24 frets

[ash]

I know most people don't care whether their guitars feature a 24th fret, but when they do, they really do. The 22nd fret seems to be even more of a decider for a lot of players.

Having 24 frets also seems to immediately suggest the S-word... Shred.
Some people will automatically dismiss a guitar as being too shreddy if it has 24 frets without ever looking at it. Is that you?

I'm vagely considering making the standard Heilo or Coden models with 24 frets and maybe not bothering with the Safon as it mostly only exists as a 24 fret platform and no-one seems to be lining up for them. Unsure at this stage as the Safon design is a lot more affordable than an equivalent Heilo and it perfectly fits a pigeon hole that is very active out there in guitar land.

So, 24 frets - good, bad, indifferent?

[Scooter13]

Depends on the guitar, but I rarely play past the 22nd fret anyway...but it's not a decider for me.
Although they still have to balanced well if the neck ends up being slightly longer as a result of 2 more frets...
I agree though that I have dismissed strats from the GAS list before cos they only had 21 frets.

[ash]

For the record, here are some of the recognised pros and cons of having a few more frets:

Pros:
Two more notes to play with.
Bogan credibility.
Bonus dots.

Cons:
Neck pickup is slightly less neck-ish and slightly more middle-ish. Only slightly.
Sometimes the neck will be moved a little further out from the body to make room for the extra two. That can affect how far out you reach for the low notes (only about 20mm) and could mean the neck is a little less stiff.
Alternatively, the neck could be exactly the same, but the two extra frets are a little harder to get to than those up to 22. For some people this is mysteriously worse than them not being there at all.
Bogan credibility.
Annoying extra dots.

[jeremyb]

24 is so 80's, 22 is enough for me

[Cdog]

Classic tastes here... 24 frets seems like too many for me, the extra two are at the wrong end of the neck IMO

[Jenesis]

Indifferent.

Though I guess if I was choosing between a 22-fret shred guitar and a 24-fret shred guitar that were otherwise the same, I'd pick the 24. Just for the bogan cred.

[ash]

PS: Persons who vote that 24 frets is a bad thing, please explain why you feel that way.

[twistedthoughts]

I'm not even sure I'd notice. I guess you'd have some fancy 24th fret marker or something?

To this day I've never picked up a guitar and said "This has two frets too many".

[willow13]

I hate the look of 24 fret guitars....if it has 2 humbuckers they look cramped, if they have H/S/H it just looks a mess

I have a 24 fret guitar that is single pick up and no fret markers so I can live with it........have never used the 23rd or 24th fret though, in fact I usually don't get past the 21st fret hence why most of my guitars have 21

To this day I've never picked up a guitar and said "This has two frets too many".

I say that all the time ...in fact I said it in ed's triple new guitar day thread about the ESP

[Zaulkin]

21 frets = not enough frets
22 frets = perfect as long as there is good access to the higher frets
24 frets = can look weird but otherwise dont mind.

Having 24 frets sometimes makes it seem like the all important 22nd fret is easier to play especially when bending a string or if the neck is longer (so you get more access). If you have good access on a 22 fret guitar though, I think that's good enough.

Atleast with more frets you can just choose not to use them...

[Zaulkin]

I think the extra two frets on a PRS style guitar are much less noticeable, especially if you use one dot instead of two.

From a theoretical point of view it would make sense for all guitars to have two octaves available on each string.

[Jenesis]

At least with more frets you can just choose not to use them...

Nah, sell the guitar because it has "too many features I don't use and I'm not doing it justice".

[druz15]

never even played a 24 fret I don't think.
Put it this way, I've never been playing a solo real high up and been like "uh-oh I need to go higher but I can't"
Don't think it would put me off buying a guitar I like if it was there though

[Some Bozo]

22 frets just seems conceptually mongtarded. Why stop so close to a full octave? Never actually owned one though because the guitars I've liked over the years haven't come with 24.

[Vorbis]

22 Frets it is, unless it's a Les paul, in which case 24 frets. Just so we can actually reach the 18th.