I’m getting a fretless - Look out world!

[Mark Kleinhaut]

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

“Like Wow, Dobie!”

Details please.

[Sam Sherry]

My tag-line on TalkBass is, "Inadvertent Microtonalist."

Welcome to the neighborhood -- eager to hear what you brew up!

[Mark Kleinhaut]

My tag-line on TalkBass is, "Inadvertent Microtonalist."

Welcome to the neighborhood -- eager to hear what you brew up!

Hi Sam! Happy t’day. I’ll get this axe in a couple of weeks and post something up shortly thereafter.

[marcwhy]

Gorgeous guitar! What is it?

[Woody Sound]

Extremely cool. The ones I have tried are hard to play on the high strings.

[Woody Sound]

ps - the World will be looking out for you!

[Rob MacKillop]

I'm sure you'll make fine music with it, Marc, and it will keep your creative juices flowing.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

A luthier made it as a parts guitar

[rictroll]

You’re a brave man.

My time with a fret less bass has been ‘humbling’.

But lots of fun!

I look forward to hearing you on this instrument.

[kris]

Great guitar! I like it.
Looking for video clip...
Best
Kris

[Jimmy blue note]

Extremely cool. The ones I have tried are hard to play on the high strings.

Precisely why I tune to baritone, a 4th down. I also find that the temptation is to set up low, for that growl, but raising the action a little makes the articulation on the attack clearer and easier.

[Cunamara]

If a violinist can operate with a scale half the length of a guitar, a guitarist should be able to figure out how to play fretless.

[Rob MacKillop]

I have no problem playing a fretless bass, but found a fretless guitar harder. Good luck, Mark!

[Jimmy blue note]

If a violinist can operate with a scale half the length of a guitar, a guitarist should be able to figure out how to play fretless.

They're nothing like each other. The tension on a violin is greater, the scale and the pitch are different and the action is much higher to accomodate the techniques you need. The energy is not from the length of a plucked string but from a bow that feeds a constant kinetic source of vibrating energy. That's why a plucked guitar is lucky if you can hear it in a medium size hall but a violin can out volume an entire orchestra in a symphonic hall.
I've been playing fretless guitar for 15 years and yeah, it's a tricky beast. Violin is designed to be played as it is. Guitar, not so much.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

They're nothing like each other. The tension on a violin is greater, the scale and the pitch are different and the action is much higher to accomodate the techniques you need. The energy is not from the length of a plucked string but from a bow that feeds a constant kinetic source of vibrating energy. That's why a plucked guitar is lucky if you can hear it in a medium size hall but a violin can out volume an entire orchestra in a symphonic hall.
I've been playing fretless guitar for 15 years and yeah, it's a tricky beast. Violin is designed to be played as it is. Guitar, not so much.

jimmy, do you have any videos of you playing fretless you could share? Would love to check it out. Thnx

[Jimmy blue note]

jimmy, do you have any videos of you playing fretless you could share? Would love to check it out. Thnx

I should make some. Thanks for prodding me. I did make a series of 4 fretless guitars that are now in the hands of Max Light, Kenji Herbert, Ben Monder and Bill Frisell, so the gospel is spreading (I'm a luthier too, which is handy given the paucity of fretless stock guitars). One of us will get something out there. Fingers crossed.
It's truly a game changer. Bill said "I'm going to have to relearn the instrument". So embrace the new frontier!

[Mark Kleinhaut]

I should make some. Thanks for prodding me. I did make a series of 4 fretless guitars that are now in the hands of Max Light, Kenji Herbert, Ben Monder and Bill Frisell, so the gospel is spreading (I'm a luthier too, which is handy given the paucity of fretless stock guitars). One of us will get something out there. Fingers crossed.
It's truly a game changer. Bill said "I'm going to have to relearn the instrument". So embrace the new frontier!

if that A-team of players don’t come up with some great music nobody will. For some dopey reason, I’m expecting it will come easily to me, naturally and with little learning curve. Time will tell

[Rob MacKillop]

Much discussion about fretless guitars is around accuracy of pitch, but this ignores their great advantage: playing microtones. Blues has used microtones effectively, with great emotional effect. Classical string quartet players are constantly checking and adjusting pitch, for example using small and large 3rds depending on context. I studied Turkish classical music in Istanbul, thanks to a scholarship, and they have 53 notes in the octave, each with its own name. Of course, they might only use eight or nine at a time, but very specifically, and their music tends to avoid complex chords as most of the modes throw up very dissonant harmonies.

So, fretless opens up whole new vistas for the creative artist. Have fun!

[sgosnell]

Playing single strings fretless is one thing. Playing jazz chords is another. I'm not about to even try. It's hard enough with frets.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Playing single strings fretless is one thing. Playing jazz chords is another. I'm not about to even try. It's hard enough with frets.

.

But it’s the chords I hope to chase, or at least counterpoint, double and triple stops- but definitely polyphonicism.

[sgosnell]

I wish you luck in your quest. Like I said, I wouldn't even try. I'm too old for so much work. At my age, having fun is more important, and I'm not sure trying to learn to play fretless would be fun. But keep us informed on how it goes, it's surely more fun to watch someone else doing it.

[Woody Sound]

If a violinist can operate with a scale half the length of a guitar, a guitarist should be able to figure out how to play fretless.

Oh it's not hard to do, but a violin is mostly bowed. When plucked pizz, it's kind of a dead sound.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Oh it's not hard to do, but a violin is mostly bowed. When plucked pizz, it's kind of a dead sound.

maybe an e-bow would be cool

[Woody Sound]

maybe an e-bow would be cool

Great idea!