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(14 votes) 
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@ABitRusty
That's pretty interesting. I've mainly heard (YT) this term & read about it in reference to guitars.
'Sweetened' Tunings - The Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum
🤔... don't think it's just a marketing ploy, but I've seen stranger things.
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🤔... there are some intervals played in Old Time, Cajun & Norwegian genres that really bug me. I used to think it might be from overly bright steel strings (might still be part of it), but seems became a genre-specific dissonance - so, if a small adjustment to the interval(s) bugging me doesn't help, I'll have to see if changing the chord voicing suits me... rather than avoid the music altogether (there's so much to like).
Just brings me back around to 'genres' - becoming acquainted well enough by listening, before learning to play in them.
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This has really been insightful for me.
Seems fretts MUST enter into this equation - and the fact we don't use them on our bowed instruments (even though I suspect Roman Kim uses a scalloped fingerboard). Aren't fretts supposed to help a player with ease of pitch consistency? The downfall of fretts seems (to me) they must make it hard to adjust intonation, unless compensating by 'bending'. ELCBK said
You would think frets are there for the pitch, and while they are somewhat, they don't give instant correct pitch, even considering the other things. They get you close. But I've heard a lot of guitarists not being able to play a well tuned guitar in tune, usually do to slightly bending strings all akimbo or pressing down to hard on the strings.
The frets are more there to make the chords possible, IMO.
Now, it's not as bad as you would think though, and it's really only the thirds that grate, and those are really more noticeable with crunchy overdrive.
Now, as far as frets, yes, those and the scale lengths and etc do go in to the equation. You could play a major third in one position and have it sound great, but different position it could sound bad.
And it's why I never bothered using tuners for years, even when I played live.
I guess it makes sense that you hear about it being a sweetened tuning though, on a violin it is just called 'tuning' due to 'sweetening' the fifths is considered normal.
So maybe we've just been overthinking it. 😀
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Guitar frets are generally in equal-temperament half steps. That's because the same frets have to be used for all six strings, which are tuned to different notes.
One manufacturer has marketed what it calls "True Temperament" frets, which don't go straight across the fretboard. They use a well temperament scheme that makes chords in the most commonly played guitar keys sound closer to just intonation; of course it also makes some other keys sound more out of tune.
At least one classical guitarist has made a Bach recording using unequal frets tuned in the Kirnberger III well temperament that was commonly used for keyboard instruments in Bach's time.
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