software

I am just curious:

Has anyone played a fretless guitar?

How does it play? Do one need some kind of new technique of some sort?

Is it more difficult or easier than a fretted one?

Finally, is it better suited for slide guitar playing than a fretted one?

Just curious.

No.

You should just have to learn the positions where the frets would be although there are probably a few fretless only techs.

Probably more difficult for the above reason.

Slide just uses frets for markers I believe so it should be exactly the same apart from lack of markers.

Adrian Belew has used them on his solo recordings.

I messed with a maple frettboard strat for a week many years ago and gave up because I didn't have an immediate use for it- But if I had all the time in the world...

Unlike fretlees bass, I didn't find an immediate 'sound'- Anyone that has played frettless or double bass knows that well before you figure the intonation and vibroto changes out, you will already be in love with the glis slides into a note- This is what makes frettless bass so fun, and individual chord member vibroto is even cooler-

But to me, it seems a function of scale, much like the differnce in violin and double bass- The number of partial tones that you can catch above or below a note on bass are pretty diverese, and can be used for practicall any note, while slides on violin are so dramatic that they always seem like effect, or just bad intonation-

So bottom line, in the short term I tired, I couldn't find anything immediately useful-

But good quesion on slide- I never tired it and I've never been able to play slide on a gtr that I could also fret becuase I end up pushing the string into the fret and getting that nasty almost fretted sound. So my sliude gtrs have heavy strngs and hight actions-

No idea why I didn't try it on teh frettless, and would love to play around with this idea agin, you just dont see frettless gtrs very often-

technique will need readjustment. It's like playing a different instrument in a way.

Can someone post a pic of a fretless guitar I havent seen one before *note* not bass....guitar!***

I've played around with one, here are my thoughts:
-There is very little sustain on fretless guitars. Bass strings have a lot more mass and hence still sustain on fretless instruments, but skinny little guitar strings don't fare so well.
-It's tough to play chords in tune. With no frets to stop the notes, you have to make sure your fingers are in the exact right place, which is next to impossible when playing notes in the same position on adjacent strings with different fingers, ex. an E shaped barre chord.

Other than that, the gliss factor is kind of cool. May be one with a Fernandes Sustainer would work well.


Originally Posted by GuitarGuru88Can someone post a pic of a fretless guitar I havent seen one before *note* not bass....guitar!***

Try here to see pics on their Gallery and products sections: Unfretted
Originally Posted by zionstratBut good quesion on slide- I never tired it and I've never been able to play slide on a gtr that I could also fret becuase I end up pushing the string into the fret and getting that nasty almost fretted sound. So my sliude gtrs have heavy strngs and hight actions-

Yeah, the slide guitar playing is the reason of my curiosity for the most part. Happens to me also what you mention, I end up 'hitting' the frets with the slide. A fretless guitar with the 'frets' and dots marked as a reference could be worth a try for slide.


Originally Posted by MikeRockerI've played around with one, here are my thoughts:
-There is very little sustain on fretless guitars. Bass strings have a lot more mass and hence still sustain on fretless instruments, but skinny little guitar strings don't fare so well.
-It's tough to play chords in tune. With no frets to stop the notes, you have to make sure your fingers are in the exact right place, which is next to impossible when playing notes in the same position on adjacent strings with different fingers, ex. an E shaped barre chord.

Other than that, the gliss factor is kind of cool. May be one with a Fernandes Sustainer would work well.

I quite don't understand what makes a fretless guitar to have less sustain than one fretted.


Just build a Lego guitar and try it out, lol.
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- Damage Inc.

Originally Posted by Damage Inc.
Just build a Lego guitar and try it out, lol.
from : localhost//forum/s...ad.php?t=44191
- Damage Inc.