Variations
Fan frets (or fanned frets, or slanted frets): Most frets are perpendicular to the instrument's neck centerline and parallel to each other. On a fanned fret board the frets are spread out like a fan - with only one center fret perpendicular to the necks centerline and the rest angled - in order to give the lowest strings more length and the higher strings shorter length (comparable to a piano or a harp where the different strings also have different lengths). The idea is to give more accurate tuning and deeper bass. And some think that fanned frets might be more ergonomic. Fanned frets first appeared on the 16th century Orpharion, a variant of the cittern, tuned like a lute. Rickenbacker offered them in the late 60's, and Novax Guitars among others offers such guitars today. The appearance of angled frets on these modern instruments belies the antiquity of this technique.
Scalloped fretboard: Scalloping involves the wood between some or all of the frets being scooped out. This allows a lighter touch for a more precise playing while executing bends or vibratos (since there's no contact between the fingertips and the wooden part of the fingerboard). It has some popularity with musicians playing heavy metal music, although the concept can also be seen in ancient instruments such as the sitar.
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