22 Frets vs. 24 Frets: What are the advantages?

BTW, all the warmer neck pickup tone talk on the 22 fretters over 24 fretters may be seriously considered if there were no tone knobs or EQ control knobs on our amps :).
 
22v24body.gif
 
Here's an animated gif that I think does a great job illustrating the difference between PRS 24 and 22 fret models. The neck pickup stays put-as Shawn stated, the bridge is shifted forward.

prscustom22vs24md3.gif
 
assuming that the scale length is unchanged, 25 inch for that matter...

24 frets will mean greater access to the 22nd fret as the 22nd fret was "pushed" upwards. This will definitely help players wanting to play high up the neck without frequently hitting the cutaway.
22 frets will give more fretting area as the frets are spread over a wider area. This will definitely help for players with stubby fingers wanting to play higher up the neck.

Personally, I don't find much difference in playing both. I can switch from my SE Cu24 to my brother's Tele with 21 frets without any problem. My fingers are kinda stubby, plus I use 11s, so the higher notes are harder to play. The only thing I like about the 24 fret is the neck pickup's position. It's closer to the bridge than on a 22 fret guitar, which makes the neck pickup sound brighter, which is what I like.
 
Same image from page 4.
This mystery has been solved, nothing to see here.

Heh, you're right, guess I should've read through the whole thread. :)

I like how the 22 fret PRS models get that classic rock growl when playing a distorted first position A chord on the bridge pickup, something that I don't hear on the Custom 24.
 
I always thought the difference was where you placed the neck pup. On a 22 it normally halfway between the 12th fret and the bridge and so supposedly sweeter.


Yes. I always thought(and still do) that its the neck pup that changes position in relation to the strings on a 24 fret, not the bridge. (The bridge and tail piece both get moved towards the neck to keep the scale length the same, thus their relationship stays the same too. The neck pup stays put which changes its position along the string length. Its now closer to the bridge giving a "brighter" sound. ) The old Dearmond floating pups had a bar letting you slide the pickup from right against the neck, about 2" closer to the bridge. You could hear the tone changing every little bit you moved it. The biggest and deepest sound was always flush against the neck. The great early Guild Artist and Johnny Smith awards came with that pick up, and it had a tab holding it away from the neck stock. We always ground that off and cut the pick guard a bit so we could slide it flush against the neck. ;)
 
Here's an animated gif that I think does a great job illustrating the difference between PRS 24 and 22 fret models. The neck pickup stays put-as Shawn stated, the bridge is shifted forward.

prscustom22vs24md3.gif

Thanks for posting that while I was away taking 25 minutes to write out an explaination of exactly what that shows perfectly. :mad:
 
BTW, all the warmer neck pickup tone talk on the 22 fretters over 24 fretters may be seriously considered if there were no tone knobs or EQ control knobs on our amps :).

Its totally different. The pick up is on a different part of the string. that makes it pick up different overtones, or strengths of over tones. Think about it. Can you make your bridge pup sound like the neck pup by adjusting your tone knobs or EQ knobs? Not even close. Its the same thing, just to a lesser degree. Those old sliding DeArmonds really showed me how much difference a small move can make. Its why I always preferred Gibson L4s to 175s. Yes the L4 has a solid top, but a bigger tonal difference is the neck pup location. Flush agaisnt the neck on the L4, giving it a deeper, bigger tone.
 
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Years ago, before PRS posted a list of what the birds are, I couldn't figure out how the inlay at the 24th fret was a bird. I thought it looked like a turtle, not a turtle dove, an actual turtle. It was only later that I realised its "front flippers" are the branch it's sitting on.

I was going to point out that it's not fair that the Custom 24 gets not only an extra inlay but also two more frets and more neck and fingerboard wood but maybe this thread's had enough controversy.;)
 
22 fretters are for guys that only like to stick it in 11/12ths of the way.

Also if you're playing Leave That Thing Alone you need that 24th fret.
 
The real difference (beyond the obvious difference of 2 frets) is pickup placement of the neck pickup. This results is a different tonality.
 
Overall, I'm more preferential to the tone of a 22 fretter, but the thing that I like about the 24 fret neck has nothing to do with the number of frets, but what PRS has chosen to do on the neck heels. The heel on 24 fret guitars seems to be shorter, and when combined with the extra frets on a 24, it starts around the 19th fret, vs a 22 that starts around 15. I very rarely play the extra frets on a 24 fret neck, but the combination of the shorter heel and the neck protruding out of the body a little further makes it much easier for my smallish hands to reach way up to those upper frets.
 
TLDR/ little interest, but minor note:
If you studied what was known about aerodynamics at one time, you'd learn that a bumblebee couldn't fly, too.
The aerodynamics concepts were known when the "bumblebees cannot logically fly according to the laws of aerodynamics" myth was formulated (presumably by rather sloppy popularists of sloppy aerodynamic theorists... if such exist). As I understand it they simply forgot to account for vortex currents produced by the mechanical flexing of the bee's -obviously flexible- wingtips. Silly, really.
 
I grew up playing Gibsons and I still LOVE the 24 fret Custom 24.

I change back and forth with no issues. I prefer the thinnest necks too, as I have big hands and I always wrap my thumb over the top of the neck and it works great.

For me the CU24 can still get 22 fret G type tones with the 57/08s.
 
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