Scalloped fretboard or no?

[Alicia Willis]

Hey guys !
so, I am attempting to learn how to do bends.
we have a fabulous Malmsteen strat with the scalloped freatboard which I know makes bends easier.

My husband suggests I try learning bends on his strat (the malmsteen) as opposed to mine (regular fretboard) because he thinks if I can hit the notes easier in the bend on the scalloped fretboard, it’ll help train my ear and then I will be able to adjust to my guitar.

what are you guys thoughts on this ?

I feel like what he’s saying makes perfect sense but I’m a bit worried my fingers might get used to putting in less effort for the bends...

 

[Adin Shepherd]

I have never used a scalloped fretboard so I have a question in turn. What about the scalloped fretboard makes bends easier?

As for your question, I would suggest using your guitar and jumping into the Introduction to Bending Strings lesson. Maybe stick with half and whole step bends initially then move onto the bigger bends.

 

[Alicia Willis]

I have never used a scalloped fretboard so I have a question in turn. What about the scalloped fretboard makes bends easier?

As for your question, I would suggest using your guitar and jumping into the Introduction to Bending Strings lesson. Maybe stick with half and whole step bends initially then move onto the bigger bends.

It takes Less effort to bend. Even just playing a single note, you only need to touch it every so lightly. The strings also glide effortlessly over the frets when bending.

 

[Ed Seith]

The thinking and the theory behind the scalloping is that when you bend on a standard fretboard, you're getting some wood friction in your fingers, as well. Mega-jumbo frets serve the same purpose as scalloping, without all that grinding and routing - they remove the possibility of wood-resistance under your fingers when you bend.

The DISadvantage of a scalloped fretboard (and mega-jumbo frets) is that if you're not careful, you can pull your notes and chords sharp unintentionally by simply pressing a little too hard - where the wood would normally stop you, there's only air.

Personally, I tend to think of scallops as more of a gimmick, but some players (like Yngwie) swear by them. If you have a lighter touch or heavier strings, they don't really do anything except feel different, for better or worse.

 

[TreSavedge]

Only scallops I deal with are seared and served with asparagus or green beans. My vote is no but just user preference.

 

[Firsty Lasty]

Imo go the direction which is more fun. Learning to hear bends is something which happens over time, so have fun during that time. A reasonable option is to use light strings and/or tune down. There's no reason for it to be painful to learn bends and vibrato.

edit- can't type on phone lol. I'm going to add one more thing while I'm here. The physical mechanics of bends is much easier to learn and perform than the mental game of hearing where you're bending to. Once you get some callouses and you get the hang of the "like turning a door knob" motion it gets super easy. I grabbed my guitar real quick to see what kinds of bends I have with my current setup. On the b string I can comfortably bend from the 7th fret up to the note of the 11th fret, and I can reach the note on the 12th fret if I really want to. On the g string I can easily bend from the 7th fret up to the note of the 13th fret, a "6 fret" bend.

 

[Alicia Willis]

The thinking and the theory behind the scalloping is that when you bend on a standard fretboard, you're getting some wood friction in your fingers, as well. Mega-jumbo frets serve the same purpose as scalloping, without all that grinding and routing - they remove the possibility of wood-resistance under your fingers when you bend.

The DISadvantage of a scalloped fretboard (and mega-jumbo frets) is that if you're not careful, you can pull your notes and chords sharp unintentionally by simply pressing a little too hard - where the wood would normally stop you, there's only air.

Personally, I tend to think of scallops as more of a gimmick, but some players (like Yngwie) swear by them. If you have a lighter touch or heavier strings, they don't really do anything except feel different, for better or worse.

Makes sense. The hubs has the Yngwie strat so I was trying it out. I found I was bending better but playing single notes sounded odd because I was pressing entirely too hard lol.

 

[Alicia Willis]

Imo go the direction which is more fun. Learning to hear bends is something which happens over time, so have fun during that time. A reasonable option is to use light strings and/or tune down. There's no reason for it to be painful to learn bends and vibrato.

edit- can't type on phone lol. I'm going to add one more thing while I'm here. The physical mechanics of bends is much easier to learn and perform than the mental game of hearing where you're bending to. Once you get some callouses and you get the hang of the "like turning a door knob" motion it gets super easy. I grabbed my guitar real quick to see what kinds of bends I have with my current setup. On the b string I can comfortably bend from the 7th fret up to the note of the 11th fret, and I can reach the note on the 12th fret if I really want to. On the g string I can easily bend from the 7th fret up to the note of the 13th fret, a "6 fret" bend.

Thanks for the feedback ! I currently use a lighter gage. I don’t necessarily have an issue with pain, it’s more like I feel like my fingers aren’t strong enough lol. Also, I’m finding I’m not hitting the target note because I’m afraid I’ll break a string if I bend to far lmao.