I've got an old classical that I love. The frets only have so much life left in them. A refret would cost about twice what the guitar is worth. When that time comes you've inspired me to convert it to a fretless. What kind of adhesive did you use to attach the sheet to the finger board? Did you need to polish the aluminum?
@JandritoBlues I just used slow set epoxy to attach it. I took a piece of 1x3 or 1x4 that was a little longer than the neck, and clamped down the aluming strip with a couple of C clamps to keep it level. the aluminum didnt need to be polished--thats how it came looking stock. but be aware, dont let anything happen to it. mine tipped over a while back and it has a small ding almost right on the G on the high e string-- which is a huge pain. so just be careful once you put it on.
@StrigusConcilium its not really a song that i know of, but i guess it is sort of. i think its a pretty stock blues progression. i learned to play blues just goofing around, listening a lot, and surfing the internet. this was several years ago, but that was true even then.
@drshred22 sheet aluminum is what it sounds like, aluminum in a sheet. i think 1/32 or so thick. you can get it at the hardware store, or lowes, or some such place. i slotted the nut a little deeper than before, and lowered the saddle a little too.
@jonguitarist it was once. i bought it a yamaha classical guitar that had a cracked headstock for 50 dollars from a friend of mine. after i repaired that, i pulled the frets and filled the slots. but that left some dents in the fingerboard, so to get a completely smooth surface, i cut a piece of sheet aluminum and attached it.
@ericoschmitt sheet aluminum like sheet steel. its pretty thin gauge, but considerably thicker than aluminum foil. as ive said before, you can get it at lowes (Where i got mine) or probably any hardware store.
@joekata3 nice.. i actually play fretless bass, maybe i do it on it.. also my friend has a guitar and we took its frets off 1 week ago, ill tell that to him :)
@octoface4 I pried up the edge of the frets with a small screwdriver, then pulled them with pliers. i filled the slots with slow set epoxy and cut a piece of sheet aluminum approximately the size of the fingerboard, glued it down, clamped it down with a piece of wood and C clamps, and when it cured, filed down the edges to fit.
@glorplaxy im not sure. they have metal snippers that can for sure cut it, but i dont know how smooth that will leave the metal. if you can afford a dremmel tool, that and a few files are all i used.
I've never heard of Blues played on a fretless guitar!! Good work. I've heard fretless guitars playing arabic music, (the fretless emulates the Oud sound). But never the Blues. Cool man!!!
its thin sheet aluminum. the first guy i saw playing did have a glass fingerboard, but after looking into how much it would cost to get one cut, and the effort to remove the fingerboard, i just stripped the frets, got some sheet aluminum at Lowe's, cut it with a dremel tool, and attached it with slow set epoxy.
i really would like a sarod, but for the time being, this rig will have to do. its not to bad for 70 dollars of investment including the guitar, and some elbow grease though.
i have respect for tim donahue. hes not really my style, but hes got his own thing going. reminds me of a steve vai type for fretless guitar. another guy u should check out: ned evett. who is the first guy i saw play a fretless guitar that got me interested...
Did you just switch out the fretboard? i have an old classical guitar that im tempted to convert to fretless. When i did it to my bass i just removed the frets and filled, not the best job, but it works;)
How did you put that aluminum on there? And how thick was it exactly? I got a guitar that had been a DIY fretless project, but they did a bad job on it. It's very sticky and has no sustain at all, even compared to other fretless guitars. Any advice would be welcome.
how does he sound compare to when it was fretted?? do you lay any classical/ do you notice any ill affects that the change might of had on the guitar given different styles of playing??
hey dude this is sick, i build guitars (email if you want pics) and im in the process of designing and building a fretless gutiar with a titanium fingerboard..that dense enough ;)
that will sound amazing, sounds a little expensive though. i hear that if u can find someone to cut glass custom for you,that its one of the cheapest ways to go, and u dont have to buss or shine it or anything like metals, you just hit it with a little windex...
one problem with glass is that if your guitar falls off the stand, you have to get a new board, and depending on how you secure it to the neck, you might not ever get the glass off the neck
the guy i first saw play fretless guitar-ned evett- uses glass fingerboard. ive read his accounts and he says he chose glass after experimenting with various woods and metals because it had the best resonant qualities, and since he had a friend who cut glass, was easy to replace. so i presume that it is in fact replaceable.
