Fretless guitar
Encyclopedia
A fretless guitar is a guitar
without fret
s. It operates in the same manner as most other stringed instruments and traditional guitar
s, but does not have any frets to act as the lower end point (node) of the vibrating string. On a fretless guitar
, the vibrating string length runs from the bridge
, where the strings are attached, all the way up to the point where the fingertip presses the string down on the fingerboard. Fretless guitars are fairly uncommon in most forms of western music and generally limited to the electrified instruments due to decreased acoustic volume and sustain in fretless instruments. However, the fretless bass guitar has gained fairly widespread popularity and many models of bass guitar can be found in fretless varieties. Fretless Electric Bass is particularly popular among Jazz
, Funk
and R&B players due to the similarity in feel and sound to the acoustic double bass
.
s, tuning systems or temperaments, as is the case with fretted instruments. This facilitates the playing of music in other than 12-tone scales; these scales are typically found in non-Western or experimental music. Fretless guitars produce a different sound than their fretted counterparts as well, because the fingertip is relatively soft (compared to a fret) and absorbs energy from the vibrating string much more quickly. The result is that the pizzicato
on a fretless guitar has a more dampened
sound. One can finger notes with one's nail like an Indian sarod
player. This will sustain and brighten the sound. One can also combine bottleneck slide guitar
with fretless fingered guitar playing to add an additional range of tonal possibilities that allows for more melodic and harmonic/chordal possibilities than some of the constraints common to traditional standard and open tuning slide guitar techniques.
Some players seem to choose the fretless guitar mainly for its ability to get in more direct contact with the note played (since finger tip and not the fret decides the string length). However, playing a fretless instrument usually requires much more training of the fretting hand for exact positioning and shifts, and more ear training
to discern the minute differences in intonation that fretless instruments permit. To make this easier, many fretless guitars and basses have lines in place of frets and side position markers (dots or lines), indicating half-tone increments.
Acoustic fretless guitars produce less volume than their fretted counterparts, which is usually addressed by the use of pickups and amplification. Fretless bass guitar
s, which have much heavier strings and a bigger body, are also typically amplified.
On fretless basses the fingerboard is usually made of a hard wood, such as ebony
. To reduce fingerboard
wear from round-wound strings a coat of epoxy
may be applied. Other strings, such as flat-wound, ground wound or nylon tape-wound strings, can also be used to reduce fingerboard
wear.
. There are also professional builders specialising in custom-made fretless guitars.
Fretless bass guitars are much more common than fretless guitars, and there are many manufacturers offering these as standard models.
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
without fret
Fret
A fret is a raised portion on the neck of a stringed instrument, that extends generally across the full width of the neck. On most modern western instruments, frets are metal strips inserted into the fingerboard...
s. It operates in the same manner as most other stringed instruments and traditional guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, but does not have any frets to act as the lower end point (node) of the vibrating string. On a fretless guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, the vibrating string length runs from the bridge
Bridge (instrument)
A bridge is a device for supporting the strings on a stringed instrument and transmitting the vibration of those strings to some other structural component of the instrument in order to transfer the sound to the surrounding air.- Explanation :...
, where the strings are attached, all the way up to the point where the fingertip presses the string down on the fingerboard. Fretless guitars are fairly uncommon in most forms of western music and generally limited to the electrified instruments due to decreased acoustic volume and sustain in fretless instruments. However, the fretless bass guitar has gained fairly widespread popularity and many models of bass guitar can be found in fretless varieties. Fretless Electric Bass is particularly popular among Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, Funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and R&B players due to the similarity in feel and sound to the acoustic double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
.
Advantages and disadvantages
Fretless guitars are not constrained with particular musical tuningMusical tuning
In music, there are two common meanings for tuning:* Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice.* Tuning systems, the various systems of pitches used to tune an instrument, and their theoretical bases.-Tuning practice:...
s, tuning systems or temperaments, as is the case with fretted instruments. This facilitates the playing of music in other than 12-tone scales; these scales are typically found in non-Western or experimental music. Fretless guitars produce a different sound than their fretted counterparts as well, because the fingertip is relatively soft (compared to a fret) and absorbs energy from the vibrating string much more quickly. The result is that the pizzicato
Pizzicato
Pizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument....
on a fretless guitar has a more dampened
Damping
In physics, damping is any effect that tends to reduce the amplitude of oscillations in an oscillatory system, particularly the harmonic oscillator.In mechanics, friction is one such damping effect...
sound. One can finger notes with one's nail like an Indian sarod
Sarod
The sarod is a stringed musical instrument, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is the most popular and prominent instrument in the classical music of Hindustan...
player. This will sustain and brighten the sound. One can also combine bottleneck slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
with fretless fingered guitar playing to add an additional range of tonal possibilities that allows for more melodic and harmonic/chordal possibilities than some of the constraints common to traditional standard and open tuning slide guitar techniques.
