I recently bought a Strandberg Boden NX7 and it has a 25.5 - 26.25 inch multiscale. Coming from like 4-5 guitars without multiscale the way Strandberg implemented their multiscale is amazing. I don't notice this multiscale whatsoever and its a really nice feature to still get as much as possible out of the lower strings.
I have the same guitar and I’ve played a 6 honestly I think it also just looks more pleasing to me aesthetically on a strand. Nothing about the strandberg is really traditional and I think the fan fret just fits that ethos better.
@@im3ve1yn I also have a Boden OS7 and would say the fan fret makes the guitar feel more "normal" than a regular 7 string, due to the more even string tension without resorting to outlandish string gauges. To me any extended range 7+ string guitar just feels wrong without a fan fret, there is no way to achieve clarity on the low end while maintaining playability on the high strings without some sort of fan. Thicker strings have higher inharmonicity which make them sound rounder and lose definition so there is really no substitute for correct scale lengths. If anything I find 26.25 slightly too short for Drop A, but going much above that would start to affect the playability of the guitar so I think it is a perfect compromise.
I have the same guitar and i feel like it's basically perfect for a 7 string, the slightly longer scale on bass side lets me tune to drop G without any issues (which was starting to sound off on a straight scale 25.5 ESP i had), it's easily my most comfortable guitar, i also do own Strandberg 8 string and i have similar feelings about the fan fret, it just kinda makes sense for ERG and helps with tuning lower while keeping higher strings way more plesant. That said, i don't see a reason for that on a 6 string. I have a baritone Ibanez thats 28'' straight scale and i just don't understand why would i want some agressive fan fret on it for soloing when it's purpose is to be the dumb guy low tuned monster. On the flip side, as mentioned in this video, you don't need scale longer than 25.5 while tuning to C, or i would argue even A, which begs the question of whats the benefit really? Even the shredders who tune low like Jason Richardson will use 7 or 8 string guitars since you want that extended range for that, and everyone else whos in the standard to C range is just fine with straight scale.
@@bartoszbartosiewicz1123 yeah 6 string agressive fans are questionable. I have my strandberg NX7 set up in Polaris tuning (Drop C# with a low G#) and it feels amazing.
I have a Kiesel multi scale 7 25.5 - 27 that I tune to drop Ab and I absolutely love it I much prefer having that over a 26.5 or 25.5 scale length, I get better tension for each string and it makes bar chords very easy across the fretboard, it felt so natural from the moment I picked it up not a single down side to it that I’ve experienced at all, I also have a Strandberg 6 tuned to drop c# and I don’t really notice the multi scale much but it still is very comfortable and feels very natural
Thanks for sharing! I feel like any 6 string is going to feel normal if you are adjusted to a 25.5-27” 7 string! Maybe if I started there and worked my way back to 7 I would feel less weird 🤷🏾
I currently own and have owned a few multi-scale 6 strings in the past (I also have a multi-scale 7 as well). The current 6's I have are a Strandburg and an Ormsby with a 25.5"-27.5" scale length. I typically play metal, and this may make me sound crazy, but I actually play my Ormsby in standard tuning. The first multi-scale I owned was a Kiesel 7 string I got more-so out of curiosity in 2020 when I started noticing multi-scales getting a lot of traction. For me personally, it was extremely comfortable to play. That is when I figured I'd give a 6 string mutli-scale a try and got my first 6 string Ormsby and I found again that it was just really comfortable to play and I felt like it was an instrument that didn't get in my way. Keep in mind, I don't typically play any crazy chords so for me, I've never really noticed that it prevents me from doing anything that I'd want to play. I also think because of the increased scale length on the low E putting into baritone territory that the bass frequencies are fuller and more rich than I'd get on a standard scale. It could 100% be bias or placebo effect, but I love the sound I get out of it. It's interesting what you bring up about people saying it's "more ergonomic." I work in health and safety and have experience with ergonomics/human factors engineering. What's interesting is I don't think you could conclusively prove whether a multi-scale is "more" ergonomic than a standard scale and vice-versa. There certainly are some bio-mechanical analysis that could be preformed but there are so many other factors that come into play such as how long an individual is playing and what exactly they are playing. I think the other complexity is that ergonomic evaluations are really good at identifying risk of repetitive motions/actions but aren't always the greatest when looking at things that are constantly changing. For example, since a guitar neck/fretboard is a static object, I'd imagine that the way the muscles in your hand/arm engage when playing chords would be different than when playing leads. It might even change by what chords you are playing. So through analysis we could find a more ergonomic fretboard/neck design for playing chords but that wouldn't necessarily be the most ergonomic choice for lead playing. This is just my assumption though. I actually think this would be a really interesting thesis for someone who's pursing a PhD in ergonomics and perhaps an idea for a video. Regardless, the one thing that is important with ergonomics is giving individuals some matter of choice of how they use the tools around them (i.e. adjustable workstations, different tool sizes, etc) so in this instance, multi-scale might be the more ergonomic choice for some but not others.
Whatever gets the person to sit down and practice consistently is a win always. I would definitely try Aristides w/o fan frets. However I have my sight set on a Paoletti.
I got a 6-string Strandberg Jazz a year ago. I haven't done a scientific test, but it seems to be easier to get a Strandberg to be in tune across the fretboard than my straight-fret six-strings. It's a subtle thing, but I definitely noticed it the first time I played one: more parts of the fretboard are more in tune, more consistently, than I'm used to hearing. (I use the exact same strings, including the same gauge, that have been on my straight-fret guitars for well over a decade, to which those instruments have been intonated.) The only drawback I've noticed is that I still sometimes fret further away from the fret than I should, which I attribute to 30-odd years playing single-scale instruments exclusively. Great vid, as usual!
I was so hooked on the multiscale design as a person enjoying classic rock, pop rock and other conventional styles (I am no metalhead) that I sold three Gibson guitars after trying a cheap Strandberg copy from NK headless guitars. I use standard E or E-flat with multiscale lenghts being within 25-25.5 or 25-25.75 (going over the fan of 0.75 kills ergonomics for traditional use, in my opinion. 8-string beasts are a completely different thing, and I would agree with Andre that they have a very specific and narrow purpose). To me, multiscale benefits boil down to two things: 1. Timbre and string balance. We made a test with several fellow musicians. We simply sat in a circle of five persons and played an open A chord note by note (arpegiatto) and with a strumming motion. Three of us held traditional instruments (expensive ones such as Ibanez PGM301, Gibson LPC '77 and a 60's Gibson SG with Tom Holmes pickups). Two of us held a Strandberg and an Abasi Larada. Then, we changed instruments and repeated the test multiple times until each of us had played both designs and listened to their sounds both in the hands of other players and in their own hands. The guitars had different wood combinations, scale lengths, and designs. Three months after that test, four out of five persons taking part in the test had a new multiscale instrument in their collection. It simply sounds... right? It is like you have always been annoyed by something but took it for granted. And then, you suddenly realise that there is an alternative eliminating this pesky something altogether. 2. String tension. If you use a string tension calculator (just Google it), you will see that most guitar string sets are weirdly unbalanced. A 'traditional' 10-46 set gets you 0.10-0.13-0.17-0.26-0.36-0.46 or 15.98-15.18-16.58-18.42-19.67-17.41 in tension. A 10-52 set is even wilder with 15.98-15.18-16.58-24.71-28.45.-22.41 lbs. Why make the first string more tense than the second one? Why make the third and sixth strings flabby? Why make the fourth string much tenser than the third one? Who knows. The use of a multiscale design (a small fan of 0.5-0.75 inch) helps you alleviate some of these flaws of standard string sets. In combination with tension measurements (and ordering some custom string sets if you are feeling meticulous), these steps ensure that all of your six strings react to pick attack simultaneously. They still get higher than their 'normal' pitch when you increase your right hand attack but they raise their pitch evenly. In traditional sets and guitar designs, you get some strings going substantially higher in pitch than other ones. As a result, you cannot possibly play very softly and very aggressively with the same tuning, which limits your expressiveness range. Again, these benefits may not be for everyone. With Andre being a jazz player, they may not be annoyed by uneven string reaction to hard right-hand attack to the same degree as some rock and metal musicians. However, I would say that trying a conventional multiscale of 0.5-0.75 inch may be an eye-opening experience for some players. Borrow such a guitar from your friend and play it for a week. Like me, you can suddenly find a solution to the guitar design flaws that have been annoying you for all your life. After all, guitar playing is all about personal obsessions and even the greatest players rarely have identical preferences.
I recently was trying out the PRO PLUS DINKY MDK HT7 MS (25.5"-27" multi-scale length) and a PRO PLUS DINKY MDK EVERTUNE 7 (26.5 Scale length) and I really liked the tension of each string on the multiscale version. It just felt really nice. And I love the idea of multiscale. But, I do like pretty weird chord shapes and really wanted to try out an evertune so I ultimately went with the straight fret version.
I have owned both multiscale and straight fret guitars and basses, including Aristides, Strandberg, Dingwall, and I definitely prefer straight frets. The consistent angle between frets just makes muscle memory easier when playing without looking at the fretboard, and some chords are just harder or impossible on multiscale. On basses, multiscale is especially problematic because the fanning is much more drastic compared to on guitars. I could not get used to it and sold my Dingwall.
Strandberg multi-scale was my favorite after all I have tried over the years. It felt the best at the optimal playing position, not to mention I have smaller-ish hands. I’m a modern metal player, usually tuned a whole step down from standard
I got one of the resq:d boden nx 6 in gold, I'm a short dude with stocky hands, large but with somewhat short fingers, but I'm having a hard time "bonding" with it, I much prefer the feel on my wizard II neck Ibanez, on my 60's MIM tele and my slim taper studio lp, the only reason I'm not selling it is because I want to wear down the nitro paint by playing it to see what the original color was supposed to be lol
I had a Boden 8 and the 25.5 to 28.6? was absolutely perfect. I have tiny hands too and couldn't get along with how thick the neck felt. SUPER comfy otherwise
Currently, I have two 6-string multiscale guitars (25.4 - 27 inch). One is a Mayones Regius, and the other is a Duvell. One is tuned to drop C, and the other is tuned to drop B. My biggest issue with lower tunings with regular scale guitar (25.5) was that I had to use overly thick strings (for higher string tension), and as a result, the action was never as I desired (lot of string buzz, you know what I mean). For the lower three strings, I prefer high tension (18-20 lbs), and for the high 3, around 16-18 lbs (regular). However, here comes a drawback of multiscale guitars. It's necessary to use custom string gauges to maintain playability. I also have a purely baritone guitar (27 inches), which is good, but even with custom gauges, soloing doesn't feel quite right. Multiscale guitars are not suitable for everyone and every style. And to answer your question: if you don't play more complex chords and playability, as well as thinner strings/high string tension, are important to you, then it's worth trying out a multiscale. In my opinion, a good multiscale design is effective when the parallel fret is in the 6th or 7th position. This way, with the statistically most played frets, the angle won't be disturbingly large. This has been my experience.
As a bass player, I think multiscale makes a huge difference. 4 strings are fine without it, but 5 and 6 when tuning down to drop A (or lower) benefit a lot from it. Never really seen the reason to have it on guitar though
on guitar it can also be just a tiny bit nicer to have a balanced feel from the lowest to highest string, definitely recommend to have it for anything above 6 strings though
I think the point is that thicker string gauges sound different, so with multiscale you can use thinner low strings and still tune down with good string tension. And keep the normal feel for the higher strings, without getting really thin strings and risking them breaking. Of course you could just get those skinny top heavy bottom strings but they will sound different. It's also supposed to be more ergonomical for that Polyphia style tapping during riffs but I don't play that stuff at all myself. Personally I'm a metal guy but I never use them, I own a multiscale seven string but anything lower than a B just sounds unpleasant to me, not in a good way lol. So I can get by just fine on 25.5 and maaaybe 26.5. I never found it very hard to adjust to multiscale, but if I was paying Aritides type money I would want my exact preferred scale lenght for sure. Also wish they had more neck profile options because 19-20mm is still a bit thick for me.
I personally love the Strandberg 6 string multiscale design. It's super subtle and similar to a normal guitar, but also makes it very easy to fit all four of my fretting fingers on the last four frets. Which on most straight fret guitars I cannot do. It also lets me achieve CGDAEB all fifths tuning when combined with custom strings (B4 is pretty much impossible to tune to without breaking otherwise). I could simply play a smaller scale length guitar but I have larger hands so anything shorter than 25" makes high fret playing really hard. However, on a multiscale that's not an issue.
I've never played a multiscale guitar. I recently bought the Ibanez qx model. It has angled frets (not multiscale) and I really find it comfortable with my playing. I would love to see you do a review on that sometime.
Dead on. The slant frets are amazing and actually make playing easier IMO. I almost always play Gibson scale due to very small hands. The QX52 feels like a shorter scale to me. Also, drop C with 10-46 strings feels great on it.
Great video!! Really appreciate you explaining these 🙌🏼 also that Gibson Easter egg 😂 It’s cool to see the other end of instruments evolving to fix known issues and weaknesses or go off into unexplored spaces. Seems fitting for the legendary players and luthiers who got some of us excited about the instrument to continue to explore these spaces. Also, I’m really curious what the general guitar scene is going to look like in 10 years and if there will be as much change as there’s ever been in its entire history in that time. Sure seems like the times they are a changin, and there are more ways then ever for people to get into it and play their way
own a bunch of 6 and 7 string Strandbergs. Whenever I switch from my straight fret 6 guitars, over to playing my multiscale 6 strandberg, it just feels sooo much more ergonomic, even though the 25-25.5 isn't that pronounced. This is noticable especially on the higher frets down the fretboard where the fanning starts to really kick in. On my 8 string 25.5-27 inch multiscale, I definitely notice I can reach chord shapes lower up the neck, that I have trouble hitting on a straight fret baritone.
For my one band euphoric defilement I don’t own one but I know it would help. We are a technical death metal band that tunes in C# standard. I love using thin strings because of the feel and timbre. With a 25.5 scale guitar I use 10-52 strings in C# standard. If the low strings had a longer scale maybe could use 10-46 in C# standard. The thinner strings have more crunch and clarity. Heck I would use a multi scale in normal E standard with a set of 8-38 to get more tension with thinner strings for more clarity on the low strings. The fans would probably help with sweep picking and what not. Not as far of a stretch and the normal scale on the high E would be great on the bridge pickup because it will sound rounder.
I love multi-scale guitars! I wish my floating trem 7-string Strandberg had a fan as pronounced as my fixed bridge 7-string Ormsby (25.5”-27.8”). I play all types of music. I agree some positions might be harder with multi-scale, but others are easier. In general, I think the difference in feel is very subtle and it is very easy to jump back and forth between the two types of guitars. For me, the theoretical advantages in tone, feel, and ergonomics just made sense, so I got sold. I now find them much better looking, and I have come to hate the look of straight frets in headless guitars.
Thanks for the interesting video. Multiscale guitars make sense when the scale of the low string is so large that the tension on the high strings will always be too high. A multiscale of 26-28'' is very appropriate.
