The Special X
The special is a collaboration between SBC and Xotica the realization that the standard
guitar design is not really adequate when using lower tunings. Especially when in drop C and or B
for example. When you drop the tuning on a conventional guitar, the strings become very
unstable, loose or floppy. The tone becomes muddy and almost garbled. The intonation ends
up being a little off. The real problem is when going to a heaver gage string, designed for
doped tuning, the neck starts doing some weird things .String company’s state that thicker
strings will require more string tension to reach the same pitch. Hence the base guitar and a baritone
guitar are able to play at a lower tuning by the way of lengthening the scale. The longer the string,
the less tension is required to tune to a lower pitch. We all have become used to all the standard and
most popular guitar scales 24 ¾ to 25 ½, so most players tend not to go to a baritone scale as
it becomes uncomfortable to play. For example, the difference between a 24 ¾ and a 25 1/2
at the first fret is only .042 of an inch. A little longer than a 32nd of an inch, but the difference between
a baritone scales at minimum is .084 of an inch. This may not sound like a lot, but playing leads or cords
at the 1st fret you will notice the length is a stretch. So SBC and Xotica started testing different scale
lengths and string sizes mostly heavy gage, and came up with what we believe is a perfect scale length.
We can’t tell you what the scale length is at this time but it’s not much longer than the 25 ½. Metal players will love the comfortable neck, not to thick and not too thin as it has Xotica’s multi radius. The slightly longer scale makes soloing much more comfortable at higher frets .Every part of the guitar has been built to handle heaver string gages, a larger head stock with carbon fiber, a carbon fiber top on the body and the new neck pocket design. This guitar is specially designed for drop tuning. The guitar is set up with 1hole step down with .056 on the 6 string and .013 on the first .It can be changed to drop C to B with no neck bow and no intonation adjustment.
SpeXs
Standard Special X series guitar has a solid Walnut body.
Bolt on Walnut neck with Bubinga Fret board
The scale between 25 1/2 and 27
Fret wire is .095 wide .045 high and there are 22 of them.
The neck is about .870 thick from the 1 fret to the 12 fret and about 1.780 wide at the nut.
Generaly we use a 16" radius
Tuners are chrome Sperzel locking
The body is 1.625 thick and the guitars weight is at about 8 pounds .
The bridge is chrome plated fully adjustable and fitted with Graph Tech saddles.