also you make a fine point on the tunings...one of the main reasons i like open G is because it's good for practicing with a slide but other than that i haven't really been able to play anything other than 12-bar and some minor improvs :/ i haven't tried many D tunings except for a drop D now and then and as for E i've yet to experiment. i'll be sure to check 'em out when i get a chance. thanks for all your help :) Peace
it is indeed a metal fingerboard. i made it myself out of a thing sheet of aluminum that u can purchase at places like lowes. i chose aluminum because it would be lightweight, and corrosion resistant, but in restrospect a denser metal might have been a bit better. u can use any metal i suppose. in an optimal situation i would use glass. but thats dangerous and expensive.
if you want to try to make one, make a pattern of your fingerboard with a little margin. trace out and cut the metal, being sure to keep it from flexing or bending to much. fastening is the more critical point. if u dont keep it level, things will get messed up in a hurry. i used a board, and some C clamps to fasten mine. file down the rough edges.
when i shot this... id been playing for a bit over 5 years i think.
the tuning is standard, just down a half step. but if u manage to get your hands on a fretless dont be afraid to experiment. i really like 2 variations of neutral D:
ah ok i tend to get a few notes mixed up but i knew it was too low to be E
anyway just finished defretting my guitar about a half-hour ago and it's...different but i'm still undecided whether i'm actually ready for it or not XP i have no trouble with low E-G strings but B and high E have little sustain. would nylon strings help with this?
cool thanks i'll try 'em out. my fovorite tuning for blues is open G: DGDGBD and open A: EAEAC#E
the high E and B are the killers. the string is so thin, that when u stop it with your finger, your finger still absorbs alot of the energy, dampening the tone. try to stop it with your finger nail instead of the tip.
as for the tunings, open G/A are good to work with, but i dont really like the 5th below. in variations of open D/E you get the root of whatever your playing as the lowest note, and 3 octaves of it in the open strum-allowing for parallel notes to be played over the drone bass
nylons could help. thats what im using there. you could also just try a heavier high E and B string. a 13 and 17 respectively. youll probably also find the roundwounds make a scratchy sound when u do alot of sliding. this can be remedied with a set of flat wounds, but like i said. the high E and B will probably be too thin, so just replace them.
yeah 13 gauge D'Addario is what i usually use. but i figured their being thinner would probably make them more difficult to play, i'll try using my nails when they grow a bit haha. also thanks for the tips on the metal fingerboard. i googled it earlier and found that brass and bronze are the best so i'll see how it goes i guess. i also still need to sand the fingerboard...don't have any sandpaper so i didn't get a chance to yet.
you can get all sorts of different sounds: true vibrato (raising and lowering pitch, as opposed to just raising and returning), glissando, bend sounds with bends, i think you can actually hit a harmonic and slide it too, but ive never actually tried it. aside from that u can play along with eastern sounding things much easier...but looking like a badass is a good reason in itself.
it also gets a different sound from a fretted guitar. becuase skin is soft opposed to hard metal frets your fingers absorb more vibration from the strings and gives the more muted kind of bluesy sound. it also greatly expands your tuning possibilities and lets you to hit notes you can't with frets. but without the frets keeping you within the boundries of pure notes you have to recognize the different tones by ear and know exactly where to place your fingers before making your next move.
it is very cool, i saw it once and i had to try it, but theyre expensive to buy, so i made my own. u can get a cheap classical guitar at a pawn shop to work on. i pulled the frets by working a very tiny screwdriver up under them, wedging the fret out a bit, then pulling it with pliers. ull get some dings, but nothing serious. the metal sheet on the fingerboard came much later.
the real way to do it with the least amount of dings is you get a soldering iron or other hot piece of metal, and press it against the fret for a little bit to heat it up a bit, is it melts the glue a little and releases some oils from the wood that work it loose. the you get fret puller (basically a weird shaped pair of pliers) but if unavailable, you can do fine with pliers since the fret should be loosened. nice playing by the way! i like ur sound.