I actually like the subtle fan of the Strandberg best compared to other brands. Since I play in E standard, it's not like I'm benefitting from the extra tension that 25.5" gives me for the low E, but I find it pretty comfortable since I play pretty high up and the fanning arcs with my hand pretty naturally. The 25" feels right in terms of muscle memory and since I play with 11-48s, it's a welcome change when the high E is slightly slinkier but retains that thick string feel. I think the issue I have with the slightly longer/more drastic fans is that I end up sacrificing a lot of the first position playability, but that might be a technique thing. I play a lot of jazz, and math rock, and I find it the most comfortable over non-fanned guitars since I never really have to reposition the guitar from my default position to hit chords elsewhere. The second closest for me is the Kaizen - and I think it's because it's on the more subtle side of things too. Ormsby is too much, on their standard GTR models is a two inch difference between the high string and low string (25.5"-27.5") which is way too much. Aristides is fine, but I can't get used to having the neutral fret be in a somewhat awkward place that sacrifices some root position chord playing ability for me for a 6 string. I certainly do find that having the neutral fret not being at 1 does have its benefits, but mostly for extended range guitars at the 7-8 strings. I've tried USA made Abasi 7 and 8s, and Strandberg 7 and 8s and those feel right to be the bigger and more dramatic fans - especially since if I do need to do chords, they're rarely in first position.
From my perspective, the main reason to use a multi-scale design is when you're dealing with extended range guitars. 7-strings kinda, but DEFINITELY 8-strings and above. I would argue that a multiscale is almost required for a comfortable 8-string experience. This is because of the wild difference in tunings and string gauges between the lowest and highest strings. If you attempt to have an 8-string guitar with a scale length less than 27" (straight scale), you end up with a VERY loose and floppy low 8th string. So, the scale length needs to be long enough to compensate. But then you end up with an exceedingly tight and borderline-unbendable high 1st string. Hence, multi-scale. An ideal situation for me is a 25.5"-27" multi-scale, or a 26.5"-28" multi-scale (bonus point if the neutral fret is the 7th). For my hands, at least, having a fan that is 1.5" at most is much more comfortable. I would personally prefer the latter option, because the longer scale length (combined with the beefy strings) will make down-tuning much easier. If your scale length is shorter, you can go lower, but you've gotta up your string gauge even more, which could run the risk of needing to file the nut (and I try to avoid permanent guitar modifications if possible). Personally, I play in drop tunings a lot, and I enjoy playing metal. And a multi-scale 8-string works quite well in that context. You don't need a multi-scale to go low at all (my main guitar is a straight-scale baritone that I just downtune to hell), but it becomes very important when dealing with more than 7 strings.
I play a Strandberg Boden NX 8 with a 26.5" - 28" scale length tuned to double drop D for metal stuff and I tune the seventh string down to G1 as well for jazz stuff so I can try to do some Charlie Hunter-esque things. While I didn't have many problems with playing a straight 27" scale 8-string with the same tuning, the Strandberg scale just works so much better for my very specific tuning. It lets me keep that ridiculous D1 in tune and has been one of the most freeing experiences I've felt in a while.
As a bass player i do, this doesn’t apply to guitars so take it with a grain of salt but when dealing with basses especially 5-7 string bass you NEED to have a longer scale length (35+ inches imo) to really get a good B string however high strings like G C and F strings don’t require that or sometimes even do better with a shorter scale especially for soloing across a big neck like on a bass
I am a big fan of multiscale guitars, having both 7 and 8 string 25.5" - 27" Schecters. I would very much like to have a 6 string 24.75" - 25.5" 6 string, as I think it would give the best of both worlds for me. I like the better bending ability on the higher strings that 24.75 gives, but I also like the tightness on the low strings I get on 25.5. I've tried using lighter strings on my 25.5 guitars, but they don't sound as good - anything lower than 10 gauge sounds incredibly thin. In comparison, I like 9 gauge on my 24.75 guitars. For the above reasons, I end up tuning my 24.75 guitars to E or Drop D, and my 25.5 guitars to D or Drop C. On my 7 and 8 strings, I tune down a whole step. On a 24.75 - 25.5, I'd tune to Standard or Drop D. In my experience, multiscale guitars are more ergonomic in many cases, but as mentioned in the video a lot of that is dependent on where the neutral fret is located and how extreme the multiscale is. On my Schecters, for example, I think the neutral fret is too far forward and makes the fan on the first fret too steep, making barre chords on the fret harder than a normal guitar. Right now I have to twist my wrist backwards to match the fan; I would have moved the center fret up slightly to make the first fret straighter. This would make the fan better follow my natural wrist angle. Another tweak would be to move the volute back slightly, but that has nothing to do with the frets. Where multiscales really shine in my experience is on the higher frets where you hand is naturally tilted tilted on a regular guitar; for me this is somewhere around the 10th fret. On a regular guitar, I have to intentionally keep my hand parallel with the frets, but on a multiscale the frets stay parallel with my hand and it just feels better. I don't know how this would translate to more complex chord shapes. I'm an intermediate player at best and the chords shown in the video make my fingers hurt just looking at them. All I can say is that a multiscale is more ergonomic for me personally. YMMV.
Very interesting video. I am the perfect candidate for the Aristides fan fret dimension (I don't have one). I play super fast death metal in Drop A (AEADGB). I get a regular D'addario pack of 9s, I ditch the E string and get a single pack for the low A. I don't play weird jazz chords and play A LOT of tremolo picking over 240 BPM. On regular 25.5, I need my low A to be at least a .65 and ideally a .70. Otherwise, when I trem-pick, it quickly gets out of hand and becomes wobbly and I start missing notes. My highest string being a B, at 25 the tension would be perfect. At 26.1 I could reduce the thickness of my low A, which really sounds great to me because trem-picking a thick .70 string isn't very pleasant. I could probably get a .60 low A. All of this is an educated theory since I down own an Aristides (been contemplating buying one). I just feel it's very expensive to see if it's a good fit. I'll try one at NAMM this year and see. I could report back if my theory holds up.
It’s just a personal thing, I find the fan much more comfortable for my hand when I play my schecter silver mountain C-8, going from 25.5-27 and I’ve always loved how it fit my hands and I’ve wanted a 7 and 6 multi scale for a while now. But I will say that the multi scale type where it angles from one point (whether it’s at the bridge or the nut, like the dean multiscales) instead of angles from both points is dumb imo, because in that case you could see the side dots but have your finger on a totally different fret, but that’s my take🤷♂️
I have a 6 string Strandberg guitar and I love it for its effortless playing. The subtle fanning is no problem at all for me. 😊 I’m also interested in a Aristides headless, but the fact of having no opportunity to try one and the fanning being more aggressive makes me nervous of placing my order… 🤔
I've been playing guitar for 35+ years and absolutely love headless guitars. Used to own a Steinberger GL2T. I was taught at a young age classical style technique (thumb not wrapped around neck, fretting fingers not slanted towards the bridge, etc). So, when I tried my first multi-scale guitar (Strandberg) I was tripping over my own fingers. I only played it for about 10 minutes though. I actually emailed Aristides about their H/06 and asked if its possible to get it with standard frets, but was told multi-scale was the only option. Its too bad they don't offer that option because I would have bought one in a heartbeat. Maybe I just need to get used to it more. I'm obviously in the minority though...it was very difficult for me to play.
I’m a traditional guitarist and the Strandberg NX6 classic is totally on my guitar bucket list, I’m really curious about their neck shape and the slightly fanned frets
I like my strats and I was using a MIM 2017 Roadster Deluxe, but I recently purchased that exact guitar in Malta blue. I wanted a Kiesel instead, but tax imports would screw what I wanted, so I went with the Stradberg instead as I could buy locally. Here's my take and I hope it helps: 1. The Strandberg is amazingly light in comparison, which makes everything easier/better/ergonomic- I pick it up more than the strat. 2. It took me roughly ~1 week of practice to get used to the fanned frets and now I feel indifferent, about them, but when I go back to my MIM strat, my eye's starting playing tricks on me as the go kinda fuzzy when I look down at my frets lol I rarely touch the MIM strat now. 3. The endura neck is okay. It's not bad, nor is it great. I'd personally prefer a normal neck and for the current Strandbergs to be slightly slimmer at the bottom end. 4. The MIM Fenders pickups have a more 'straty' tone than these Suhr pickups, though the Suhrs have a higher output on the single coils. The Thonbucker is okay. 6. It holds great tuning stability and I haven't broken a sting yet (Elixers), compared to one every other week on my Fender. Now, the quality control is what I'm highly disappointed at, and I expected more for the £2200.00 price tag. It has corrosion within the trem arm holder. One of the luminlay dots has been put on squint. The fret ends are not as smooth as a £100.00 guitar I have. Fret buzz and bend chokes straight out of the bag/box. Some corrosion on the Thorrnbucker. Fingers sometimes hit the sharp metal string holder at the bottom end (below fret 0). A lot of imperfections. In summary. I love the Strandberg NX 6 Classic, but it's not worth the full price IMO. If you can get one of the RESQD guitars at a cheaper price in HSS and a tremelo, then I'd go for that instead, unless you get a nice deal :)
I picked up a Strandberg Standard NX but ended up returning it, as I simply couldn’t get used to the EndurNeck. Moreover, coming from scalloped fretboards, the medium frets on the Strandberg were simply to small for me to feel comfortable. The fanned frets weren’t an issue to me… but didn’t bring any benefits that I noticed. A regular neck shape with straight jumbo frets would have been preferable to me… and would have made me keep it.
My main guitar is a 9 string with a 28-30inch scale. Tuned to DADGCFADe. I love to play fingerstyle. Antoine Dufour, Andy McKee, Michael Hedges, Charlie Hunter, Javier Reyes, and Jose Macario are my favorites and most influential players for me. What I love about the multiscale is that I can slap on a 95 gauge string for D1 at 30 and get it to sound really beefy like a bass but with enough definition to sound like a guitar. I love trying to play Bass and Guitar at the same time (no where near as good as Charlie) and the multiscale helps the tension of the strings feel good to my fingers.
My experience and opinion: I play metal and prog. My main setups are a Boden Original 6 in B standard (11-56 strings), and a Charvel DK24 in E standard (8-38 strings). 25.5” scale length intonates just fine all the way down to A. G is pushing it, though. String gauge is definitely the main factor in this range. Compared to the super Strat, the Strandberg’s multi-scale is kind of negligible, unless you’re playing a lot of barre chords above the 12th fret. I think you can live without multi-scale on 6 strings. Diminishing returns. There are definitely more important factors when choosing an instrument. It all boils down to preference, though.
Answer 1: No, I do not find a multi-scale guitar useful (or helpful). Of course after playing standard guitars for 50 plus years and switching to fanned frets (Stranderg) it feels weird at the higher frets. Answer 2. Yes, I purchased a Strandberg in the past six months. And, I have nerve damage in my left hand soI can't feel the strings. I have to rely on my eyes to help me play but I can't see the fret markers at the top of the neck with fanned frets. My conclusion: multi-scale 6-string guitars are not stupid. They're also not necessary. They may be appealing to some for valid reasons. To each his own. I would prefer my Strandberg not have fanned frets. As of today, the Tau is my daily driver.
Once I got a multiscale 7 string I wanted every guitar I own to be multiscale. It just feels completely natural to me in every aspect. I play in drop G with 25.5-27.5 scale length and I order custom string sets based on the tension measurements from a string tension calculator (76-9.5) and I've never been happier with how my guitar feels. However I also have a Jackson X series 7 string with a Floyd that is 26.5" scale and it feels great too as long as the string tension is properly accounted for with the gauge. I think as far as down tuning goes people just need to pay a lot more attention to their string gauge. I've yet to find a commercialy available set that passes the string tension calculator test which is why I custom order all my strings from Stringjoy now.
I built a 25-29" 7 string tuned GCFCFBbD, have gigged with it for years doing the Charlie Hunter counterpoint stuff in bands. Built an ergonomic, multiscale 6 string 25-25.5" for standard tuning a couple years ago and it's great for me - super comfortable, provides the playing experience of my Gibson and Fender lengths in one very comfortable guitar. I play mostly jazz, classical, blues and old time music, never been interested in playing metal. I personally think that most stringed instruments would be better with multiple scale lengths but the popular demand for traditional aesthetics tends to dictate what is produced by instrument makers.
This was a great thought provoking video. Nice done Andre! Here's my take...I personally do like 6 string multi scales. I have one Kiesel (25.5"-26.5") along with an OD Venus (25.5"-27"). Being more of a down tuned player myself its obviously beneficial to me having the increased string tension. IMO anything lower than drop B, a standard scale length isn't really ideal for intonation. Since I play a lot of drop A#/drop A tunings that leaves me with the options of either a straight scale baritone or a multi scale. Between the two, I favor the multi scale as that provides me the flexibility to setup that guitar for either dedicated low drop tunings or use for standard tuning with lighter strings that allow for playing comfortable leads. Where as if I did have say a 27"-28" baritone that would really only serve the purpose of drop tuning since the extra long scale would add so much tension and have frets much further apart not really ideal for leads. From this perspective I feel like this makes a single multi scale guitar capable of doing what otherwise would require two separate guitars. I do agree for sure there are "good and bad" multi scales where the extreme slant of the frets is detrimental to playability. In my experience, I haven't really encountered any drawbacks with these 6 string multi scales but I do see where it could be an issue for some people depending on their individual preferences. Once again great video! 😀
From what I've read, fan frets main purpose is supposedly to (I have not played them ever) even string tension without thinning the trebles or thickening the basses, while using standard string sets. There are custom string sets that do the same in even scale guitars (and I did try one of those) but timbre becomes very uneven from one string to the next, specially among the wounded ones.
I got my first fan fret guitar when I got a Schecter 7 string. Feels amazing! Took over 20 years of playing a standard 6 string before finally getting that low B. I never felt any issues playing the 7 string either. I don't remember the scale length of it. I never remember that stuff. But, because of how EASY it is for me to fret things on that 7 string, I really want to try a multi scale 6 string guitar just to see what it might feel like. I've tried the Strandberg (sp?) and I didn't care for it. It's fine... but the high E string on the really high frets seemed to actually dig into my pinky a lot. Not a fan.
I could probably enjoy a multi-scale as I did enjoy the 27" scale length on my RG8 that I owned. The A and E strings felt better on it than on my other regular guitars and so maybe getting a multi-scale could feel great. That being said, I love old-school style guitars. I feel like I wouldn't be as inspired by a 4K$ Strandberg than a cheap used Classic Vibe tele...
I've been playing a Strandberg NX6 for the last 8 months or so, really motivated by the ergonomics of the instrument. I have carpal tunnel in both wrists, which drives me to avoid positions where my wrist isn't straight as well as extreme supination. I play with the instrument on my left leg, i.e. classical position, which I think is the optimal usage for the way that Strandberg has implemented their fanned frets. The small (probably 10 degrees or so) fan at the higher frets translates into ten degrees less supination, which is the difference between "I can play this with no wrist tension" and "I'm aggravating my RSI if I play above the 20th fret." Obviously there are other things I could do-- for example, I could lift the instrument to nearly vertical like Slash-- but I do appreciate that the Strandberg's gentle fan means I don't have to resort to this. Given that we usually play between the 3rd and 15th frets, the extreme case doesn't come up too often, but I believe that single-degree fan in that range does have a positive impact on my wrist health.
