Is a Fan Fret Acoustic Guitar Right For You?

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#fanfret #luthier #customguitars
Recent chats with luminaries in the world of fan fret guitars such as luthier Michael Greenfield and Paul Heumiller of Dream Guitars got me thinking about fan fret instruments again. So much so that I arranged to spend some quality time with a particularly superb example of the breed, a Casimi C3S fan fret!
In this video I look at 7 questions you ought to ask yourself before buying a fan fret guitar.
If you'd like to learn more about my work please visit michaelwattsguitar.com/
All the best
Michael Watts
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[@MichaelWatts]

I hope you'll enjoy this video about fan fret guitars! It features an amazing instrument by my friends at Casimi Guitars. I’d be interested to know your thoughts about fan frets in general!

[@ericaltman5385]

Thank you for sharing! I personly love Fan Fret and also this amazing Casimi!

[@MichaelWatts]

Eric Altman I’m glad you enjoyed the video Eric! It is a superb guitar.

[@paulboden7850]

On point and enlightening. Seeing that Casimi reminded me of your amazing trip to South Africa. Must re-watch that video. Thankyou Michael!

[@MichaelWatts]

Paul Boden Thank you for watching Paul! I hope you enjoy the Casimi episode of Luthier Stories just as much the second time round!

[@geolsohn5711]

Sort of this contents are very helpful! Your idea is amazing! Thanks, Mike!

[@MichaelWatts]

Geol Sohn You’re very welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@Bernd_Boeckmann]

Very informative again, Michael! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@MichaelWatts]

Bernd Boeckmann You’re very welcome Bernd! Thanks for watching, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@Mandrypusique]

Brilliant playing!

[@MichaelWatts]

Thank you very much!

[@everestwitman]

Yes, finally the fan fret video! You've brought up some great points that I honestly would not have thought of. Keep up the good work, Michael.

[@MichaelWatts]

Everest Witman my pleasure Everest!

[@dr_lulz]

Thank you Michael. I very much enjoyed this video! Glad to see you thriving. I’ve got Rosie’s first (and best😜) (TGM) Multiscale. It was my first venture into fan fret ownership and I have to say I would not go back!... in fact it will take some time for me to move forward, I’m happy to just be right where I am when I have that beauty in my arms! You’re insight however is as enjoyable as always. Best wishes.

[@MichaelWatts]

Dr Lulz oh you have that guitar! Congratulations! Thank you for watching, I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

[@smauclement]

Thank you very much for sharing the fruitful information in an easy way.

[@MichaelWatts]

smauclement You’re very welcome! Thank you for watching, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@cigarfan3842]

Have been curious about fanfrets for quite some time. Appreciate the info. Who knows, maybe this will just energize me to look into another commission. Love the beard BTW. Good on ya!

[@MichaelWatts]

cigarfan great time hear from you my friend! Glad you enjoyed the video and yeah, go on, order a fanfret!

[@eatswodo]

I have an Emerald fan-fret - and it's a 7-string, to boot. This is an off-the-shelf X20-7 model, so I really didn't have a chance to evaluate any aspect of the fan-frettery before it arrived. Suffice it to say that the extra string has caused me *way* more head-scratching than the fan frets. After playing it for the last 10 months or so, I'm completely at home with the geometry - so much so, that I'd use it as a reference for any future forays. I do like the notion of a fan-fret for my favourite (and habitual) open D tuning. And that Cassimi is just gorgeous, as is your playing. Lovely video - both musical and useful!

[@MichaelWatts]

David Eastwood Thanks for watching David! I’m looking forward to trying an Emerald guitar for the first time, I have heard good things! I’ve only played electric 7-strings and that gave me vertigo... I’m very glad you enjoyed the video and yes, Casimi guitars are very special indeed!

[@stevepethel6843]

Beautiful playing on point considerations ff and beautiful guitar too. Thanking you And for all good gifts like this video thanking the father above...

[@greekflatpicker]

4:00 ‘The Messiah will come again’ by Roy Buchanan. Lovely! Make a video playing that tune,Michael. Love your style,attitude,and videos !