yeah, i read about all that stuff online, and it seems true on the nicer guitars. but this was a pretty cheap yamaha classical, and i didnt want to go out and buy a soldering iron or fret pullers, in retrospect, it would have been a good investment, since i want to keep doing this kind of work. oh and thanks for the comment! :-)
FINALLY A Guitar That Is Fretless in the video where you cant see where the frets are supposed to be! Thats Cheating Lol:P Sounds Good Keepp on jammminggg
definately true. there is a dot on the aprx location of 5, 7, and 12. but mostly, once you get a feel for where the notes are, you can sort of just imagine the frets on the fingerboard and not look at the side so much.
i am saying this honestly; you are much more talented than the guys who thinks they play fretless guitar. to learn fretless guitar you should listen erkan ogur's albums "bir ömürlük misafir( other name "fretless")", "telvin" and "istanbul connection". you can also listen cenk erdogan's recordings which you may find on youtube, he is also good on fretless guitar.
ive watched alot of his videos im pretty sure. i think on several occasions he uses an ebow to get a crazier sound. but he uses professionally made guitars i think, and i really cant afford that. but thank you for your support!! i appreciate it alot!
I'm not saying don't worry about improving. But in tune or not, that sounds pretty good! Only thing I would add is that I think the sliding from like a 1-5 position, like in the beginning, brings a bit too much attention to the fretless sound for my tastes. But it REALLY sounds nice with the smaller slides.
according to the guy that commented before u, i dont really play in tune all that well. but im working on it. its a converted guitar, so there are still lines where the frets used to be on the side of the neck, it gives me a good reference to play. plus, i played the guitar before i converted it, so it helped to know generally where the frets were already. thanks for your interest.
That's great!! Good sound, great playin ... I was just wondering why the aluminum instead of just leaving the wood with filled lines? For the sound I suspect ... really neat!
the real reason i put a sheet of aluminum over it was because there were some dents and dings from stripping the frets that made it play funny. it does help with the sound though a little. plus it just looks awesome...
i didnt exactly make it, i used a classical guitar, stripped the frets off, used a sanding block to level it out, and used a piece of sheet aluminum i cut out and glued it down with epoxy.
This is really really nice playing, thanks for video!
Frlja 3 months ago
I've got an old classical that I love. The frets only have so much life left in them. A refret would cost about twice what the guitar is worth. When that time comes you've inspired me to convert it to a fretless. What kind of adhesive did you use to attach the sheet to the finger board? Did you need to polish the aluminum?
JandritoBlues 4 months ago
@JandritoBlues I just used slow set epoxy to attach it. I took a piece of 1x3 or 1x4 that was a little longer than the neck, and clamped down the aluming strip with a couple of C clamps to keep it level. the aluminum didnt need to be polished--thats how it came looking stock. but be aware, dont let anything happen to it. mine tipped over a while back and it has a small ding almost right on the G on the high e string-- which is a huge pain. so just be careful once you put it on.
joekata3 4 months ago
Awesome.
JandritoBlues 4 months ago
thanks to you, I am officially making a fretless guitar haha. this sounds fucking awesome
superdude1525 6 months ago
This is awesome dude! Wicked dirty blues!
lighteningboy 6 months ago
Wow! All you need now is a good wail and moan.
Mistercharming 6 months ago
0:40, Do I hear some crossroads?
Nice playing
1979TheBand 8 months ago
You really rock (or blues :p) i would want to see a sheet music of that :p
I'm concidering to unfret my guitar but i think my parents wouldn't like it cause they payed my guitar :p
garonnn 8 months ago
So incredibly good.
mrsub360 9 months ago
I really want to turn one of my classicals to a fretless.
q28s1 9 months ago
@q28s1 How are you gonna do that?
TheCrownMaster 8 months ago
@TheCrownMaster I have a few ideas in mind, but I'd probably talk to a local luthier before doing anything.
q28s1 8 months ago
Whats the name of the song? And if improv, where did you learn to play the blues like that?
