{"id":1252,"date":"2026-07-23T13:51:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T13:51:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/blog\/crooked-keys-and-slanted-handles-a-stroke-of-genius-in-physics-or-just-a-fad\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T07:10:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T07:10:27","slug":"crooked-keys-and-slanted-handles-a-stroke-of-genius-in-physics-or-just-a-fad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/en\/blog\/crooked-keys-and-slanted-handles-a-stroke-of-genius-in-physics-or-just-a-fad\/","title":{"rendered":"“Crooked” keys and slanted handles: a stroke of genius in physics or just a fad?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anyone who frequents music stores, industry forums, or Instagram feeds has surely come across\u2014at least once\u2014an electric guitar or bass that, at first glance, looks like it came straight out of a Salvador Dal\u00ed painting. We\u2019re talking about instruments featuring True Temperament<\/strong>\u2014frets that are literally zigzagged<\/strong>\u2014or the now-famous multi-scale fingerboards<\/strong>, also known as fanned frets<\/strong>, where the frets aren\u2019t parallel to each other but are arranged in a fan shape. <\/p>

The immediate reaction of many musicians ranges from fascination with the futuristic design to a healthy dose of skepticism, accompanied by the classic question of whether this is a revolutionary innovation in intonation or just the usual marketing gimmick to sell an extravagant instrument.<\/p>

To understand whether these misaligned frets<\/strong> really make sense, we need to take a brief step back into the physics of the guitar and the acoustics applied to modern luthiery. The traditional fretboard we\u2019re all familiar with is based on a mathematical compromise called equal temperament<\/strong>. When a luthier positions the frets straight along a neck, they\u2019re applying a theoretical division of the octave into twelve equal semitones<\/strong>. In the practical reality of metal strings, however, factors such as string gauge, the elasticity of the material, the stiffness near the nut and bridge, and the pressure exerted by the finger as it presses the string against the fretboard all come into play. All these elements alter the tension and cause a chord that is perfectly in tune at the first fret to sound slightly out of tune or flat by the twelfth fret, especially in more complex passages. <\/p>

The True Temperament<\/strong> system was developed precisely to address this structural limitation of intonation. Instead of using a single, uniform fret for all six strings, this technology shapes each individual fret along the fretboard based on the exact frequency of each note. The visual result is a sequence of curved and jagged frets that startles almost everyone at first glance, but the practical reality is that once you place your hands on the neck, your left-hand fingering remains exactly the same. The tactile sensation while playing remains surprisingly natural, with the enormous advantage of achieving perfect chords and clean harmony<\/strong> across the entire range of the instrument\u2014a detail that anyone working in a recording studio notices immediately. <\/p>

On the other hand, there are fanned-fret fingerboards<\/strong>, where the frets are arranged in a fan pattern as part of a multi-scale design. Here, the concept isn\u2019t intended to correct the micro-intonation of individual notes, but rather to optimize string tension and overall tonal quality<\/strong>. On a five- or six-string electric bass, or on a seven- or eight-string guitar with low or drop tunings, the lowest string requires a longer scale length to sound defined and avoid sounding mushy or lacking attack. At the same time, the higher-pitched strings benefit from a shorter scale length to maintain a relaxed tension, ideal for bending notes and sustain. By angling the nut and bridge saddles, different scale lengths are created for each string, spacing the frets at a gradual angle along the neck. <\/p>

In addition to the undeniable acoustic advantage and the dynamic response of the pickups, the multi-scale design offers a significant ergonomic benefit. The angle of the frets accommodates the natural rotation of the wrist and the opening of the hand as you move from the headstock toward the body of the instrument, reducing muscle fatigue during longer playing sessions. <\/p>

Ultimately, neither True Temperament nor fanned frets are mere passing fads or aesthetic whims, but genuine engineering solutions to the physical limitations of the wooden instrument. Whether one chooses surgical precision in intonation or dynamic balance in string tension, modern guitar making demonstrates that sometimes, to make a guitar sound good, one must be willing to step outside the box. <\/p>

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anyone who frequents music stores, industry forums, or Instagram feeds has surely come across\u2014at least once\u2014an electric guitar or bass that, at first glance, looks like it came straight out of a Salvador Dal\u00ed painting. We\u2019re talking about instruments featuring True Temperament\u2014frets that are literally zigzagged\u2014or the now-famous multi-scale fingerboards, also known as fanned frets, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Tasti Storti e Fanned Fret: Genio o Moda per Chitarra e Basso?","_seopress_titles_desc":"Scopri come funzionano il True Temperament e la tastiera multi-scala fanned fret su chitarra e basso. Guida del liutaio tra intonazione, fisica ed ergonomia.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-senza-categoria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1252"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1252"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1253,"href":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1252\/revisions\/1253"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pizzutiluthierart.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}