[@MichaelWatts]

greekflatpicker Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it and yes, Roy Buchanan is a huge influence - I arranged that track for solo guitar and it’s on my debut album Vetiver

[@Frankensmile]

Thanks for a great video Michael. I really like the concept of fanned fret instruments and in particular my Greenfield G1. The only negative aspect of the fanned fret concept, which I think is not often mentioned is the ergonomics. The hand position on the lower register (frets 4 up) simply doesn’t agree with human anatomy. I think it was George Lowden who said that the hand position is natural for playing in that area by simply holding his hand in a fanned shape in front of the guitar neck. But, obviously the hand is not in that position while playing. So as you said, if you have arthritis or difficulty to bend your wrist or spread your fingers then the concept will take your attention away from the music and make playing a struggle.

[@MichaelWatts]

Farhad Tajarobi Thanks for watching Farhad! I have to agree, in DADGAD I find fan frets can be a bit cumbersome. Even more so in standard tuning - F at the first position is no fun! So much depends on the tuning you use and the chord and arpeggio shapes.

[@joebubbit]

Love it (Roy Buchanan on a Fan Fret)!

[@MichaelWatts]

Thank you for listening!

[@ben_jammin242]

Bending that harmonic, you legend.

[@MichaelWatts]

Ha ha! Had to be done!

[@bobylachanche]

nice guitar!!!!

[@papasmamas1]

Still wishing to play one of this...

[@MichaelWatts]

Diego Funes thanks for watching Diego, I hope you’ll get the chance soon!

[@leslee9406]

Do you have any other full length audio on this guitar bro? I would want to hear more

[@MichaelWatts]

I feature it in my video about African Blackwood but that’s it for that instrument. However I do have quite a lot of Casimi content on my channel!

[@pasinomariamocellin6894]

Dear Mr Wwatts, since I discovered your youtube channel my knowledge of the guitar has improoved in a significant way. I must thank you as you are a great communicator, you are always smiling (this is something imposrtant even though people gave up smiling) and you are very clear and understandable when you explain things. I want to say that it's a pleasure watching your videos, but I have a complain, your microphon distorts the low ends in a way that is preponderant to the other notes so that we can't admire your exquisite playing and the tonal qualities of the instrument. I understand that, as the great Sergiu Celibidache said, music must be listened from his natura source and not from magnetic tapes or even worst by digital devices. Nevertheless it would be desireable to cancel that low end distortion on your video. With many thanks for sharing you art and knowledge. Pasino

[@Artorias001]

I love my fanned fretted acoustic. Personally it feels more ergonomic than straight frets. Having a shorter scale length on the high side makes it possible to have a high g string, and alternate tunings string tension feel more balanced.

[@MichaelWatts]

That’s a very good point! I’m glad you love your guitar!

[@johnlind5819]

Michael, great KZbin channel! Can you (or some commenters) give some ideas of how the fan fret concept might impact (positive and negative) playability and tone quality for a Baritone Guitar? Thanks, John Gig Harbor, WA

[@MichaelWatts]

Hello John! Thank you very much for your kind words, I'm glad you are enjoying my videos! A Fan-fret approach with a Baritone certainly makes sense if you're looking to preserve the articulate bass of a longer scale with the sweet trebles of a shorter (by baritone standards) scale. That said, Baritone guitars are a bit of a handful (literally!) anyway so a lot depends on what you're used to. I hope that helps!

[@douglasfan2]

I'm lucky enough to have a leviora fan fret CF guitar, I would say the sound is really attractive, even in standard tuning

[@MichaelWatts]

Douglas Fan very nice! I think one of the major issues I’ve found with FF’s in standard has been chord shapes, 1st position barre in particular. But it’s all good!

[@douglasfan2]

@@MichaelWatts However, most of my friends feel scary when looking at the fan fret fretboard. They even don't want to have a try 😂

[@MichaelWatts]

Douglas Fan I know the feeling of Fan Fret vertigo all too well!

[@leslee9406]

what a beautiful instrument with such articulative sound that i have ever heard?? can you strum them??

[@MichaelWatts]

Thank you Les, I’m glad you enjoyed the video! You can certainly strum a Casimi guitar and it will sound amazing!

[@mrchankwokkeungmrchankwokk9541]

Hi Michael , can you tell me what guitar are you using ? thank you very much

[@MichaelWatts]

Hi! The guitar in this video is a C3 fanfret by Casimi Guitars in South Africa - you can see more about them in other videos on my channel

[@773Spair]

I think 25.5-27" would be good for a 6-string in E standard, which would mean using a bit thinner 4th through 6th strings; and, for some who are on the fence about a plain vs. wound G3 string would convince them a plain G3 would be better. I want a 7-string acoustic tuned G4-D2 with a 2" spread (or maybe a bit more), but I'm not sure what the longest scale length I can get the G4 string to feel like a .011" string tuned to E4 over a 25.5" scale is. Tuning a string to G4 with that tension may require a considerably short scale length.

