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Originally Posted by Mark Kleinhaut
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11-26-2021 01:59 PM
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Congratulations on the new guitar. I heard John Stowell play one recently. It sounded awesome. Unbounded by frets and seemed to open the space to some interesting lines.
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I think Justin Johnson must have a number of videos playing fretless guitar on his YouTube channel. He's a bit of a wizard on anything with strings so his fretless videos will probably be a good reference too for what can be done.
What's the fingerboard wood on your guitar? Bowed instruments basically always use very dense ebony. There are probably sonic arguments for that, but it's also hard wearing. Even so, they need a "shave" every few years to bring back a proper relief, or to polish out string wear (which doesn't happen that fast but ultimately requires replacing the fingerboard alltogether). Heavy, steel guitar strings may eat into softer wood much more quickly.
Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
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Originally Posted by Mark Kleinhaut
My whole time with the fretless has been finding the sound that many had given up on. It takes work, because things that come naturally on fretted are suddenly just not there... chordal shapes (one note with just the TINIEST intonation off and it sounds awful!) or fast runs or hammer-on articulations don't have the same ease (all attacks on a fretless are inherently muted to some degree by nature).
On the other hand, I found that I had to shift a LOT more, and that benefitted my fretted playing. It was this aspect that made my lyrical playing stronger and it was this shift in kinesthetics that intrigued Bill to the point where he wanted one in his hands.
Different beast. Different rules. Largely, you have no idea until you've lived with it a while and found what works, and polish that into a bond with the instrument.
Mine are extremely sensitive to changes in the neck relief and the action. So do experiment a lot.
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Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
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Fretless bass I can handle, but I think this would be (fun and) beyond me I hope it gives you years of smiles!
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I follow Lionel Loueke on Instagram and he posts cool little solo jams almost daily, recently he started fretless, and it sounds so good... i suggest everyone check him out
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Originally Posted by PS_Jazz
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12-02-2021, 12:09 PM #34joelf Guest
How's your health issue coming along, Mark?...
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Originally Posted by joelf
2 new & excellent Jazz Comping Truefire...
Yesterday, 10:22 PM in Comping, Chords & Chord Progressions