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Guitar Discussions -> Fretless guitar
There are 27 messages in this thread.
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Fretless guitar - Grip - 6-:24 -0-09-20
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Hey guys\gals!
Been looking for another project, thinking about yanking the frets
off a squire for fun....anyone have some experience on pulling these
things? Also, anyone played a fretless guitar? I'm thinking it will be
a novelty but fun for a while, but who knows, I may like it too!
Mike
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Re: Fretless guitar - RichL - 6-:24 -0-09-20
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Grip <mbetts@comcast.net> wrote:
> Hey guys\gals!
>
> Been looking for another project, thinking about yanking the frets
> off a squire for fun....anyone have some experience on pulling these
> things? Also, anyone played a fretless guitar? I'm thinking it will be
> a novelty but fun for a while, but who knows, I may like it too!
> Mike
Check out a recent thread on alt.guitar.bass. One of the more
experienced players on there just yanked all the frets off a bass to
make it fretless. You might get some insights there.
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Re: Fretless guitar - Tony Done - 6-:24 -0-09-20
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"Grip" <mbetts@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:90261c15-8edd-4227-812d-9e631cf5f69f@n19g2000vba.googlegroups.com...
> Hey guys\gals!
>
> Been looking for another project, thinking about yanking the frets
> off a squire for fun....anyone have some experience on pulling these
> things? Also, anyone played a fretless guitar? I'm thinking it will be
> a novelty but fun for a while, but who knows, I may like it too!
> Mike
I thought about it enough once to do a bit of internet research on fretless
guitars - tricky to play well by all accounts.
I think the fretboard has to be completely free of lumps and bumps to make
it work, so a good sanding block would be in order. For fret pulling I would
use heat (soldering or clothes iron), water and good fret pliers. You could
fill the fret slots with white body binding, also from Stewmac, if you
wanted them visible, or epoxy if you wanted to hide them. Epoxy is good for
that kind of thing, because it goes transparent and takes on the colour of
its surroundings when it sets.
Tony D
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Re: Fretless guitar - Les Cargill - 6-:24 -0-09-20
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Grip wrote:
> Hey guys\gals!
>
> Been looking for another project, thinking about yanking the frets
> off a squire for fun....anyone have some experience on pulling these
> things? Also, anyone played a fretless guitar? I'm thinking it will be
> a novelty but fun for a while, but who knows, I may like it too!
> Mike
Find a copy of "Can't Afford No Shoes" by Zappa. The
leads there are done on a fretless guitar. It's too
"soft" a sound, compared to slide or fretted.
--
Les Cargill
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Re: Fretless guitar - RS - 6-:24 -0-09-20
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On Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:50:42 -0700 (PDT), Grip <mbetts@comcast.net>
wrote:
>Hey guys\gals!
>
> Been looking for another project, thinking about yanking the frets
>off a squire for fun....anyone have some experience on pulling these
>things? Also, anyone played a fretless guitar? I'm thinking it will be
>a novelty but fun for a while, but who knows, I may like it too!
>Mike
I have a fretless bass, and it is fun. I know a couple fretless
guitar players, but it takes a certain fanatical dedication, and
usually some reason to go fretless (usually desire to play microtonal
stuff).
As compared to bass, guitars don't have enough string mass to keep the
string vibrating well with the extra drag, so there won't be nearly as
much sustain. And the scale is shorter than a bass, so at the top of
the neck it's very easy to go out of tune. Scale on violins are even
worse though, and they manage.
It's easy enough to get an unfretted neck from one of the usual
vendors. I'd still get the neck pre-slotted so you could easily fret
it later. Fill the slots with something and they'll serve as markers.
Otherwise, you're really askin' for it. <g>
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Re: Fretless guitar - boardjunkie - 6-:24 -0-09-20
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On Jun 24, 7:19=A0pm, Les Cargill <lcarg...@cfl.rr.com> wrote:
> Find a copy of "Can't Afford No Shoes" by Zappa. The
> leads there are done on a fretless guitar. It's too
> "soft" a sound, compared to slide or fretted.
>
Just "for the record" that song is on "One Size Fits All" if anyone
tries to find it.
Have you heard the news?
(news? what news? )
Can't afford no shoes
(get a good deal on tape)
Have you heard the news?
