Half fretted, half fretless

[Roadybus]

i know that the height needs to be the same. not a big deal, i guess.  yet somebody (in the origin threat maybe) spoke of radius-issues. like i said: didn't get it

 

here's another 50:50 type, sent by a gentleman in the equal-bassic-threat.

 

 

[Basvarken]

And the question was ?

[Hellzero]

7 minutes ago, Basvarken said:

And the question was ?

Ask @Roadybus as he's going in all directions now...

[Roadybus]

...?    conclusion so far: 

i was simply hoping to find someone who experienced/build an vertical defretted bass. pro' & con's, ideas etc 

to hold on to the thought of only ONE instrument offering all bass sounds & expressions.

-doubleneck

via

-fr/fl on one neck 

via 

-etc pp

[Maude]

19 hours ago, Hellzero said:

This is exactly the principle of a sitar saddle just as I mentioned it in my post above. 😉

 

Well have been down a deep rabbit hole. Sitar bridge design, javari, the gotoh buzz bridge, mohan veenas. 

All very interesting. And to think some folks complain about the complexities of setting up a bass bridge. 

 

[Maude]

13 hours ago, Roadybus said:

.. and in the end we'll have a '1,5 in 1' instead of 2in1, but nevertheless we're gettin' closer...

 

what do you think of the vertical defretting from 5th fret on a 5str ? 

someone spoke of difficulties due to radius for the fretted, flat fretboard on the mmwah side...but i don't see the point. stupid i am? flat fretboard for both = solved ?

I can't see that radius should have any bearing on anything (other than personal preference) as the strings plane along the neck will be the same regardless. A typical upright bass has a much tighter radius and still produces that characteristic mwah if adjusted properly. 

[godathunder]

well, just to wander further off the point (whatever it was), have a different take on the fretted/fretless combo bass.

I've always admired the sensitivity and taste of cronos' fretless playing

 

 

 

If memory serves, Lee Sklar had mandolin frets fitted to one of his basses so he could emulate fretless style sounds

[Roadybus]

Yo! Warhead mit Purzelbaum 

 

i'd love to hear the unplugged version

[Hellzero]

1 hour ago, godathunder said:

If memory serves, Lee Sklar had mandolin frets fitted to one of his basses so he could emulate fretless style sounds

It's pure bullshít, that's his left and right hands combined technique, nothing else.

 

I can achieve a fretless tone on a fretted bass too. 😉

[godathunder]

1 hour ago, Hellzero said:

It's pure bullshít, that's his left and right hands combined technique, nothing else.

 

I can achieve a fretless tone on a fretted bass too. 😉

Then Sklar had best stop bullshitting..............

 

“It was put together by John Carruthers in 1973 with a Charvel alder P-Bass body I handpicked for resonance, a maple ’62 P-Bass neck I had that John reshaped to Jazz Bass dimensions, first-generation EMG-P pickups mounted in Jazz Bass position and flipped upside-down—which provided a more even sound—one of the first Hip- Shot D-Tuners, and a Badass bridge. In shaping the neck, John had to remove the frets. I saw some mandolin fret wire hanging in his shop and convinced him to try it, and we were thrilled with the results. It seemed to fit my style of using glissandos, and I had gotten tired of listening to railroad tracks clicking away; with a lightened touch it enables me to get an almost fretless sound.”

 

But yeah, youre quite right - as ever, it's mostly in the fingers