Before I answer the questions; scale length also changes the relative aperture of a given pickup. Meaning the same exact pickup will pick up a smaller portion of the whole string as the scale gets longer. A bigger scale length also gives opportunity for more tonal differences to be observed by pickup placement along the scale. Like Meshuggah practically sticking the pickup to the bridge on a 29" scale. Change in scale for the same exact string also affects the timbre of it. The longer a string gets, the more harmonics seem to be present in the sound overall, meaning shorter strings produce a more sin wave like rounded pure tone sound. I personally have noticed this effect in that the guitars (also basses) I own or have tried out with longer scales have more shrill sounding higher strings. Probably a good thing if you want to do demonic sounding dissonance, piercing scrapes etc. But the sweet solos on that neck pickup don't sound so sweet anymore. The differences between the top and bottom strings also get more exaggerated the more number of strings you have, or rather, the gauge difference between your top and bottom string regardless of number of strings. These points apart from those you already mentioned, the biggest factor for me personally being preferred string gauge for the playing feel of the string diameter and the preferred string tension. Now to answer your questions: Yes I find multiscale guitars useful. Because they are more versatile instruments for what I normally do. I own a 25.5 to 27 inch 7 string, have played 26 to 28 inch 8 string and kinda similar spreads (Omen Elite, Ibanez MS, Jackson, Harley Benton, Cort KX. (Have not tried Ormsby, Strandberg, Aristedes, GOC, Kiesel.) 1. Neither the 7 nor 8 string multiscale made much difference to my ergonomics, except that the 24th fret bottom string now is even harder to play, therefore thall is more difficult. However, I cannot play it on my straight scale 28" schecter demon 8 either. Some things are harder to play and some are easier. 2. I tune the 7 to drop F# and the 8 is EAEADGBE. My style is probably best described as metalcore. 3. My biggest perceived advantage is that I don't have to sacrifice the tension - diameter ratio for the bottom strings for the sweet sound on the top strings. Meaning I don't have to get super heavy bottom strings for the low F# and E while the leads on the neck pickup sound great and bends feel good. The only disadvantage is not so easy changing of parts but that's not a disadvantage to playing, but to the curious part of my brain which just wants to swap things out to test differences. I am not selling my straight scales because I have multis but if I can carry only 1 guitar to somewhere, it's not gonna be one of the straight ones.
I decided to appease my curiosity by getting a Harley Benton R-458 multiscale. Focusing only on the high E to low E strings, the scale is 25.5 - 26.75 inches. The 9th fret is the straight fret. Just noodling with it and doing the chords from Nirvana's "Lounge Act", I definitely will pay extra for multiscale if I can get it. I think the straight fret being lower than the 9th may be even better for me.
I have 2 multiscale, one of them is an 8 string tuned E A D G C F A D and the other is a 6 tuned in A standard an octave lower. And i'm very happy with it. Killer tones for days.
My answer: No, and they make perfect sense for the right person. For me, I prefer more tension on the lower strings for alternate picking. I also play most of the time with the thumb at the top or over the neck, unless I'm stretching for diminished licks/arpeggios/etc. Comparing an EBMM Majesty vs. a Strandberg, for instance. It's an astronomical difference. The trade-off would be that the traditional 20" radius guitar with a thinner neck and no multiscale might be more comfortable with more complex chord voicings - while the Strandberg, if you have an eclectic mixture of styles, can be more comfortable. In the case of a meatier neck, such as a Strandberg, it also allows for a 20" radius or similar to be much more comfortable while bending a lot. The thick or thin neck is independent of multiscale, but in the case of some guitars they coincide, which works well for me. In short, multiscale + meaty neck + flat radius is great and way more comfortable for me. My 2 cents. Great video!
I have a custom $4400 standard scale 6 string guitar hand made by a well known luthier. One day while practicing my diminished set of techniques from 1st fret and going up the neck I noticed that at the 13th fret it began to sound incorrect. I own several standard scale 6 string guitars and found they all had a similar timbre and pitch issue to one degree or another. Only my 7 string multi-scale guitar sounded correct. I don't own a 6 string multi-scale but I believe that it would not exhibit the same issues as the standard scale guitars.
I picked up an ormsby on a great deal with the intention of flipping it for a small profit. Having played it…I won’t be selling. Multiscale is insane for rhythm playing. Now I just have to sell some other stuff hehe
I find my Ormsby Goliath 7 so very useful. I am tuning mainly to A/Drop G currently, but have gone to G and drop F# just to try. It's much tighter on the bass strings, giving me much closer to the sound for the music I play than any other guitar has given me. It's 27.8" on the low A. The Tension is so nice too. I find myself doing a lot more vibrato now because of it vs my normal 26.5" guitars
So I had two six string ormsbys and while I loved the look and fit and finish, I had to sell them due to fanned frets. The fan is a so extreme on them, lit literally made playing them painful. On the other hand I do love Strandbergs fan. It is super gentle and the straight fret is #1 and fan progresses towards 24th. That format is super comfortable when I sit or stand and play the guitar. I am not a shredder by any stretch
I bought my first multiscale back in 2007, from a luthier in Las Vegas called B&V Woodworks. It was directly using the Novax fanned fret design, which is pretty darn fanned. That was the first time I had ever seen one, and the design of the guitar was beautiful, so I bought one on the spot. I keep it tuned to D standard, and I use Not Even Slinky gauges. I absolutely love the *look* of a fanned fret guitar. It always draws comments and wows people. But I think the ergonomics of fanned frets have become less exciting to me over the years. At the time, it was totally novel, and I just wanted a beautiful looking custom guitar that stood out. When the luthier explained what the frets were supposed to do, that was good enough for me, and I went home happy. But over the years, I've noticed many of the same things you've mentioned: F13 is out...any kind of add9 bar chord below the 7th fret is out....not even a chance for this beautiful maj7add13 voicing below the 5th fret: E-3 B-5 G-4 D-7 A-3 E-X That really sucks because I use those voicings liberally in my playing. and for what it's worth, I haven't bought another since then (although I am totally looking at a Strandberg). I love the tone of that guitar, but I'd be hard pressed to say that it's the fanned frets that are making the difference. It's got split coil humbuckers that sound fantastic, and of course the strings and the tuning play a big part in that too. It's at it's best playing big, wide voiced chords that use open strings with small finger groupings in the chord voicings. But, even in saying that, it's admitting that I have to alter what and how I play to use it well. The Strandberg looks much more subtle to me, which I think I would prefer over this. So, if I'm being really honest, with the benefit of hindsight, for 6 strings I think I'm probably on team straight frets for ergonomics, and a subtle fan for the combination of aesthetics and ergo.
I've got a strandberg 6 string in drop c, I don't really notice the fan, although the shorter scale length on the high strings does help out my fingers a bit with long stretches.
It seems to me that fanning the frets at the Nut is counterproductive, but fanning them a little for the upper frets makes ergonomic sense, and has some sonic benefits based on "sting length."
It is my personal opinion, but I tend to think that multiscale guitars fit well for being very flexible with tunings. For example, if you have a 25.5" scale guitar (6- or 7-string), you can't really tune your lowest string lower than A, so your lowest tunings will be like drop G# or standard A. On the other hand, if you have a baritone (6 or 7 string), then if you want to play in a higher range (like standard E for a 6-string or standard B for a 7-string), your highest strings will be a bit too tense to play comfortably, even if they are 9. But if you have a multiscale, you solve all these issues: you can as low as drop E and have playable lowest strings or as high as standard E (for a 6-string) or standard B (for a 7-string) and have comfortable highest strings. Also, if you have an 8-string guitar and want to play in standard F#/drop E (where your 6 higher strings are in standard E), then a multiscale may be the most optimal option.
I own two headless guitars in my quest to find an ergonomic solution. The Grote which got featured before in this channel has straight frets (25.5" scale length) and an NK (Strandberg copy) with a 25.5 to 26.5" scale length. Both in standard tuning. The fanned frets are not a conscious decision but just came with the guitar. The NK feels a little different when I change guitars but I quickly adapt to it after a few minutes of playing. But I think this has more to do with the longer/more taut strings rather than the scale length. I have a GOC Materia trem model coming to replace the Grote (same body shape) which is a good enough guitar but some things are lacking, particularly the bridge which makes palm muting almost impossible.
in Brazil we don't have too many options for multiscale, extended range, or headless guitars. Tagima (a local brand) does all of those, mostly carbon copies of other brands. I have one of their six string multiscale that I think is really good, feels great to play and sounds good (could use a pickups upgrade though), but I can't even compare to other brands since I've never played them. I tune it Drop A, so I think it makes sense to be multiscale, but it doesn't have to be. My 8 string guitar is a Chinese one with no brand, with fixed scale length, and well, it is playable haha. I have a 7 string nylon guitar as well, and it works just fine without multiscale. In general I feel the multiscale neck is very comfortable to play, feels very natural since the slant angles kind of follow the angle of the fretting hand as you move it through the neck. I find it a little hard to play riffs that incorporate natural harmonics though.
So I play a 33.25-37 inches 6 string bass and it makes a perfect sense for a Bass Guitar - I don't want to go back to straight scale. Most importantly it helps to fight the issue of misbalanced volume and response of the strings when you play a 5/6 string bass. It also helps playability a lot when you're dealing with such lengths. And I also play a 30 inches straight 8 string guitar. And I don't feel the need for multiscale here. In fact I tried multi scale guitars and I liked them much less and prefer my 30 inches straight 8 string. 30 inches is still a relatively short stringed instrument in general and it doesn't have the issues that you have with the low tuned basses for example. So in general: I think that multi scale is almost a necessity for 5/6 string basses and not really needed for guitars.
Last year I got two “baritone / bass vi” guitars (Ibanez SRC6MS 28.5”-30” and Harley Benton JA-Baritone 30”). Both are strung with 24-84 and tuned to D1 standard. I find the SRC way easier to play! A lot probably has to do with the thinness of the neck (my main guitars are Ibanez RGs with Wizard necks), because the JA’s neck could be used in a log sawing competition. But, the angles of playing are far more comfortable for me on the SRC. I mostly play black metal and death metal. I’m starting to finally record with them. I’m somewhat doubling my D2 Standard tuned guitars on the “bass vi” guitars (with some changes to get rid of mud). I’m favoring the JA for the “sub-octave guitar” recording right now because the SRC’s pickups just … don’t really feel as “guitar like” as I want. But, out of the two, I would FAR prefer to record with the SRC, if pickup sound wasn’t an issue. Because the SRC’s multiscale is so comfortable for me to play, I want to get a multiscale guitar that I can tune to D2 standard. I’d probably go with 27”-25.5” or maybe a little shorter on both sides? 26.5”-25”? I borrowed a friend’s 27” scale 7 string for a couple months and only played it the whole time and I just cannot wrap my head around more strings. 30 years of habit just didn’t want to die. So, just getting an 8 or 9 string to have both the D2 standard and then extended range down is right out for me. And, I’d like all my guitars to “play the same.” I have my first actual bass coming later this week, a 34” scale 5 string. If I gel with bass, I will be getting a multiscale. I just couldn’t justify the premium fan fret instruments cost for an instrument I don’t even know if I will enjoy playing. But, basically, I’d like all my guitars to “play the same” so I have a mostly uniform experience between them. And, I find multiscale much more comfortable. So, I’ll probably be slowly “replacing” my main instruments with multiscale ones.
I have two guitars - a 25.5" 6-string (tuned to E Standard) and a 25.5-27" 7-String (tuned to Drop G) First thing to say here: I mostly play heavy music (yeah, metalcore), but at the same time I use a lot of extended (I hope it's the right term) chords, either with clean sound, or arpeggios with distortion. I didn't even notice the switch when I just got my multiscale. I know it doesn't work like this for everyone, but it literally took me like 5 minutes to adapt. That said, I just chugged the hell out of it for first week or so. When I moved to chords - well, exactly as you said, they are harder to play, especially when you play them closer to the nut. But other than that - no issues (for me, at least). It's also great to have longer scale since I prefer thin strings (9-40 on my 6-String), and longer scale lets me use thinner strings while getting same tension. So, that being said: I don't think it's for everyone, but it makes sense (imo). If you don't play lots of chords, you chug AND play leads in, like, same song, multiscale will most likely be a plus. [ And this is the point where I say that with my love for Floyd Rose and extended chords I don't think I'll get any more multiscale guitars in long time. They are nice, but it really depends on what you want to play. ]
My 8 string is a 27-25.5 multiscale. This is incredibly useful because i tune an octave below standard on the bottom, but my top 6 strings are still in D standard. This lets me achieve a tight feel for the low strings and a slinky feel for the high strings. An 8 string is also a case where the fan is incredibly ergonomic (to me). Slanting my hands across the giant fretboard is much easier than trying to keep a straight wrist. The ergonomic benefits disappear for me on a 6. Also the tuning benefits. I’m with you on this one.
I have 3 multiscale guitars. A 6 String (25,5-27") a 7-string with the same fan and an 8-String with a 26,5-28" fan. I would say for me personally ...it does make sense for the 6 and the 8 String. I love my sixstring on drop B. Just to have a low 6 string guitar with a kind of normal feel on the higher strings. Also the Low B does not has to be super thick though the 27". I do not play crazy chords on that guitar. Something like the Refrainlike Chords from I, the creator by monuments are the maximum (I know it is on 7 string originally). For me what i don't need is the fan on a 7 string. Just a regular 26,5" oder 26" would do the job in Drop A for me. It does not feel to weird and is fine and not flubby on the low A. For the 8 string on the other hand ... I would never go with a non-multiscale.
I mostly play an 8 in standard tuning and for ERGs I think it's pretty essential. My first 8 had a 28" straight scale and bending or fretting on the high strings was pretty rough. I also have a 7 multi scale in a ridiculous open tuning (G#-E-G#-B-F#-G#-Eb) and it feels great.
My opinion is everyone has their isms and preferences when playing. For me if its a 6 string and if you’re downtuning that much then i would go baritone. If you’re in standard or even drop down a step multi scale at that point is pointless. When it comes to 7 and 8 strings multi scale is more ideal and definitely helps with string tension, more helpful for the higher strings. Hope it makes sense at work and had to get my thoughts out quickly 😅
I find the standard Strandberg 8 string multi scale very fitting for standard 8 string tuning as well as tuned down half a step (Meshuggah tuning for instance) with the Strandberg signature Daddario 8 string set. String tension and intonation work well for these combinations in my opinion.
I was under the impression that Strandberg has multiscale for equal string tension (as well as a custom string set) rather than for a specific tone. hence that subtle fan, cause it's not about fan (?)
I have a Kiesel Zeus 7 string that’s 25.5-27 and it’s my first and only fan fret guitar. I got it because I didn’t like how my 25.5 7 string felt when I down tuned it. I have the Kiesel tuned to drop A or Drop G (i change it back and forth). The advantages I find are that the low strings just feel and sound better with the tunings and I can get away with having a lighter gage string. I also have 3 baritone guitars with traditional frets, one in 27, 28& 5/8, and 30. I just like longer scale lengths for lower strings when I am tuning low (lower than drop B or C standard)
My "comfort" guitar is a Strandberg Salen Jazz (six string). It sounds great, feels great, and has fanned frets. I do not find the fanned frets useful. In fact, they make some pretty basic chords (Dm7 on 10th fret, for example), more cumbersome because they require a wrist angle that's less comfortable than the same chord / position on a straight-fret guitar. Additionally, if I'm switching back and forth between this and other guitars, I end up with a lot of accidental fret noise on the Strandberg because my fingers don't intuitively find the correct angle, relative to my straight-fret, more traditional jazz guitars. For straight solo playing, I don't notice the fanned frets, but chords are a different matter. Everything becomes slightly more annoying as you go further up the neck. That said, it is probably the guitar I reach for most often because it is light and compact. In terms of how the Strandberg playing position is ergonomic, I would say that it is, but that has only to do with the heel shape, the body shape, and jack placement. The fanned frets are a needless complication on an otherwise fantastic instrument. And yes, the neck is weirdly perfect.