StrigusConcilium 10 months ago
@StrigusConcilium its not really a song that i know of, but i guess it is sort of. i think its a pretty stock blues progression. i learned to play blues just goofing around, listening a lot, and surfing the internet. this was several years ago, but that was true even then.
joekata3 10 months ago
@StrigusConcilium its crossroads-cream(eric clapton)
chabstickss 6 months ago
this makes me wanna kill my dog so I'll have something to be blue about!
5 stars
chainlinkdreams 10 months ago 5
Dude, that was absolutely awesome!!!!
yrussq 11 months ago
cool blues dude...keep on !
guitaristcho 1 year ago
cool blues dude...keep on !
guitaristcho 1 year ago
thats nice !
Roadside99 1 year ago
nice sound on the bass
99djc88 1 year ago
sick blues
CrimsonCleff 1 year ago
ya what do you mean when you say sheet aluminum? im trying to make a fretless today or tomorrow. Did you sand down the nut of your guitar at all?
drshred22 1 year ago
@drshred22 sheet aluminum is what it sounds like, aluminum in a sheet. i think 1/32 or so thick. you can get it at the hardware store, or lowes, or some such place. i slotted the nut a little deeper than before, and lowered the saddle a little too.
joekata3 1 year ago
@joekata3 sick, thanks man, great playing by the way. im a bass player
drshred22 1 year ago
ya what do you mean when you say sheet aluminum? im trying to make a fretless today or tomorrow.
drshred22 1 year ago
dude thats awsome. my freind might turn his old electric into a fretlss. how did you get the fingerboard so smooth and even?
drshred22 1 year ago
Wow! So much expression!
DarkSideOfTheMoon991 1 year ago
please, what is that your tunin? Open D?
MatheusMendonca1 1 year ago
@MatheusMendonca1 it is standard tuning, but a half step flat
joekata3 1 year ago
now thats soul
devourment666 1 year ago
loll Mario effect at 0:16
flyingoli11 1 year ago
wow your reallllllly good
BrickFrigid 1 year ago
very good lol im very impressed with the guitar and player
CarnalFearAZ 1 year ago
That's pretty cool, nice playing without the frets too
loofahbox 1 year ago
sounds like Japanese shamisen
crookedrain333 1 year ago
it what i was praying for
goatphilososphy 1 year ago
wow! man keep it up! cheers!
lesnombredix 1 year ago
sounds as if u were using a slide, kool.....
was it once fretted??
jonguitarist 1 year ago
@jonguitarist it was once. i bought it a yamaha classical guitar that had a cracked headstock for 50 dollars from a friend of mine. after i repaired that, i pulled the frets and filled the slots. but that left some dents in the fingerboard, so to get a completely smooth surface, i cut a piece of sheet aluminum and attached it.
joekata3 1 year ago
@joekata3 Very nice !! but what is the Thickness of the aluminium shett ? I've just defret mine too :) !
jdcrouhy 1 year ago
@jdcrouhy i dont now exactly, but it was definitely less than 1/8 of an inch, probably something like 1/16 or 3/32.
joekata3 1 year ago
@joekata3 OK thanks I'll play with only wood for a while and i'll test aluminium :) !!
jdcrouhy 1 year ago
@joekata3 OK thank you I'll try it with only wood for a while and then add the aluminium !! Thx a lot :) !
jdcrouhy 1 year ago
@joekata3 sheet aluminium? is it glued? but.. in a sheet aluminium any scratch will cut it!
i mean, is the sheet aluminium you are saying the same used to wrap meat when it goes to the oven?...
ericoschmitt 1 year ago
@ericoschmitt sheet aluminum like sheet steel. its pretty thin gauge, but considerably thicker than aluminum foil. as ive said before, you can get it at lowes (Where i got mine) or probably any hardware store.
joekata3 1 year ago
@joekata3 nice.. i actually play fretless bass, maybe i do it on it.. also my friend has a guitar and we took its frets off 1 week ago, ill tell that to him :)
ericoschmitt 1 year ago
this is probably my favourite video on youtube xD
MiniBoothPwnsU 1 year ago
This has to be one of the coolest things I've heard in a long time!! Thanks!!
learn4stringbass 1 year ago
ffinger picking?