Some players seem to choose the fretless guitar mainly for its ability to get in more direct contact with the note played (since finger tip and not the fret decides the string length). However, playing a fretless instrument usually requires much more training of the fretting hand for exact positioning and shifts, and more ear training
Ear training
Ear training or aural skills is a skill by which musicians learn to identify, solely by hearing, pitches, intervals, melody, chords, rhythms, and other basic elements of music. The application of this skill is analogous to taking dictation in written/spoken language. Ear training may be...
to discern the minute differences in intonation that fretless instruments permit. To make this easier, many fretless guitars and basses have lines in place of frets and side position markers (dots or lines), indicating half-tone increments.
Acoustic fretless guitars produce less volume than their fretted counterparts, which is usually addressed by the use of pickups and amplification. Fretless bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
s, which have much heavier strings and a bigger body, are also typically amplified.
On fretless basses the fingerboard is usually made of a hard wood, such as ebony
Ebony
Ebony is a dense black wood, most commonly yielded by several species in the genus Diospyros, but ebony may also refer to other heavy, black woods from unrelated species. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water. Its fine texture, and very smooth finish when polished, make it valuable as an...
. To reduce fingerboard
Fingerboard
The fingerboard is a part of most stringed instruments. It is a thin, long strip of material, usually wood, that is laminated to the front of the neck of an instrument and above which the strings run...
wear from round-wound strings a coat of epoxy
Epoxy
Epoxy, also known as polyepoxide, is a thermosetting polymer formed from reaction of an epoxide "resin" with polyamine "hardener". Epoxy has a wide range of applications, including fiber-reinforced plastic materials and general purpose adhesives....
may be applied. Other strings, such as flat-wound, ground wound or nylon tape-wound strings, can also be used to reduce fingerboard
Fingerboard
The fingerboard is a part of most stringed instruments. It is a thin, long strip of material, usually wood, that is laminated to the front of the neck of an instrument and above which the strings run...
wear.
Fretless instruments
Fretless guitars are typically modified versions of factory-made traditionally "fretted" guitars, the frets being removed by the player or a professional luthierLuthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
. There are also professional builders specialising in custom-made fretless guitars.
Fretless bass guitars are much more common than fretless guitars, and there are many manufacturers offering these as standard models.
Fretless Guitar
- John CaleJohn CaleJohn Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
used a fretless guitar on the 1965 album Stainless Gamelan - a very early recording of fretless guitar. - Erkan OğurErkan OgurErkan Oğur , or Erkan Ogur in the West, is a Turkish musician. A pioneer of fretless guitars, he invented the first fretless classical guitar in 1976.Martinelli, op. cit.Unfretted, op. cit. A composer, he has influenced many musicians with his compositions combining the sounds of Turkish folk...
(TurkishTurkish peopleTurkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
pioneer of the fretless guitar) makes nearly all his music with self-made fretless guitars. - Hasan Cihat ÖrterHasan Cihat ÖrterHasan Cihat Örter is a Turkish composer, guitarist and arranger who gained wide fame in the last few years for his remixes of traditional Turkish music, particularly instrumental, folk, jazz, new-age, vocal and dance music. About 3 years old "genius child" met with the piano and violin music began...
(TurkishTurkish peopleTurkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
guitar virtuoso) composer and instrument is playing more than twenty. - Frank ZappaFrank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
used fretless guitars on a few albums in the early and mid 1970s. - Adrian BelewAdrian BelewAdrian Belew is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer...
has used fretless guitars on a few recordings in the '80's. - Ned Evett is known as the "glass guitarist" and plays fretless guitars with glass fingerboards exclusively on his five solo albums.
- Vindsval of Blut Aus NordBlut Aus NordBlut Aus Nord is a black metal band from Mondeville, Calvados, France, which has incorporated avant-garde elements in its music.-Biography:Vindsval began a solo project, under the name "Vlad", in 1994. He released two demos before changing the project's name to Blut aus Nord, before the release of...
used fretless guitars on the microtonal MoRTMoRTMoRT is an avant-garde metal album by French black metal band Blut aus Nord, released in 2006.-Style:...
album and other albums. - David FiuczynskiDavid FiuczynskiDavid "Fuze" Fiuczynski is an American guitarist, best known as the leader of the Screaming Headless Torsos and David Fiuczynski's KiF, and as a member of Hasidic New Wave...
plays fretless guitar extensively in his instrumental project KiF. - Yannick Robert plays his Ibanez signature model on "Vaci Utca" and "Dix cordes de nuit".
