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himtroy View Drop Down
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Points: 1601 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 29 2011 at 19:13
Originally posted by Polo Polo wrote:

Originally posted by chopper chopper wrote:

I guess it should be possible to remove the frets and fill them in, but how the hell would you play chords on a fretless guitar and what would they sound like? Or are you just going to use it for solos?

You can play chords on it, but then you'd need bitchen intonation for that. Or you can do vibratos all the time to disguise it. 

LOL

To the OP: Do it. Fretless guitars sound really nice if you slap some heavy flatwound strings on it, detune it a whole step and play it like a classical guitarist would do (fingerstyle).

Don't forget to protect the fingerboard somehow; I suggest various epoxy or polyurethane coatings to avoid string wear.

Thats very strange that you mention everything that you just did.  I didn't remember this comment at all and just before making the fretless I'd gotten into finger picking and I haven't touched a pick in over half a year.  Now I recently realised tuning BEADGb is incredibly nice sounding and I put on size 13 flatwounds.  I play everything I'd normally play still if I have to, but more importantly it's a hell of an instrument that seems very distant form being a guitar (the optional unlimited sustain helps).  And yes I can play chords absolutely fine (I did make the intonation  dominant, but it's fretless so really just make the neck absolutely flat.)  

All you have to avoid is things like when doing a the generic bar chord shape the third finger and pinky that get the fifth and octave....not really happening.  Getting two fingers ACTUALLY horizontal (since theres no frets) doesn't really work.  But I always did lots of weird chord shapes any way so it's only made me more forcibly creative.


Edited by himtroy - March 29 2011 at 19:16
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himtroy View Drop Down
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Points: 1601 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 31 2011 at 18:09
I completed the previous track and added in Rhodes Piano and more prominent fretless.


I'll probably record a solo fretless performance as well.
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I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance.
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The Neck Romancer View Drop Down
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Points: 10185 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 31 2011 at 18:22
That sounded really nice.
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himtroy View Drop Down
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Points: 1601 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 31 2011 at 19:17
Yeah I keep running into the issue of I can play great, but then when I know it's recording I always mess up!
Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell?
I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance.
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himtroy View Drop Down
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Points: 1601 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 07 2011 at 16:11

I remixed it very slightly.  I mixed it on my dominant headphones before and noticed today that on anything else the low end too ridiculous.
Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell?
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Proletariat View Drop Down
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Points: 1882 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 07 2011 at 16:37
^^^^
that video is private, so it cant be viewed
 
who hiccuped endlessly trying to giggle but wound up with a sob
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Points: 10261 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 07 2011 at 17:30
Paul Shigihara of the WDR Big Band on a fretless guitar and the late Charlie Mariano of the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble or Jasper van't Hof's Pork Pie on sax (he also played with Embryo on a few albums).


BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue.
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Proletariat View Drop Down
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Points: 1882 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 07 2011 at 20:48
^^^^
wow!
where do I start at to get into these guys?
who hiccuped endlessly trying to giggle but wound up with a sob
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himtroy View Drop Down
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Points: 1601 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 09 2011 at 21:20
Yeah sorry I fixed the private issue
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Dean View Drop Down
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 17 2011 at 13:42
Stew-Mac's latest "Trade Secrets!" newsletter email de-frets a bass:
 
What?
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ArcNatrix View Drop Down
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Points: 8 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 17 2011 at 14:17
I jammed on a fretless guitar before.  The guy who owned it filed down each fret individually until they met at the fingerboard and I don't know if he did additional work but the neck was very smooth.  Lead guitar was fun as hell and if you use power chords then it doesn't take too much getting used to.  Anything beyond that was a bit of a motherf**ker to play.  Stylistically I prefer frets but a fretless can open doors.


Edited by ArcNatrix - May 17 2011 at 14:22
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himtroy View Drop Down
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Points: 1601 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 21 2011 at 13:18
The fretless is the only guitar I use anymore really, other than when playing classical pieces.  I do chords all the time, you just can't do bar chords.  I tune it BEADGC anyway so generic chord shapes are gone, being replaced with much more interesting voices.  I really want to make an arch-top, short scale, nylon string fretless but that'd probably require making it from scratch....which I'm probably not capable of.
Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell?
I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance.
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sturoc View Drop Down
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Points: 124 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 08 2011 at 22:28
That guy in the Locobazooka vid sounded like alot of noise covering his lack of true fretless guitar technique.
 Fast Forward to Charlie Mariano vid now that's technique.
Larry Coryell Played an acoustic fretless of one of his many Lps.
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himtroy View Drop Down
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Points: 1601 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 07 2011 at 17:27
Now I'm working on making my Godin guitar fretless.  A fretless Nylon string is a must, it's this guitar that I plan to do this one (already own it).

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop_image/product/41184-godin-acs-natural-flame-limited-edition-large.jpg
Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell?
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himtroy View Drop Down
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Points: 1601 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 23 2011 at 00:02
Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell?
I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance.
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warrplayer View Drop Down
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Points: 111 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 23 2011 at 14:45
Lots of fretless guitar on Herd of Instinct's self titled release





Edited by warrplayer - August 23 2011 at 14:46
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progistoomainstream View Drop Down
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Points: 220 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 14 2011 at 23:02
I have multiple reasons why you should not Buy a Fretless Guitar. If you are a Progger not a Countryman
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himtroy View Drop Down
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Points: 1601 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 16 2011 at 02:33
Originally posted by progistoomainstream progistoomainstream wrote:

I have multiple reasons why you should not Buy a Fretless Guitar. If you are a Progger not a Countryman

I don't know what you're going on about, but this topic is very old and having owned two fretless guitars for quite some time now I respectfully disagree with you.  Not to mention that what is anti prog about a fretless guitar?  I'm far from a "Countryman"...I go to school for classical guitar and much more backed in jazz than anything else (and certainly not country).

That second "sentence" doesn't even have a topic.  


Edited by himtroy - October 16 2011 at 10:48
Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell?
I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance.
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