's
Stratocaster A fretted fingerboard can be
scalloped by "scooping out" the wood between each of the frets to create a shallow "U" shape. The result is a playing surface wherein the players' fingers come into contact with the
strings only, and do not touch the fingerboard. The process of "scalloping" a fingerboard well, if done by hand, is tedious work, usually done by careful
filing of wood between the frets, and requires a large investment of time. Consequently, it is relatively expensive to have done. Generally, luthiers scallop fingerboards with a special milling machine that has 22 or 24 (according to neck dimensions and number of frets) wood cutting tools. This equipment saves time and adds precision to the process of scalloping the wood in the neck's radius the same in all fret spaces. Scalloped fingerboards are most commonly used by
shred guitarists, most notably
Ritchie Blackmore and
Yngwie Malmsteen, who have signature models developed with
Fender that include scalloped fingerboards. Ibanez JEM series guitars, designed and played by
Steve Vai, come standard with the last 4 frets scalloped. In 2008 Ibanez made available their
E-Gen model, a
Herman Li signature, which includes four scalloped frets (21st to 24th).
Karl Sanders of the death metal band
Nile also uses several guitars with scalloped fingerboards, including several
Deans, and KxK Guitars. In the 1970s, English guitarist
John McLaughlin played with
Shakti, along with Indian violinist
L. Shankar, using an acoustic guitar with a fully scalloped fretboard. He also used an electric guitar with a scalloped fretboard in studio and live performances from 1978 to 1979. McLaughlin explained that this feature increased the ease and range of string bends by eliminating friction between the finger and fretboard. The scalloped fretboard also facilitates the rapid, microtonal variation that is important in Indian music, as exemplified by classical Indian
Sitar music. Without scallops, the guitarist must play microtones by sliding the string sideways on the fret. Experimental luthier
Yuri Landman made an electric guitar for
John Schmersal of
Enon called the
Twister with a partial scalloped neck for only the thin strings (similar to small
playground slides). Some examples of lutes with scalloped fretboards include the
South Indian
veena and Vietnamized guitar (called
đàn ghi-ta,
lục huyền cầm, or
ghi-ta phím lõm). The Japanese multi-instrumentalist and
experimental musical instrument builder
Yuichi Onoue has also made a deeply scalloped electric guitar for Vietnamese microtonal playing techniques. Some types of scalloping are: •
Partial Scalloping, with some of the high frets scalloped for fast soloing. Popular examples include half scalloping (12th to the last fret, used by
Kiko Loureiro of
Megadeth, among others) or upper fret scalloping (19–24, 17–22, etc.), used by such guitarists as
Steve Vai. When done by hand, sometimes fretboards can be scalloped half below the D or G strings, as in the case for Turkish luthier Kenan Turgut. •
Full Scalloping, i.e., all frets from the first to the last are scalloped •
Extreme Scalloping scalloping has lateral intrusions in addition to the standard vertical hollows. The additional versatility in note control comes at the cost of substantially reduced rigidity of the neck. Note that filing away wood to scallop a fingerboard also affects
inlays—so intricately inlaid fingerboards are not usually good candidates for scalloping. Simple dot or block inlays survive the procedure moderately well.
Advantages and disadvantages The "scooped out" nature of scalloped fingerboards creates a number of changes in the way the guitar plays. Most obvious is that the fingertip only contacts the string, not the fingerboard itself, creating less
friction for
bends and
vibratos, which results in more overall control while playing. It also results in more weight-relief and less "neck-dive". However, one of the main disadvantages is that many players, especially new players, may find a scalloped fingerboard too different, and difficult to play easily, especially if the strings are of a lighter gauge or the player tends to press too hard. It takes practice to play in tune on a scalloped fingerboard. The player must first become accustomed to not actually touching the fingerboard. Playing a scalloped fingerboard requires a careful application of pressure: Too much pressure raises the pitch of the fretted note to a sharp note, as during a
bend, and too little pressure causes
fret buzz. As a result, most guitar players use a traditional fingerboard on their instruments. == Scoop of fretless bowed-string fingerboards ==