- Ron Thal (also known as Bumblefoot) has used fretless guitars extensively.
- Michael atonal Vick is the founder of the NYC Fretless Guitar Festival and has played fretless guitar since the early '90's.
- Franck VigrouxFranck VigrouxFranck Vigroux is a French avant garde musician, turntablist, guitarist operating on the borders of rock, electronic, jazz and contemporary art music. He wrote a trilogy "Triste Lilas" with Helene Breschand, Marc Ducret, Bruno Chevillon, Michel Blanc...
plays fretless guitar on Push the triangle's album "repush" and live acts. - Steve VaiSteve VaiSteven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
played a triple neck (12-string, 6-string and 6-string fretless) guitar during live shows many years ago. - Elliott SharpElliott SharpElliott Sharp is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer.A central figure in the avant-garde and experimental music scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released over eighty-five recordings ranging from blues, jazz, and orchestral music to noise, no wave rock,...
has occasionally used fretless guitars, such as on his 1996 album Sferics. - John FruscianteJohn FruscianteJohn Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
used a fretless Stratocaster on the recording of Blood Sugar Sex MagikBlood Sugar Sex MagikBlood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Rick Rubin, it was the band's first record released on Warner Bros. Records...
(most notably on the guitar solo of Mellowship Slinky in B major); he now uses custom made fretless guitars with glass fretboards. - Karl SandersKarl SandersKarl Sanders is an American musician, most widely known as the founding member of the American Egyptian-themed death metal band Nile. He was born in California, and lives in Greenville, South Carolina. Karl is endorsed by Dean Guitars, and has two signature models by KxK Guitars...
plays a double necked guitar which has an 11-string fretless setup on the top neck, which he used on many of the tracks on Nile's album IthyphallicIthyphallic (album)- Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who Is in the Water :"Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who Is in the Water" is Nile's first single, originally released only as a music download through Nuclear Blast's...
. - Matt Bellamy of MuseMuseThe Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
now uses a custom Manson double neck with one neck fretless live for two songs. - Steve KimockSteve Kimock-External links:** at the Internet Archive's live music archive* at the Internet Archive's live music archive* at Internet Archive's live music archive*, San Francisco, April 3, 1999*, Unofficial Fan Forum...
- Issei NoroIssei Norois a Japanese jazz fusion guitarist who is one of the founding members and the main composer of the band Casiopea. He has released 6 solo albums and a compilation. He also works as an instructor of a guitar clinic, and as a producer...
has used fretless guitar from professional debut year in 1979, the user of the most famous JapaneseJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
guitarist, and most user are using. - Nigel GavinNigel GavinNigel Gavin is a New Zealand based musician and composer, best known as a guitar player. In addition to being a highly regarded solo artist and session musician, Nigel has been a member of bands such as popular New Zealand jazz quartett The Nairobi Trio, Robert Fripp's The League of Crafty...
regularly uses a Godin Glissentar in live performance and for several pieces on his albums Thrum and Visitation. - Guthrie GovanGuthrie GovanGuthrie Govan is a guitarist known for his work with the bands Asia , GPS, The Young Punx and The Fellowship as well as Erotic Cakes...
plays a Vigier fretless guitar. - Aziz IbrahimAziz IbrahimAziz Ibrahim is a British musician. He was born in Longsight, Manchester to Pakistani parents. He is best known for his work as guitarist with Simply Red, The Stone Roses and their former vocalist Ian Brown in whose support band he regularly performs – both in the studio and live...
plays Godin and Vigier fretless guitars. - Pat MethenyPat MethenyPatrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
plays a fretless classical guitar on the title track of the album Imaginary DayImaginary DayImaginary Day is an album by the Pat Metheny Group, released in 1997 by Warner Bros. Records. It also won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, while "The Roots of Coincidence" won Best Rock Instrumental Performance....
.
Events
Festivals featuring live fretless guitar music have been held for several years both in the US and in Europe. In New York, the first NYC Fretless Guitar Festival was held in 2005. In Holland, the Dutch Fretless Guitar Festival has taken place since 2008.Fretless bass
- Jaco PastoriusJaco PastoriusJohn Francis Anthony Pastorius III , known as Jaco Pastorius, was an American jazz musician and composer widely acknowledged as a virtuoso electric bass player....
