what kind of fret design is this called?

KSDbass · #1 01-01-2006, 09:07 PM

I'm thinking of when the neck is like, half fretted and half fretless? is that just fanned frets?

teacherguy · #2 01-01-2006, 10:00 PM

If you're talking about fretting up to the 12th fret and leaving the rest of the fb fretless, Matt Pulcinella called it "semi-fretless".
Check it out: http://www.mpguitars.com/SemiNeck.jpg

Jon

deaf pea · #3 01-01-2006, 10:53 PM

I had one made in '96 that had the first 5 frets and the rest was fretless , , , and I called it Bi-sexual!
There's a bass company that recently introdued this concept (with 12 frets) as their patented idea (using a synthetic fingerboard). But I don't remember the name of the company or what they called their hybrid neck . . . Hey, that's a good name . . . "hybrid fretted7fretless fingerboard"

KSDbass · #4 01-01-2006, 11:31 PM

thats not wuite what I'm talking about. I'm thinking of something like this

__________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
|
__________________________________|

so the bass side of the fingerboard is fretted, but the treble side isn't

HeathW · #5 01-02-2006, 04:41 AM

there was a post about this a little while a go with some pics of what your talking about, do a quick search.

teacherguy · #6 01-02-2006, 10:43 AM

I found this example from the back of a Bass Palyer ad.
It's a seven string with the top two and bottom two strings fretted but the middle left fretless.

http://www.bddey.com/kytary/7str_bass/index_en.htm

Jon

pilotjones · #7 01-02-2006, 11:27 AM

Partial fretted/fretless has been done in various configurations, such as upper neck/lower neck, or string-to-string, and maybe even combinations of these.

The patent is for a combination fretted/fretless, with the fretless potion raised (or the fretted portion lowered, depending on your point of view) so that the fretless board area is level with the crowns of the frets.
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...S=PN/5,025,696

KSDbass · #8 01-02-2006, 01:55 PM

those last two are exactly what i was talking, thanks for the help

KSDbass · #9 01-02-2006, 01:56 PM

those last two are exactly what I'm doing about! does it has a name?

pilotjones · #10 01-02-2006, 02:23 PM

No official name I know of. Call it partial fretted, semi-fretless, whatever you like.

Unlike Fanned Fret®, which is a registered trademark (or something similar) of either Ralph Novak or of Novax Inc. The trade mark on the name is a separate legal issue from the related patent for the fretboard.