Why aren't Multiscale guitars more Popular?

Guitar players are historically resistant to change. Acceptance of these sorts of innovations occurs through attrition.

 

how u gonna finger the e diminished chords (which is closer to a 1st inversion c triad in treble with a C# octave in the bass) in 'caravan' when the frets aren't lining up with your fingers??? slant barres could be interesting . . .

meaning, the main advantage of being able to use greater spreads in voicings seems complicated by the fanning going opposite the way my wrist would want to bend if it weren't perpendicular to the neck.


most of the folks i see playing multi-scale are either tappers, djenters, or downtuners

 

I don't know, but this was always my take on it- Most of the guys playing these guitars are probably using an open tuning and only using one finger most of the time. Playing jazz chords on that guitar is probably hard to do well. Powerchords can even be tricky.

 

We don’t need no innovation.
We don’t need no multi-scale.
No dark new features in the studio.
Luthier leave them kids alone...

 

Charlie Hunter has some seriously multi-scale guitars, custom built for him.
https://www.traugottguitars.com/blog/466
Here here is playing a blues on bass+guitar with a drummer...

 

He did scale noodlery around the 10th-12th-14th frets, where they are the most perpendicular to the neck. No chords.

 

This I don't think is so much true. Odd tunings, yes, but not so much open tunings for one-finger chords. Not so much cowboy chords, but a lot of single note lines and power chords.

 

My best friend, guitar mentor and producer of his own EPs, swears by fan fret guitars and basses. He has numerous ones of each. He'll be the first to point out that fan frets resolves the major flaw in traditional guitars. We can only intonate one string and then just a couple notes of the other strings, whereas every note can be intonated on a fan fret.

I play blues, so I am good with the inherent flaws.

 

i played a 5-string bass with fanned frets.
Just didn't feel right to me.

That was about six years ago.
The guy who owned it loves it to this day.

 

Yeah, not the best example of his playing. There was a really cool solo blues thing he did in a Sanborn Sessions video, but it's not up anymore. He did a cover of Marley's Natty Dread album many years back with a drummer and two horn players. He used a heavy tremolo in the higher strings to get more of an organ sound on this one:

 

i'm not sure i really see the point of a multi scale 6 string unless you're tuning down to B or A. but even then, a 25.5" can handle B ok with the right cable for the 6th string. me, i'm a scumbag, i tune my SG down to B and embrace the flop. but in general i think it makes more sense on 7, 8 string guitars.

 

Because there’s only so much BS many are willing to take. The bike industry falls into this trap too- we get “innovations” and “improvements” every year, and still average speeds in the pro tour races don’t change much. The guys who talk about bikes get excited, and the guys who ride them largely don’t give a damn.

Django Rheinhardt was 1000x better than I am and he had two freaking fingers, let alone fanned frets. You’ve got to remember to play the damned things once in a while... I’ll practice more, thank you.

 

That guitar looks like it got too close to a black hole.

The reason they aren't more popular? I think I'm open minded ... and that thing looks uncomfortable and needlessly challenging to play. Maybe that's the impression most players get looking at it.

 

There might be a few misconceptions out there, so let me dispel some of them. First, it is pretty easy to adapt because in Standard tuning, you bar just changes angle which for the most part is more ergonomic. My buddy is a shredder, but also with jazz guitar as his foundation. A top player compared to a hack like me, but his ear to tune is much more precise and the fan fret helps eliminate notes being more in tune. He is very particular and uses baratone guitars to fill in between guitar and bass.

 

Because they are Sick and Wrong.

*gazes sadly at three saddle bridge*

 

Solution in search of a problem?

 

Because it would take away from most of my nutty string bending tricks, esp multi-string and contrary motion.
I do alot. (no B or G Bender etc.).

I tap w bending sometimes too.
No-Go!


Resistance to it has nothing to do with not liking inventiveness and change!

.