[@MichaelWatts]

Yeah... better talk to a luthier with a very detailed idea of the music and sound that you're looking to make before committing to such an extreme fan

[@773Spair]

@@MichaelWatts Except for bends on the 23rd and 24th fret, my 25.5-28.2" 8-string electric guitar handles pretty well. Thank you for replying. 😊

[@evalonious]

Back the truck up. What was the name of that fanned fret instrument that you said at the beginning of the video and how do you spell it. Ofarian? Otharian Afarion? I could quite spell it correctly to find in google search.

[@MichaelWatts]

It’s an Orpharion - I hope that helps!

[@christianr.8885]

Is chording on fanned fret make it easy?

[@MichaelWatts]

Hola Christian! So much depends on the chord shapes and positions you use, string gauge, neck width and depth and the angle of the fan. Then there’s your hand size and flexibility to take into account. Some people find fan frets easier to play - I am not one of them

[@richardmondor1360]

Who's guitar are you playing here? Its gorgeous.

[@MichaelWatts]

It’s a Casimi made in South Africa that I borrowed from a friend. I am having my own Casimi guitar made at the moment and you can watch the build diary here on my channel. I’m glad you like it, they are very special instruments!

[@richardmondor1360]

@@MichaelWatts thank you for the info...it looks and sounds gorgeous.

[@bobylachanche]

Hi, can tell me the length scale of the1 and 6 th strings of your amazing guitar please ?

[@MichaelWatts]

Nope

[@bobylachanche]

@@MichaelWatts lol why ?

[@Theincrediblespud]

What make and model is that gorgeous guitar?

[@MichaelWatts]

Hi Tom - it’s a C3 signature model by Casimi Guitars in Cape Town South Africa - this incredible instrument belongs to a friend of mine but they are making a guitar for me at the moment and I look forward to sharing it with you. In the meantime you can find a build diary here on my channel.

[@Theincrediblespud]

@@MichaelWatts I look forward to watching it. Just looked, and the prices for these beautiful guitars are astronomical!!!

[@douglasfan2]

How about a fan fret archtop guitar? Anything different need to be considered comparing with Acoustic fan fret guitar?

[@MichaelWatts]

Very good question! I’ve thought about this and I believe the same general principles still apply. You may want to look at chord shapes and right hand position in depth.

[@douglasfan2]

@@MichaelWatts Cause in Archtop guitar, we usually solo pick and will not detune as usual as acoustic guitar (or just my case?). Furthermore, we usually have shorter scale length in archtop for the thick tone. But fan fret increase the length of bass, will it be opposite to the design of archtop guitar? All of them will be added in the calculation when applying in an archtop guitar?

[@johncorneliustalosig8907]

do a fan fret guitar good for fingerstyle?

[@MichaelWatts]

I think most acoustic guitarists using fan frets are fingerstyle players, it's pretty rare to see a flat-picker on a fan fret.

[@johncorneliustalosig8907]

@@MichaelWatts ok thanks for the info?

[@BucketofGuts646]

So what's your favorite fan fret set up?

[@MichaelWatts]

12 frets to the north, parallel fret on the 6th and as gentle a fan as possible. I don’t use wildly differing gauges of string or massive drop tunings.

[@gianfrancoviola9868]

Wait, isn’t that guitar a tad TOO cute??

[@MichaelWatts]

Gianfranco Viola I think it’s just perfect as it is...

[@TavisAllen]

"...with wide, expressive vibrato, or big bends, I tend to feel a bit more friction and drag from the fret itself..." - then proceeds to perform precisely one 1/2 step bend lower on the fretboard, and uses what I would consider subtle vibrato. Argh! The guitar is gorgeous, as is your playing, and the points discussed are vital, but it (obviously) irks me when musicians (or KZbinrs in general) don't more fully demonstrate what they are talking about--especially since you did with the slapped harmonics. Argh! (meant with love)

[@MichaelWatts]

Well everyone’s different, but even with less extreme motion I can feel the slight drag.

[@TavisAllen]

@@MichaelWatts I don't doubt it. My nitpicking came about from watching a video of someone demonstrating a 5-string bass, and not once did the B string get played.

[@henrycross8776]

There are ZERO secrets about fan fret guitars, and even Stradivari had a 1st Violin

[@florians.4240]

Blablabla no playing