Warmoth Fretless Guitar
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Death by Uberschall
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Definitely get the hardest fret board you can, like ebony. :icon_thumright:
DangerousR6
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Ipe is harder than ebony....and better looking... :icon_biggrin:Death by Uberschall said:
Doughboy
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I think ebony will be just fine. I'm definitely going to do a fretless guitar for my next build & will intsall a sustainer PU in it as well.
My favorite bass player of all time is Alain Caron, so I am going to base my build on his signature bass made by F Bass in Montreal:
http://www.fbass.com/html/AC%20Models.htm
My favorite bass player of all time is Alain Caron, so I am going to base my build on his signature bass made by F Bass in Montreal:
http://www.fbass.com/html/AC%20Models.htm
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swarfrat
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Ovation made an aluminum one piece fingerboard with frets cast in way back, and every one I've ever seen had horrible grooves cut in the frets and fingerboard. Aluminum is quite soft, especially in contact with steel strings.
That unfretted site is the home space, for sure. I have read that an auto glass shop can cut, bend and polish a glass fretboard pretty easily, because cutting, bending and polishing glass is what they do... I would avoid unwound strings entirely though, and just make a five-string with wound strings - chords are easier if you can get two fingertips next to each other, so the wider string spacing would help.
whitebison66
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Ive been tempted to buy a neck with the smallest frets possible and just file them down flush. That way I's still have lines and not worry about the strength of the filler material.
Kaoskadosk
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PyOZhgQnvU
Don't know what metal that is, but that does look/sound sweet!
Don't know what metal that is, but that does look/sound sweet!
SustainerPlayer
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whitebison66 said:
According to Melvyn Hiscock: "Do not be tempted to simply file the frets level with the board. This will leave the tang in place and although this will give a visible line, the tang will will wear differently to the surrounding wood and the bass will start buzzing and rattling."
This is regarding fretless basses - but it would seem to apply to fretless guitars as well :dontknow:
koshersteel
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I played fretless guitar for a few years. You definitely want the hardest fingerbaord material you can get. I was never satisfied with a wood fingerbaord and eventually got a Viger Surfretter with a Brass fingerboard. I hear good things about glass and have been thinking about building a fretless with a carbon fiber epoxy fingerboard to see how that works.
A lot of your choice will depend on how you want to play. If you want very precise intonation you are going to need to play with your fingernail like a Sarode player which lends itself to a metal or glass approach. Playing with just the fingertip will give you the same "spongy" intonation that you hear with fretless bass but the effect may be more pronounced due to the guitars shorter scale length, in this case go for the hardest wood you can (ebony, ipe, etc.).
Whatever you do your going to need to press down on the string a lot harder to get a clear note. Good luck with what is one of the most liberating experiences a guitarist can have.
A lot of your choice will depend on how you want to play. If you want very precise intonation you are going to need to play with your fingernail like a Sarode player which lends itself to a metal or glass approach. Playing with just the fingertip will give you the same "spongy" intonation that you hear with fretless bass but the effect may be more pronounced due to the guitars shorter scale length, in this case go for the hardest wood you can (ebony, ipe, etc.).
Whatever you do your going to need to press down on the string a lot harder to get a clear note. Good luck with what is one of the most liberating experiences a guitarist can have.
koshersteel said:
not to completely hi-jack, but do you have any pictures of your's? i'd love to see them!
i would love to try a fretless guitar, but i'd be so worried about never quite figuring out how to play without frets! then i'd be down a decent amount of money just to figure out that i couldn't figure it out :icon_biggrin: i think i'll probably take that plunge one day though. most likely fretless strat with a floyd... just looks perfect in my head. much like the one in that video
koshersteel
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I don't have my fretless any more, I sold so much gear last year that now I have a spare room in my house. I attached a photo of the same model I used to have though mine was blue.
Not to discourage any one but fretless guitar is the hardest instrument I've ever played. Harder than Sitar, harder than Pedal Steel. It's a lot of fun to experience and you can figure out a few cool things pretty quickly but it is VERY difficult to master, especially if you play classical music or do anything that requires shredding.
Not to discourage any one but fretless guitar is the hardest instrument I've ever played. Harder than Sitar, harder than Pedal Steel. It's a lot of fun to experience and you can figure out a few cool things pretty quickly but it is VERY difficult to master, especially if you play classical music or do anything that requires shredding.
DangerousR6
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yes it needs a floyd... :icon_thumright:jay4321 said:
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swarfrat
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Man that's beautiful. more difficult in playing it though is figuring out WHAT to play. It won't sound or play like a guitar. no 6 string chords, no barre chords, plus the slow attack of a fretless... you won't be playing AC/DC on it, that's fer sure. But still absolutely gorgeous and very intriguing. It also needs a set of black strings. Normally I don't get into such things, and I wouldn't do the guitar in all black, but on that beautiful slab of ebony... they'd look sharp.