octoface4 1 year ago
@octoface4 you got it
joekata3 1 year ago
@joekata3
did you make it fretless or buy it that way
octoface4 1 year ago
@octoface4 i bought a classical guitar from a friend of mine and converted it myself.
joekata3 1 year ago
@joekata3
sorry to ask so many questions but how did you convert it
octoface4 1 year ago
@octoface4 I pried up the edge of the frets with a small screwdriver, then pulled them with pliers. i filled the slots with slow set epoxy and cut a piece of sheet aluminum approximately the size of the fingerboard, glued it down, clamped it down with a piece of wood and C clamps, and when it cured, filed down the edges to fit.
joekata3 1 year ago
i really like the aluminum. I am really considering doing this to a guitar but I don't have the best tools to cut the metal perfectly.
How could I cut the metal without powertools?
glorplaxy 1 year ago
@glorplaxy im not sure. they have metal snippers that can for sure cut it, but i dont know how smooth that will leave the metal. if you can afford a dremmel tool, that and a few files are all i used.
joekata3 1 year ago
thats awesome :D
pityisz 1 year ago
its standard more or less. this guitar has a problem with slipping a little flat.
joekata3 1 year ago
Amazing, man... I can't imagine how tough that must be to play - and you're right on with the notes too!!!!!
megaladon73 2 years ago
Dude this is so badass.
AnthonyMusngi 2 years ago 5
excellent fingerwork.
fiddlerosin 2 years ago
Good job!
taxmonkey123 2 years ago
very nice man, very nice
p3chuu 2 years ago
this man is a master.
TMMSfanCLUB 2 years ago
That's totally awesome dude!
you're doing an awesome job
Vebbster 2 years ago
bravo man
this really rocks absolutely good playing
synthesizer301 2 years ago
I've never heard of Blues played on a fretless guitar!! Good work. I've heard fretless guitars playing arabic music, (the fretless emulates the Oud sound). But never the Blues. Cool man!!!
Hazenstones 2 years ago
wiked sounds real good
CoversJH 2 years ago
cool
palinkasp91 2 years ago
dude...that is a wicked sound...I am gonna have to try that....thanks for the Thanksgiving break project idea
SeafoodSam 2 years ago
is this E B G D A E tunning?
metal4life160 2 years ago
more or less. i think its a a bit flat, but its basically standard.
joekata3 2 years ago
@joekata3 That might be because your intonation is a bit off. Happens with fretless.
Incidently, that's pretty amazing. Fretless bass is hard enough. I can't imagine playing a fretless guitar.
You make it look effortless.
bosunbilly 2 years ago
Is that a glass fretboard?
ibanezman007 2 years ago
its thin sheet aluminum. the first guy i saw playing did have a glass fingerboard, but after looking into how much it would cost to get one cut, and the effort to remove the fingerboard, i just stripped the frets, got some sheet aluminum at Lowe's, cut it with a dremel tool, and attached it with slow set epoxy.
joekata3 2 years ago
:D :D :D :D
AnackhsunamUn 2 years ago
it sounds great, you imitate a slide sound in the beginnning sounds very soulful..
the blues itself is really nice too
diminishedlogic 2 years ago
awesome. HUGE. more fretless nylon svp
danielfelixson 2 years ago
Wonderful!!
It's something like Indian music... I just remember an Indian instrument "Sarod."
It's more fitful to use nylon strings than steel strings.
JackieMatthews610318 2 years ago
i really would like a sarod, but for the time being, this rig will have to do. its not to bad for 70 dollars of investment including the guitar, and some elbow grease though.
joekata3 2 years ago
groovy
great idea on making a fretless!!!
we're gonna copy your idea, if you don't mind.
mlmcin05 2 years ago
Wow, that's great! I really like that sound.
apollodude217 2 years ago
very good sound how you have putoff frets?, really good song :-)
glad6667 2 years ago
U are fuckin BRITTIANT!!!!!
