Fretless electric guitar

**Vorago** · #1 03-05-2005, 03:53 AM

So, I have a Fender Strat MIM lying around here (I started off on guitar) and this morning the idea popped up to defret it. I don't play it anymore at all, and I thought this way it might get some use, and it might sound rather cool.

Should I do this?

Would it be the same process as defretting a bass?

please advice

f'nar f'nar · #2 03-05-2005, 05:30 AM

ive done it to a very old strat, dont even know the brand... sounded shi*thouse. Do it if you want to waste a guitar you could sell....

**Vorago** · #3 03-05-2005, 05:48 AM

did that guitar sound good before you made it fretless? An instrument that sounds crap fretted will sound crap fretless too

Aaron Saunders · #4 03-05-2005, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vorago

did that guitar sound good before you made it fretless? An instrument that sounds crap fretted will sound crap fretless too

Very true.

Go for it. I'd love to try it myself.

sargebaker · #5 03-05-2005, 01:35 PM

Godin makes a fretless classical/electric guitar (acoustic/electric with nylon strings) that comes with out without a synth module in it. You could maybe try one out and see how you like it. It may have been discontinued however...

DaveBeny · #6 03-05-2005, 02:18 PM

There are a few fretless guitars on the market, Vigier being the best-known maker (glass and aluminium boards available as I recall).

Matt Till · #7 03-05-2005, 02:38 PM

If I recall correctly, I think Mr. Scorpions guitar man's guitar is fretless past a certain fret number. So It's fretted until past a certain point, so chording isn't a problem and up high he can get some sweet violin esque stuff.

scorpionldr · #8 03-05-2005, 02:38 PM

"can a guitar sound good without frets". that thought has rolled around in my head for a couple of years, and i say yes. all you need is a good grasp on the fretboard, and have a sense of direction

msquared · #9 03-05-2005, 02:47 PM

If you want to hear fretless guitar, check out Screaming Headless Torsos or any other group that Dave Fiuczynski is a part of. His main axe is a doubleneck with fretless on top and it sounds amazing.

keb · #10 03-05-2005, 03:46 PM

I defretted an old cheap acoustic guitar some years back. It was fun to dink around on.

I think Steve Vai has some tripleneck Ibanez guitar that has a fretless neck on it.

JimK · #11 03-05-2005, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msquared

If you want to hear fretless guitar, check out Screaming Headless Torsos or any other group that Dave Fiuczynski is a part of. His main axe is a doubleneck with fretless on top and it sounds amazing.

...and now you SEE Fuse play it on the new SHT's 2-DVD set.

spc · #12 03-05-2005, 04:03 PM

It might be tough chording, leads might be cool though...

msquared · #13 03-05-2005, 09:04 PM

It's a skill you develop, just like fretless bass intonation. I'm guessing that doing notes and chords with good intonation is even harder on violin than guitar, but even people who have only done it for a couple years can do a decent job of intonation on double stops and the like. So it'd just be a matter of practice. Same as always.

Wrong Robot · #14 03-05-2005, 09:06 PM

My friend did it to his old squier. Sounded neat, but he never really did anything with it.

Selta · #15 03-05-2005, 09:32 PM

Doesn't somebody make a fretless guitar with a GLASS (yes, glass) fretboard? I'll see if I can dig the link up...

Ray

hit up http://www.fretlessguitar.com/

sound clips, pics, everything! Not the one I was looking for though...

**Vorago** · #16 03-06-2005, 03:11 AM

Alright, I think I am gonna have a go with it. I think it be cool too to have a first defretting experience, and it might sound very cool. The guitarplayer that occasionally uses it as backupguitar might not be too happy, but hell, he should buy his own gear, he doesn't even has an amp.

Mojo-Man · #17 03-06-2005, 05:57 PM

I saw Shawn Lane play a fretless strat.
With Jonas Hellborg.
Back in the 80's, a Boston based guitarist, Randy Roos.
Played a fretless guitar.

superbassman2000 · #18 03-07-2005, 08:47 AM

i remember rondomusic.com had a fretless guitar neck for sale, it was pretty cool, and it wasn't that expensive...

Stephen S · #19 03-07-2005, 02:00 PM

How Weird, I was just thinking about this on the way to school.

Justin V · #20 03-07-2005, 02:30 PM

I can only see myself doing this with frets past say the 11th fret. Half the neck fretted, half fretless. Otherwhise chords would be just too hard for my aluminum ear (not quite tin, but not too far from it...). Leads would be really cool, though. Especially on "quieter" type things where there isn't a wall of distortion to cut through.