to quote ralph novax:
Why Fanned-Fret®?
The "fanning" of the frets results from manipulating the scale length of the bass side of the neck relative to the treble side: the fret spacing is wider for the long scale and closer for the short scale.
Looking inside a grand piano, or at a harp, we see that the string lengths vary with the pitches of the strings. But fretted instruments are traditionally constructed to a single scale length, negating the benefits of scale length relative to pitch. Since there are relatively few strings on most stringed instruments, compromises are made and string gauges are manipulated for workable results. Players, accustomed to the compromises of single scale-length construction, are often pleasantly surprised by the richness and clarity of Fanned-Fret® instruments. When the fanned-fret concept is applied to the six-string guitar, the resulting instrument has a "focused" sound - clear, articulate and balanced. Some players say "more in tune" or "more accurate."
One of the real advantages of the Fanned-Fret® concept lies in its application to instruments like the seven-string guitar, eight-string guitar, five-string bass, six-string bass, baritone guitar, and mandolin. The range of tunings and number of strings force compromises that make these instruments poor performers or even impractical when constructed with the traditional single scale-length. The fanned-fret concept addresses those problems and makes these intruments playable and practical.
Why is Scale Length Important?
Scale Length influences both the tonal quality of the notes produced and the tension of the string at a paticular pitch. The tonal effects of scale length are crucial to the final tone of the instrument. Woods, hardware, and electronics act as "filters" to string tone. They do not produce tone of their own and only modify input from the vibrating string. If paticular harmonics are very strong, or altogether absent, those characteristics will be present in the final tone of the instrument.
