Who prefers 22 fret guitars?
- Thread starter Dumple Stilzkin
- Start date
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syndrone
You Must Listen To SYNDRONE
My custom Waghorn will have 31 frets and I will use them all. : )
Chokey Chicken
mouth breather
I like playing with octaves a lot. That is to say 12th or 24th fret pull off to open notes. (mostly on the lowest strings.) Another sorta practical application to 24 frets is that guitars frequently have trash access to the last two frets. (lots of exceptions but it's common.) having bad access to frets 23 and 24 is more desirable imo than bad access to 21 and 22.
surge
Well-Known Member
There was a time when I wouldn't even go near a 22 fret guitar, and wouldn't consider purchasing one at all, regardless of how nice it was. As time goes on though you become less hard headed, I think, and your playing style evolves and such, you get into different genres, explore what the music world in general has to offer...Now, today, I actually prefer to use 22 fret guitars for most things. The neck pickup tone, to me, sounds better. Just my personal opinion. I still have 24 fret guitars and use them quite a bit, and I do actually play on the top two frets, but for most things, I'd rather use a 22.
surge
Well-Known Member
I felt the same way back in the day, I was just disgusted by 21 fret Fenders...but honestly, if both Yngwie and Eric Johnson can figure out innovative ways to solo on 21 fret guitars, and just absolutely slay on them... then I'd say it's more of a "me" issue, and not really a problem with the guitar :
:I play more of a clean tone - so most Guitars will be warmer with the neck PU further from bridge .
I had a BC Rich long ago that was 24 fret but very warm sounding anyway.
Due to the 59 Duncan passive H-S-H config and Koa body. But I took a chance . I like warm tones and clear chords - I don't play screechy metal so I care more about the warmth - I am not above occasionally shredding but it's really clean and not LOUD lol and maybe more legato . Would you spend $2876.58 on a semi hollow Guitar and put the neck bucker at the 25th fret ?
Or the 22nd fret - I 'd prefer 20 frets or 21 on 25.5 inch scale but I play a different type of Music than most of you ....
Meh, neck pickup position doesn't matter a quarter as much as people tend to think it does. It makes a difference, but a couple mm this way or that is indeterminable. Just get whatever works for you.
Me, personally? My main guitars all have at least 25 frets. I like lots of frets. My main eight has a tone filter that sounds just like a nice neck pickup; 30 frets left no room for a neck pup. I have zero regrets.
Me, personally? My main guitars all have at least 25 frets. I like lots of frets. My main eight has a tone filter that sounds just like a nice neck pickup; 30 frets left no room for a neck pup. I have zero regrets.
Robslalaina
Well-Known Member
I like the sound of the neck pickup better on 22 fret guitars. I wouldn't say it's warmer but there's something happening in the mids that makes the sounds more alive and more full-bodied. Go figure. With that being said the sound you get on a Custom or CE24 is pretty convincing. Plus upper fret access is really good contrary to say, a Strat.
Stuck_in_a_dream
Well-Known Member
For single-coil neck pickup config, it's a must imho! For a shred machine with neck humbuckers, I feel the difference is not that noticeable compared w/ 24 frets. I have 2 HSS Warmoth guitars w/ 22 frets, one is an YJM Strat copy, and the other is a Soloist with Dimarzio Injector neck pickup. I just cannot reproduce or even approximate the neck single coil tones from these two using any other HH guitar I have. The SD Alnico II Pro comes the closest when split. My 2 cents.
Dumple Stilzkin
Pointy star bastard.
I play metal. But have been playing more clean than anything lately. Learning some Steely Dan songs. Some Rush. I recently bought a PRS hollow body with 22 frets and the 25” scale. I’m really enjoying it. The tone is fantastic.
ToneLab
Bedroom Playa
I'm preferring 22 frets these days because i get more fingerboard space on the higher frets. Especially since I like narrower nut width. Plus I never used those 2 frets anyway.
Most of the guitars I really like are 21 or 22 fretters from a pure spec and feel standpoint i.e. thicker neck etc. Finding a great 24 fret to the specs I prefer is much more difficult but I do need 24 frets ultimately.
Metal Mortician
Ninja Lurker
Personal preference, familiarity and comfort all play a role. It’s like the scale-length argument.
Just try as many configurations as you can. Tastes change over time, sure. At the end of the day, as long as your gear inspires you to play more and challenge yourself, there is no right or wrong.
Now to put off my playing to venture down the YouTube gear-review rabbit hole once again. Lol
Just try as many configurations as you can. Tastes change over time, sure. At the end of the day, as long as your gear inspires you to play more and challenge yourself, there is no right or wrong.
Now to put off my playing to venture down the YouTube gear-review rabbit hole once again. Lol
dspellman
Well-Known Member
What spacing are you referring to? A 22 and 24 fret board with the same scale each has identical fret spacing. That's a function of the scale, not the number of frets.
dspellman
Well-Known Member
I have a ton of each (22 and 24) -- I really don't find a difference in tone attributable to the number of frets. There are other factors, of course, but the number of frets isn't one of them.
spudmunkey
Well-Known Member
Pickup spacing, maybe?
I prefer 24 and always have and almost all my guitars are 24 fret aside from a couple that are 22 and 21.
Frostbite
Periphery Shill
I prefer 24 frets but my main 6 string is a Chapman ML1 Bea and I almost never find myself missing 24 frets if I'm honest. I have other guitars if I ever want to learn something that requires it but even then it's rare. I focus more on riffs then anything else these days
Twenty four (sorry, I'm an editor) frets are a must for me, and I mostly only play my own original songs, which almost always make use of the full 7 strings and 24 frets in some way. I can definitely dig what people are saying about the difference in neck pickup tone, but I'd much rather have the range and not need it, then feel like I need it and not have it than have the perfect butter neck pickup tone.
Forkface
Feast on this.
visually, i prefer 22 fret guitars. pickup placement looks better somehow. I also like the Tone of the neck pickup when its farther from the bridge.
that said, when i use my fenders (both 21 and 22 frets) every now and then i do find myself soloing all the way down and missing the last 2 frets. but honestly, its very rare.
a long time ago i was part of the 24 or bust gang. eventually i realized im nowhere near good enough a guitar player to justify it lmao.
that said, when i use my fenders (both 21 and 22 frets) every now and then i do find myself soloing all the way down and missing the last 2 frets. but honestly, its very rare.
a long time ago i was part of the 24 or bust gang. eventually i realized im nowhere near good enough a guitar player to justify it lmao.
