|
|
#1
09-26-2021, 05:06 AM
|
|||
|
|||
Have anybody tried playing a fretless guitar
|
|
#2
09-26-2021, 06:40 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I've not seen a fretless guitar, but I have tried playing a fretless banjo... It was a bit more difficult than I had imagined.
__________________
scoTt Various stringed instruments
|
|
#3
09-26-2021, 07:01 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
That brought back memories. In high school, my friends and I were into King Crimson (Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew) and Weather Report (Jaco Pastorius), which featured fretless guitar and bass, respectively. I played the double bass in an orchestra, so I was already playing a fretless instrument. I never played a fretless acoustic guitar, just electric. A bass player I had the good fortune to play with on occasion, Michael Manring, had already mastered the fretless electric bass, even in high school. He went on to play with Jaco and is a virtuoso of the fretless bass in his own right. When you take away the frets, it almost becomes a completely different instrument.
Last edited by sinistral; 09-26-2021 at 07:22 AM.
|
|
#4
09-26-2021, 07:04 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I've played a fretless bass. I was considerably more out of tune than the player on this video - his playing was in tune a great deal of the time.
I'm not sure I see the value other than the slides, which frankly became quickly tiresome for me. But if you'd like the guitar difficulty factor to increase to closer to the violin I think this would be an excellent way to accomplish that. Thanks for posting, I don't think I've ever seen a fretless guitar in action before.
__________________
Keith Martin 000-42 Marquis Taylor Classical Alvarez 12 String Gibson ES345s Fender P-Bass Gibson tenor banjo
|
|
#5
09-26-2021, 07:27 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I have played a Godin Glissentar which is fretless but also electric. It was interesting, but I wouldn't want to buy one and I don't think they were ever a big seller!
|
|
#6
09-26-2021, 07:40 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I tried a Glissentar as well many years ago and was intrigued. It also reminded me of the David Torn "Splattercell" songs that have a somewhat synthetic sounding electric oud, which I thought was cool.
I eventually found a Chet Atkins solid classical knock-off and pulled the frets. It lacks the double courses of the Glissentar, but is more manageable for me. I basically dabble on it as a couch guitar and find it pretty fun. Haven't really played it in front of others... - Douglas C.
__________________
-- - Douglas C. 1998 Larrivée C-09 1977 Gibson MK-35 2020 Breedlove Wildwood Concertina 2003 Guild JF30-12 Kremona Verea VA Crossover Nylon 2005 Rogue Biscuit Resonator 1960's Harmony Patrician Archtop 2008 Eastman AR810-7 Archtop
|
|
#8
09-26-2021, 08:29 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
|
|
#9
09-26-2021, 08:41 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
|
|
#10
09-26-2021, 08:49 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I was a fretless bassist for many years. I found that strings thinner than my high c string seemed to lack meat and sustain. I learned this after ordering a fretless 7 string bass with a high e, which sounds mediocre compared to all the other strings.
Last edited by s2y; 09-26-2021 at 12:02 PM.
|
|
#11
09-26-2021, 09:53 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Never fretless guitar strictly speaking myself. I did play instruments with low frets back in the day, even preferred the feel then.
I have two electric fretless bass instruments. My first one was an Ashbory bass: a uke sized solid body with piezo pickups and thick, rubbery silicone strings. Its short scale made playing it in tune a challenge, and sliding with the original formula strings was difficult (talcum powder helped). Nowadays I'm more likely to play my Squier fretless Jazz bass. I do think there's a different sound to the notes themselves, and the fretless slide vibrato tends to sound different than typical sideways string bending. My ear is not such that I trust it's intonation judgement (my jazz has "fret lines") but the vibrato around the target pitch sound of a fretless bass is addictive. The main drawback to playing the fretless is that it will hurt my old finger joints more often and more quickly (the same reason I no longer like low frets on guitar). I use softer tension strings on my basses and some are short scale too. In general playing bass doesn't bother my joints, but there are days when I can't hack playing the fretless Jazz bass.
__________________
----------------------------------- Creator of The Parlando Project Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses....
|
|
#13
09-26-2021, 09:59 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I have defretted and filled in fret slots for a few clients over the years who wanted to try fretless guitars. They are definitely cool and a lot of fun to play. Some day I may find a cheap guitar and make one for myself. Difficult to play chords on but single notes and double intervals are cool.
|
|
#14
09-26-2021, 10:21 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
Redir - I think what he is saying about "theoretically possible" is that it is nearly as easy as you might hope for. I have joked with fiddlers about why do they bother to tune when they can just slide their finger to the right spot? They find no humor in this.
__________________
The Bard Rocks Fay OM Sinker Redwood/Tiger Myrtle Sexauer L00 Adk/Magnolia For Sale Hatcher Jumbo Bearclaw/"Bacon" Padauk Goodall Jumbo POC/flamed Mahogany Appollonio 12 POC/Myrtle MJ Franks Resonator, all Australian Blackwood Blackbird "Lucky 13" - carbon fiber '31 National Duolian + many other stringed instruments.
|
|
#15
09-26-2021, 11:46 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
|