I like Multiscale 6 String guitars to function between a standart and a baritone guitar. I have one tuned to Drop C and I can have a massive string gauge difference between the thinnest and thickest strings. So the low string is very thight and the high strings are still easy to bend
So I've been playing for quite some time, 20+ years or so. I've tried all kinds of stuff and went through the strandberg phase a few years back. Had a 6 and a 7. At the end of the day I ditched both and see no reason for a multiscale. My current 7 strng is a step and a half down with a 26.5 scale, 9-46 plus a 74 so I can drop the low string. I have no issues. I have an old jackson soloist pro from japan that's set up with 11-56 in C standard; again, no issues. My problem with the multiscale is it didn't necessarily give me any benefits, and the fan on the 6 string strandberg really screwed up the upper fret region of the guitar for me. I just found it made things more difficult, because the fan is super exaggerated in the upper register If you look at a majority of the big name players, people are rarely playing multiscale guitars, 6/7/8, all the big names are playing straight scale guitars, makes you wonder if it is just marketing hype after all
I got the RC One 7 string. Gonna learn some Strapping Young Lad GCGCGCE tuning probably hold up perfect for that. They should make a 24.75 - 25.5 I think that would be cool
I like my 25.5 - 27 inch 7 string for drop A chuggs while keeping a Standard E tuning for all fusion/jazz playing on the high strings without having to rethink where the notes are. I'm looking for a multiscale headless 6 string for d standard/drop c because I want the extended scale length to be able to play lower with thinner gauge strings (e.g. standard 10-46) to keep the bright tambre of a long, thin string and avoid too much moving mass making muting less precise. The last reason makes me play 9-59 on my 7 string although I would prefer to have more tension on the low string like a 65 or 70. So yeah I'm looking for multiscale guitars coming from a requirement list, that could be fulfilled by a baritone, but if I can have Nirmal tension on my high strings without having to mix string sets, I'll choose that. Btw I never felt major differences in the ergonomics, if the straight fret is the 5th or lower
A year ago I bought an SX series ormsby it has a crazy 25.5-27.5 multiscale on a 6 string , and I stopped noticing the multiscale very soon (I have an 8 string 25.5-27 guitar as well so probably it helped a lot). Now when I pick up a normal fretted guitars after playing only multiscale for a long time, they seem reverse fann-fretted to me. What I like is that I can tune it way down without buying some funky thick string sets and have the string tension that I am used to. Yes I could buy a baritone (although I couldn't find one that I liked at this price point) but I like the shorter fret spacing on the treble side and the lower tension too. Tbh I bought the guitar because of the looks and the great 24 fret access because it has 29 of them. I didn't really care if it was multiscale or not.
i personally haven't had any issues with downtuning on a 25.5 inch scale. but, to be fair, i only tune down one full step to D standard, and occasionally drop C. and i find the straight frets to be more comfortable for my finger structure. any HEAVY downtuning, i'll just use a pitch shifter anyway, for ease of access between different tuning choices. I guess my opinion isn't going to be too helpful here, but i feel guitar companies these days are trying to put out as many different variants as they can to cater to the immense amount of different people's preferences in the world.
Last year I really got into fan fret guitars. I play on Nk's with 25.5-26.5 fan with the 7th fret being the straight fret. I have them in both Dropped D and Dropped C and mostly play metal. What I like most about multiscale is the tension with regular string sets. I really don't like going up in string gauge to compensate for lower tuning. You fail to mention that string gauge is also a preference. I hate having to go up in gauge to compensate for tuning. I don't really like the feel of thicker strings and they also change the tone especially on the lowest string.
I think the ergonomic angle people go for is based on Ichika's signature with Ibanez, it's not multiscale but it's slanted, which he claims is way more comfortable for what he does specifically. I don't have a multiscale, I exclusively play downtuned metal ("djent" I guess), primarily stuff like Periphery, Veil of Maya, Meshuggah. I can't say I'll be purchasing a multiscale FOR the multiscale any time soon, but I have always been super interested in trying it for many reasons. I personally always find that I can't get a goldilocks string gauge for drop C and drop B. As I go up in thickness, my 6th string feels too thin until suddenly it's way too thick, it just never feels right, and I think that's the problem that's being attacked by 6 string multiscale designs. Similarly, buying multiple string sets from d'addario or ernie ball to make perfect string gauge setup across all 6 strings is expensive and super annoying, so I just want to buy one set for my 6 string and call it a day (I tried stringjoy their strings wear out super fast and sound worse than d'addario NYXL's in my opinion). I just want to get an 11-52 set that feels tight on the low strings and a little bendy on the high strings, and I think 6 string multiscale can achieve that in theory.. I just don't have one to prove it :)
This is a really niche use case, but I recently got a Strandberg and find that math rock two-finger tapping on the right hand is about 10% easier since your middle finger and ring finger no longer have to be at the same y-axis position. Beyond that, I neither find it worse or better than straight frets, but Strandberg's fan is not aggressive at all so I don't know how I would feel about the more extreme stuff
I think its worth noting on the Periphery guitars - whilst its true that all 3 members of the band use straight fret guitars with 25.5 inches scale length, they don't use normal string sets. I think all of them have switched to using the progressive tension sets from Horizon Devices - a 10-58 set, makes the low string heavier than some 7th strings. So maybe that opens them up to being able to avoid the multiscale? Also probably worth noting that all of their guitars have budget models that would probably not be so easy to produce at lower prices if they were fan frets. That said, for anyone wanting to try the multiscale feel - start with a more common progressive tension set (9-46, 10-52 etc) - they can offer a similar feel on an instrument you already own. As always, thanks for the great content!
I (basic metalhead) have an older model Schecter Diamond-series Omen 7 (26" scale across all). I keep it in B-standard with a set of 9 strings for the top six, but a 65-gauge string for the low-B. The 65 could almost be a thicker gauge. I've tried a 70-gauge once, long ago. With the 70, the tone was duller -- losing treble bite and it sounded more like a distorted bass instead of a guitar (less ideal for chugging). Therefore, I feel like I have no choice but to keep it in B-standard since I discovered a string gauge paradigm (the 65 being max) that functions so well for the time being. Bear with me: For now I am happy playing a 7 string in B-standard although there are some situations in which Drop-A makes more sense (but I hate playing bass in a drop-tuning for some reason -- I digress). If I ever need Drop-A, I accept the floppiness of the string, but *Drop-A is when I would wish that I had a multiscale/fan-fretted instrument.* I could just up the string gauge, but like I said, I prefer the brighter tone of a lighter gauge, AND I like keeping my treble strings bendy-shred-friendly, otherwise why have a 7 string at all? I'd love to try a fan-fret to see if it makes my string gauge options a little less confined, but I'm a nobody blue-collar chugger with a tight rope of a budget.
I've kind of suprised when you said that the Aristides 26.1-25" design was too aggressive of a fan. I would say an Ormsby with 27.5-25.5" would definitely be aggressive, but the Aristides has barely half of a difference in scale lengths.
@andrefludd Yeah especially for six strings I understand not needing a large fan. For me it's not necessary at all; my main 6 is that same Mark Holcomb SE that you have
Just wanted to add to the discussion that since modelers and plugins are super popular now, there are digital options to low tunnings and they work amazingly. Current plugins like NDSP allow you to downtune preserving quite a good quality sound at least if you use it to downtune up to a whole tone. After that im not sure. It also saves time for those who play in different tunnings and have only 1 guitar and you dont have to worry about tension or string gauge. So as plugins get better and better I think the argument to have a multiscale gets weaker. As a traditional player, i hsve my Strandberg 6 in Eb and use plugins to downtune (at most until C), so i dont see a real benefit of having fan frets and id prefer to have just straight frets on all my guitar for a matter of consistency tbh. It only takes a few hrs to get use to a multiscale if you never have played one but i still feel a difference if i learn a song in the Strandberg and then go play it with straight frets.
I've got a strandberg boden prog nx6, scale length 25 - 25.5 . I really got the guitar because I had the money to throw at a nicer guitar and I liked the cut for the leg as I play seated most of the time. The multi-scale frets are, in my opinion/experience, pretty much inconsequential which I don't mind because my experience up to this point has been playing traditional guitars(mainly strats and tele's). In my current situation it's just a feature that I don't need, but doesn't detract from my experience when playing.
For me, i play an 8 string in dropped C with a low g and D0. The multiscale feel of the neck with my TINY hands helps with ergo immensely. my wrist doesnt have to move in such weird places to play what i need. I think there are ae lot more people who benefit from the ergo side of fanned frets than the video is giving credit.
While I agree with some points made in the video, I also think it's wrong to say "it's way harder to play this and that and those chords", because you are comparing it to a standard scale guitar, and not to the baritone counterpart. Let's say you have a 26.5" Ibanez RGD, and you have a fanned fret guitar that has a 25.5-26.5" scale length. The latter is objectively easier to play chords on when compared to the RGD, while also maintaining the benefits of it.
Which song or performance of Charlie Hunter's was it that was played around 3:28 ? It was absolutely beautiful playing... Edit: Found it. The song is "Indiana" off his album, Public Domain
That full video was from a premier guitar thing if you search it you can see the whole live video. Pretty amazing. He also talks about his style and such
I have an Ormsby 25.5 to 27.8 7 string tuned very low (low string is in or around Eb1), the long scale length is necessary for the tuning and the multi scale helps with not having to stretch fingers so much on the higher strings, a lot easier and more comfortable to play for me, there’s definitely some cons but it’s worth it, if I wanted a 6 string in a similar tuning I would also want it to be multiscale
I think that for the 6 string models it's an esthetic thing. There are obvious cases to be made for 7 or 8 strings having the feature, but I think that for 6 strings it's a brand/trend recognition thing. Hope that made sense.
It seems appealing at least for 7 strings etc. to have normal tension on the high strings. Not sure how much of an issue it would be really, but I have heard high strings tend to break a fair amount more often past standard 25.5 scale.. idk.
Got a Strandberg Sälen NX Tremolo last year (the research process actually led me to your channel!) and I adore the neck, but I didnt get it for the fanned frets. They’re just sorta… there? I’ve never minded it, it feels nicer in certain shapes and perhaps a bit trickier in others, but, like you said, it’s so subtle that it’s more of a curiosity than a feature.
I don't get it. If the fan is too big, it's a bad thing. If it's too subtle, it's a bad thing. So which one is it. For me this question (in the video title) is super simple. It's as simple as one person likes strat scales and the other likes les paul scales. And then there are people who like a hybrid of those or they just plain like the feel and ergonomics of a fan frets. Like why don't we all just buy strats and use lighter strings if we would otherwise prefer les pauls? Or we all buy les pauls and use thicker strings if we would otherwise use strats? Simple, because those would feel completely different. And that's why any fan fret design is as valid as any straight fret desing.
Two things missing in the video: tone and tremolo stiffness. This will take some context, so I'll describe my issues on a normal scale instrument. I play a hybrid set of springs on an Ibanez low edge tremolo from the '90s. The string set is basically 10's on the low end and 9's on the high end. For a 25.5" scale, this requires adding more springs and much more tension to make it rest at its natural flat with the body alignment. The negatives are for the hybrid set are simple. The tremolo is incredibly stiff with this much tension. The higher gauge strings have more bass and thinner gauge strings have much less bass. A hybrid set means it's much harder to equalize the output level unless you compress the hell out of it. The compression means much less dynamics, so it's not a true fix for the issue. The positives for the hybrid set are also simple. Bends on the high ends strings are much easier and the lower strings are much more stable no matter how aggressive you play them. It's far from perfect, but I prefer the positives despite the negatives. A multi-scale neck would solve all of my issues with this guitar. I could use a higher uniform string gauge that's better equalized. The tremolo wouldn't require so much force to use. The lower strings would be much more stable no matter how aggressive I play them. The higher strings would play just the same as I'm used to. I've a second guitar - hard tail, headless - that plays perfectly fine at E or E flat (or drop D on the low string) with 10's and stainless steel frets on a 25.5" scale. The steel frets are so much easier to bend, despite the higher gauge strings. Any tuning below D on the "E" string is, however, not stable with this gauge. The truss rod is, unfortunately, maxed. I couldn't use lower tunings with higher gauge strings if I wanted. While I can play aggressive music on it, this is more my rock/jazz/classical instrument. It's much better suited for more complex chords with it's compound radius neck (12-16"). It shreds just as nicely as it handles rhythm. I'd not prefer it with a multi-scale neck at all. So, I can see the desire for a multi-scale neck but it heavily depends on your style of play, the type of frets, and bridge type. (Side Note: Korn plays 7 string guitars now for a reason. Their tuning and style doesn't work well on a standard 6 string with no multi-scale. They broke so many headstocks when they played with 6 strings for a reason. )
I will never own or even enjoy playing a 7 string that isnt the full sized ormsby multiscale. I also would prefer it on 6 strings, but make exceptions for 25.5" standard scale guitars that I like, but would only play those in standard or half step down. I play everything. the multiscale is just more comfortable and I like the high tension I get with a set of standard 9 gauge strings; sweeping is more comfortable, chords are more comfortable. Ormsby multiscale follows the angle of your fingers all the way up and down the fretboard, it's perfect. no tradeoffs for me. except big jazzy chords, those can be more difficult if you have small hands, which I don't, but they can be awkward but not something you can't get used to
i have 3 fanned and the rest are regular! i don’t possess enough skill to worry about a string being a half inch longer. i like the way they looked and felt so i got em lol
I have a 26.5-25.5 multi scale tele that I put together. It’s not even a radical fan and it’s truly a beast but my biggest gripe is that I lose my natural feel for pinch harmonics while playing.
I just have never understood the need for fan frets for what I do. I play a variety of genres from trad jazz to Prog metal. I've never had an issue with 25 in scale guitars when tuned from standard to drop B. I normally play 11-49s and that works well for me and sometimes go up to 52s or 56s for the extra low stuff. Anything lower than that I go to my baritone. I should also note I don't have the biggest hands but I just can't be comfortable on shorter scale guitars in the upper register. 24.75 is just too small for my liking. The only reason I can see for someone needing fanned frets is they really want to play a short scale guitar on the higher strings but like down tuning but I wonder if now with things like Evertune bridges if that's really a necessity.
I recently bought a Strandberg Boden NX7 and it has a 25.5 - 26.25 inch multiscale. Coming from like 4-5 guitars without multiscale the way Strandberg implemented their multiscale is amazing. I don't notice this multiscale whatsoever and its a really nice feature to still get as much as possible out of the lower strings.
I have the same guitar and I’ve played a 6 honestly I think it also just looks more pleasing to me aesthetically on a strand. Nothing about the strandberg is really traditional and I think the fan fret just fits that ethos better.
@@swatchcovers5401I was gonna say this
@@im3ve1yn I also have a Boden OS7 and would say the fan fret makes the guitar feel more "normal" than a regular 7 string, due to the more even string tension without resorting to outlandish string gauges. To me any extended range 7+ string guitar just feels wrong without a fan fret, there is no way to achieve clarity on the low end while maintaining playability on the high strings without some sort of fan. Thicker strings have higher inharmonicity which make them sound rounder and lose definition so there is really no substitute for correct scale lengths. If anything I find 26.25 slightly too short for Drop A, but going much above that would start to affect the playability of the guitar so I think it is a perfect compromise.