(bassist for Weather ReportWeather ReportWeather Report was an American jazz-rock band of the 1970s and early 1980s. The band was co-led by the Austrian-born keyboard player Joe Zawinul and the American saxophonist Wayne Shorter...
, considered by many to be the most influential bass player of all time) used a customized fretless Fender Jazz BassFender Jazz BassThe Jazz Bass was the second model of electric bass created by Leo Fender. The bass is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less emphasis on the fundamental harmonic...
that he modified himself. He also used a fretless bass custom built for him by Carl ThompsonCarl ThompsonCarl Thompson is a luthier and musician specializing in the construction of high-quality custom bass guitars. He is based in Brooklyn, New York....
. - Dann GlennDann GlennDann Glenn is an American jazz fusion electric bass guitar virtuoso and composer, who has published and recorded a catalog of six symphonies, and released numerous jazz and avant garde albums, over the years....
(solo bassist/composer) has a signature model fretless bass by Hotwire Basses, and also plays Fender Jazz and LightWave fretless basses. - Juan AldereteJuan AldereteJuan Alderete is an American bassist known for his work with the band The Mars Volta. Prior to his work with that band, he was known for playing in Racer X, where he received credit as John Alderete.-Biography:...
(bassist for The Mars VoltaThe Mars VoltaThe Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
, and previously Racer XRacer XRacer X is an American heavy metal band formed in 1985 in Los Angeles, California. The group has gone through numerous lineup changes, including a hiatus, with founders guitarist Paul Gilbert and bassist Juan Alderete being the sole constant members.- 1980s :...
) has constantly used fretless basses over his career including using a custom fretless Fender Jazz BassFender Jazz BassThe Jazz Bass was the second model of electric bass created by Leo Fender. The bass is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less emphasis on the fundamental harmonic...
as his main bass of the album Frances the Mute. - Bill WymanBill WymanBill Wyman is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1992. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings...
, (former bassist of The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
), was the first bass player to use a self-made fretless Fender/electric bass that he created after stripping down a standard bass. He removed the frets from his second-hand bass because they were rattling. This can be heard on many of the early Rolling Stones records. - Rick DankoRick DankoRichard Clare "Rick" Danko was a Canadian musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band.-Early years :...
(of The BandThe BandThe Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
and later, Danko/Fjeld/Andersen) used a fretless bass for several years, starting from the recording of the album Music From Big PinkMusic from Big PinkMusic from Big Pink is the 1968 debut album by rock band The Band. It features the well-known song, "The Weight". The music was composed partly in 'Big Pink', a house shared by Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, in upstate New York...
. - FreeboFreeboFreebo is a bass and tuba player, guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer noted primarily for his work with Bonnie Raitt. He is also a respected session musician who has recorded and performed with Ringo Starr, John Mayall, John Hall, Aaron Neville, Dr...
(session musician known mostly for his work with Bonnie RaittBonnie RaittBonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
) has used a fretless bass live and on many recordings. - Brent LilesBrent LilesBrent Harrold Liles was the bassist for Social Distortion from 1981–1984 and later was the bassist for Agent Orange from 1988 - 1992. He appeared on Social Distortion's 1983 classic debut Mommy's Little Monster before leaving the band on New Year's Day 1984, with the band's drummer Derek O'Brien...
(bassist for Social DistortionSocial DistortionSocial Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness , Jonny Wickersham , Brent Harding and David Hidalgo, Jr...
and Agent OrangeAgent OrangeAgent Orange is the code name for one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth...
) - Jonas HellborgJonas HellborgJonas Hellborg is a Swedish bass guitarist. He has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Ustad Sultan Khan, Fazal Qureshi, Bill Laswell, Shawn Lane, Jens Johansson, Michael Shrieve, V. Selvaganesh, Mattias IA Eklundh and Buckethead....
(solo bassist) extensively used fretless bass both on his solo bass recordings and with other projects, currently has a signature bass co designed by him from WarwickWarwick (bass guitar)-Overview:Warwick basses were originally a premium brand offering a small range of models built from high quality and exotic tonewoods with 'Neck-through' design...
. - Pedro AznarPedro AznarPedro Aznar is an Argentine musician, with a lifetime of experience in jazz, Argentinian folk music, and rock and has had a successful career as a solo artist. He is very well known for giving rock songs a jazz-oriented style, by playing the fretless bass, with a big influence from Jaco Pastorius...
