Fretless Guitars

[Osmur]

This may sound dumb, but why have I never seen/heard of a fretless guitar (not bass... the 6 stringed mother-f***er)?

[rudetay2]

They exist. It's just very hard to play and it makes chording pointless.

 

Most of the guys that play them play jazz/progressive single note type stuff on them.

 

I aswell always thought it was odd you didn't see more though, after all, it would be easier to intonate then violin.

[LittleWoodenBoy]

I know Godin makes a fretless guitar. It's called the glissentar or something like that. Fareed Haque plays/has played one before. I don't know how well-known he is; I pretty much know that because he's the Jazz guitar professor at Northern Illinois University, which is in the town where I live.

[Archon_113]

Steve Vai has a fretless neck on his triple-necked Ibanez.

 

[james on bass]

Rick Neilson from Cheap Trick uses one as well on his 5 neck guitar.

 

If I'm not mistaken, some of the live Dave Matthews recordings have him playing with someone (I can't remember his name) on fretless classical guitar.

 

Godin makes a few different models of fretless guitar, including the glissintar, but I've never seen any other manufacturer other than one-offs.

[SteveyDevey]

http://www.fretlessguitar.com

 

Nice site, go check it out. Sound samples and all (I think... it's been a while)

[hoerni]

Rondo used to sell them too (under the Agile brand). Never tried one, but they frequently had one on the clearance wall. I think they've stopped selling them.

[SpaceGhost]

Dave Fiuczynski of Screaming Headless Torso's plays one. It's very unique.

[i_wanna_les_paul]

Thank goodness not all guitars are fretless. And you thought Guitar Center was bad before...

[MorePaul]

 

Originally posted by SpaceGhost Dave Fiuczynski of Screaming Headless Torso's plays one. It's very unique.

 

 

unique doesn't need a modifier, it's a superlative

 

OK, that's an asshole grammar pet peeve, but hey, I'd bet most folks have one or two.

[SpaceGhost]

Originally posted by MorePaul unique doesn't need a modifier, it's a superlative OK, that's an asshole grammar pet peeve, but hey, I'd bet most folks have one or two.

I think i'm just going to start typing like DerekDRP from now on!

[Super_Donut_Man]

I've seen an 11 string acounstic (like 12 stringer, but with the low E doesn't have the double) that was fretless. It was interesting, I didn't play it though.

[fintucfin]

A friend just had a guitar of his converted into a fretless six stringer. A good player can make them sound good. I have more than enough intonation probs with my 4-string fretlesss, thank you very much.

[justing]

I made a fretless guitar out of a mexican strat I had...I would have to say it was moderately to highly useless. It was fun to play with, but it had very very limited application for the types of music that the majority of us play.

[bassman1956]

Originally posted by LittleWoodenBoy I know Godin makes a fretless guitar. It's called the glissentar or something like that. Fareed Haque plays/has played one before. I don't know how well-known he is; I pretty much know that because he's the Jazz guitar professor at Northern Illinois University, which is in the town where I live.

 

You live in DeKalb?

[LittleWoodenBoy]

Yup. Well Sycamore actually, but it's the same thing pretty much. Of course I go to school at U of I, so currently I'm about three hours away.

[nosamiam]

Originally posted by Archon_113 Steve Vai has a fretless neck on his triple-necked Ibanez.

 

Never mind the guitar!! What's that on Steve's head???

[edeltorus]

Erlend Krauser is known for his frettless guitar playing in the new age and meditation music scene.

 

http://www.erdenklang.de/cdinfo1_de.asp?BESTNR=90336

 

(Site is in german, but you'll find the clips).