I have the same guitar and i feel like it's basically perfect for a 7 string, the slightly longer scale on bass side lets me tune to drop G without any issues (which was starting to sound off on a straight scale 25.5 ESP i had), it's easily my most comfortable guitar, i also do own Strandberg 8 string and i have similar feelings about the fan fret, it just kinda makes sense for ERG and helps with tuning lower while keeping higher strings way more plesant.
That said, i don't see a reason for that on a 6 string. I have a baritone Ibanez thats 28'' straight scale and i just don't understand why would i want some agressive fan fret on it for soloing when it's purpose is to be the dumb guy low tuned monster. On the flip side, as mentioned in this video, you don't need scale longer than 25.5 while tuning to C, or i would argue even A, which begs the question of whats the benefit really? Even the shredders who tune low like Jason Richardson will use 7 or 8 string guitars since you want that extended range for that, and everyone else whos in the standard to C range is just fine with straight scale.
@@bartoszbartosiewicz1123 yeah 6 string agressive fans are questionable. I have my strandberg NX7 set up in Polaris tuning (Drop C# with a low G#) and it feels amazing.
I have a Kiesel multi scale 7 25.5 - 27 that I tune to drop Ab and I absolutely love it I much prefer having that over a 26.5 or 25.5 scale length, I get better tension for each string and it makes bar chords very easy across the fretboard, it felt so natural from the moment I picked it up not a single down side to it that I’ve experienced at all, I also have a Strandberg 6 tuned to drop c# and I don’t really notice the multi scale much but it still is very comfortable and feels very natural
Thanks for sharing! I feel like any 6 string is going to feel normal if you are adjusted to a 25.5-27” 7 string! Maybe if I started there and worked my way back to 7 I would feel less weird 🤷🏾
I currently own and have owned a few multi-scale 6 strings in the past (I also have a multi-scale 7 as well). The current 6's I have are a Strandburg and an Ormsby with a 25.5"-27.5" scale length. I typically play metal, and this may make me sound crazy, but I actually play my Ormsby in standard tuning. The first multi-scale I owned was a Kiesel 7 string I got more-so out of curiosity in 2020 when I started noticing multi-scales getting a lot of traction. For me personally, it was extremely comfortable to play. That is when I figured I'd give a 6 string mutli-scale a try and got my first 6 string Ormsby and I found again that it was just really comfortable to play and I felt like it was an instrument that didn't get in my way. Keep in mind, I don't typically play any crazy chords so for me, I've never really noticed that it prevents me from doing anything that I'd want to play. I also think because of the increased scale length on the low E putting into baritone territory that the bass frequencies are fuller and more rich than I'd get on a standard scale. It could 100% be bias or placebo effect, but I love the sound I get out of it.
It's interesting what you bring up about people saying it's "more ergonomic." I work in health and safety and have experience with ergonomics/human factors engineering. What's interesting is I don't think you could conclusively prove whether a multi-scale is "more" ergonomic than a standard scale and vice-versa. There certainly are some bio-mechanical analysis that could be preformed but there are so many other factors that come into play such as how long an individual is playing and what exactly they are playing. I think the other complexity is that ergonomic evaluations are really good at identifying risk of repetitive motions/actions but aren't always the greatest when looking at things that are constantly changing. For example, since a guitar neck/fretboard is a static object, I'd imagine that the way the muscles in your hand/arm engage when playing chords would be different than when playing leads. It might even change by what chords you are playing. So through analysis we could find a more ergonomic fretboard/neck design for playing chords but that wouldn't necessarily be the most ergonomic choice for lead playing. This is just my assumption though. I actually think this would be a really interesting thesis for someone who's pursing a PhD in ergonomics and perhaps an idea for a video. Regardless, the one thing that is important with ergonomics is giving individuals some matter of choice of how they use the tools around them (i.e. adjustable workstations, different tool sizes, etc) so in this instance, multi-scale might be the more ergonomic choice for some but not others.
Evertune made me forget completely about multi scale AND just intonation necks, both.
Whatever gets the person to sit down and practice consistently is a win always.
I would definitely try Aristides w/o fan frets. However I have my sight set on a Paoletti.
I got a 6-string Strandberg Jazz a year ago. I haven't done a scientific test, but it seems to be easier to get a Strandberg to be in tune across the fretboard than my straight-fret six-strings. It's a subtle thing, but I definitely noticed it the first time I played one: more parts of the fretboard are more in tune, more consistently, than I'm used to hearing. (I use the exact same strings, including the same gauge, that have been on my straight-fret guitars for well over a decade, to which those instruments have been intonated.)
The only drawback I've noticed is that I still sometimes fret further away from the fret than I should, which I attribute to 30-odd years playing single-scale instruments exclusively.
Great vid, as usual!
I was so hooked on the multiscale design as a person enjoying classic rock, pop rock and other conventional styles (I am no metalhead) that I sold three Gibson guitars after trying a cheap Strandberg copy from NK headless guitars. I use standard E or E-flat with multiscale lenghts being within 25-25.5 or 25-25.75 (going over the fan of 0.75 kills ergonomics for traditional use, in my opinion. 8-string beasts are a completely different thing, and I would agree with Andre that they have a very specific and narrow purpose). To me, multiscale benefits boil down to two things:
1. Timbre and string balance. We made a test with several fellow musicians. We simply sat in a circle of five persons and played an open A chord note by note (arpegiatto) and with a strumming motion. Three of us held traditional instruments (expensive ones such as Ibanez PGM301, Gibson LPC '77 and a 60's Gibson SG with Tom Holmes pickups). Two of us held a Strandberg and an Abasi Larada. Then, we changed instruments and repeated the test multiple times until each of us had played both designs and listened to their sounds both in the hands of other players and in their own hands. The guitars had different wood combinations, scale lengths, and designs. Three months after that test, four out of five persons taking part in the test had a new multiscale instrument in their collection. It simply sounds... right? It is like you have always been annoyed by something but took it for granted. And then, you suddenly realise that there is an alternative eliminating this pesky something altogether.
2. String tension. If you use a string tension calculator (just Google it), you will see that most guitar string sets are weirdly unbalanced. A 'traditional' 10-46 set gets you 0.10-0.13-0.17-0.26-0.36-0.46 or 15.98-15.18-16.58-18.42-19.67-17.41 in tension. A 10-52 set is even wilder with 15.98-15.18-16.58-24.71-28.45.-22.41 lbs.
Why make the first string more tense than the second one? Why make the third and sixth strings flabby? Why make the fourth string much tenser than the third one? Who knows.
The use of a multiscale design (a small fan of 0.5-0.75 inch) helps you alleviate some of these flaws of standard string sets. In combination with tension measurements (and ordering some custom string sets if you are feeling meticulous), these steps ensure that all of your six strings react to pick attack simultaneously. They still get higher than their 'normal' pitch when you increase your right hand attack but they raise their pitch evenly. In traditional sets and guitar designs, you get some strings going substantially higher in pitch than other ones. As a result, you cannot possibly play very softly and very aggressively with the same tuning, which limits your expressiveness range.
Again, these benefits may not be for everyone. With Andre being a jazz player, they may not be annoyed by uneven string reaction to hard right-hand attack to the same degree as some rock and metal musicians. However, I would say that trying a conventional multiscale of 0.5-0.75 inch may be an eye-opening experience for some players. Borrow such a guitar from your friend and play it for a week. Like me, you can suddenly find a solution to the guitar design flaws that have been annoying you for all your life. After all, guitar playing is all about personal obsessions and even the greatest players rarely have identical preferences.
if you're annoyed with how unbalanced standart string sets are - just use non-standart. it's a LOT easier than going multiscale, lol.
I recently was trying out the PRO PLUS DINKY MDK HT7 MS (25.5"-27" multi-scale length) and a PRO PLUS DINKY MDK EVERTUNE 7 (26.5 Scale length) and I really liked the tension of each string on the multiscale version. It just felt really nice. And I love the idea of multiscale. But, I do like pretty weird chord shapes and really wanted to try out an evertune so I ultimately went with the straight fret version.
I have owned both multiscale and straight fret guitars and basses, including Aristides, Strandberg, Dingwall, and I definitely prefer straight frets. The consistent angle between frets just makes muscle memory easier when playing without looking at the fretboard, and some chords are just harder or impossible on multiscale. On basses, multiscale is especially problematic because the fanning is much more drastic compared to on guitars. I could not get used to it and sold my Dingwall.
Strandberg multi-scale was my favorite after all I have tried over the years. It felt the best at the optimal playing position, not to mention I have smaller-ish hands.
I’m a modern metal player, usually tuned a whole step down from standard
I got one of the resq:d boden nx 6 in gold, I'm a short dude with stocky hands, large but with somewhat short fingers, but I'm having a hard time "bonding" with it, I much prefer the feel on my wizard II neck Ibanez, on my 60's MIM tele and my slim taper studio lp, the only reason I'm not selling it is because I want to wear down the nitro paint by playing it to see what the original color was supposed to be lol
I had a Boden 8 and the 25.5 to 28.6? was absolutely perfect. I have tiny hands too and couldn't get along with how thick the neck felt. SUPER comfy otherwise
Currently, I have two 6-string multiscale guitars (25.4 - 27 inch). One is a Mayones Regius, and the other is a Duvell. One is tuned to drop C, and the other is tuned to drop B. My biggest issue with lower tunings with regular scale guitar (25.5) was that I had to use overly thick strings (for higher string tension), and as a result, the action was never as I desired (lot of string buzz, you know what I mean). For the lower three strings, I prefer high tension (18-20 lbs), and for the high 3, around 16-18 lbs (regular). However, here comes a drawback of multiscale guitars. It's necessary to use custom string gauges to maintain playability. I also have a purely baritone guitar (27 inches), which is good, but even with custom gauges, soloing doesn't feel quite right. Multiscale guitars are not suitable for everyone and every style. And to answer your question: if you don't play more complex chords and playability, as well as thinner strings/high string tension, are important to you, then it's worth trying out a multiscale. In my opinion, a good multiscale design is effective when the parallel fret is in the 6th or 7th position. This way, with the statistically most played frets, the angle won't be disturbingly large. This has been my experience.
I just play the traditional style of guitar, have never played a multiscale. But if I ever have the chance, I'd definitely try one.
Spoiler: no theyre not they make total sense xD
As a bass player, I think multiscale makes a huge difference. 4 strings are fine without it, but 5 and 6 when tuning down to drop A (or lower) benefit a lot from it. Never really seen the reason to have it on guitar though
on guitar it can also be just a tiny bit nicer to have a balanced feel from the lowest to highest string, definitely recommend to have it for anything above 6 strings though
I think the point is that thicker string gauges sound different, so with multiscale you can use thinner low strings and still tune down with good string tension. And keep the normal feel for the higher strings, without getting really thin strings and risking them breaking. Of course you could just get those skinny top heavy bottom strings but they will sound different.
It's also supposed to be more ergonomical for that Polyphia style tapping during riffs but I don't play that stuff at all myself.
Personally I'm a metal guy but I never use them, I own a multiscale seven string but anything lower than a B just sounds unpleasant to me, not in a good way lol. So I can get by just fine on 25.5 and maaaybe 26.5. I never found it very hard to adjust to multiscale, but if I was paying Aritides type money I would want my exact preferred scale lenght for sure. Also wish they had more neck profile options because 19-20mm is still a bit thick for me.
Even polyphia/yvette young/00s influenced and modern math rock bands don’t/didn’t use fanned frets, it’s solely a prog/fusion/instrumental music thing
I personally love the Strandberg 6 string multiscale design. It's super subtle and similar to a normal guitar, but also makes it very easy to fit all four of my fretting fingers on the last four frets. Which on most straight fret guitars I cannot do. It also lets me achieve CGDAEB all fifths tuning when combined with custom strings (B4 is pretty much impossible to tune to without breaking otherwise). I could simply play a smaller scale length guitar but I have larger hands so anything shorter than 25" makes high fret playing really hard. However, on a multiscale that's not an issue.
I've never played a multiscale guitar. I recently bought the Ibanez qx model. It has angled frets (not multiscale) and I really find it comfortable with my playing. I would love to see you do a review on that sometime.
Dead on. The slant frets are amazing and actually make playing easier IMO. I almost always play Gibson scale due to very small hands. The QX52 feels like a shorter scale to me. Also, drop C with 10-46 strings feels great on it.
Great video!! Really appreciate you explaining these 🙌🏼 also that Gibson Easter egg 😂 It’s cool to see the other end of instruments evolving to fix known issues and weaknesses or go off into unexplored spaces. Seems fitting for the legendary players and luthiers who got some of us excited about the instrument to continue to explore these spaces. Also, I’m really curious what the general guitar scene is going to look like in 10 years and if there will be as much change as there’s ever been in its entire history in that time. Sure seems like the times they are a changin, and there are more ways then ever for people to get into it and play their way
Ahaha, I just noticed it now
own a bunch of 6 and 7 string Strandbergs. Whenever I switch from my straight fret 6 guitars, over to playing my multiscale 6 strandberg, it just feels sooo much more ergonomic, even though the 25-25.5 isn't that pronounced. This is noticable especially on the higher frets down the fretboard where the fanning starts to really kick in. On my 8 string 25.5-27 inch multiscale, I definitely notice I can reach chord shapes lower up the neck, that I have trouble hitting on a straight fret baritone.
For my one band euphoric defilement I don’t own one but I know it would help. We are a technical death metal band that tunes in C# standard. I love using thin strings because of the feel and timbre. With a 25.5 scale guitar I use 10-52 strings in C# standard. If the low strings had a longer scale maybe could use 10-46 in C# standard. The thinner strings have more crunch and clarity. Heck I would use a multi scale in normal E standard with a set of 8-38 to get more tension with thinner strings for more clarity on the low strings. The fans would probably help with sweep picking and what not. Not as far of a stretch and the normal scale on the high E would be great on the bridge pickup because it will sound rounder.
I love multi-scale guitars! I wish my floating trem 7-string Strandberg had a fan as pronounced as my fixed bridge 7-string Ormsby (25.5”-27.8”). I play all types of music. I agree some positions might be harder with multi-scale, but others are easier. In general, I think the difference in feel is very subtle and it is very easy to jump back and forth between the two types of guitars. For me, the theoretical advantages in tone, feel, and ergonomics just made sense, so I got sold. I now find them much better looking, and I have come to hate the look of straight frets in headless guitars.
I love it when aesthetic matches utility
Thanks for the interesting video. Multiscale guitars make sense when the scale of the low string is so large that the tension on the high strings will always be too high. A multiscale of 26-28'' is very appropriate.
I actually like the subtle fan of the Strandberg best compared to other brands.
Since I play in E standard, it's not like I'm benefitting from the extra tension that 25.5" gives me for the low E, but I find it pretty comfortable since I play pretty high up and the fanning arcs with my hand pretty naturally. The 25" feels right in terms of muscle memory and since I play with 11-48s, it's a welcome change when the high E is slightly slinkier but retains that thick string feel. I think the issue I have with the slightly longer/more drastic fans is that I end up sacrificing a lot of the first position playability, but that might be a technique thing. I play a lot of jazz, and math rock, and I find it the most comfortable over non-fanned guitars since I never really have to reposition the guitar from my default position to hit chords elsewhere. The second closest for me is the Kaizen - and I think it's because it's on the more subtle side of things too.