, bassist and composer who has played with Serú GiránSeru GiranSerú Girán was an Argentinian rock supergroup. From 1978 the group consisted of Charly García , David Lebón , Pedro Aznar , and Oscar Moro . It is considered one of the best in the history of Argentine rock, both musically, and conceptually and staging...
and The Pat Metheny Group - Laurence CottleLaurence CottleLaurence Cottle is an electric bass guitarist and composer.-Career:His solo recordings have been mostly in the jazz and jazz-fusion vein, with such notable releases as Five Seasons, Laurence Cottle Quintet Live and others....
British session fretless/fretted bass player who has worked with such diverse artist as Sting, Cher, Eno, Eric Clapton and Black Sabbath - John MyungJohn MyungJohn Ro Myung is an American bassist, Chapman Stick player and a founding member of the progressive metal group Dream Theater. He is considered a virtuoso player who is widely recognized for his technical proficiency....
of Dream TheaterDream TheaterDream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
can be seen performing on a fretless six string in Metropolis 2000: Scenes from New YorkMetropolis 2000: Scenes from New YorkMetropolis 2000: Scenes from New York is a VHS/DVD release by American progressive metal band Dream Theater. It was released on April 21, 2001 by Elektra Records...
during the song Through Her Eyes. - Steve BaileySteve BaileySteve Bailey is an American bassist who is famous for his pioneering work with the six string fretless bass. He was voted runner up for "Bass Player Of The Year" in 1994 and 1996....
, a session bassist, frequently performs on the six string fretless bass guitar. - Jack BruceJack BruceJohn Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
(of CreamCream (band)Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
) uses a fretless WarwickWarwick (bass guitar)-Overview:Warwick basses were originally a premium brand offering a small range of models built from high quality and exotic tonewoods with 'Neck-through' design...
bass guitar. - Sean MaloneSean MaloneSean Malone is an American musician who plays primarily fretless bass guitar and Chapman stick. However, Malone also plays piano, keyboards, and guitar. He is most well known as a member of the progressive band Cynic.- Biography :...
(of CynicCynic (band)Cynic is an American progressive rock band, incorporating experimental music, alternative, metal and jazz fusion elements, founded in Miami, Florida and currently based in Los Angeles, California. Their first album, Focus, released on September 14, 1993, is widely regarded as a landmark release of...
, et al.), wrote an analytical teaching book on Jaco Pastorius' playing and also plays the Chapman StickChapman StickThe Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and has been used on music recordings to play bass lines, melody lines, chords or textures... - Gary WillisGary WillisGary Willis is an American bassist and composer known foremost as the co-founder of the jazz fusion band Tribal Tech. Aside from his work in Tribal Tech, Willis has worked with numerous other jazz musicians including Wayne Shorter, Dennis Chambers, and Allan Holdsworth...
(of Tribal TechTribal TechTribal Tech is a progressive fusion band, originally formed in 1984 by guitarist Scott Henderson and bass player Gary Willis. From 1993 forward the band included Scott Kinsey on keyboard and Kirk Covington on drums, and has produced nine albums that stretch the borders between blues, jazz, and rock...
), has a signature model fretless bass by Ibanez. - Marnie JaffeMarnie JaffeMarnie Jaffe is an American singer/bassist. She was an early member of New York noise-rock band Live Skull, whom she played with until 1988, when she left the group. Marnie Jaffe (née Greenholz) is an American singer/bassist. She was an early member of New York noise-rock band Live Skull, whom...
(of Live SkullLive Skull-Overview:Live Skull created abrasive no wave music not unlike their 1980s contemporaries Sonic Youth, Swans, Rat at Rat R, The Chameleons, Mars, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and Band of Susans. Their music featured angular guitar parts interspersed with bleak, quieter passages, for a haunting...
) played a fretless bass in the band Live SkullLive Skull-Overview:Live Skull created abrasive no wave music not unlike their 1980s contemporaries Sonic Youth, Swans, Rat at Rat R, The Chameleons, Mars, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and Band of Susans. Their music featured angular guitar parts interspersed with bleak, quieter passages, for a haunting...
. - Steve DiGiorgioSteve DiGiorgioSteve DiGiorgio is an American bassist and musician.DiGiorgio has played bass guitar in heavy metal bands such as Death, Autopsy, Control Denied, Testament, Vintersorg, Iced Earth, Sebastian Bach, Charred Walls of the Damned, Obituary, and is a founding member of Sadus. He is widely renowned for...
