Fretless guitar..why not?

Chords would be difficult.

 

Click on the image for a link that your friend might find useful.

 

Check out Tim Donahue (not Jerry!).

He plays fretless guitar with flawless intonation, even with chords.

http://www.geocities.com/fretlessguitarist/tim_donahue.html

http://www.allrightnow.com/fws/timd/tditl1.htm

 

Yes, they exist. Would I want to play one? Hell no!

It would be OK with open tunings I suppose.

 

Hasn't Shawn (Shaun?) Lane played one as well?

 

I made one, and I love it! The sound isn't very present, but it is very unique. Chording is strange because you get used to "cheating" to play certian chords, and when your fingers have to be exactly on the line, it can be a problem. It is also interesting with chords to find how much better in tune you can make them. Stopping all the beats but still having the open strings in tune is a wonderfull sound.

Lee

 

G&L has one in production this year...

 

Vigier in Europe have been making fretless guitars for quite a while - Guitarist magazine have been carrying adverts for the "Surfretter" guitar for about 2 years now.

Here is a link to an interview with Ron Thal (?) about playing this guitar :

http://www.guitarist.co.uk/interviews/inter_page.asp?ID=3762&PageNo=7

 

Some guys who play or have played fretless guitars:

Phillip Catherine
Randy Roos
the guys in the fusion band Kittyhawk (forget their names, they also played Chapman Sticks)
Frank Zappa
Dan Stearns, a local guy here in MA
the guy in the Moors (another local MA player)

 

I wasn't aware of Frank Zappa ever playing a fretless guitar. I know Adrian Belew (who played with Zappa in the '70s), and Robert Fripp have both played fretless guitar.

 

Check the liner notes to "Shut Up and Play Your Guitar", he uses a fretless Acoustic Black Widow on a few of the cuts.