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Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 1:00 pm
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Well, got the guitar sooner than I expected.
With no frets, the thing can be set so low it is playable with almost no effort. It does absolutely require more precise finger positioning than on a fretted guitar, but the sounds available are wonderful.

I did get a small 1/8 bow to try bowing....now that will take some time to learn! But I did find a small finger bow called a Pirhanha Guitar Bow that looks like it will be much easier to use than the long bow.

Haven't tried using a slide yet but I would think, as mentioned by others, that it would be good for that use.

All in all, I'm happy that I did it but will say it's not going to be the guitar used every day.

Photos links are below
Rick

http://www.rickwolf.com/guitar/MIM%20St ... 20Wine.htm


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Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 1:18 pm
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Wow, you did it - well done! Now, can you actually play a chord in tune? And what kind of difference does it make to the tone? I'm sort of imagining that the notes sound a little finger muted - though that doesn't happen on a violin so maybe not...?

Resin rather than wood in the slots: interesting. Of course, what didn't occur to any of us was the damage to the fingerboard the barbs on the frets would leave behind when they came out. That normally gets hidden again by a refret, so it's not usually an issue. Apart from recutting the slots wider that couldn't have been avoided, though I'm a little surprised they appear not to have at least put some filler in there. You could still do it yourself if you want, though.

Lots of people here be very interested to hear everything you have to say about how it plays. Who knows, you may start a trend!

Cheers - C


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Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 2:11 pm
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Finally! A guy who really will press the strings down to the wood when he plays! :lol: :wink:

Let us know how it goes, please. I hope the fretboard doesn't get too chewed up too quickly. Maybe an ebony fingerboard would be the way to go fretless. (?)

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Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 2:26 pm
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Ceri
Major chords seem to require having fingering dead on but to me, it isn't near as important on minor chords.

Playing single notes only seems different if your finger is away from the fret marker. There is no "muted sound at all and choosing the maple fretboard does improve the tone. There is a slight drop in volume with all settings that same as the 2002 black Strat that I got scalloped, but there could also have been some changes in the electronics over a 5 year period. It seems to have an almost infinite number of "tones". Certainly more flexible than a fretted guitar or a keyboard as you aren't limited to only a few "notes".

There is the ability to do that "finger wiggle" that you see violinists doing and that offers a very different sound that bending.

The sustain appears to be a little better than my other Fender's, but it may be imagination?

I do need to get the pickups covered as just the little bowing that I did generated a lot of rosin dust...can't imagine that would be good for them, plus it looks like hell.

I will hopefully get that "finger bow" sometime next week and really begin experimenting.

We decided to go with resin instead of wood filler as resin dries harder and will hopefully not require as much - or any - resetting of the neck. Resin also won't expand and contract in an opposite direction from the neck like wood filler would. Only problem with the resin is that it isn't quite as "clean" a job. I didn't want the neck sanded any more than necessary, so it's a bit sloppy in areas.

My guitar guy, Jim, had never done this before so it was a real hoot for both of us...too bad he didn't give me an On the Job Training discount. The main reason I chose a MIM Strat was that I have another and an American as well, so there would be some basis of comparison - it was also not badly priced - it was $510.00 to get to the current state.

Will post again after I get some playing it on it. Since I'm still in the reatil business, this is FORTUNATELY a busy time of year for us.
Rick


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Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 2:30 pm
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I will absolutely need to change to flatwounds, but I 'm not looking forward to the sound change that will likely cause.

Maple fretboard allows for more "zing" We thought a rosewood or ebony fretboard would give a bit of a dampened effect to the whole thing.

As time allows, I might get a rosewood neck to be able to change them out from time to time.


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Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 4:38 pm
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I just have a few inputs here:
I play the Oud (Arabic fretless - short neck - lute) and I also have a fretless strat copy with duncans on them. I noticed three problems with the fretless strat:

1-The length of the neck (long neck) will cause buzzing problems. It will have to be very well set up by someone who knows how to set up a fretless strat.

2-The commercially available strings have tensions that prevents certain tunings. So it will be quite difficult playing chords.

3-Try to use round wound strings (edit: I meant flatwound), they are easier to play and cuase less buzzing.

The nice thing about a fretless neck is that you can play Glissandi techniques as well as microtonal music. I use it for both.

Best
Cheers
HS


Last edited by HNSFury on Sat Dec 06, 2008 4:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 4:46 pm
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Flashback From the 60's wrote:
I will absolutely need to change to flatwounds, but I 'm not looking forward to the sound change that will likely cause.


Flatwounds should cause less wear to the maple fretboard.

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Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 12:33 pm
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Hisham Seif-Eldin wrote:
I play the Oud (Arabic fretless - short neck - lute)


Hey, Hisham: I also have an oud, I bought it in Istanbul a few years ago. It is a very cheap one; it cost well under $150. That's a good thing - because I can't play it to save my life. In fact, I can hardly even tune it: within seconds of starting playing one or another string goes wildly off pitch.

So you have my huge respect! I wonder what kind of music you play on it?

I don't know whether the British comedian Bill Bailey is at all well known in America. He has been playing in the US quite a bit recently, but maybe just in tiny clubs... Anyway, I saw him live a couple of days ago and amongst many of his musical routines he played the oud - but he used it to play a bluegrass type number. Sort of Country and Eastern, as he put it. Actually sounded pretty good!

Hisham, we'd all love to see pics of your fretless Strat too, if you felt like posting.

See what you've started, Mr Flashback! Turning into a very interesting thread, ain't it?

:D - C


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Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 3:48 pm
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Hi Ceri

Well it takes time .. I started playing the guitar in the mid seventies and didn't pick up the oud until the late nineties, so I 'm no expert either and most of my playing is just improvisation/taksim. Its not easy to start but as time passes the difficulties dissipate. You can solve the peg problem by applying white chalk (old blackboard chalk) on them to prevent the bounce back which is the usual culprit of most big tuning problems.

I will post pictures of that strat copt with Duncan's hopefully tonight. Ceri means soldier if I'm not mistaken, right ?.
Cheers
HS


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Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 4:30 pm
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Hisham Seif-Eldin wrote:
You can solve the peg problem by applying white chalk (old blackboard chalk) on them to prevent the bounce back which is the usual culprit of most big tuning problems.


That is a knockout tip - thank you very much! My dad plays violin (similar pegs): why did he never tell me that one? Fender Forum 1 / Ceri's dad 0.

Hisham Seif-Eldin wrote:
Ceri means soldier if I'm not mistaken, right ?.


Er, not that I'm aware of. It is the Welsh spelling of the Irish name Kerry - which is how it's pronounced. I mention that every few months, much to the surprise of people who have been calling me Cherie or some such in their heads... :wink:

Hisham, we must talk about Cairo some time - but not now. Let's leave Flashback's thread running on the fretless thing, cos that's more interesting just at present...

Cheers - C


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Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 5:00 pm
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Gotta say, after seeing it i'm tempted to buy a cheap neck to try it on.

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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 7:00 am
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how do you post pictures here ?[/url]


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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 7:57 am
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Copy the entire url
www.xxxx etc then paste it into the text portion of your reply.


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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:34 am
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Beautiful looking Midnight wine of a strat there Flashback From the 60's!!! Congrats

here is mine, not half as beautiful as yours
http://photobucket.com/Fretless


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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 1:13 pm
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Yours is quite a nice looking guitar!
Is that an aftermarket neck?
Are there fret markers that don't show in the photos or do you have them on the side?
Of course, you may be a much better player than I am and don't need the markers!


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