#1 resource for Cigar Box Guitars, Free Plans, How-To, Parts & More!

Number of frets

I have a request for a guitar. He wants 24 frets. This has presented me with some questions. So far, I have been using 25" scale on the guitars I've built so far. My design places the bridge a couple of inches in from the edge of the guitar, and all the frets can easily be reached....usually 17 frets. With 24 frets, if I change nothing but making the fret board longer and going on top of the box some, it seems some of the frets won't even be reachable unless I cut a clearance into the box corner. I don't want to do that. The other option is to lengthen the neck so the fret board doesn't go onto the box....or at least minimized so the frets can be reached. Then, my bridge ends up in the middle of the box and I'm not sure that will be pleasing to the eye. Any advise out there?

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Matt Quinney on November 12, 2015 at 9:43am

Nice! I also like your rack for hanging them.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Angry Rooster Guitars on November 12, 2015 at 9:50am

Cool. Thanks guys!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on November 14, 2015 at 11:02pm

I'm a guitar guy and my first CBG build was a acoustic 25" scale and 24 frets. The bridge was 2" from the edge and the last 3 frets hover over the top on the other side. If it didn't have a piezo in it, the last 5 frets would be useless. Think about acoustic guitars. How many do you see with 24 frets? Acoustic strings just don't sound well after the 19th fret and I think it has to do with the amount of space between the higher frets. But a CBG with a piezo or magnetic pickup will be okay. Here's a pic of mine.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on November 15, 2015 at 9:41am

The closer the bridge to the middle of the soundboard the better it sounds is WAY true. My bridge being close the the edge allows more room for the top and where the fretboard sits, but there is a difference in sound being that close to the edge. I was mostly showing mine to show how the overall layout worked with trying to get it all worked out. Moving the bridge closer to the middle requires the longer neck joint which is coming on my next build.

The strings at the end of the frets are hard to play with little spacing between frets and stiffer acoustic strings. The tone of the strings at that position tend to get that muted bell/less sustain tone too. Electric strings are less stiff and work better on the higher frets. This can be partially overcome with smaller gauge acoustic strings though.

Most electric guitar players are comfortable playing the entire fretboard when the best area of the acoustic fretboard is the middle to low end area. So they have to come to the realization that the 2 guitars are not the same.

The only acoustic players that I've heard play good on the higher frets are the Classical masters and maybe Eddie Van Halen on the song Spanish Fly, but he used a lot of hammer on and pull offs that makes the notes ring more.