Albertobob1 2 years ago
this is the coolest thing ive ever seen with guitars iam getting a fretless now
corvette595 2 years ago
fuckin amazin
fist thing this summer im gonna buy some classic guitar, nd make ih fretless
jus is there any good way to take the frets off easily??
rorboo 2 years ago
man you have a great guitar feel and style! I love it keep up the good work!
nsane992002 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
you're out of tune
bimmerman222 2 years ago
awesomeness
electroboy314 2 years ago
makes me think of the song 'what you deserve' from derek truck's album already free.
theduffmanben 3 years ago
sweet! Nice vid man, thanks for posting.
mattchurchill 3 years ago
NOW THAT'S MUSIC!. Congrats your better than that Tim Donahue guy who plays a fretless and sounds like complete shit
FrequentlyFried 3 years ago
you're an idiot.
jozevgates 3 years ago
i have respect for tim donahue. hes not really my style, but hes got his own thing going. reminds me of a steve vai type for fretless guitar. another guy u should check out: ned evett. who is the first guy i saw play a fretless guitar that got me interested...
joekata3 3 years ago
Did you just switch out the fretboard? i have an old classical guitar that im tempted to convert to fretless. When i did it to my bass i just removed the frets and filled, not the best job, but it works;)
NaturesBeast 2 years ago
i stripped the frets, and put on a thin piece of sheet aluminum...not necessary if you dont dent the fingerboard.
joekata3 2 years ago
How did you put that aluminum on there? And how thick was it exactly? I got a guitar that had been a DIY fretless project, but they did a bad job on it. It's very sticky and has no sustain at all, even compared to other fretless guitars. Any advice would be welcome.
Nice playing by the way.
antipunx 2 years ago
how does he sound compare to when it was fretted?? do you lay any classical/ do you notice any ill affects that the change might of had on the guitar given different styles of playing??
clash44 2 years ago
Nice playin man. Just had a quartertone guitar fretted, not bad for arabic music. But I always seem to go back to the fretless.
fjferd 3 years ago
hey dude this is sick, i build guitars (email if you want pics) and im in the process of designing and building a fretless gutiar with a titanium fingerboard..that dense enough ;)
stillborn61 3 years ago
that will sound amazing, sounds a little expensive though. i hear that if u can find someone to cut glass custom for you,that its one of the cheapest ways to go, and u dont have to buss or shine it or anything like metals, you just hit it with a little windex...
joekata3 3 years ago
one problem with glass is that if your guitar falls off the stand, you have to get a new board, and depending on how you secure it to the neck, you might not ever get the glass off the neck
wbwillie 3 years ago
the guy i first saw play fretless guitar-ned evett- uses glass fingerboard. ive read his accounts and he says he chose glass after experimenting with various woods and metals because it had the best resonant qualities, and since he had a friend who cut glass, was easy to replace. so i presume that it is in fact replaceable.
joekata3 3 years ago
Very cool! I like it.
TemporaryAlien 3 years ago
also you make a fine point on the tunings...one of the main reasons i like open G is because it's good for practicing with a slide but other than that i haven't really been able to play anything other than 12-bar and some minor improvs :/ i haven't tried many D tunings except for a drop D now and then and as for E i've yet to experiment. i'll be sure to check 'em out when i get a chance. thanks for all your help :) Peace
gearhardt 3 years ago
oh and one more question...is that a metal fingerboard you have on there? if so where can i get one and which would be the best metal to use?
gearhardt 3 years ago
it is indeed a metal fingerboard. i made it myself out of a thing sheet of aluminum that u can purchase at places like lowes. i chose aluminum because it would be lightweight, and corrosion resistant, but in restrospect a denser metal might have been a bit better. u can use any metal i suppose. in an optimal situation i would use glass. but thats dangerous and expensive.
joekata3 3 years ago
if you want to try to make one, make a pattern of your fingerboard with a little margin. trace out and cut the metal, being sure to keep it from flexing or bending to much. fastening is the more critical point. if u dont keep it level, things will get messed up in a hurry. i used a board, and some C clamps to fasten mine. file down the rough edges.
joekata3 3 years ago
great playing man. i really need to get me a fretless to mess around with. just two questions...
1 how long have you been playing?
