Pcflyer12001 Posted January 26, 2021 Report Share Posted January 26, 2021 So I have had this idea for awhile since I saw an episode on crimson guitars about multi-scale fanned frets. What would it take to whittle down a neck, maybe add some length. Shape the body and possibly a through body neck. In order to give complete access to the fret board. Access like what you have mid neck. Anybody have thoughts or ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted January 26, 2021 Report Share Posted January 26, 2021 Let me ask a clarifying question: Are you planning on modifying an existing guitar or building a new one? In either case it takes quite a lot of time, some planning, understanding some basics and a bunch of tools. Although people build guitars even on a kitchen table a workshop of sorts (or outside if weather allows) is also recommendable. Post your ideas and pictures, there's plenty of people here who can help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 26, 2021 Report Share Posted January 26, 2021 9 hours ago, Pcflyer12001 said: So I have had this idea for awhile since I saw an episode on crimson guitars about multi-scale fanned frets. What would it take to whittle down a neck, maybe add some length. Shape the body and possibly a through body neck. In order to give complete access to the fret board. Access like what you have mid neck. Anybody have thoughts or ideas? That is completely doable as long as you are willing to give up your neck pickup. The balance will change with that length of neck free of the body. If you can design it well and execute the woodwork, this can be built successfully. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted January 26, 2021 Report Share Posted January 26, 2021 I suggest you have a look at the alvarez dana scoop! one of my fav all time guitars... have always wanted to build one - on my someday list anyway. the downside to it... is that the neck is pretty thick right there... but you wouldn't get much better access. dano longhorn: Also, there were some washburn 36 fret jobbies in the 80's that had crazy cuttaways. The prob you face - on a bolt neck the neck/body becomes pretty thick there... on a neck through - well you have to still worry about the neck pickup weakening the area. for that reason many of those aforementioned didn't have a neck pickup at all. not all that hard to play at the 24th fret afa getting access... having fingers small enough to play the frets there - dif story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted January 26, 2021 Report Share Posted January 26, 2021 Ahh, I'm starting to understand... Some years ago there was a student at Crimson who built a 36 fret guitar "just because"... Not fan fretted, though, but making one isnt' much more difficult than trying to get the last fret slots just right. I guess Super Jumbos are out of the question... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pcflyer12001 Posted January 26, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2021 14 hours ago, Bizman62 said: Let me ask a clarifying question: Are you planning on modifying an existing guitar or building a new one? I was planning on building one. I've been trying to draw it all out, and get a decent plan in mind. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted January 27, 2021 Report Share Posted January 27, 2021 9 hours ago, Pcflyer12001 said: I was planning on building one. I've been trying to draw it all out, and get a decent plan in mind. As you're familiar with Crimson you may already have found the video where Ben explains designing a guitar, like on this timelapse video: https://youtu.be/xvhklMM96uk He's done other videos with explanations as well but I can't find them right now. Anyhow, a big paper (wallpaper can be very inexpensive), a long ruler for drawing the centerline and a pencil make a good start. The problem with most videos is that they are sped up. I suppose that the timelapse video above took a professional builder a day or two just for drawing! From a reliable source I've also heard that finishing the ## hour builds takes weeks or even months after they really are ready for shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted January 28, 2021 Report Share Posted January 28, 2021 On 1/26/2021 at 1:49 PM, Bizman62 said: Ahh, I'm starting to understand... Some years ago there was a student at Crimson who built a 36 fret guitar "just because"... Not fan fretted, though, but making one isnt' much more difficult than trying to get the last fret slots just right. I guess Super Jumbos are out of the question... on that washburn above... you'll notice the last frets they change fret wire. much thinner after the 24th. probably would need super thin fingers or fingernails to play it!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 29, 2021 Report Share Posted January 29, 2021 Welcome, by the way @Pcflyer12001 Are you talking about extra frets (eg beyond 24) or just having unfettered access to all of the 22-24 frets that are there? I'm assuming from your opening question, you are asking about the second of those two options. Assuming so then, as @ScottR says, yes - you would just cut the bottom cutaway as far as you need. But, as Scott also says, there would be no room for the overhang of a neck pickup in the usual place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pcflyer12001 Posted January 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 On 1/29/2021 at 9:30 AM, Andyjr1515 said: Welcome, by the way @Pcflyer12001 Are you talking about extra frets (eg beyond 24) or just having unfettered access to all of the 22-24 frets that are there? I'm assuming from your opening question, you are asking about the second of those two options. Assuming so then, as @ScottR says, yes - you would just cut the bottom cutaway as far as you need. But, as Scott also says, there would be no room for the overhang of a neck pickup in the usual place. Thanks for the welcoming.... for right now I am just thinking about the 22 to 24 fret access. The cutaway option is an interesting way of making it work. I was just thinking about adding a few inches of length to the neck and fretboard so that it would end where the body begins. That way it would just be a matter of making it thin enough to hold onto comfortably. You guys definitely have given me some ideas worth tinkering with. I have also looked up all the math for the sheer strength of different woods and how they affect a guitar neck. And the tensile strength one has. So that I can run the numbers and see if it would comprise the neck before I even got started. Definitely lots to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 5 hours ago, Pcflyer12001 said: .... for right now I am just thinking about the 22 to 24 fret access. The cutaway option is an interesting way of making it work. I was just thinking about adding a few inches of length to the neck and fretboard so that it would end where the body begins. That way it would just be a matter of making it thin enough to hold onto comfortably. It's a decent question - but quite an involved answer. Basically, there are many things you can do with the shape of a guitar that have no consequences at all - and we are (I would suggest almost all of us) highly influenced by the 1950's version of 'this is what a guitar looks like'. And we shouldn't be. And then, there are things which are absolute about geometry and strength and cannot be changed And then there are many, many things that CAN be changed, but have consequences that need to be considered. So you could dispense with the lower horn altogether - it serves no purpose unless you play over your knee. This would give you full access to all of your frets. There is a slight consequence with a two-pickup guitar, but geometrically, strength and functionality, it can be done. So why don't folks do that? Well, they do...but they look different. You could, instead, take a more conventionally shaped body (take a Strat) and, as you say, move the whole bridge to nut fretboard and headstock further left by 3-4 inches. And you could. But here, there are consequences. You'd lose the neck or bridge pickup if it was a strat (remember that the bridge would have to move left 3-4 inches too); you'd have a much longer playing stretch (might be OK/might be an issue); you would be much more susceptible to neck dive (longer leverage of the headstock and the strap button would be level with the 17th/18th frets when for strap balance it needs to be level with 12th - 14th frets) So yes - there are things that can and should be challenged...and the innovation comes when you cast aside 'it has to look like this because that's what a guitar is supposed to look like.' But there are also things that have to be in certain places or it simply isn't going to work And it's testing the boundaries between those two truths that make for some really, really interesting designs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 1, 2021 Report Share Posted February 1, 2021 My version of extreme access.... SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted February 1, 2021 Report Share Posted February 1, 2021 6 minutes ago, ScottR said: My version of extreme access.... That was another masterpiece of carving. My take of accessing the 24th fret and beyond was more down to earth... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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