Fretless Seven-String

Way to the Grave · 07-14-2006, 01:20 AM

I got the idea from a Guitar Player magazine awhile ago, and the one with John Mayer had a section devoted to fretless guitar players and how it was a new fad and all that.

Anyway, what I'm thinking is getting one of those cheap-as-well Squier Stagemaster 7's from eBay and taking the frets off myself. You only need sandpaper, pliers and a heat-gun, from what I've read. I want to put a Duncan Jazz humbucker in it myself, and try seven-string Jazz methods.

Anyone out there done this/thought about doing it/have thoughts?

bostjan · 07-14-2006, 01:26 AM

I think someone had one of those on eBay not long ago.

Metal Ken · 07-14-2006, 01:46 AM

I have a cheap 6 string fretless. its really fun to play, but it takes some work gettign used to not having the whole fret in which to get the note..so some stretches are a lot harder and some chord shapes are impossible.

Way to the Grave · 07-14-2006, 01:49 AM

A Vio-Lence fan eh? Awesome band.

Yeah, I read the stretching was a pretty big problem, and the chord thing is supposed to be a double-egded sword. If you know basic positions, you can exagerrate them to produce a different sound, which is the part that intrigues me. It's another one of the reasons I want to remove the frets myself. I want to live a small slit visible so I can get a general idea of where finger positions are.

Metal Ken · 07-14-2006, 01:53 AM

Hell yeah Vio-Lence \m/

Stretching isnt a problem, the thing is in some chords, if you need to get some fingers in the same frets on multiple strings, it gets to be only possible if you have 1)Pencil fingers or 2)cover multiple strings w/ 1 finger, which isnt always possible.

My fretless came with the black lines on it like a lot of fretless basses do

bostjan · 07-14-2006, 02:02 AM

Fret lines are kind of bad. You need to allow your ears to take over, thus the point in not being limited by frets. Don't be afraid to let go. Trust your instincts, use the force, Luke.

Way to the Grave · 07-14-2006, 02:03 AM

So it's like a problem with intonation with your fingers? I mean, without the straightness of frets the cents are uneven, I'm assuming?

Metal Ken · 07-14-2006, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bostjan

Fret lines are kind of bad. You need to allow your ears to take over, thus the point in not being limited by frets. Don't be afraid to let go. Trust your instincts, use the force, Luke.

They give you a reference of where the notes are generally, which is good if your guitar thats fretless has a shorter scale and 1 less string than the guitar you're used to.

bostjan · 07-14-2006, 02:06 AM

Don't worry about it. The frets are all merely wild approximations to where the actual notes are anyways. You're better off developing your own natural intonation. Don't even tune to frets, try tuning the strings to overtones of each other, you will get a much sweeter sound, it's well worth the effort.

Ken, the notes are everywhere. Selecting the correct note has little to do with the fret lines. If you want to play it like a fretted instrument, the fret lines might come in handy, but still, you shouldn't limit yourself on such a vast instrument.

Metal Ken · 07-14-2006, 02:07 AM

well a lot of the time when i play, for practice, i just plug into a tuner and watch it lol and try to get used to hit that spot on each string.

07-14-2006, 01:20 AM	#1
Way to the Grave ss.org Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Darlington, South Carolina Posts: 9 Real Name: Ryan Loostrom Main Seven: ESP Ltd. M-207 Rig: Peavy Bandit 112 Thanked: 0	Fretless Seven-String I got the idea from a Guitar Player magazine awhile ago, and the one with John Mayer had a section devoted to fretless guitar players and how it was a new fad and all that. Anyway, what I'm thinking is getting one of those cheap-as-well Squier Stagemaster 7's from eBay and taking the frets off myself. You only need sandpaper, pliers and a heat-gun, from what I've read. I want to put a Duncan Jazz humbucker in it myself, and try seven-string Jazz methods. Anyone out there done this/thought about doing it/have thoughts? Freedom never meant happiness.

