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Fretgrooves?

A

allexcosta

Apr 7, 2004
4,721
119
#1
This makes no sense to me...

Anyone heard of it or tried it?

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imgGroove.jpg


bassFg.jpg
 
#3
Unless the metal channel can add some metallic sound to your note it seems like too much work just to achieve lined fretless. And I think the metallic benefit of frets would be difficult to achieve with "reverse" frets.
 
#5
Looks interesting, but I really would have to have a hands on try at it. I agree about the firmness of the fingering... it would have some affect on teh technique.

I still wonder way someone doesn't make a fingerboard with rubber frets to get pretty much the same effect this guy is suggesting. Sure rubber frets would wear, but they could be replaced pretty easily. And different firmenss of the rubber would (could) give different sounds.

oh well.........
 
#8
Well, since I suspect that nobody has actually tried this outside of a small handful of people close to the maker, it seems premature to pass judgement based upon a couple of pictures and conjecture.

As somebody who plays an unlined fretless (albeit with a side marker per fret) I can see how this could lock your intonation into place. With your finger directly over the groove it must make the bridgewards edge of the groove into the contact point and therefore eliminate any small imprecisions - as fretless players will know a tiny roll of the finger can make all the difference. Between the grooves you can still slide or vib to get that fretless expression we all know and love.

So I can see how it's the makers answer to fretless intonation issues and a way of getting the best of both worlds in their opinion. I'm open minded enough to consider that it may be really cool to play and be a really useful development. Maybe not, based on what I see my instinct is that it looks a bit clunky and that it may well be a solution looking for a problem, but how do I know until I've tried it?
 
#11
To be fair, Marco has stepped up his game since he made mine...

Here's a couple more videos.



My experience with them was that the fretgroove gave you a tone you just can't get from a normal fretless. It has a metallic clank, and I've actually seen people slapping on them with great success. They give you the attack of a fret, but the slide of a fretless.

If I didn't absolutely suck at fretless, I'd still have mine. Marco is a great dude to work with, and is building some amazing instruments apart from the fretgrooves as well. Just a note on top of that...I'm not an endorser or anything, just had the pleasure of working with Marco, and consider him a good friend.
 
#14
I e-mailed Marco about this before, and he's really earnest with answering questions about the Fretgroove system. Hope he doesn't mind me pasting what he mentioned in his reply here.

Basically, I asked him if the grooves were merely markers. His reply is

No…the Fretgroove fingerboard is different. Instead of regular frets (or even “marks”) it has “grooved frets or inverted frets” at every position a fret would occur. Let me show you some close up pictures so you can have a better idea of it.


When you play inside the grooves you have the right pitch as if you were playing in a fretted bass but you still get that fretless sound – meaning: you tune in a fretless bass all the way through because when you play between the grooves you get the same slide effect of a regular fretless. In a short explanation: you become a virtuoso fretless player because you can find the pitch all the way.
Click to expand...

I think one of the first few replies hit it on the head. You get the microtonal effects of a fretless when you are BETWEEN the grooves, but when you are in the groove you can just stay on pitch. The possible downside I see to this is that you might have to adapt the parallel fretless vibrato accordingly. However, that's merely theorizing on my part and it might not be an issue as I have not played the bass.
 
#17
Interesting concept - definitely the kind of thing one evaluates in person. From everything above I'm gathering it's basically a 'lined' (in the broadest sense) fretless that's easier to play on pitch and has a bit of a metallic clank if desired.
 
#18
The frettgroove system was developed and patented by Marco bass guitars so players could play a frettless bass with the confidence of a fretted bass. The brass frett inserts are con caved vs con vexed so the player is in pitch while playing along the frettboard. These basses seem like a freak of nature but the upright buzz matched with the ease and playability of a electric bass makes these instruments and amazing hybrid that should be played.
 

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