The Secrets Of A Fretless Guitar

One distinct difference between electric bass guitars and their standard counterparts is the option to have the guitar fretless. Some electric bass guitars have frets in much the same way as a standard guitar, with each fret a semitone apart from its neighbours. However, there is such a thing as a fretless bass guitar, and trying to work out how such an instrument might work presents an interesting exercise in creative thinking.

The answer is actually fairly simple - rather than pushing the string down against the raised fret, the string is pushed a little further and right up against the wood of the fret board itself. In many ways it is easy to imagine an electric bass guitar working in much the same way as a double bass - which of course has no frets, and is played by pressing the strings down against the fret board, or neck. In fact, in much the same way as an electric bass guitar can be compared to a double bass in playing style, the same can be said for the sound quality. A double bass produces a kind of 'mwaah' sound as the string buzzes against the wood of the neck. This same effect can be heard on an electric bass guitar, and the sound of the two instruments is very similarly in tone and voice.

Some of the early fretless bass guitars were created by performers simply buying inexpensive guitars and prising off the frets, but today fretless bass guitars are available quite easily, and they have been manufactured in number since the early 1960s.

The fact that a fretless bass guitar has no defined note points means that players can include a wide range of effects and sounds, such as glissando - the gliding of notes, vibrato and also include notes between notes. Normally the finest change in note is from one semitone to the next - one fret to the next, but without these frets performers can play the notes in between - micro notes or quarter notes, creating any number of effects and sounds that add an unusual quality to music.

Often to help performers fret lines are drawn on the neck so that it is at least possible to see where the notes are, rather than having to rely entirely on habit and judgement. Alternative methods include notches on the neck that can be felt, markings on the neck and other such ways to aid the performer.

As well as aiding the performer it is necessary to aid the instrument, as the pressure of the metal strings against the wooden neck can cause harm and damage. For this reason either or both of two options are used. One method is to use flat wound strings, so that the string lies flat rather than curved and abrasive, and the other method is to use an epoxy resin on the neck to increase its durability and strength.

Most fretless bass guitars have the standard four strings, although there are five and even six string fretless guitars available. For the demanding player it is possible to purchase boutique, or custom made fretless guitars which have an even higher number of strings.