Fretless Guitar Build Thread

JookyChap · January 2014

For one of the £100 challenges I made a weird looking fretless guitar, which was fun but somewhat limited. Anyway, it's been at the back of my mind to learn from that and try another, sometime, in fact sometime like nowish.

One thing I noticed was that all fretless guitars seem to be aimed at super fast widdly types and are of the SuperStrat variety, but as I don't really like Strats much and play as fast as a sloth on Mogadon I figured I'd make a Tele.

So I got myself a nice walnut La Cab Especial body, which I'm going to finish in a white "Mother of Jooky" opalescent paint.

I next bought a Wamoth fretless Tele neck (birdseye maple with an ebony 'board), went blingy on some gold Sperzels, and then dug up a nice Hipshot hardtail bridge. Faux frets have been scored into the 'board, which I'm hoping will help as last time I was playing it like a drunk penguin.

For the single pickup, one thing I remembered from the last time is that there is bugger all sustain so I asked Marc at Mojo to make me something verily hot in the shape of one of his Mojotrons (I may be making that name up). He is also doing me a wiring loom for good measure.

Other than that, I've ordered some flatwounds and all the other little bits..

This is the starting point....

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gnbcBln850c/UtksH2uoPRI/AAAAAAAAGxY/FTdI4QYuZcM/s1600/IMG_5210.JPG

DrBob · January 2014

Worried that you're a little bit too in tune too much of the time eh ? ;-)

JookyChap · January 2014

DrBob said:

Worried that you're a little bit too in tune too much of the time eh ? ;-)

Ah, nobody has ever accused me of that...

ToneControl · January 2014

I had the frets removed from one guitar, and wood inlays put in. I found that although I love variety in my guitars, I couldn't emulate Philip Catherine.

I would recommend active EQ (or a pedal), to get the best sounds. Maybe mix in a piezo?

JayGee · January 2014

I love the idea, and I generally love what you do with the funky finishes but (unless there's a hidden issue/flaw somewhere) that body really does look far too nice to paint...

vasselmeyer · January 2014

Any fretless guitar thread needs this video of Gurthrie playing one. Demos of "normal" playing, with an eBow and a Wah Wah.

JookyChap · January 2014

@ToneControl - that's a good call. On the last one I did I can remember having to boost just about everything, but that was with a Jag (SD Quarter Pounder) pickup and I was laying the lack of mids/bottom end at that. Hmmm...

@JayGee I know what you mean, and I'm dithering I must admit.. maybe I'll just pearl the top transparently, instead of going for the forty-coats-of-mayhem look

@vaselmayer - Thanks for that. I was already feeling inadequate, but now at least I know I'm not deluded

JookyChap · January 2014

And here be that very pickups.. TV Jones sized high gain kinda bobbins from Mojo pickups..

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iMdF8Zf3_gg/Ut5WgdEjO1I/AAAAAAAAGyk/u0Z3Fz_h1zM/s1600/Mojotronic+Blade.jpg

ToneControl · January 2014

vasselmeyer said:

Any fretless guitar thread needs this video of Gurthrie playing one. Demos of "normal" playing, with an eBow and a Wah Wah.

is that a metal fingerboard? Ah.. "some alloy" he said

GG is an alien, how can he be so musical all the time?

I love the way he looks rock and roll, plays amazingly, and speaks in a proper mild-mannered English way

ChrisMusic · January 2014

Even the great GG is playing an awful lot of flat notes, so that must set a precedent to follow

If you played a violin that off key you would get kicked out of an orchestra, but to be fair he does say he is still learning.

Amazing skills and humility too, what a great combination.

Yes @ToneControl, it's what they called 'delta metal', which is essentially a brass alloy, I have that on my Vigier bass from my 'previous life*', and very nice it is too. The new ones have what is an essentially steel alloy fretboard, which they call iMetal, as Guthrie said anything with an 'i' must be better, looks cold grey to me but I think it may sustain slightly longer.

So there you go Mark, why not put a metal board on ?

Another trick to increase sustain is to use heavier gauge strings as they have more mass. Two things to bear in mind are; firstly you are not bending strings to increase pitch conventionally, just sliding up (or down) so extra tension isn't working against you for that, and you don't notice as much, and secondly you can tune down a bit to balance mass and tension.

I once* converted a Dan Armstrong plexi guitar to fretless, but the sustain was way less than Vigier get, but thats wooden boards for you. (I also did a DA Plexi bass too so I had a pair of each, fretted and fretless, very nice, but bloody heavy.) On a violin you get to put continuous energy in via a bow, so maybe the eBow or a sustainer pickup would help.

Fantastic project BTW, looking forward to the build, and finishing as usual, and also how it performs, so sound clips too (go on Guthrie plays it flat, what have you got to loose)

ChrisMusic · January 2014

JookyChap said:

And here be that very pickups.. TV Jones sized high gain kinda bobbins from Mojo pickups..

