Anyone play slanted frets?

[Halbert]

I'm curious to hear some opinions on the playability and feel of slanted frets.

[collin]

According to John Hall, most people will sit down and play a SF guitar perfectly and not realize it has SF until it's pointed
out to them....and then they suddenly can't play it anymore.


I've never touched one though.

[fabandgear]

My Brother used to say that his ULTIMATE Rickenbacker would be a 12 string, slanted fret, light show, 6/12 convertable in Jetglo!

[collin]

My Brother used to say that his ULTIMATE Rickenbacker would be a 12 string, slanted fret, light show, 6/12 convertable in Jetglo!

Sounds like McGuinn's was the only one to come close (except
for the converter which is impossible with a LS anyways..)

[Halbert]

According to John Hall, most people will sit down and play a SF guitar perfectly and not realize it has SF until it's pointed
out to them....and then they suddenly can't play it anymore.


I've never touched one though.

I can almost see that. I do find it a little hard to imagine not realizing the frets were slanted. With the pickups being slanted, one would think it would be a little hard not to notice.

[jimk]

I never even heard of slanted fret guitars until I discovered Rickenbackers. I've never seen one up close and personal, so it's rather difficult for me to imagine there would be any advantage.
JimK

[jps]

I have a book with a photo of a Fender Marauder with what looks like slanted frets.

[melibreits]

My 481 slant-fret is very comfortable to play.... I really like the slender neck, and the slanted frets feel very natural to me. And this guitar absolutely rocks!

[Halbert]

My 481 slant-fret is very comfortable to play.... I really like the slender neck, and the slanted frets feel very natural to me. And this guitar absolutely rocks!

481_2.jpg

Hi Melissa.That is a slant fret modle? A very hansom guitar, to be sure. Is that a BB? I guess I can see after all how someone might not realize it at first. Maybe its just the angle...
I would like to try one out though.

[melibreits]

It is indeed a slant-fret model, as all 481's were. It was originally jetglo, but I sent it to Paul Wilczynski about four years ago for a refin in my own special shade of Blueburst. I've been looking through my picture files for a good one of the headstock that I took a few months ago, but until I find the one I'm looking for, this one will have to do.... you can see how the nut is slanted, and the frets are all parallel to that.

481_headstock_forum.JPG (8.64 KiB) Viewed 2207 times

[melibreits]

Here's the picture I was looking for....

I guess it's still kind of hard to see the slant, but will try to get a picture of the headstock, nut, and a few frets tomorrow if I have time.

[whojamfan]

A shop I worked at in the mid 90s got a slant fret in on trade-it made me seasick to look at it. I noticed immediately that the whole thing was slanted, and playing was something of a chore only because I was subconsciously compensating for something I didn't need to.
So, my bad, if they work for you, great!

[Halbert]

Here's the picture I was looking for....

481_head.jpg

I guess it's still kind of hard to see the slant, but will try to get a picture of the headstock, nut, and a few frets tomorrow if I have time.

Even though I haven't tried one, I think I would take the 481 over the 480.
I am certain I have seen 360s with the slant-fret treatment too. ( I guess they would be a 361?)

[paologregorio]

Here's the picture I was looking for....

481_head.jpg

I guess it's still kind of hard to see the slant, but will try to get a picture of the headstock, nut, and a few frets tomorrow if I have time.

Even though I haven't tried one, I think I would take the 481 over the 480.
I am certain I have seen 360s with the slant-fret treatment too. ( I guess they would be a 361?)

I think it's just called a 360 SF. Curiously, the 360 SF I have a photo of in a guitar book has dots instead of triangle inlays. I thought maybe it was standard for the SF, but IIRC, I've seen a 360 SF with triangle inlays as well.

I've played Gary Clauson's 481; the radius is even flatter, a 12" radius, IIRC, and the slanted frets are very comfortable for the most part. higher up nothe neck they start to feel less comfortable to me, but I think this was only at maybe the 10th or 12th fret.

[jdogric12]

I played one at one of the MARF gatherings. It make some chords easier and some chords harder.