(news? can't afford a paper)
Can't afford no shoes
(hi-yo-hi)
Went to buy some cheap detergent
Some emergent nation
Got my load
Got my load
That I stowed
Well, well
Hey lawdy mama,
Can't afford no shoes
Maybe there's a bundle of rags that I could use
Hey anybody,
Can you spare a dime
If you're really hurtin', a nickel would be fine
Hey everybody
Nothin' we can buy
Chump hare rama, ain't no good to try
Recession
Depression
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Re: Fretless guitar - boardjunkie - 6-:24 -0-09-20
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On Jun 24, 8:19=A0pm, RS <R...@nonspam.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:50:42 -0700 (PDT), Grip <mbe...@comcast.net>
> It's easy enough to get an unfretted neck from one of the usual
> vendors. =A0I'd still get the neck pre-slotted so you could easily fret
> it later. =A0Fill the slots with something and they'll serve as markers.
> Otherwise, you're really askin' for it. <g>
That ain't no shit there ;)
You'd prolly want to put a good hard finish over the board as well to
eek some extra brightness and sustain.
I ain't man enough for it....I'll stick to the norm.
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Re: Fretless guitar - Jay - 6-:24 -0-09-20
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On Jun 24, 3:50=A0pm, Grip <mbe...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Hey guys\gals!
>
> =A0 =A0 Been looking for another project, thinking about yanking the fret=
s
> off a squire for fun....anyone have some experience on pulling these
> things? Also, anyone played a fretless guitar? I'm thinking it will be
> a novelty but fun for a while, but who knows, I may like it too!
> Mike
Yes, as part of a trade, I took a '62 Gibson Melody Maker that had all
of the frets removed. I had it re-fretted, but I couldn't resist the
temptation to string it up fretless just to see what it was like. Well
I had hardly put any tension at all on the strings when the neck
started to bow like a wet noodle. Found out the kerfs in the
fingerboard act just like the kerfs in the lining of acoustic guitar
bracing. I've heard that luthiers can adjust the relief of old Martins
(no truss rod) by changing the width, or compression, of the fret
tang.
So, I would use a dremel/file to remove the fret top, leaving the tang
in the slot. You'll probably never get the tang out later, but
Squire's are cheap.
J
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Re: Fretless guitar - Rufus - 6-:24 -0-09-20
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boardjunkie wrote:
> On Jun 24, 7:19 pm, Les Cargill <lcarg...@cfl.rr.com> wrote:
>> Find a copy of "Can't Afford No Shoes" by Zappa. The
>> leads there are done on a fretless guitar. It's too
>> "soft" a sound, compared to slide or fretted.
>>
>
> Just "for the record" that song is on "One Size Fits All" if anyone
> tries to find it.
>
> Have you heard the news?
> (news? what news? )
> Can't afford no shoes
> (get a good deal on tape)
> Have you heard the news?
> (news? can't afford a paper)
> Can't afford no shoes
> (hi-yo-hi)
>
> Went to buy some cheap detergent
> Some emergent nation
> Got my load
> Got my load
> That I stowed
>
> Well, well
> Hey lawdy mama,
> Can't afford no shoes
> Maybe there's a bundle of rags that I could use
> Hey anybody,
> Can you spare a dime
> If you're really hurtin', a nickel would be fine
> Hey everybody
> Nothin' we can buy
> Chump hare rama, ain't no good to try
> Recession
> Depression
...brown shoes...don't make it...
--
- Rufus
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Re: Fretless guitar - Rufus - 6-:24 -0-09-20
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Grip wrote:
> Hey guys\gals!
>
> Been looking for another project, thinking about yanking the frets
> off a squire for fun....anyone have some experience on pulling these
> things? Also, anyone played a fretless guitar? I'm thinking it will be
> a novelty but fun for a while, but who knows, I may like it too!
> Mike
I once had a thought about a fretless guitar after I bought a fretted
bass (a long time ago), but I never followed up on actually buying it.
I called Carvin - seeing as they will make you a fretless bass with
ivory inlay where the frets would be as markers - and asked them if they
could do that treatment on a guitar. They said they could, but that the
sale would have to be iron-clad - i.e.; u order it, you buy it.
Ou might want to call them up and ask them if they would make you a
fretless, un-drilled neck that you could then simply fit to the Squier
body/hardware. Then you could swap back and fourth...and save some cash.
And check the "accessories" tab -
https://www.carvinguitars.com/products/single.php?product=BN
--
- Rufus
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