2 what tuning are you in? at first i was thinking open G but now it sounds like D.
gearhardt 3 years ago
when i shot this... id been playing for a bit over 5 years i think.
the tuning is standard, just down a half step. but if u manage to get your hands on a fretless dont be afraid to experiment. i really like 2 variations of neutral D:
DADDAd and DADAAd
joekata3 3 years ago
ah ok i tend to get a few notes mixed up but i knew it was too low to be E
anyway just finished defretting my guitar about a half-hour ago and it's...different but i'm still undecided whether i'm actually ready for it or not XP i have no trouble with low E-G strings but B and high E have little sustain. would nylon strings help with this?
cool thanks i'll try 'em out. my fovorite tuning for blues is open G: DGDGBD and open A: EAEAC#E
also tried to slide harmonic. no dice lol
gearhardt 3 years ago
the high E and B are the killers. the string is so thin, that when u stop it with your finger, your finger still absorbs alot of the energy, dampening the tone. try to stop it with your finger nail instead of the tip.
as for the tunings, open G/A are good to work with, but i dont really like the 5th below. in variations of open D/E you get the root of whatever your playing as the lowest note, and 3 octaves of it in the open strum-allowing for parallel notes to be played over the drone bass
joekata3 3 years ago
on the tag of strings:
nylons could help. thats what im using there. you could also just try a heavier high E and B string. a 13 and 17 respectively. youll probably also find the roundwounds make a scratchy sound when u do alot of sliding. this can be remedied with a set of flat wounds, but like i said. the high E and B will probably be too thin, so just replace them.
joekata3 3 years ago
yeah 13 gauge D'Addario is what i usually use. but i figured their being thinner would probably make them more difficult to play, i'll try using my nails when they grow a bit haha. also thanks for the tips on the metal fingerboard. i googled it earlier and found that brass and bronze are the best so i'll see how it goes i guess. i also still need to sand the fingerboard...don't have any sandpaper so i didn't get a chance to yet.
gearhardt 3 years ago
what is the advantage a fretless neck over frets? (aside from looking completly badass that is.)
anarchy0productions 3 years ago
you can get all sorts of different sounds: true vibrato (raising and lowering pitch, as opposed to just raising and returning), glissando, bend sounds with bends, i think you can actually hit a harmonic and slide it too, but ive never actually tried it. aside from that u can play along with eastern sounding things much easier...but looking like a badass is a good reason in itself.
joekata3 3 years ago
it also gets a different sound from a fretted guitar. becuase skin is soft opposed to hard metal frets your fingers absorb more vibration from the strings and gives the more muted kind of bluesy sound. it also greatly expands your tuning possibilities and lets you to hit notes you can't with frets. but without the frets keeping you within the boundries of pure notes you have to recognize the different tones by ear and know exactly where to place your fingers before making your next move.
gearhardt 3 years ago
FUCK... you know to play that plain guitar!
what you call that??? Its sounds cool dude....
inalilahi 3 years ago
man that's so cool, I just closed my eyes and nodded my head all the way through that, awesome ;)
SHIFTYgeorge 3 years ago
Cool!
Anatol1984 3 years ago
That sounds so friggin awesome man O_O
I gotta get one of them fretless guitars.
Wishchrono 3 years ago
JJ! Nice playing! I'm always a fan of yours. Love this video. Love the fretless!!
Your dear friend, Kelly
Kmh5494 3 years ago
AMAZING !!!!
LeftHandedJay 3 years ago
i love how you have mixed in a bit of robert johnson style in there :)
darkmetallica 3 years ago
awesome playing man
MississippiSkip 3 years ago
I have always wanted to try a fretless!
skitkat65 3 years ago
it is very cool, i saw it once and i had to try it, but theyre expensive to buy, so i made my own. u can get a cheap classical guitar at a pawn shop to work on. i pulled the frets by working a very tiny screwdriver up under them, wedging the fret out a bit, then pulling it with pliers. ull get some dings, but nothing serious. the metal sheet on the fingerboard came much later.
joekata3 3 years ago
thanks
skitkat65 3 years ago
the real way to do it with the least amount of dings is you get a soldering iron or other hot piece of metal, and press it against the fret for a little bit to heat it up a bit, is it melts the glue a little and releases some oils from the wood that work it loose. the you get fret puller (basically a weird shaped pair of pliers) but if unavailable, you can do fine with pliers since the fret should be loosened. nice playing by the way! i like ur sound.