Ormsby is too much, on their standard GTR models is a two inch difference between the high string and low string (25.5"-27.5") which is way too much. Aristides is fine, but I can't get used to having the neutral fret be in a somewhat awkward place that sacrifices some root position chord playing ability for me for a 6 string. I certainly do find that having the neutral fret not being at 1 does have its benefits, but mostly for extended range guitars at the 7-8 strings. I've tried USA made Abasi 7 and 8s, and Strandberg 7 and 8s and those feel right to be the bigger and more dramatic fans - especially since if I do need to do chords, they're rarely in first position.
From my perspective, the main reason to use a multi-scale design is when you're dealing with extended range guitars. 7-strings kinda, but DEFINITELY 8-strings and above. I would argue that a multiscale is almost required for a comfortable 8-string experience. This is because of the wild difference in tunings and string gauges between the lowest and highest strings. If you attempt to have an 8-string guitar with a scale length less than 27" (straight scale), you end up with a VERY loose and floppy low 8th string. So, the scale length needs to be long enough to compensate. But then you end up with an exceedingly tight and borderline-unbendable high 1st string.
Hence, multi-scale. An ideal situation for me is a 25.5"-27" multi-scale, or a 26.5"-28" multi-scale (bonus point if the neutral fret is the 7th). For my hands, at least, having a fan that is 1.5" at most is much more comfortable. I would personally prefer the latter option, because the longer scale length (combined with the beefy strings) will make down-tuning much easier. If your scale length is shorter, you can go lower, but you've gotta up your string gauge even more, which could run the risk of needing to file the nut (and I try to avoid permanent guitar modifications if possible).
Personally, I play in drop tunings a lot, and I enjoy playing metal. And a multi-scale 8-string works quite well in that context. You don't need a multi-scale to go low at all (my main guitar is a straight-scale baritone that I just downtune to hell), but it becomes very important when dealing with more than 7 strings.
I play a Strandberg Boden NX 8 with a 26.5" - 28" scale length tuned to double drop D for metal stuff and I tune the seventh string down to G1 as well for jazz stuff so I can try to do some Charlie Hunter-esque things. While I didn't have many problems with playing a straight 27" scale 8-string with the same tuning, the Strandberg scale just works so much better for my very specific tuning. It lets me keep that ridiculous D1 in tune and has been one of the most freeing experiences I've felt in a while.
As a bass player i do, this doesn’t apply to guitars so take it with a grain of salt but when dealing with basses especially 5-7 string bass you NEED to have a longer scale length (35+ inches imo) to really get a good B string however high strings like G C and F strings don’t require that or sometimes even do better with a shorter scale especially for soloing across a big neck like on a bass
I am a big fan of multiscale guitars, having both 7 and 8 string 25.5" - 27" Schecters. I would very much like to have a 6 string 24.75" - 25.5" 6 string, as I think it would give the best of both worlds for me. I like the better bending ability on the higher strings that 24.75 gives, but I also like the tightness on the low strings I get on 25.5.
I've tried using lighter strings on my 25.5 guitars, but they don't sound as good - anything lower than 10 gauge sounds incredibly thin. In comparison, I like 9 gauge on my 24.75 guitars. For the above reasons, I end up tuning my 24.75 guitars to E or Drop D, and my 25.5 guitars to D or Drop C. On my 7 and 8 strings, I tune down a whole step. On a 24.75 - 25.5, I'd tune to Standard or Drop D.
In my experience, multiscale guitars are more ergonomic in many cases, but as mentioned in the video a lot of that is dependent on where the neutral fret is located and how extreme the multiscale is. On my Schecters, for example, I think the neutral fret is too far forward and makes the fan on the first fret too steep, making barre chords on the fret harder than a normal guitar. Right now I have to twist my wrist backwards to match the fan; I would have moved the center fret up slightly to make the first fret straighter. This would make the fan better follow my natural wrist angle. Another tweak would be to move the volute back slightly, but that has nothing to do with the frets.
Where multiscales really shine in my experience is on the higher frets where you hand is naturally tilted tilted on a regular guitar; for me this is somewhere around the 10th fret. On a regular guitar, I have to intentionally keep my hand parallel with the frets, but on a multiscale the frets stay parallel with my hand and it just feels better.
I don't know how this would translate to more complex chord shapes. I'm an intermediate player at best and the chords shown in the video make my fingers hurt just looking at them. All I can say is that a multiscale is more ergonomic for me personally. YMMV.
Great insight! Thanks for including. I do have to also realize a lot of people don’t care about 9th and 13 chords 😂
Very interesting video. I am the perfect candidate for the Aristides fan fret dimension (I don't have one). I play super fast death metal in Drop A (AEADGB). I get a regular D'addario pack of 9s, I ditch the E string and get a single pack for the low A. I don't play weird jazz chords and play A LOT of tremolo picking over 240 BPM. On regular 25.5, I need my low A to be at least a .65 and ideally a .70. Otherwise, when I trem-pick, it quickly gets out of hand and becomes wobbly and I start missing notes. My highest string being a B, at 25 the tension would be perfect. At 26.1 I could reduce the thickness of my low A, which really sounds great to me because trem-picking a thick .70 string isn't very pleasant. I could probably get a .60 low A. All of this is an educated theory since I down own an Aristides (been contemplating buying one). I just feel it's very expensive to see if it's a good fit. I'll try one at NAMM this year and see. I could report back if my theory holds up.
It’s just a personal thing, I find the fan much more comfortable for my hand when I play my schecter silver mountain C-8, going from 25.5-27 and I’ve always loved how it fit my hands and I’ve wanted a 7 and 6 multi scale for a while now. But I will say that the multi scale type where it angles from one point (whether it’s at the bridge or the nut, like the dean multiscales) instead of angles from both points is dumb imo, because in that case you could see the side dots but have your finger on a totally different fret, but that’s my take🤷♂️
I have a 6 string Strandberg guitar and I love it for its effortless playing. The subtle fanning is no problem at all for me. 😊
I’m also interested in a Aristides headless, but the fact of having no opportunity to try one and the fanning being more aggressive makes me nervous of placing my order… 🤔
I've been playing guitar for 35+ years and absolutely love headless guitars. Used to own a Steinberger GL2T. I was taught at a young age classical style technique (thumb not wrapped around neck, fretting fingers not slanted towards the bridge, etc). So, when I tried my first multi-scale guitar (Strandberg) I was tripping over my own fingers. I only played it for about 10 minutes though. I actually emailed Aristides about their H/06 and asked if its possible to get it with standard frets, but was told multi-scale was the only option. Its too bad they don't offer that option because I would have bought one in a heartbeat. Maybe I just need to get used to it more. I'm obviously in the minority though...it was very difficult for me to play.
I’m a traditional guitarist and the Strandberg NX6 classic is totally on my guitar bucket list, I’m really curious about their neck shape and the slightly fanned frets
I like my strats and I was using a MIM 2017 Roadster Deluxe, but I recently purchased that exact guitar in Malta blue. I wanted a Kiesel instead, but tax imports would screw what I wanted, so I went with the Stradberg instead as I could buy locally. Here's my take and I hope it helps:
1. The Strandberg is amazingly light in comparison, which makes everything easier/better/ergonomic- I pick it up more than the strat.
2. It took me roughly ~1 week of practice to get used to the fanned frets and now I feel indifferent, about them, but when I go back to my MIM strat, my eye's starting playing tricks on me as the go kinda fuzzy when I look down at my frets lol I rarely touch the MIM strat now.
3. The endura neck is okay. It's not bad, nor is it great. I'd personally prefer a normal neck and for the current Strandbergs to be slightly slimmer at the bottom end.
4. The MIM Fenders pickups have a more 'straty' tone than these Suhr pickups, though the Suhrs have a higher output on the single coils. The Thonbucker is okay.
6. It holds great tuning stability and I haven't broken a sting yet (Elixers), compared to one every other week on my Fender.
Now, the quality control is what I'm highly disappointed at, and I expected more for the £2200.00 price tag. It has corrosion within the trem arm holder. One of the luminlay dots has been put on squint. The fret ends are not as smooth as a £100.00 guitar I have. Fret buzz and bend chokes straight out of the bag/box. Some corrosion on the Thorrnbucker. Fingers sometimes hit the sharp metal string holder at the bottom end (below fret 0). A lot of imperfections.
In summary. I love the Strandberg NX 6 Classic, but it's not worth the full price IMO. If you can get one of the RESQD guitars at a cheaper price in HSS and a tremelo, then I'd go for that instead, unless you get a nice deal :)
I picked up a Strandberg Standard NX but ended up returning it, as I simply couldn’t get used to the EndurNeck. Moreover, coming from scalloped fretboards, the medium frets on the Strandberg were simply to small for me to feel comfortable. The fanned frets weren’t an issue to me… but didn’t bring any benefits that I noticed. A regular neck shape with straight jumbo frets would have been preferable to me… and would have made me keep it.
My main guitar is a 9 string with a 28-30inch scale. Tuned to DADGCFADe. I love to play fingerstyle. Antoine Dufour, Andy McKee, Michael Hedges, Charlie Hunter, Javier Reyes, and Jose Macario are my favorites and most influential players for me.
What I love about the multiscale is that I can slap on a 95 gauge string for D1 at 30 and get it to sound really beefy like a bass but with enough definition to sound like a guitar. I love trying to play Bass and Guitar at the same time (no where near as good as Charlie) and the multiscale helps the tension of the strings feel good to my fingers.
I should return to my first guitar. Rubber bands on an empty tissue box. No frets to fret about.
My experience and opinion:
I play metal and prog. My main setups are a Boden Original 6 in B standard (11-56 strings), and a Charvel DK24 in E standard (8-38 strings). 25.5” scale length intonates just fine all the way down to A. G is pushing it, though. String gauge is definitely the main factor in this range.
Compared to the super Strat, the Strandberg’s multi-scale is kind of negligible, unless you’re playing a lot of barre chords above the 12th fret.
I think you can live without multi-scale on 6 strings. Diminishing returns. There are definitely more important factors when choosing an instrument. It all boils down to preference, though.
Answer 1: No, I do not find a multi-scale guitar useful (or helpful). Of course after playing standard guitars for 50 plus years and switching to fanned frets (Stranderg) it feels weird at the higher frets. Answer 2. Yes, I purchased a Strandberg in the past six months. And, I have nerve damage in my left hand soI can't feel the strings. I have to rely on my eyes to help me play but I can't see the fret markers at the top of the neck with fanned frets. My conclusion: multi-scale 6-string guitars are not stupid. They're also not necessary. They may be appealing to some for valid reasons. To each his own. I would prefer my Strandberg not have fanned frets. As of today, the Tau is my daily driver.
Once I got a multiscale 7 string I wanted every guitar I own to be multiscale. It just feels completely natural to me in every aspect. I play in drop G with 25.5-27.5 scale length and I order custom string sets based on the tension measurements from a string tension calculator (76-9.5) and I've never been happier with how my guitar feels. However I also have a Jackson X series 7 string with a Floyd that is 26.5" scale and it feels great too as long as the string tension is properly accounted for with the gauge. I think as far as down tuning goes people just need to pay a lot more attention to their string gauge. I've yet to find a commercialy available set that passes the string tension calculator test which is why I custom order all my strings from Stringjoy now.
I built a 25-29" 7 string tuned GCFCFBbD, have gigged with it for years doing the Charlie Hunter counterpoint stuff in bands. Built an ergonomic, multiscale 6 string 25-25.5" for standard tuning a couple years ago and it's great for me - super comfortable, provides the playing experience of my Gibson and Fender lengths in one very comfortable guitar. I play mostly jazz, classical, blues and old time music, never been interested in playing metal. I personally think that most stringed instruments would be better with multiple scale lengths but the popular demand for traditional aesthetics tends to dictate what is produced by instrument makers.
This was a great thought provoking video. Nice done Andre! Here's my take...I personally do like 6 string multi scales. I have one Kiesel (25.5"-26.5") along with an OD Venus (25.5"-27"). Being more of a down tuned player myself its obviously beneficial to me having the increased string tension. IMO anything lower than drop B, a standard scale length isn't really ideal for intonation. Since I play a lot of drop A#/drop A tunings that leaves me with the options of either a straight scale baritone or a multi scale. Between the two, I favor the multi scale as that provides me the flexibility to setup that guitar for either dedicated low drop tunings or use for standard tuning with lighter strings that allow for playing comfortable leads. Where as if I did have say a 27"-28" baritone that would really only serve the purpose of drop tuning since the extra long scale would add so much tension and have frets much further apart not really ideal for leads. From this perspective I feel like this makes a single multi scale guitar capable of doing what otherwise would require two separate guitars. I do agree for sure there are "good and bad" multi scales where the extreme slant of the frets is detrimental to playability. In my experience, I haven't really encountered any drawbacks with these 6 string multi scales but I do see where it could be an issue for some people depending on their individual preferences. Once again great video! 😀
From what I've read, fan frets main purpose is supposedly to (I have not played them ever) even string tension without thinning the trebles or thickening the basses, while using standard string sets.
There are custom string sets that do the same in even scale guitars (and I did try one of those) but timbre becomes very uneven from one string to the next, specially among the wounded ones.
I got my first fan fret guitar when I got a Schecter 7 string. Feels amazing! Took over 20 years of playing a standard 6 string before finally getting that low B. I never felt any issues playing the 7 string either.
I don't remember the scale length of it. I never remember that stuff. But, because of how EASY it is for me to fret things on that 7 string, I really want to try a multi scale 6 string guitar just to see what it might feel like.
I've tried the Strandberg (sp?) and I didn't care for it. It's fine... but the high E string on the really high frets seemed to actually dig into my pinky a lot. Not a fan.
I could probably enjoy a multi-scale as I did enjoy the 27" scale length on my RG8 that I owned. The A and E strings felt better on it than on my other regular guitars and so maybe getting a multi-scale could feel great. That being said, I love old-school style guitars. I feel like I wouldn't be as inspired by a 4K$ Strandberg than a cheap used Classic Vibe tele...
I've been playing a Strandberg NX6 for the last 8 months or so, really motivated by the ergonomics of the instrument. I have carpal tunnel in both wrists, which drives me to avoid positions where my wrist isn't straight as well as extreme supination. I play with the instrument on my left leg, i.e. classical position, which I think is the optimal usage for the way that Strandberg has implemented their fanned frets.
The small (probably 10 degrees or so) fan at the higher frets translates into ten degrees less supination, which is the difference between "I can play this with no wrist tension" and "I'm aggravating my RSI if I play above the 20th fret." Obviously there are other things I could do-- for example, I could lift the instrument to nearly vertical like Slash-- but I do appreciate that the Strandberg's gentle fan means I don't have to resort to this.
Given that we usually play between the 3rd and 15th frets, the extreme case doesn't come up too often, but I believe that single-degree fan in that range does have a positive impact on my wrist health.
Before I answer the questions; scale length also changes the relative aperture of a given pickup. Meaning the same exact pickup will pick up a smaller portion of the whole string as the scale gets longer. A bigger scale length also gives opportunity for more tonal differences to be observed by pickup placement along the scale. Like Meshuggah practically sticking the pickup to the bridge on a 29" scale. Change in scale for the same exact string also affects the timbre of it. The longer a string gets, the more harmonics seem to be present in the sound overall, meaning shorter strings produce a more sin wave like rounded pure tone sound.
