Re: [tuning] 31tet guitar advice

Robert C Valentine wrote,

> It seems that a tall and thin fretwire would be helpful. Does anyone
have any tips about this,

My 20-tET electric is fretted with (tall and thin) banjo fretwire. But
I think if I were to do it again I would just use regular guitar
fretwire, as I've never really 100% warmed to the banjo fretwire.

> Has anyone done an "every-other-fret", or switched temperments for
the upper octave?

Yes, the same guy who made my 20-tET electric (Glenn Nelson) also
built a 7-string cut-away acoustic for Thadd Comstock with 25 evenly
spaced frets in the first octave, and every other (25 aliquot fret) in
the second octave. But this approach certainly isn't necessary, as
there are those that play even more crowded frettings than 31.

good luck,
Dan

Robert C Valentine wrote,

>> It seems that a tall and thin fretwire would be
>> helpful. Does anyone have any tips about this, or any
>> other micro-refret advice?

David Beardsley wrote,

>He did my 62 tone Jon Catler designed ji G&L strat.
>We used the biggest fret wire and I'm happy with it.
>http://microtones.com

Yes, using thin fretwire would do almost nothing to improve playability, and
height makes no difference whatsoever. I'd recommend regular jumbo guitar
fretwire -- jumbo will easier to file down when you start to see significant
fret wear.

>> How about the upper octave,
>> will the frets be impossibly close together? Has anyone
>> done an "every-other-fret", or switched temperments for
>> the upper octave?

>Sounds like an interesting concept, but as a guitar player
>I'd find it a bit strange to split the fretboard
>into two seperate terrain. I'd be playing up
>the neck and then my notes would be different?

David -- are you telling me the top octave of the Catler fretboard is the
same as the bottom octave? Sure doesn't look that way from the picture!