(and I mean never) use frets 23 or 24...yet if I am playing on the 22nd fret,I can't stand not having the extra two past it. Yet for rythm(which I mostly play) a 22 fret guitar is much more comfortable because it puts the nut just that much closer to the body and the bridge further back...but still....I hate being obsessive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickBlacker Posted February 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 But if you're starting a build from scratch, then you decide the amount of overlap and fret access. So it may be that the neck extends slightly further away from the body ... rather than into it ... if you can picture that If I'm picturing this correctly, wouldn't that mean then you'd have to move the bridge to accommodate the fact that the nut is moving further away from the body? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 bridge position is located purely on scale length... when designing stuff yourself you decide exactly how that scale length sits in proportion to the body. so you decide how many frets it has and how many of them you want easy access to interesting guitar designs to look at are the washburn ec-36 36 frets with 27 easily accessible. they havnt changed the scale length to do this, they have altered the body shape and in particular the lower cutaway there is also the danelectro guitarlin/longhorn that has 31 frets clear of the body - although the neck heel actually extends up to about the 24th fret http://www.danguitars.com/Guitarlin.html the obvious compromise with extra frets is that it leaves less room for pickups and if you are a fan of a traditional neck pickup tone its harder to achieve it on a 24 fret guitar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotYou Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 (edited) But if you're starting a build from scratch, then you decide the amount of overlap and fret access. So it may be that the neck extends slightly further away from the body ... rather than into it ... if you can picture that If I'm picturing this correctly, wouldn't that mean then you'd have to move the bridge to accommodate the fact that the nut is moving further away from the body? Yeah. If you don't move the bridge in that instance, then the scale length absolutely would change. If you're making everything yourself, there's really no reason for a compromise like that, unless you want a neck pickup and an unusually high amount of frets (and a fugly guitar). Edited February 18, 2009 by NotYou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 it drives me crazy if I don't have 24... It is ridiculous because I NEVER(and I mean never) use frets 23 or 24...yet if I am playing on the 22nd fret,I can't stand not having the extra two past it. I always found my fat fingers makes the idea of playing past the 22nd fret an issue. Not that I am a good player to begin with. wouldn't that mean then you'd have to move the bridge to accommodate the fact that the nut is moving further away from the body? The nut bridge relationship is a fixed distance so the answer is yes. If you shift the neck toward the nut the bridge must follow an equal distance. Lets say a 22" fingerboard falls 2" in from the end of your body (an example not a true measurement) Now you want to add two more frets and a longer fingerboard, but you also want to be able to access 24 frets just like if it had 22. On a 25.5" scale the distance from the 22nd to the 24th fret is a bit over 3/4". So if you want the same access you need to keep the 2" distance in from the edge of the body to the end of the fingerboard, but to do this the whole neck bridge pickup alignment has to be moved 3/4" toward the nut. You don't modify the body at all on this change. Now the other method is to extend the fingerboard 2 3/4" in from the end (in this example), but your access to the 23 and 24th fret is limited by the design of the body. with this method the bridge does not move nor does the length of the neck. Pickup placement will need to be carefully adjusted with both methods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ae3 Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 The higher frets (23-27ish) aren't for playing, they're for adding the taps to "sweep-taps". That's why I love lots of frets, plus I like the brighter sound of the neck pickup. If you want 24 with the sound of 22, use a single-coil sized humbucker in the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 This guitar is one of my first. I recently extended the fretboard over the truss rod access hole making it a 26 fret guitar. Its still within the bounds of comfortable playing, you just have to get used to a compromise between a slightly longer neck and shorter body. If you want full access to those upper ranges then that is pretty much the only way you can achieve it without making the guitar too weird. However, I admit... this one is borderline but its still one of my favorite guitars to play. I've made a couple 24 fret guitars and prefer to have the 2 full octaves, especially when playing in E. If you plan to make a 24 (or more) fret guitar from existing drawings of 22 fret guitars then you will have to do a bit of customizing around the neck joint area. Those extra frets have to be accomodated somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickBlacker Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Thanks all for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Southpa, I like the way the fret board contours with the cutouts. It is a unique feature that flows really nicely with the guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted February 20, 2009 Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 Thanks, it looks much better than before. The heart shaped hole is the access for adjusting the truss rod. Seemed like a good idea at the time. but now I just see wasted space. I cut a slot in the new fb section over that hole (between 23rd and 24th fret) and can now slip in a 1/8" Allen key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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