scalloped frets, but only on the high frets

[JDC]

I've never fully understood scalloped frets, I know it's something to do with using a light touch and you can do a certain kind of vibrato on them or something

but why do some guitarists have the last 4 frets scalloped, aka the highest ones???

I mean I have jumbo frets and I don't press the strings down so hard that they touch the wood of the fretboard

[Jonny]

Maybe they feel comfortable as they are when playing lower on the neck, and to make it easier for soloing they have the higher frets scalloped.

[opprobrium_9]

i dunno about y'alls but at least on my ibanez the upper frets are more likely to buzz if i don't hit them just right, so maybe that alleviates the problem some?

[Philly Q]

I find when the frets are close together, it's hard to apply pressure and hold a note, because the length of string between the two frets is very short and therefore more rigid - I always seem to "lose" high notes and get a buzz from the next fret down.

I've never had a scalloped guitar, but I had a Yamaha Billy Sheehan bass with scalloping on the top few frets, and it made it noticeably easier to get those notes to sustain.  I'm not sure why exactly - I guess you can sort of hook your finger round the string and pull it on to the frets as much as just pushing it.

That bass also had smaller fretwire on the top few frets, like Jake E Lee's guitars - which also seems to make it easier to grip the strings.

[Woogie]

That bass also had smaller fretwire on the top few frets, like Jake E Lee's guitars - which also seems to make it easier to grip the strings.

Is there something I`ve missed? :P

[Philly Q]

That bass also had smaller fretwire on the top few frets, like Jake E Lee's guitars - which also seems to make it easier to grip the strings.

Is there something I`ve missed? :P

Didn't you get that done on your Jakey guitars?

[Fikealox]

The appeal for only scalloping the higher frets, for me, is more to do with the fact that unless you have tiny vintage-size fretwire or insanely strong fingers, you're unlikely to touch the string to the fretboard on the top frets, so scalloping would be a bit redundant.

I guess even if you did have those tiny frets, it'd be less desirable up the neck and particularly in the first position as you would be doing a lot more chords there.

[Woogie]

That bass also had smaller fretwire on the top few frets, like Jake E Lee's guitars - which also seems to make it easier to grip the strings.

Is there something I`ve missed? :P

Didn't you get that done on your Jakey guitars?

Nah, I know he had gibson frets on his ESP's but I thought his Charvels had dunlop jumbo frets!!

[Will]

That bass also had smaller fretwire on the top few frets, like Jake E Lee's guitars - which also seems to make it easier to grip the strings.

Is there something I`ve missed? :P

Didn't you get that done on your Jakey guitars?

Nah, I know he had gibson frets on his ESP's but I thought his Charvels had dunlop jumbo frets!!

I think the Gibson frets were the jumbo ones? and he wanted thinner Fender frets further up the neck. I think JT's preacher has a similar theory

[PhilKing]

I had Jonathan (FELINE), scallop the fingerboard above the 12th fret when he was doing a refret for me.  I had been playing Tim's Foster and liked it.  It does make bending really easy and I don't find that I press too hard.  The guitar has big frets too!