I personally have noticed this effect in that the guitars (also basses) I own or have tried out with longer scales have more shrill sounding higher strings. Probably a good thing if you want to do demonic sounding dissonance, piercing scrapes etc. But the sweet solos on that neck pickup don't sound so sweet anymore. The differences between the top and bottom strings also get more exaggerated the more number of strings you have, or rather, the gauge difference between your top and bottom string regardless of number of strings.
These points apart from those you already mentioned, the biggest factor for me personally being preferred string gauge for the playing feel of the string diameter and the preferred string tension.
Now to answer your questions:
Yes I find multiscale guitars useful. Because they are more versatile instruments for what I normally do. I own a 25.5 to 27 inch 7 string, have played 26 to 28 inch 8 string and kinda similar spreads (Omen Elite, Ibanez MS, Jackson, Harley Benton, Cort KX. (Have not tried Ormsby, Strandberg, Aristedes, GOC, Kiesel.)
1. Neither the 7 nor 8 string multiscale made much difference to my ergonomics, except that the 24th fret bottom string now is even harder to play, therefore thall is more difficult. However, I cannot play it on my straight scale 28" schecter demon 8 either. Some things are harder to play and some are easier.
2. I tune the 7 to drop F# and the 8 is EAEADGBE. My style is probably best described as metalcore.
3. My biggest perceived advantage is that I don't have to sacrifice the tension - diameter ratio for the bottom strings for the sweet sound on the top strings. Meaning I don't have to get super heavy bottom strings for the low F# and E while the leads on the neck pickup sound great and bends feel good. The only disadvantage is not so easy changing of parts but that's not a disadvantage to playing, but to the curious part of my brain which just wants to swap things out to test differences. I am not selling my straight scales because I have multis but if I can carry only 1 guitar to somewhere, it's not gonna be one of the straight ones.
I thought that they make it easier to stretch for certain shapes? How does it feel to play barre chords on them?
I mention it in the video, sometimes easier
@@andrefludd ah, thanks, I was out and about, so I haven't had the chance to watch it yet.
I decided to appease my curiosity by getting a Harley Benton R-458 multiscale. Focusing only on the high E to low E strings, the scale is 25.5 - 26.75 inches. The 9th fret is the straight fret.
Just noodling with it and doing the chords from Nirvana's "Lounge Act", I definitely will pay extra for multiscale if I can get it.
I think the straight fret being lower than the 9th may be even better for me.
I have 2 multiscale, one of them is an 8 string tuned E A D G C F A D and the other is a 6 tuned in A standard an octave lower. And i'm very happy with it. Killer tones for days.
My answer: No, and they make perfect sense for the right person.
For me, I prefer more tension on the lower strings for alternate picking. I also play most of the time with the thumb at the top or over the neck, unless I'm stretching for diminished licks/arpeggios/etc. Comparing an EBMM Majesty vs. a Strandberg, for instance. It's an astronomical difference. The trade-off would be that the traditional 20" radius guitar with a thinner neck and no multiscale might be more comfortable with more complex chord voicings - while the Strandberg, if you have an eclectic mixture of styles, can be more comfortable. In the case of a meatier neck, such as a Strandberg, it also allows for a 20" radius or similar to be much more comfortable while bending a lot.
The thick or thin neck is independent of multiscale, but in the case of some guitars they coincide, which works well for me. In short, multiscale + meaty neck + flat radius is great and way more comfortable for me. My 2 cents. Great video!
I have a custom $4400 standard scale 6 string guitar hand made by a well known luthier. One day while practicing my diminished set of techniques from 1st fret and going up the neck I noticed that at the 13th fret it began to sound incorrect. I own several standard scale 6 string guitars and found they all had a similar timbre and pitch issue to one degree or another. Only my 7 string multi-scale guitar sounded correct. I don't own a 6 string multi-scale but I believe that it would not exhibit the same issues as the standard scale guitars.
I picked up an ormsby on a great deal with the intention of flipping it for a small profit. Having played it…I won’t be selling. Multiscale is insane for rhythm playing. Now I just have to sell some other stuff hehe
I find my Ormsby Goliath 7 so very useful. I am tuning mainly to A/Drop G currently, but have gone to G and drop F# just to try. It's much tighter on the bass strings, giving me much closer to the sound for the music I play than any other guitar has given me. It's 27.8" on the low A. The Tension is so nice too. I find myself doing a lot more vibrato now because of it vs my normal 26.5" guitars
So I had two six string ormsbys and while I loved the look and fit and finish, I had to sell them due to fanned frets. The fan is a so extreme on them, lit literally made playing them painful. On the other hand I do love Strandbergs fan. It is super gentle and the straight fret is #1 and fan progresses towards 24th. That format is super comfortable when I sit or stand and play the guitar. I am not a shredder by any stretch
I bought my first multiscale back in 2007, from a luthier in Las Vegas called B&V Woodworks. It was directly using the Novax fanned fret design, which is pretty darn fanned. That was the first time I had ever seen one, and the design of the guitar was beautiful, so I bought one on the spot.
I keep it tuned to D standard, and I use Not Even Slinky gauges.
I absolutely love the *look* of a fanned fret guitar. It always draws comments and wows people. But I think the ergonomics of fanned frets have become less exciting to me over the years. At the time, it was totally novel, and I just wanted a beautiful looking custom guitar that stood out. When the luthier explained what the frets were supposed to do, that was good enough for me, and I went home happy.
But over the years, I've noticed many of the same things you've mentioned: F13 is out...any kind of add9 bar chord below the 7th fret is out....not even a chance for this beautiful maj7add13 voicing below the 5th fret:
E-3
B-5
G-4
D-7
A-3
E-X
That really sucks because I use those voicings liberally in my playing. and for what it's worth, I haven't bought another since then (although I am totally looking at a Strandberg).
I love the tone of that guitar, but I'd be hard pressed to say that it's the fanned frets that are making the difference. It's got split coil humbuckers that sound fantastic, and of course the strings and the tuning play a big part in that too. It's at it's best playing big, wide voiced chords that use open strings with small finger groupings in the chord voicings. But, even in saying that, it's admitting that I have to alter what and how I play to use it well.
The Strandberg looks much more subtle to me, which I think I would prefer over this.
So, if I'm being really honest, with the benefit of hindsight, for 6 strings I think I'm probably on team straight frets for ergonomics, and a subtle fan for the combination of aesthetics and ergo.
I've got a strandberg 6 string in drop c, I don't really notice the fan, although the shorter scale length on the high strings does help out my fingers a bit with long stretches.
It seems to me that fanning the frets at the Nut is counterproductive, but fanning them a little for the upper frets makes ergonomic sense, and has some sonic benefits based on "sting length."
It is my personal opinion, but I tend to think that multiscale guitars fit well for being very flexible with tunings. For example, if you have a 25.5" scale guitar (6- or 7-string), you can't really tune your lowest string lower than A, so your lowest tunings will be like drop G# or standard A. On the other hand, if you have a baritone (6 or 7 string), then if you want to play in a higher range (like standard E for a 6-string or standard B for a 7-string), your highest strings will be a bit too tense to play comfortably, even if they are 9. But if you have a multiscale, you solve all these issues: you can as low as drop E and have playable lowest strings or as high as standard E (for a 6-string) or standard B (for a 7-string) and have comfortable highest strings. Also, if you have an 8-string guitar and want to play in standard F#/drop E (where your 6 higher strings are in standard E), then a multiscale may be the most optimal option.
I own two headless guitars in my quest to find an ergonomic solution. The Grote which got featured before in this channel has straight frets (25.5" scale length) and an NK (Strandberg copy) with a 25.5 to 26.5" scale length. Both in standard tuning. The fanned frets are not a conscious decision but just came with the guitar. The NK feels a little different when I change guitars but I quickly adapt to it after a few minutes of playing. But I think this has more to do with the longer/more taut strings rather than the scale length. I have a GOC Materia trem model coming to replace the Grote (same body shape) which is a good enough guitar but some things are lacking, particularly the bridge which makes palm muting almost impossible.
in Brazil we don't have too many options for multiscale, extended range, or headless guitars. Tagima (a local brand) does all of those, mostly carbon copies of other brands. I have one of their six string multiscale that I think is really good, feels great to play and sounds good (could use a pickups upgrade though), but I can't even compare to other brands since I've never played them. I tune it Drop A, so I think it makes sense to be multiscale, but it doesn't have to be. My 8 string guitar is a Chinese one with no brand, with fixed scale length, and well, it is playable haha. I have a 7 string nylon guitar as well, and it works just fine without multiscale.
In general I feel the multiscale neck is very comfortable to play, feels very natural since the slant angles kind of follow the angle of the fretting hand as you move it through the neck. I find it a little hard to play riffs that incorporate natural harmonics though.
So I play a 33.25-37 inches 6 string bass and it makes a perfect sense for a Bass Guitar - I don't want to go back to straight scale. Most importantly it helps to fight the issue of misbalanced volume and response of the strings when you play a 5/6 string bass. It also helps playability a lot when you're dealing with such lengths. And I also play a 30 inches straight 8 string guitar. And I don't feel the need for multiscale here. In fact I tried multi scale guitars and I liked them much less and prefer my 30 inches straight 8 string. 30 inches is still a relatively short stringed instrument in general and it doesn't have the issues that you have with the low tuned basses for example. So in general: I think that multi scale is almost a necessity for 5/6 string basses and not really needed for guitars.
Thanks for the bass insights!
Ive never played one, but probably heading to Sweetwater this weekend to go shopping. I plan on looking and a strandberg so I guess I'll find out.
I loved the tone of my passive Dingwall 5-string bass but my hand could not handle stretches on the low B.
Last year I got two “baritone / bass vi” guitars (Ibanez SRC6MS 28.5”-30” and Harley Benton JA-Baritone 30”). Both are strung with 24-84 and tuned to D1 standard. I find the SRC way easier to play! A lot probably has to do with the thinness of the neck (my main guitars are Ibanez RGs with Wizard necks), because the JA’s neck could be used in a log sawing competition. But, the angles of playing are far more comfortable for me on the SRC.
I mostly play black metal and death metal. I’m starting to finally record with them. I’m somewhat doubling my D2 Standard tuned guitars on the “bass vi” guitars (with some changes to get rid of mud).
I’m favoring the JA for the “sub-octave guitar” recording right now because the SRC’s pickups just … don’t really feel as “guitar like” as I want. But, out of the two, I would FAR prefer to record with the SRC, if pickup sound wasn’t an issue.
Because the SRC’s multiscale is so comfortable for me to play, I want to get a multiscale guitar that I can tune to D2 standard. I’d probably go with 27”-25.5” or maybe a little shorter on both sides? 26.5”-25”?
I borrowed a friend’s 27” scale 7 string for a couple months and only played it the whole time and I just cannot wrap my head around more strings. 30 years of habit just didn’t want to die. So, just getting an 8 or 9 string to have both the D2 standard and then extended range down is right out for me. And, I’d like all my guitars to “play the same.”
I have my first actual bass coming later this week, a 34” scale 5 string. If I gel with bass, I will be getting a multiscale. I just couldn’t justify the premium fan fret instruments cost for an instrument I don’t even know if I will enjoy playing.
But, basically, I’d like all my guitars to “play the same” so I have a mostly uniform experience between them. And, I find multiscale much more comfortable. So, I’ll probably be slowly “replacing” my main instruments with multiscale ones.
I have two guitars - a 25.5" 6-string (tuned to E Standard) and a 25.5-27" 7-String (tuned to Drop G)
First thing to say here: I mostly play heavy music (yeah, metalcore), but at the same time I use a lot of extended (I hope it's the right term) chords, either with clean sound, or arpeggios with distortion.
I didn't even notice the switch when I just got my multiscale. I know it doesn't work like this for everyone, but it literally took me like 5 minutes to adapt. That said, I just chugged the hell out of it for first week or so.
When I moved to chords - well, exactly as you said, they are harder to play, especially when you play them closer to the nut.
But other than that - no issues (for me, at least).
It's also great to have longer scale since I prefer thin strings (9-40 on my 6-String), and longer scale lets me use thinner strings while getting same tension.
So, that being said: I don't think it's for everyone, but it makes sense (imo). If you don't play lots of chords, you chug AND play leads in, like, same song, multiscale will most likely be a plus.
[ And this is the point where I say that with my love for Floyd Rose and extended chords I don't think I'll get any more multiscale guitars in long time. They are nice, but it really depends on what you want to play. ]
My 8 string is a 27-25.5 multiscale. This is incredibly useful because i tune an octave below standard on the bottom, but my top 6 strings are still in D standard. This lets me achieve a tight feel for the low strings and a slinky feel for the high strings. An 8 string is also a case where the fan is incredibly ergonomic (to me). Slanting my hands across the giant fretboard is much easier than trying to keep a straight wrist. The ergonomic benefits disappear for me on a 6. Also the tuning benefits. I’m with you on this one.
I have 3 multiscale guitars. A 6 String (25,5-27") a 7-string with the same fan and an 8-String with a 26,5-28" fan. I would say for me personally ...it does make sense for the 6 and the 8 String. I love my sixstring on drop B. Just to have a low 6 string guitar with a kind of normal feel on the higher strings. Also the Low B does not has to be super thick though the 27". I do not play crazy chords on that guitar. Something like the Refrainlike Chords from I, the creator by monuments are the maximum (I know it is on 7 string originally). For me what i don't need is the fan on a 7 string. Just a regular 26,5" oder 26" would do the job in Drop A for me. It does not feel to weird and is fine and not flubby on the low A. For the 8 string on the other hand ... I would never go with a non-multiscale.
I mostly play an 8 in standard tuning and for ERGs I think it's pretty essential. My first 8 had a 28" straight scale and bending or fretting on the high strings was pretty rough. I also have a 7 multi scale in a ridiculous open tuning (G#-E-G#-B-F#-G#-Eb) and it feels great.
My opinion is everyone has their isms and preferences when playing. For me if its a 6 string and if you’re downtuning that much then i would go baritone. If you’re in standard or even drop down a step multi scale at that point is pointless. When it comes to 7 and 8 strings multi scale is more ideal and definitely helps with string tension, more helpful for the higher strings. Hope it makes sense at work and had to get my thoughts out quickly 😅
I agree with you completely
I find the standard Strandberg 8 string multi scale very fitting for standard 8 string tuning as well as tuned down half a step (Meshuggah tuning for instance) with the Strandberg signature Daddario 8 string set. String tension and intonation work well for these combinations in my opinion.
I was under the impression that Strandberg has multiscale for equal string tension (as well as a custom string set) rather than for a specific tone. hence that subtle fan, cause it's not about fan (?)
I have a Kiesel Zeus 7 string that’s 25.5-27 and it’s my first and only fan fret guitar. I got it because I didn’t like how my 25.5 7 string felt when I down tuned it. I have the Kiesel tuned to drop A or Drop G (i change it back and forth). The advantages I find are that the low strings just feel and sound better with the tunings and I can get away with having a lighter gage string. I also have 3 baritone guitars with traditional frets, one in 27, 28& 5/8, and 30. I just like longer scale lengths for lower strings when I am tuning low (lower than drop B or C standard)
My "comfort" guitar is a Strandberg Salen Jazz (six string). It sounds great, feels great, and has fanned frets. I do not find the fanned frets useful. In fact, they make some pretty basic chords (Dm7 on 10th fret, for example), more cumbersome because they require a wrist angle that's less comfortable than the same chord / position on a straight-fret guitar. Additionally, if I'm switching back and forth between this and other guitars, I end up with a lot of accidental fret noise on the Strandberg because my fingers don't intuitively find the correct angle, relative to my straight-fret, more traditional jazz guitars.