bloeregard 3 years ago
yeah, i read about all that stuff online, and it seems true on the nicer guitars. but this was a pretty cheap yamaha classical, and i didnt want to go out and buy a soldering iron or fret pullers, in retrospect, it would have been a good investment, since i want to keep doing this kind of work. oh and thanks for the comment! :-)
joekata3 3 years ago
yeaaah very nice musik!!! western l0ol
coupeturbo69 3 years ago
FINALLY A Guitar That Is Fretless in the video where you cant see where the frets are supposed to be! Thats Cheating Lol:P Sounds Good Keepp on jammminggg
guitarzero123 3 years ago
you know he can still see the dots on the arm...
Snedoul 3 years ago 2
definately true. there is a dot on the aprx location of 5, 7, and 12. but mostly, once you get a feel for where the notes are, you can sort of just imagine the frets on the fingerboard and not look at the side so much.
joekata3 3 years ago
Awsome, u remind me a bit of john butler but more bluesy.
shortymike93 3 years ago
nice job removing the frets, looks really professional.
tims18 3 years ago 2
i am saying this honestly; you are much more talented than the guys who thinks they play fretless guitar. to learn fretless guitar you should listen erkan ogur's albums "bir ömürlük misafir( other name "fretless")", "telvin" and "istanbul connection". you can also listen cenk erdogan's recordings which you may find on youtube, he is also good on fretless guitar.
alisercan 3 years ago
ive watched alot of his videos im pretty sure. i think on several occasions he uses an ebow to get a crazier sound. but he uses professionally made guitars i think, and i really cant afford that. but thank you for your support!! i appreciate it alot!
joekata3 3 years ago
i like the sound of fretless guitars, but they look ugly to me
teenhakker 3 years ago
Very very nice. Excellent... :)) And maybe you must listen to Erkan Ogur. He is a turkish fretless guitarist and he is sound very amazing.
yserkan 3 years ago
Reminds me of when I was growin up in the Mississippi Delta livin right next door to Ole Muddy Waters!
IMGNKYU 4 years ago
Excellent vid and playing!
Did you convert that guitar yourself?
I want one too!
laripsspiral 4 years ago
Excellent sound man.
Are you in standard tuning?
KellyMullet 4 years ago
yes definately standard tuning. i might be a half step down, but relative to itself, the guitar is in standard.
joekata3 4 years ago
I'm not saying don't worry about improving. But in tune or not, that sounds pretty good! Only thing I would add is that I think the sliding from like a 1-5 position, like in the beginning, brings a bit too much attention to the fretless sound for my tastes. But it REALLY sounds nice with the smaller slides.
Clayph0to 4 years ago
how the hell can u play anything in tune on that thing. :|
tehsimo 4 years ago
according to the guy that commented before u, i dont really play in tune all that well. but im working on it. its a converted guitar, so there are still lines where the frets used to be on the side of the neck, it gives me a good reference to play. plus, i played the guitar before i converted it, so it helped to know generally where the frets were already. thanks for your interest.
joekata3 4 years ago
you have to work on the notes a bit more, because some notes you play are a little false.
but that's a good idea. good luck.
michotakis 4 years ago
Very nice. I need one of those! Come visit unfretteddotcom. Newbie Brad
3PupsMusic 4 years ago
That's great!! Good sound, great playin ... I was just wondering why the aluminum instead of just leaving the wood with filled lines? For the sound I suspect ... really neat!
Pudsy440 4 years ago
the real reason i put a sheet of aluminum over it was because there were some dents and dings from stripping the frets that made it play funny. it does help with the sound though a little. plus it just looks awesome...
joekata3 4 years ago
Wonderful!!! (Implet)
Sydal 4 years ago
cool do you know how to make a fretless guitar ? need any special string or special wood to the fretboard ?
Ptnov91 4 years ago
i didnt exactly make it, i used a classical guitar, stripped the frets off, used a sanding block to level it out, and used a piece of sheet aluminum i cut out and glued it down with epoxy.
joekata3 4 years ago