(one of the few fretless bassists in the metal scene) usually plays a five string fretless bass. - John Paul JonesJohn Paul Jones (musician)John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
(bassist for Led ZeppelinLed ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
) plays fretless bass on several Led Zeppelin songs, most notably on "In My Time of DyingIn My Time of Dying"In My Time of Dying" is a traditional gospel music song that has been recorded by numerous musicians. An early version, titled "Jesus Goin' A-Make Up My Dying Bed", is mentioned in historian Robert Emmet Kennedy's Black Cameos published in 1924, on Louisiana street performers, and also listed in...
". - Colin EdwinColin EdwinColin Edwin is a member of the British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, where he plays both fretted and fretless bass guitar as well as double bass and guimbri. He joined the band in December 1993...
(of British progressive rock band Porcupine TreePorcupine TreePorcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...
). - John DeaconJohn DeaconJohn Richard Deacon is a retired English multi-instrumentalist and song writer, best known as the bassist for the rock band Queen. Of the four members of the band, he was the last to join and also the youngest, being only 19 years old when he was recruited by the other members of the band...
(bassist of QueenQueen (band)Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
) plays fretless bass on several Queen songs. - Mick KarnMick KarnAndonis Michaelides , better known as Mick Karn, was an English multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter, who came to fame as the bassist for the art rock band Japan, from 1974 to 1982....
(former bassist of JapanJapan (band)Japan were a British New Wave group, formed in 1974 in Catford, South London. The band achieved success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when they were often associated with the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement .- History :The band began as a group of friends...
and avantgarde musician) has used fretless bass guitar since the late 1970s. Karn has mainly used Travis BeanTravis BeanClifford Travis Bean was an American luthier and machinist from California.In 1974, he partnered with Marc McElwee and Gary Kramer to start Travis Bean Guitars, which made high-end electric guitars and basses featuring machined aluminum necks. This was an unusual design, departing from more...
during his early Japan years and Wal (bass)Wal (bass)Wal is a brand of electric bass manufactured by Electric Wood Ltd. in High Wycombe, England. It was started in 1974 by electronics expert Ian Waller and luthier Pete Stevens...
since 1981. - Tony LevinTony LevinTony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
was made famous because of the fretless bass parts on Peter GabrielPeter GabrielPeter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
's "Sledgehammer" and on a large amount of his solo album work. Like Sean Malone, Levin also plays the Chapman Stick. - Tony FranklinTony Franklin (musician)Anthony James "Tony" Franklin is an English rock musician, best known for his work on the fretless bass guitar with Roy Harper, The Firm, Jimmy Page, John Sykes' Blue Murder, Whitesnake and briefly, with Quiet Riot.-Fretless bass:...
has been instrumental in bringing the fretless bass to heavy music recordings. Franklin is generally associated with the fretless Fender Precision BassFender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
; he has a signature model. During the 80's he was also seen with Jaydee basses. - Pino PalladinoPino PalladinoPino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
, a session bassist, has developed a fretless bass method. The bulk of Pino's fretless work was played with a pre Ernie Ball Music Man StingRayMusic Man StingRayMusic Man StingRay is an electric bass guitar by Music Man, introduced in 1976.- History :In 1971, Fender employees Forrest White and Tom Walker, unhappy with the way CBS was managing the company, left their positions with Fender to start their own venture. First known as Tri-Sonic and then later...
. - Percy JonesPercy Jones (musician)Percy Jones is a Welsh bass guitarist, and was a member of jazz fusion band Brand X, from 1974 to 1980, and a reformed version which lasted from 1992 to 1997...
bass player with Brand XBrand XBrand X was a jazz fusion band active between 1975–1980 and 1992-1999. Noted members included Phil Collins , Percy Jones , John Goodsall and Robin Lumley ....
and Tunnels. Percy initially played a fretless Fender Precision BassFender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
then a Wal (bass)Wal (bass)Wal is a brand of electric bass manufactured by Electric Wood Ltd. in High Wycombe, England. It was started in 1974 by electronics expert Ian Waller and luthier Pete Stevens...
since the late 70's. - Bunny BrunelBunny BrunelBunny Brunel is a French-born American bass guitarist who has played with various jazz notables including Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and numerous others...
had used a fretless bass on many recordings since the 1970s - Victor WootenVictor WootenVictor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards....
uses a custom five-string fretless bass on several of his own songs as well as several Bela Fleck and the FlecktonesBéla Fleck and the FlecktonesBéla Fleck and the Flecktones is a primarily instrumental group from the United States, that draws equally on bluegrass, fusion and jazz, sometimes dubbed "blu-bop". The band formed in 1988, initially to perform once on the PBS series Lonesome Pine Specials. The Flecktones have toured extensively...
songs. - Sting (bassist and leader of The PoliceThe PoliceThe Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
) used a variety of fretless basses with The Police - Jeroen Paul ThesselingJeroen Paul ThesselingJeroen Paul Thesseling is a Dutch fretless bass player, most famous for his work in German death metal band Obscura and Dutch death metal band Pestilence.. He is currently active in Pestilence and his fusion-metal project Nufutic.-Biography:...
