Tedster Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Wow...what an unusual instrument. I played it at the Musician's Friend Scratch n' Dent Showroom here in KC. It had a nick in the front, but otherwise it was way cool. I believe it's based on the Lebanese Oud. They have 11 (not 12) strings...one low E, followed by pairs tuned identical (not in octaves like a normal 12) of the rest. Nylon strings, but lighter in guage than a classical guitar. The thing that got me was the learning curve...you can't, for instance, easily play an Am chord on it. Think about it...on a normal fretted guitar...to play an Am, your middle and ring fingers are both on the same (2nd) fret. They're not identical though, your middle finger will be slightly nutward of the ring finger. This doesn't matter with frets, but, it requires some odd adjustments without frets, otherwise one or the other note will be either slightly sharp or slightly flat. Also, a violin-style vibrato is more what you want, as opposed to our usual cross-neck guitar vibrato. But it is cool. Quite a learning curve, but, one of these days... "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 play the A minor at the 5th position as a partial barre. you got to hand it to Godin for making an instrument that isn't going to have mass appeal. most maker's bean counters would quickly kill that idea. that is why i admire Godin, Robert is driven by love more than money. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted May 11, 2006 Author Share Posted May 11, 2006 Well, yeah, you could do that. I was just using that as an example of things you take for granted on a fretted guitar that don't work on a fretless one... "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 I think that instrument's probably best approached as a melodic/"lead" instrument; and instead of full chords, perhaps two or three notes at a time would be best, at least at first. The type of fingerings similar to those that string-family instrument players are used to using. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caprae Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Michael "Atonal" Vick playing a Glissentar (sorry - forgot the link) Raise your children and spoil your grandchildren. Spoil your children and raise your grandchildren. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mavick Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Hey guys, now we're talking innovation. Your right about Robert Godin having a true vision for musicians, and the Glissentar is him in his finest hour. I absolutely Love the Glissentar, and yeah, every player needs to remember that a Fretted Guitar and Fretless Guitar are Drastically different. I must add too that one can play full voiced chords on the Glissentar. Although, it is very hard, and certain inversions and grips work better than others. Here is a review I was asked to write about the Glissentar recently. Michael Vick\'s Glissentar Review Plus there are quite a few Audio and Video files of me playing the Glissentar on my sites and just floating around the web. I highly recommend it, and I am glad to hear you liked it too, Tedster! Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 I think one would be great to lay down two- and three-part harmonized lines for a different take on the type of things that are usually done by a violin-family string-section; wouldn't that be cool? I've really gotta get mo' cashflow goin' on so that I can try these kinds of ideas out sometime... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 I've been yearning for a Glissentar since they were first released. I don't remember playing one, but I might have right after they shipped. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted May 11, 2006 Author Share Posted May 11, 2006 Very sitar like with the lower strings tuned to a drone... "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mavick Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Very sitar like with the lower strings tuned to a drone... Yeah, it works great for that style, and I have been playing some of my pieces with chords up the neck etc. that sound pretty good. I have actually arranged a version of Bach's Bouree in E Minor for the Glissentar too. I basically adapted my fretted arrangement for it. Here is a medley on the Glissentar. One must remember too that I purposely use Microtones LOL! UnFret My Heart 2006 (sample) :: mp3 "All Glissentar" Here is another piece of mine from the Glissentar where I go from Acoustic to a Heavy distorted sound, and the Glissentar responds very well. Soiled-Linen-Blues / Hypnotic-Ight MV from The GagliArchives on the Glissentar MAV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyquilt Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 I just picked up a Glissentar from MF, a blem, so I wonder if it's the one you played, Testar. Although I didn't notice any problems with the guitar's top. I've wanted one for years, finally broke down -- and I'm torn. I now need to get an acoustic amp to play through -- it sounds horrible through my Princeton Reverb or Swart Atomic Space Tone, harsh & boomy. Also, I fear the nut is not the best ever cut -- certain strings seem to buzz when played open. There's also a lot of strong "pinging" while tuning. I play almost exclusively in DADGAD,w hich works very well. If only I could get some flatwounds.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyquilt Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 [double post] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caprae Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Crazyquilt...welcome to the forum. You might want to email Godin. They have always been very responsive to my inquiries. There is also a Godin forum that is trying to get started. http://www.godinforum.com/ Michael: about 1:50 into that, just after Bach, was a real pleasent surprise! Raise your children and spoil your grandchildren. Spoil your children and raise your grandchildren. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mavick Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 Michael: about 1:50 into that, just after Bach, was a real pleasent surprise! Hey, thanks and yeah, one of the things I keep hearing is the string noise. I plan on having 2, one with rounds and one with flats because sometimes the nuane is nice. I do feel eventually Godin will make a FlatWounds for the Glissentar too..........MV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyquilt Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Thanks, caprae! Actually, I decided to exchange the blem for a new instrument -- nuts are easy to fix, but, on closer inspection, the lower bouts, on both bass & treble sides, were seriously bunged. I've had cedar topped guitars before, so I know it's not hard to do, but I'd rather do it myself. It looks like it's taken some hard knocks, and who knows what else is out of whack? As for the amp -- I played a whole bunch of them. Just taking the Glissentar to GC & Sam Ash was pretty entertaining. Watching the store-guys' heads grind & whir as they tried to comprehend. "Wait...izzat a 12 string. Hey it doesn't have frets. How d'you play that?" Anyway -- I settled on a Roland AC-60. I liked the Fishman Loudbox better, but it was really, really heavy. The Roland sounded a little more effected, not as flat a signal, but the differences were subtle. Also, the Roland has some nice delay/'verb/chorus effects onboard that I liked. I'm enjoying playing as much effected as 'naked.' It's the electric guitarist in me. I've actually been running it through my MicroCube...pretty fun on the Vox-y setting, with some trem & verb or delay. Has a strange spaghetti Westernish tinge to it. I'm also looking into getting some flatwounds. I saw over on the unfretted site that there were some good recommendations for strings/gauges. The string noise really irks me. And I love the feel of flats -- got 'em on my Jazzmaster & Gretsch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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