PunkRockerLuke Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 the always is the option of inlaying where the frets normally would be. but then again I have no idea if it would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speal Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 As a violinist, I have a had experience with unfretted instruments. I've dabbled on upright bass and cello as well. The biggest differences between fretted and unfretted instruments will be: 1. The required skill level for the player. There's not much room for error without frets. 2. The warmth of the tone. Your notes will lose some brightness because the string isn't vibrating over a metal fret, it's vibrating on a hard piece of wood and your finger. Probably a nice sound for jazz guitar. I wouldn't see chording as a problem, since I play right up behind the frets. One thing you gain is the ability to adjust intonation. If one string is going flat, you can simply play it higher. This is pretty common practice with orchestra string instruments, and is a much easier adjustment to make than bending a string to make it play in tune. It's an interesting idea, and I say go for it. It'll take some getting used to, but I bet you'll find the intonation comes with practice. Also, I'd have to say leave the fingerboard all black. Bassists and cellists can play their instruments without markers, and so can you. It'll make the instrument more striking, as the lack of frets seems to be the main point of interest for this guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The royal consort Posted December 27, 2006 Report Share Posted December 27, 2006 I had a play around on a fretless classical guitar in a shop once.... Quite fun... Chords are possible... and slidable... with changes. But I was very glad of the fret line inlays. Had to play a fretless bass without them at one point... Bloody nightmare... I don't know how violinists do it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozo Destructo Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 Also realize that the frets on guitars aren't the word of God. They're not the only notes in existence. That's like saying there's only one shade of green. We see one octave of color and look at the variation, it's infinite. Imagine what's been hidden behind the frets. Probably most of the cooler noises. It's not too hard to imagine, really - a lot of music east of the Prime Meridian (okay, from Turkey onward) uses quarter-steps and actually REQUIRES fretless instruments. Well, the sitar (from India) is fretted, but they can be moved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokee6 Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Check my thread regarding Mikeyguitar.com in this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flood Posted January 6, 2007 Report Share Posted January 6, 2007 Hi, just put together my semi-fretless project squier. I just wanted to hear what it sounds like, and although i was pleasantly surprised, even with the stock squier single coil, there are a whole bunch of nags... the fretboard should ideally be epoxied or hard enough to increase note sustain, especially on the higher strings. the lower ones mwah nicely. do note that i used the following gauges: 60-48-38-28-18-14, tuned in fourths - BEADGB. I'd upload fotos, but it's a royal mess - the body has beeen partially stripped down, the "pickguard" was a test pickguard wthat i made a royal cock-up of. I plan to veneer the top, and sunburst it after giving it a nice 3D stain. i've decided to put in a sustainer whatever happens - it would sound perfect with the fretless neck. i don'T have any samples - well, i tried to record something but it didn't quite work out as planned. the fretless is a totally different beast, but i can already see why people like them. I'm going to wait till i'm done with exams (my last three certificates before i can start on my thesis - hello, end of studies and dual degree!) and have enough money to: 1. do veneering 2. buy good powerful pickup for bridge position 3- new tuners, probably sperzel locking 4. graphtech string savers 5. build sustainer. other things i plan to do is add a piezo transducer - if i can afford it, i'll get myself a ghost piezo system, but since i probably won't be able to, i'll have to DIY it. also, if the neck doesn't agree with the strings over time, i might have to get a new neck, baritone scale and ebony fretboard - don't need any epoxy then. one thing i haven't been able to do (big surprise, duh) is bending on the fretless part of the board. so it's just sliding and legato for those areas... other nag: notes on higher strings die out VERY quickly after being plucked. It's great fun though - so if you have a spare guitar or the money to spend, i suggest you try it - might show you something new. no more speed bumps, like jaco said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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