, fretless bassist, currently plays progressive/technical death metal for the band ObscuraObscura (band)-History:Obscura was founded in 2002 by Steffen Kummerer. The band was named after the Gorguts album Obscura. In 2006 Obscura self-released their debut album Retribution and toured alongside Suffocation within Europe. A European headlining tour through East and South Europe followed in 2007...
, as well as microtonal world music. He uses six-string fretless WarwickWarwick (bass guitar)-Overview:Warwick basses were originally a premium brand offering a small range of models built from high quality and exotic tonewoods with 'Neck-through' design...
basses. - JandekJandekJandek is the musical project of an anonymous outsider musician who operates out of Houston, Texas. Since 1978, Jandek has self-released over 60 albums of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs without ever granting more than the occasional interview or providing any biographical...
, outsider musician, has recorded entire albums of only vocals and fretless electric bass. - Jeff AmentJeff AmentJeffrey Allen Ament is an American musician who serves as the bassist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam...
, (bassist of Pearl JamPearl JamPearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
) uses fretless basses on some Pearl Jam songs as well his other projects. Jeff is normally seen play Wal (bass)Wal (bass)Wal is a brand of electric bass manufactured by Electric Wood Ltd. in High Wycombe, England. It was started in 1974 by electronics expert Ian Waller and luthier Pete Stevens...
basses when using a fretless. - Paul SimononPaul SimononPaul Gustave Simonon is an English musician and artist best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. Recent work includes his involvement in the album The Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, released in January 2007...
from The ClashThe ClashThe Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
used a fretless Fender Precision BassFender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
in 1981, during the period of their Sandinista!Sandinista!Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side...
album. - Mo FosterMo FosterMo Foster is a British session musician, playing primarily jazz, jazz-fusion and rock bass guitar. He is also a music producer and songwriter/composer. In over 40 years as a musician Foster has played on and produced countless albums, singles, and film soundtracks...
is a highly regarded UK session bassist whose 'voice' is a fretless Fender Jazz bass. - Stomu TakeishiStomu TakeishiStomu Takeishi is a Japanese jazz bass player. He generally plays fretless five-string electric bass guitar, as well as a Klein five-string acoustic bass guitar. He often uses looping or other electronic techniques to enhance the sound of his instrument.Takeishi began as a koto player...
is a Japanese jazz bassist. - Geddy LeeGeddy LeeGary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
, of the Canadian rock trio RushRush (band)Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
has played fretless bass on and off since the 1970s. He used a Fender Jaco Pastorius tribute bass to play the bass line for the instrumental Malignant Narcissism from 2007's Snakes & ArrowsSnakes & ArrowsSnakes & Arrows is the 18th full-length studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush. Co-produced by Nick Raskulinecz, it is Rush's first studio outing since 2004's Feedback, and their first complete studio album since Vapor Trails in 2002...
. - Les ClaypoolLes ClaypoolLeslie Edward "Les" Claypool is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus. Claypool's playing style on the electric bass mixes tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends and slapping.Claypool has also self produced and engineered his...
(of PrimusPrimus (band)Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
and his many other side projects) uses a variety of fretless basses, most commonly an upright 5 string, and more famously his Carl Thompson (luthier) 4 string fretlesses and 6 string fretless Rainbow Bass. - Colin MouldingColin MouldingColin Ivor Moulding is a bassist, songwriter and vocalist. He is a founding member of the band XTC. Though less prolific than bandmate Andy Partridge, Moulding wrote many of the group's most popular songs, including their first three UK hit singles: "Life Begins At The Hop", "Making Plans For...
, bass player with XTCXTCXTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
uses fretless bass to achieve their distinctive sound. Almost all songs on the XTC album English SettlementEnglish SettlementEnglish Settlement is the fifth studio album by British alternative rock band XTC, released on 12 February 1982. The album reached No. 5 on the UK Album Chart and No. 48 on the Billboard 200 album chart....
use fretless bass. - Martin MendezMartin MendezMartín Méndez is the bass guitar player of progressive death metal band Opeth and second most constant member of the band, behind lead vocalist, songwriter and guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt....
