Fan Fretted Neck

[Bit-Crusherrr]

I'm thinkin' of modding my bass to have a fan fretted neck on the sheer fact it looks nuts, but can anyone tell me of it's sound and/or playing advantages/disadvantages?

Cheers

Connor

[metalmickey]

Hi Connor,

sorry mate, haven't had the pleasure of getting my greasy mits on one yet! But here's a link to a couple of player reviews for Dingwall basses.

Hope that helps, good luck with your mod! Post pics!

[metalmickey]

[url="http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Electric+Bass/brand/Dingwall"]http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews.../brand/Dingwall[/url]

*edit - bloody hell, my PC is going nuts*

Edited July 31, 2008 by metalmickey

[BigRedX]

Fan frets look much stranger from the front than from the playing position.

Took me about 10 seconds to adjust the first time I played a Dingwall bass.

Advantages are more even tension between strings and the fact that you can get 37" scale on the B string and 33" on the G.

Possible disadvantages if you play chords high up on the lower strings some may be awkward to finger.

[d-basser]

i love mine, feels very natural and gives far more balanced tension and therefore tone across the strings.

[bnt]

I'm interested in trying a couple out. The location of the "normal fret" is something to consider: on the Dingwalls it's the 7th fret, while I've seen a couple of custom jobs where it's the 12th fret, such as [url="http://buildingtheergonomicguitar.com/2008/07/fanned-fret-bass-guitar.html"]this[/url].

edit: I think I might prefer the Dingwall then, since it would mean less "tilt" at the low end, all other factors being equal - but on the other hand, I wonder about the effect of the right hand position on tone.

Edited July 31, 2008 by bnt

[Bit-Crusherrr]

Awesome, thanks guys, no idea when this'll be happening but hopefully soon!

Also, I've a quilted maple top on my bass, but I want to change the colour, should I sacrifice the finish or leave it as it is? Or can I even get the finish back?

[d-basser]

[quote name='bnt' post='252441' date='Jul 31 2008, 11:44 PM']I wonder about the effect of the right hand position on tone.[/quote]

to get a totally even tone you pretty much have to play diagonal, roughly following th line of the pickups. I have found thought playing straight down as you woul on a non fanned works well giving more bite to the G and C especially becoause you end up playing closer to the bridge.

[NancyJohnson]

Played a Dingwall in the US a couple of years ago out of curiousity more than anything else. It felt [b]very[/b] comfortable from the outset...I didn't feel that the fret system hindered really.

There's another luthier in the US who does these fanned fret hybrid guit-bass instruments...from memory they have a slightly extended scale length than a regular guitar (so maybe baritone length). The flagship model was an eight string...for your money you get three bass strings (one bass circuitry that can be routed through a bass amp) and five guitar strings. I'll be damned if I can remember the name of the company (I've got a link on my PC at home if anyone is interested).

P

[NancyJohnson]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='252488' date='Aug 1 2008, 08:56 AM']I'll be damned if I can remember the name of the company[/quote]

It's Novax Guitars

[url="http://www.novaxguitars.com/index.html"]Novax[/url]

P

[Mikey D]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='252490' date='Aug 1 2008, 08:58 AM']It's Novax Guitars

[url="http://www.novaxguitars.com/index.html"]Novax[/url]

P[/quote]

Or even better: [url="http://www.wlguitars.com"]Wes Lambe[/url] makes them, and for about a $1000 cheaper! Great instruments.

[Doddy]

If you do put a fanned fret neck on your bass,you will also need a new nut and bridge,otherwise the intonation will be all wrong.

[fullrangebass]

Getting used to a Dingwall takes only few min (max). I never realized that I keep the "fan" when I play, until I saw few videos of bands that I play with and paid attention to my left hand in relation to the bridge. It's very easy to adjust. Having owned 60+ high end basses at one time (even more basses if one counts the ones been sold) Dingwall basses come top of my book for ergonomics, playability and most important TONE

[NancyJohnson]

[quote name='Mikey D' post='252583' date='Aug 1 2008, 11:22 AM']Or even better: [url="http://www.wlguitars.com"]Wes Lambe[/url] makes them, and for about a $1000 cheaper! Great instruments.[/quote]

Cool, cheers for that link. I don't know which ones I like the look of more to be honest...maybe the Novax. I'll have a better look tonight! Haven't been able to find anything on the Novax site about tunings.

P

[Alastair]

[quote name='d-basser' post='252440' date='Jul 31 2008, 11:39 PM']i love mine, feels very natural and gives far more balanced tension and therefore tone across the strings.[/quote]

You can get even tension across strings on a normal bass by choosing the right gauges though.

Anyway, all this fanned fret business makes my head spin.

[bnt]

[quote name='Alastair' post='253160' date='Aug 2 2008, 09:53 AM']You can get even tension across strings on a normal bass by choosing the right gauges though.[/quote]
This was discussed in a different thread, which I can't find at the mo (search is down). Standard sets go down in tension on the lower strings, which you can see in the tension figures quoted by e.g. D'Addario on their sets. To get the tension (in pounds or newtons) on a low B the same as a High C, you'd have to use something like a 0.145" or 0.150" gauge = fat and woolly. My view is still that longer scale length is the way to go, if you want tension [i]and[/i] tone.

[Dr.Dave]

I can't remember the make of instrument but about 15 years ago I did a support thing for the Joe Louis Walker band and both the man himself and his bass player were using fan fretted instruments - at least for part of their set.

Course , I had to have a go and didn't find them any different from a playing point of view. The bass player gave me the blurb about why they were more accurate etc but I got the distinct impression they were both only playing them to fulfill the terms of some endorsment deal.

It was a very hi-fi bass , maybe that's the reason as it didn't really fit the retro blues sound the band was after. I remember thinking it was an interesting idea but I haven't had an op to try one since.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Alastair' post='253160' date='Aug 2 2008, 09:53 AM']Anyway, all this fanned fret business makes my head spin. [/quote]

You just need to try one.

As I said in my first post fan frets look more imposing out front. From the playing position, you stop noticing within seconds.

[SJA]

string bending must be odd, as when you bend a string its vibrating length will be changed depending on which way the frets are slanted, and which way you bend the string.

[d-basser]

[quote name='Alastair' post='253160' date='Aug 2 2008, 09:53 AM']You can get even tension across strings on a normal bass by choosing the right gauges though.

Anyway, all this fanned fret business makes my head spin. [/quote]

you in glasvegas...wanna try a Dingwall? It aint as hard to play with fanned frets as you think.

Edited August 2, 2008 by d-basser

[fullrangebass]

If the thought of a fanned fret bass makes your head spin, how about this?

[phil_the_bassist]

[quote name='fullrangebass' post='255077' date='Aug 5 2008, 09:19 AM']If the thought of a fanned fret bass makes your head spin, how about this?[/quote]


...woah


ok, so, which one are you donating to Phils Fan-Fretted Five-string Rehoming Project?

[fullrangebass]

Unfortunately, the 4str and 6strs felt discriminated and offended for not been offered a home as the 5strs have been, so the whole family kindly refused the proposal

[Galilee]

[quote name='fullrangebass' post='255077' date='Aug 5 2008, 09:19 AM']If the thought of a fanned fret bass makes your head spin, how about this?[/quote]

That carpet!

My eyes!

[fullrangebass]

[quote name='Galilee' post='255605' date='Aug 5 2008, 07:24 PM']That carpet!

My eyes!




[/quote]


I totally agree. It's the carpet that makes me dizzy and I see all things slanted!!!