07-14-2006, 01:26 AM	#2
bostjan Spastic Kitchen! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 6,076 Main Seven: Oni Custom 7 Main ERG: Oni Custom 8 Rig: Mesa Dual Recto Thanked: 6	I think someone had one of those on eBay not long ago. Khereb's myspace

07-14-2006, 01:46 AM	#3
Metal Ken Dissident Aggressor • Super Moderator • Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 16,289 Real Name: Legion Main Seven: Loomis, C7HR, Giannini 7 Rig: Mesa Rectoverb 50 Thanked: 72	I have a cheap 6 string fretless. its really fun to play, but it takes some work gettign used to not having the whole fret in which to get the note..so some stretches are a lot harder and some chord shapes are impossible. Glory and praise to Thee, Satan, on high, Where Thou didst reign, in Hell where Thou dost lie, Vanquished, silent, dreaming eternally. Grant that my soul some day rest close to Thee Under the Tree of Knowledge which shall spread Its branches like a Temple overhead. ~Charles Baudelaire http://www.myspace.com/impurity Brutal Skullfucking Death Metal

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07-14-2006, 01:49 AM	#4
Way to the Grave ss.org Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Darlington, South Carolina Posts: 9 Real Name: Ryan Loostrom Main Seven: ESP Ltd. M-207 Rig: Peavy Bandit 112 Thanked: 0	A Vio-Lence fan eh? Awesome band. Yeah, I read the stretching was a pretty big problem, and the chord thing is supposed to be a double-egded sword. If you know basic positions, you can exagerrate them to produce a different sound, which is the part that intrigues me. It's another one of the reasons I want to remove the frets myself. I want to live a small slit visible so I can get a general idea of where finger positions are.

07-14-2006, 01:53 AM	#5
Metal Ken Dissident Aggressor • Super Moderator • Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 16,289 Real Name: Legion Main Seven: Loomis, C7HR, Giannini 7 Rig: Mesa Rectoverb 50 Thanked: 72	Hell yeah Vio-Lence \m/ Stretching isnt a problem, the thing is in some chords, if you need to get some fingers in the same frets on multiple strings, it gets to be only possible if you have 1)Pencil fingers or 2)cover multiple strings w/ 1 finger, which isnt always possible. My fretless came with the black lines on it like a lot of fretless basses do

07-14-2006, 02:02 AM	#6
bostjan Spastic Kitchen! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 6,076 Main Seven: Oni Custom 7 Main ERG: Oni Custom 8 Rig: Mesa Dual Recto Thanked: 6	Fret lines are kind of bad. You need to allow your ears to take over, thus the point in not being limited by frets. Don't be afraid to let go. Trust your instincts, use the force, Luke.

07-14-2006, 02:03 AM	#7
Way to the Grave ss.org Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Darlington, South Carolina Posts: 9 Real Name: Ryan Loostrom Main Seven: ESP Ltd. M-207 Rig: Peavy Bandit 112 Thanked: 0	So it's like a problem with intonation with your fingers? I mean, without the straightness of frets the cents are uneven, I'm assuming?

07-14-2006, 02:06 AM	#9
bostjan Spastic Kitchen! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 6,076 Main Seven: Oni Custom 7 Main ERG: Oni Custom 8 Rig: Mesa Dual Recto Thanked: 6	Don't worry about it. The frets are all merely wild approximations to where the actual notes are anyways. You're better off developing your own natural intonation. Don't even tune to frets, try tuning the strings to overtones of each other, you will get a much sweeter sound, it's well worth the effort. Ken, the notes are everywhere. Selecting the correct note has little to do with the fret lines. If you want to play it like a fretted instrument, the fret lines might come in handy, but still, you shouldn't limit yourself on such a vast instrument.

07-14-2006, 02:07 AM	#10
Metal Ken Dissident Aggressor • Super Moderator • Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 16,289 Real Name: Legion Main Seven: Loomis, C7HR, Giannini 7 Rig: Mesa Rectoverb 50 Thanked: 72	well a lot of the time when i play, for practice, i just plug into a tuner and watch it lol and try to get used to hit that spot on each string.


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