, bassist for OpethOpethOpeth is a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout the years...
used a fretless bass on Still Life (Opeth album)Still Life (Opeth album)Still Life is the fourth studio album from Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth. The album was produced and engineered by Opeth "under the watchful eye" of Fredrik Nordström.-Style:... - David GilmourDavid GilmourDavid Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
, Pink FloydPink FloydPink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
guitarist, plays a fretless bass on Hey You. - Michel HatzigeorgiouMichel HatzigeorgiouMichel Hatzigeorgiou is a Belgian bassist. He was born in Belgium from Greek parents. He started playing bouzouki at the age of 9, then switched to electric guitar at 11 and finally to electric bass at 14. He joined his first band "The Blackbirds" when he was student at Charleroi Technical...
, Aka MoonAka MoonAka Moon is a Belgian avant-garde jazz band. Saxophonist Fabrizio Cassol, bassist Michel Hatzigeorgiou, and drummer Stéphane Galland are the founding members of the core trio...
is a Belgian bassist. - Michael ManringMichael ManringMichael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...
, solo bassist, plays Zon Hyperbass (TM) fretless basses for his experimental virtuoso music. - Tom Jenkinson, also known as SquarepusherSquarepusherSquarepusher is the performing pseudonym of Tom Jenkinson, an English electronic music artist signed to Warp Records. He specialises in the electronic music genres of drum and bass and acid, with a significant jazz and musique concrète influence....
, sometimes performs using fretless bass. - Dan BriggsDan Briggs (musician)Dan Briggs is a musician from Erie, PA, best known for playing bass guitar for the American progressive metalcore band Between the Buried and Me.He also plays guitar in the band Orbs. He is vegan...
, bass player with Between the Buried and MeBetween the Buried and MeBetween the Buried and Me is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They have released a total of five studio albums, as well as a cover album, an EP and a live DVD/CD...
uses fretless bass. - Morty BlackMorty BlackMorten Skaget , most commonly known by his former stage name Morty Black, is a bassist best known for playing with international bands like JORN, Ken Hensley, Terje Rypdal and TNT. In addition he has also played for many famous Norwegian artists and has also been a bassist for Mariah Carey...
, former bass player for TNTTNT (band)TNT is a Norwegian hard rock/glam metal band from Trondheim, formed in 1982. The band has released twelve studio albums, three EPs and two live albums while going through numerous line-up changes since its formation...
has used fretless bass on songs such as Forever Shine On and Without Your Love. - Kristoffer GildenlöwKristoffer GildenlöwKristoffer Gildenlöw is a Swedish musician and songwriter. He is best known for his work as bass guitarist in the band Pain of Salvation, a band started by his older brother Daniel Gildenlöw...
, former bass player for Pain of SalvationPain of SalvationPain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive rock band featuring Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the lyricist, chief composer, guitarist, and lead vocalist. Their sound is characterised by powerful, accentuated guitar work, broad vocal range, abrupt switching between heavy and calm passages, intense...
has extensively used fretless bass by ESP in many album recordings, such as BE and One Hour by the Concrete LakeOne Hour by the Concrete LakeOne Hour by the Concrete Lake is Pain of Salvation's second studio album. It is a concept album focusing on the issues of nuclear power and waste, displacement of indigenous peoples, the firearm industry, and human discovery.-Release history:...
. - John Taylor, bass player with Duran DuranDuran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
occasionally uses fretless bass, having used one notably on the Duran Duran song "Lonely In Your Nightmare" from their hit album "RioRio (album)Rio is the second studio album by the British rock band Duran Duran, originally released worldwide on 10 May 1982. It reached #2 in the UK and #1 in Australia....
" and also on the song "Tiger Tiger" from their third album "Seven And The Ragged TigerSeven and the Ragged TigerSeven and the Ragged Tiger is the third studio album by English pop rock band Duran Duran, released globally in November 1983. It would prove to be the last studio album for the band's original lineup until 2004's Astronaut....
".
External links
- Unfretted.com - fretless guitar resource: history, news, reviews, tips, FAQs, MP3s, lists, dictionary, etc.
- NYC Fretless Guitar Festival - The New York Fretless Guitar Festival features the best fretless players from around the world.
- Ned Evett The home of the glass guitarist.
- "Iki keklik" by Erkan Ogur
- A beautiful Erkan Ogur piece
- Turkish fretless guitar virtuoso Erkan Ogur in concert