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iMdF8Zf3_gg/Ut5WgdEjO1I/AAAAAAAAGyk/u0Z3Fz_h1zM/s1600/Mojotronic+Blade.jpg

I should have asked, how do those pickups work? And what type are they SC or HB? They look really unusual, in a very cool way, but it is hard for me to work out what is magnet, etc... So a bit of explanation would be gratefully appreciated, cheers...

ThePrettyDamned · January 2014

ChrisMusic;139233" said:
JookyChap said:

And here be that very pickups.. TV Jones sized high gain kinda bobbins from Mojo pickups..

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iMdF8Zf3_gg/Ut5WgdEjO1I/AAAAAAAAGyk/u0Z3Fz_h1zM/s1600/Mojotronic+Blade.jpg

I should have asked, how do those pickups work? And what type are they SC or HB? They look really unusual, in a very cool way, but it is hard for me to work out what is magnet, etc... So a bit of explanation would be gratefully appreciated, cheers...

It looks like a hot rails has eaten some magic beans and been to the gym!

ChrisMusic · January 2014

Here is the current Vigier Surfretter with iMetal board \m/

(and some tasty playing too)

JookyChap · January 2014

Cheers @ChrisMusic I've been reading up a load on this, and metal does seem to be the way to go for the 'board, but I'm a simple country lad and will give the wood a go first

I do think a video of me sliding around Twinkle Twinkle leetle star could be entertaining though...

As for the pickup - they are blades apparently, with wire and lots more wire and and wire and a cover, sure there was a cover, or maybe a box, possibly and I'm sure he mentioned magnets probably magnets come into it somewhere and well, err, @mojopickups - hayulp

JookyChap · January 2014

As for GG - I'd just say it is easy to appear humble and generous when you are supremely talented - not so easy when you play like a talentless sack of spuds. Just saying.

ToneControl · January 2014

I used tape wound strings on the one I had made

JookyChap · January 2014

Finally, getting my head straight I've started on the finish (it makes sense, honest) for the top of the body. I'm going a bit blingy, so this is after the first 9 coats of mother of pearl paint, which will carry on halfway down the sides too. I have to say I filled the top but the walnut is drinking this stuff in, so it may take a while yet to get the finish I want, but shonky foto apart it is getting closer.

As for the back, it will be stained and wax oiled as I didn't want to lose the look of the walnut entirely.

For the rest, I've gone totally blingy with gold bridge, knobs etc. and will have to think of something clever to do about the pickguard.

As for the neck, I've planed the fretboard flatter than a squished-thing, which seems to be the way of things on a fretless as obviously the idea is to get the strings microns off the surface. We'll see later I guess how well I've managed to do that.
I missed the postie as I was away for the weekend, so the Mojo pickup and wiring are no doubt being used as a football in the local sorting office. All good stuff.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wT1vL9F3TA0/UuZN4b6h44I/AAAAAAAAGy8/e-zKqOqQSlM/s1600/IMG_5229.JPG

JookyChap · January 2014

Getting closererer now, just waiting for a few bits 'n' bobs and err, strings and it should be ready to make a bit of noise...

I was really surprised that the walnut has quite a subtle flame to it when I came to stain/hard wax the back, it is very pretty, and the opalescent/inside-of-a-shell top worked out well too. Worryingly neat, I have to say. Not quite sure how that came to pass

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mv2JGuDZplw/UujHiYyzZNI/AAAAAAAAGz0/RezeVJWoXRQ/s1600/IMG_5241.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1tiuZIEz1lk/UujHjfQmXXI/AAAAAAAAGz8/NKOgnTevQpI/s1600/IMG_5242.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PWBq1yJDasQ/UujHnY8-pdI/AAAAAAAAG0E/Ng4AS6MpedY/s1600/IMG_5243.JPG
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu15/erikryman/IMG_5238.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-keVwBffsOpw/UujHtP-qIMI/AAAAAAAAG0M/6BHKoYhdOBY/s1600/IMG_5244.JPG

Andyjr1515 · January 2014

That looks really good

When you first talked about opalescent paint, I really wasn't sure how it would come out but, by golly, it works!

Well done

Andy

JookyChap · January 2014

Cheers Andy - not sure I'd want to do it too often - there ar 9 different paints in there to get the effect, and I lost count how many layers. But it is quite stunning in-the-wood. Looks like proper shell, which is cool (rather than mother of plastic)

ThePrettyDamned · January 2014

Possibly the tamest jooky yet? I mean, relative to your others this is normal. Pearlescent paint, gretschy knobs, fretless...

It looks great! I've never really heard a fretless guitar bar the vigier video, so I'm quite interested in how this comes out.

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