For straight solo playing, I don't notice the fanned frets, but chords are a different matter. Everything becomes slightly more annoying as you go further up the neck.
That said, it is probably the guitar I reach for most often because it is light and compact. In terms of how the Strandberg playing position is ergonomic, I would say that it is, but that has only to do with the heel shape, the body shape, and jack placement. The fanned frets are a needless complication on an otherwise fantastic instrument. And yes, the neck is weirdly perfect.
And I just realized that I would describe the sound improvement of multiscale vs single-scale as grand piano(ish) vs standard or upright piano.
I like Multiscale 6 String guitars to function between a standart and a baritone guitar.
I have one tuned to Drop C and I can have a massive string gauge difference between the thinnest and thickest strings. So the low string is very thight and the high strings are still easy to bend
So I've been playing for quite some time, 20+ years or so. I've tried all kinds of stuff and went through the strandberg phase a few years back. Had a 6 and a 7. At the end of the day I ditched both and see no reason for a multiscale. My current 7 strng is a step and a half down with a 26.5 scale, 9-46 plus a 74 so I can drop the low string. I have no issues. I have an old jackson soloist pro from japan that's set up with 11-56 in C standard; again, no issues. My problem with the multiscale is it didn't necessarily give me any benefits, and the fan on the 6 string strandberg really screwed up the upper fret region of the guitar for me. I just found it made things more difficult, because the fan is super exaggerated in the upper register
If you look at a majority of the big name players, people are rarely playing multiscale guitars, 6/7/8, all the big names are playing straight scale guitars, makes you wonder if it is just marketing hype after all
I got the RC One 7 string. Gonna learn some Strapping Young Lad GCGCGCE tuning probably hold up perfect for that. They should make a 24.75 - 25.5 I think that would be cool
I like my 25.5 - 27 inch 7 string for drop A chuggs while keeping a Standard E tuning for all fusion/jazz playing on the high strings without having to rethink where the notes are.
I'm looking for a multiscale headless 6 string for d standard/drop c because I want the extended scale length to be able to play lower with thinner gauge strings (e.g. standard 10-46) to keep the bright tambre of a long, thin string and avoid too much moving mass making muting less precise. The last reason makes me play 9-59 on my 7 string although I would prefer to have more tension on the low string like a 65 or 70.
So yeah I'm looking for multiscale guitars coming from a requirement list, that could be fulfilled by a baritone, but if I can have Nirmal tension on my high strings without having to mix string sets, I'll choose that.
Btw I never felt major differences in the ergonomics, if the straight fret is the 5th or lower
A year ago I bought an SX series ormsby it has a crazy 25.5-27.5 multiscale on a 6 string , and I stopped noticing the multiscale very soon (I have an 8 string 25.5-27 guitar as well so probably it helped a lot). Now when I pick up a normal fretted guitars after playing only multiscale for a long time, they seem reverse fann-fretted to me.
What I like is that I can tune it way down without buying some funky thick string sets and have the string tension that I am used to. Yes I could buy a baritone (although I couldn't find one that I liked at this price point) but I like the shorter fret spacing on the treble side and the lower tension too. Tbh I bought the guitar because of the looks and the great 24 fret access because it has 29 of them. I didn't really care if it was multiscale or not.
i personally haven't had any issues with downtuning on a 25.5 inch scale. but, to be fair, i only tune down one full step to D standard, and occasionally drop C. and i find the straight frets to be more comfortable for my finger structure. any HEAVY downtuning, i'll just use a pitch shifter anyway, for ease of access between different tuning choices. I guess my opinion isn't going to be too helpful here, but i feel guitar companies these days are trying to put out as many different variants as they can to cater to the immense amount of different people's preferences in the world.
Last year I really got into fan fret guitars. I play on Nk's with 25.5-26.5 fan with the 7th fret being the straight fret. I have them in both Dropped D and Dropped C and mostly play metal. What I like most about multiscale is the tension with regular string sets. I really don't like going up in string gauge to compensate for lower tuning. You fail to mention that string gauge is also a preference. I hate having to go up in gauge to compensate for tuning. I don't really like the feel of thicker strings and they also change the tone especially on the lowest string.
I have an Ibanez RG7321 (7 string 25.5 scale), Charvel 475 (6 string 25.5 scale), Schecter KM7 MKIII (7 string 26.5 scale), Spector Euro 5 LX (5 string bass, 35 scale), ibanez EHB1505MS (5 string bass, 33 & 35 scale)
I really like multi-scale for bass guitars, and standard 25 5 for guitar (both 6 and 7 string).
I think the ergonomic angle people go for is based on Ichika's signature with Ibanez, it's not multiscale but it's slanted, which he claims is way more comfortable for what he does specifically. I don't have a multiscale, I exclusively play downtuned metal ("djent" I guess), primarily stuff like Periphery, Veil of Maya, Meshuggah. I can't say I'll be purchasing a multiscale FOR the multiscale any time soon, but I have always been super interested in trying it for many reasons. I personally always find that I can't get a goldilocks string gauge for drop C and drop B. As I go up in thickness, my 6th string feels too thin until suddenly it's way too thick, it just never feels right, and I think that's the problem that's being attacked by 6 string multiscale designs. Similarly, buying multiple string sets from d'addario or ernie ball to make perfect string gauge setup across all 6 strings is expensive and super annoying, so I just want to buy one set for my 6 string and call it a day (I tried stringjoy their strings wear out super fast and sound worse than d'addario NYXL's in my opinion). I just want to get an 11-52 set that feels tight on the low strings and a little bendy on the high strings, and I think 6 string multiscale can achieve that in theory.. I just don't have one to prove it :)
This is a really niche use case, but I recently got a Strandberg and find that math rock two-finger tapping on the right hand is about 10% easier since your middle finger and ring finger no longer have to be at the same y-axis position. Beyond that, I neither find it worse or better than straight frets, but Strandberg's fan is not aggressive at all so I don't know how I would feel about the more extreme stuff
I think its worth noting on the Periphery guitars - whilst its true that all 3 members of the band use straight fret guitars with 25.5 inches scale length, they don't use normal string sets. I think all of them have switched to using the progressive tension sets from Horizon Devices - a 10-58 set, makes the low string heavier than some 7th strings. So maybe that opens them up to being able to avoid the multiscale? Also probably worth noting that all of their guitars have budget models that would probably not be so easy to produce at lower prices if they were fan frets. That said, for anyone wanting to try the multiscale feel - start with a more common progressive tension set (9-46, 10-52 etc) - they can offer a similar feel on an instrument you already own.
As always, thanks for the great content!
I (basic metalhead) have an older model Schecter Diamond-series Omen 7 (26" scale across all). I keep it in B-standard with a set of 9 strings for the top six, but a 65-gauge string for the low-B. The 65 could almost be a thicker gauge. I've tried a 70-gauge once, long ago. With the 70, the tone was duller -- losing treble bite and it sounded more like a distorted bass instead of a guitar (less ideal for chugging). Therefore, I feel like I have no choice but to keep it in B-standard since I discovered a string gauge paradigm (the 65 being max) that functions so well for the time being. Bear with me:
For now I am happy playing a 7 string in B-standard although there are some situations in which Drop-A makes more sense (but I hate playing bass in a drop-tuning for some reason -- I digress). If I ever need Drop-A, I accept the floppiness of the string, but *Drop-A is when I would wish that I had a multiscale/fan-fretted instrument.* I could just up the string gauge, but like I said, I prefer the brighter tone of a lighter gauge, AND I like keeping my treble strings bendy-shred-friendly, otherwise why have a 7 string at all? I'd love to try a fan-fret to see if it makes my string gauge options a little less confined, but I'm a nobody blue-collar chugger with a tight rope of a budget.
I've kind of suprised when you said that the Aristides 26.1-25" design was too aggressive of a fan. I would say an Ormsby with 27.5-25.5" would definitely be aggressive, but the Aristides has barely half of a difference in scale lengths.
Yea it doesn’t look aggressive, but it does feel substantial to me
@andrefludd Yeah especially for six strings I understand not needing a large fan. For me it's not necessary at all; my main 6 is that same Mark Holcomb SE that you have
Just wanted to add to the discussion that since modelers and plugins are super popular now, there are digital options to low tunnings and they work amazingly. Current plugins like NDSP allow you to downtune preserving quite a good quality sound at least if you use it to downtune up to a whole tone. After that im not sure. It also saves time for those who play in different tunnings and have only 1 guitar and you dont have to worry about tension or string gauge. So as plugins get better and better I think the argument to have a multiscale gets weaker. As a traditional player, i hsve my Strandberg 6 in Eb and use plugins to downtune (at most until C), so i dont see a real benefit of having fan frets and id prefer to have just straight frets on all my guitar for a matter of consistency tbh. It only takes a few hrs to get use to a multiscale if you never have played one but i still feel a difference if i learn a song in the Strandberg and then go play it with straight frets.
I've got a strandberg boden prog nx6, scale length 25 - 25.5 . I really got the guitar because I had the money to throw at a nicer guitar and I liked the cut for the leg as I play seated most of the time. The multi-scale frets are, in my opinion/experience, pretty much inconsequential which I don't mind because my experience up to this point has been playing traditional guitars(mainly strats and tele's). In my current situation it's just a feature that I don't need, but doesn't detract from my experience when playing.
For me, i play an 8 string in dropped C with a low g and D0.
The multiscale feel of the neck with my TINY hands helps with ergo immensely. my wrist doesnt have to move in such weird places to play what i need.
I think there are ae lot more people who benefit from the ergo side of fanned frets than the video is giving credit.
While I agree with some points made in the video, I also think it's wrong to say "it's way harder to play this and that and those chords", because you are comparing it to a standard scale guitar, and not to the baritone counterpart.
Let's say you have a 26.5" Ibanez RGD, and you have a fanned fret guitar that has a 25.5-26.5" scale length. The latter is objectively easier to play chords on when compared to the RGD, while also maintaining the benefits of it.
Which song or performance of Charlie Hunter's was it that was played around 3:28 ? It was absolutely beautiful playing...
Edit: Found it. The song is "Indiana" off his album, Public Domain
That full video was from a premier guitar thing if you search it you can see the whole live video. Pretty amazing. He also talks about his style and such
I have an Ormsby 25.5 to 27.8 7 string tuned very low (low string is in or around Eb1), the long scale length is necessary for the tuning and the multi scale helps with not having to stretch fingers so much on the higher strings, a lot easier and more comfortable to play for me, there’s definitely some cons but it’s worth it, if I wanted a 6 string in a similar tuning I would also want it to be multiscale
I think that for the 6 string models it's an esthetic thing. There are obvious cases to be made for 7 or 8 strings having the feature, but I think that for 6 strings it's a brand/trend recognition thing. Hope that made sense.
It seems appealing at least for 7 strings etc. to have normal tension on the high strings. Not sure how much of an issue it would be really, but I have heard high strings tend to break a fair amount more often past standard 25.5 scale.. idk.
Got a Strandberg Sälen NX Tremolo last year (the research process actually led me to your channel!) and I adore the neck, but I didnt get it for the fanned frets. They’re just sorta… there? I’ve never minded it, it feels nicer in certain shapes and perhaps a bit trickier in others, but, like you said, it’s so subtle that it’s more of a curiosity than a feature.
I don't get it. If the fan is too big, it's a bad thing. If it's too subtle, it's a bad thing. So which one is it. For me this question (in the video title) is super simple. It's as simple as one person likes strat scales and the other likes les paul scales. And then there are people who like a hybrid of those or they just plain like the feel and ergonomics of a fan frets. Like why don't we all just buy strats and use lighter strings if we would otherwise prefer les pauls? Or we all buy les pauls and use thicker strings if we would otherwise use strats? Simple, because those would feel completely different. And that's why any fan fret design is as valid as any straight fret desing.
Two things missing in the video: tone and tremolo stiffness. This will take some context, so I'll describe my issues on a normal scale instrument. I play a hybrid set of springs on an Ibanez low edge tremolo from the '90s. The string set is basically 10's on the low end and 9's on the high end. For a 25.5" scale, this requires adding more springs and much more tension to make it rest at its natural flat with the body alignment.
The negatives are for the hybrid set are simple. The tremolo is incredibly stiff with this much tension. The higher gauge strings have more bass and thinner gauge strings have much less bass. A hybrid set means it's much harder to equalize the output level unless you compress the hell out of it. The compression means much less dynamics, so it's not a true fix for the issue.
The positives for the hybrid set are also simple. Bends on the high ends strings are much easier and the lower strings are much more stable no matter how aggressive you play them. It's far from perfect, but I prefer the positives despite the negatives.
A multi-scale neck would solve all of my issues with this guitar. I could use a higher uniform string gauge that's better equalized. The tremolo wouldn't require so much force to use. The lower strings would be much more stable no matter how aggressive I play them. The higher strings would play just the same as I'm used to.
I've a second guitar - hard tail, headless - that plays perfectly fine at E or E flat (or drop D on the low string) with 10's and stainless steel frets on a 25.5" scale. The steel frets are so much easier to bend, despite the higher gauge strings. Any tuning below D on the "E" string is, however, not stable with this gauge. The truss rod is, unfortunately, maxed. I couldn't use lower tunings with higher gauge strings if I wanted. While I can play aggressive music on it, this is more my rock/jazz/classical instrument. It's much better suited for more complex chords with it's compound radius neck (12-16"). It shreds just as nicely as it handles rhythm. I'd not prefer it with a multi-scale neck at all.
So, I can see the desire for a multi-scale neck but it heavily depends on your style of play, the type of frets, and bridge type.
(Side Note: Korn plays 7 string guitars now for a reason. Their tuning and style doesn't work well on a standard 6 string with no multi-scale. They broke so many headstocks when they played with 6 strings for a reason. )
I will never own or even enjoy playing a 7 string that isnt the full sized ormsby multiscale. I also would prefer it on 6 strings, but make exceptions for 25.5" standard scale guitars that I like, but would only play those in standard or half step down. I play everything. the multiscale is just more comfortable and I like the high tension I get with a set of standard 9 gauge strings; sweeping is more comfortable, chords are more comfortable. Ormsby multiscale follows the angle of your fingers all the way up and down the fretboard, it's perfect. no tradeoffs for me. except big jazzy chords, those can be more difficult if you have small hands, which I don't, but they can be awkward but not something you can't get used to
i have 3 fanned and the rest are regular! i don’t possess enough skill to worry about a string being a half inch longer. i like the way they looked and felt so i got em lol
I have a 26.5-25.5 multi scale tele that I put together. It’s not even a radical fan and it’s truly a beast but my biggest gripe is that I lose my natural feel for pinch harmonics while playing.
I just have never understood the need for fan frets for what I do. I play a variety of genres from trad jazz to Prog metal. I've never had an issue with 25 in scale guitars when tuned from standard to drop B. I normally play 11-49s and that works well for me and sometimes go up to 52s or 56s for the extra low stuff. Anything lower than that I go to my baritone. I should also note I don't have the biggest hands but I just can't be comfortable on shorter scale guitars in the upper register. 24.75 is just too small for my liking. The only reason I can see for someone needing fanned frets is they really want to play a short scale guitar on the higher strings but like down tuning but I wonder if now with things like Evertune bridges if that's really a necessity.