Great neck tone with 24 frets possible?

[TheMagicEight]

I know with 24 frets it's impossible to get in the sweet spot under the 1st harmonic, but are there any tricks to still getting good tone? I've got an ESP Horizon and I'm not loving the neck position. I'm sure a pickup swap would help, but I'm thinking that no matter what, the neck position just won't sound as good as if it had only 22 frets. Does anyone have this issue?

 

[::fred::]

wat?

 

[rupe]

I know with 24 frets it's impossible to get in the sweet spot under the 1st harmonic, but are there any tricks to still getting good tone? I've got an ESP Horizon and I'm not loving the neck position. I'm sure a pickup swap would help, but I'm thinking that no matter what, the neck position just won't sound as good as if it had only 22 frets. Does anyone have this issue?

Everyone has this issue...whether they know it or not It's physics...you simply aren't going to get that same sound but you can definitely get something close enough for rock and roll with eq. I get some pretty good neck pickup tones from my Jem...but they'll never be as sweet as my 21/22 fret guitars.

 

[manyaxes]

Are you particularly interested in THAT particular sweet spot? A guitar with 24 frets won't have the same sweet spots as a 22 one in the neck position, but will have it's own in different places. When you fret different positions along the neck, sweet spots change and may or not fall on the neck pickup's position.

 

[van hellion]

Are you particularly interested in THAT particular sweet spot? A guitar with 24 frets won't have the same sweet spots as a 22 one in the neck position, but will have it's own in different places. When you fret different positions along the neck, sweet spots change and may or not fall on the neck pickup's position.

bingo, the sweet spot changes as you play.

A Wood

 

[Valtiel]

Are you particularly interested in THAT particular sweet spot? A guitar with 24 frets won't have the same sweet spots as a 22 one in the neck position, but will have it's own in different places. When you fret different positions along the neck, sweet spots change and may or not fall on the neck pickup's position.

bingo, the sweet spot changes as you play.

A Wood

+100. The concept of the 22 fret sweet spot is a total misnomer IMO. The only difference is the distance from the bridge, 22 fret neck pickups sound the way they do because of this, not some magical sweet spot.

I have both and like both for different reasons. I lean towards the 24 fretters because I like the added clarity to the neck pickup that you get from that position, muddy "woman tone" style neck pickups sounds are not my thing at all.

Case in point, here is a Duncan Full Shred neck pickup in a 24 fret PRS.

Pretty fuckin creamy huh?

 

[TheMagicEight]

Are you particularly interested in THAT particular sweet spot? A guitar with 24 frets won't have the same sweet spots as a 22 one in the neck position, but will have it's own in different places. When you fret different positions along the neck, sweet spots change and may or not fall on the neck pickup's position.

bingo, the sweet spot changes as you play.

A Wood

Man, I don't know how I missed that! I suppose, then, I just prefer 22 frets sound and that's the end of the story.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[robertkoa]

Bingo - the sweet spots do change as you play.

But neck further from bridge( 21 or 22 frets , with neck pickup close to end of fingerboard) is almost always warmer and fatter than a 24 fretter.

But some ( not me) feel the 21 and 22 fret guitars as above are muddy etc.

 

[mboogman]

For many years, my ideal neck pickup tone has been the stock single coil (Texas special I think) in my Fender custom shop set neck strat (22 frets). It's just got that magic bite to it that I can't seem to get with most other guitars. Now I've got a '92 PRS CE24 Maple w/ an Anderson H1 in the neck ,and when split, it gets me so close to that "ideal" neck pickup sound that it's scary. I guess it just depends on your taste, but I'd definitely say it's possible.

$.02

 

[robertkoa]

Difference from the bridge is less with 24 frets and of course affects tone ( "sweet spot" is misnomer, I agree ), not as warm and fat.

If you're trying to nail neck 335 tones and had a 24 fret 335- would be harder to match.

If you put a 24 fret neck on a Strat and move the neck pickup toward bridge an inch or so or even just MOVE the neck pickup on a Strat an inch or so toward the bridge- it will be a little harder to match the " classic" pickup placement and tone of neck pickup.

Same with a Les Paul etc etc etc.

However SOME people like the sound of the neck pickup a little closer to bridge- tighter sound, less "muddy" etc.

Personally I would not sacrifice warmth of tone in neck position for two semitones higher ( 2 octave) fingerboard, but I grew up on those 21 and 22 fret guitars of various scale lengths, and love warm tones.