Fretboard fallaway
A deliberate slight downward slope of the fretboard beyond the body joint, so the highest frets sit fractionally lower than a straight line would put them.
A string vibrates in an arc that is widest in the middle of its length, and on an acoustic guitar the fretboard extension sits over the top where the body flexes. Fallaway gives that upper section a little extra clearance, which stops the notes above the twelfth fret from buzzing when the action has to stay low for the rest of the neck. It is added deliberately during a neck reset or a refret, and measuring it requires a straightedge and a feeler gauge.
Example: An acoustic guitar whose upper frets play cleanly at a low action partly because the fretboard slopes away there has fallaway built in.
See also
Related
- PageRelief
- PageFret level
- PageNeck reset
- PageAction gauge
- PageAged finish
- PageBack bow
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley