With the jumbo frets, I barely brush the fingerboard when the note is fretted, so I'm thinking scalloped might feel similar.
I was reading some postings on a board a while ago where someone had experimented with the perception of stiff action. There was no true reconciliation between perceived bendability vs. the actual tensile resistance. Too bad I forget where that was, it was an interesting article.
...so ever since then, I always hang on to the buckle.