d halfnote Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 I recently caught sight of this &, frankly, am stunned. There's a company that's marketing guitars & basses that, at flick of a switch, convert from fretted to fretless. Has anyone played one of these ? Are there potential problems that don't seem apparent ? electric version acoustic version frets not deployed http://mikeyguitar.com/images/photos.asp?ph=3_4_800.jpg frets deployed http://mikeyguitar.com/images/photos.asp?ph=3_4_800.jpg company commentary http://mikeyguitar.com/faq.asp d=halfnote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonysounds Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 That's pretty cool; would Manring think? Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Well, he wants $5k for it. That may be a problem for a lot of buyers. You can buy a good fretted and a good fretless bass for that and still have some money left over. When you switch to fretless, the action will be higher. That may or may not be comfortable. My biggest question is neck stability. If the neck bows even just a little bit, the frets may not slide smoothly in the slots. It seems to me that having that mechanism in the neck would weaken the neck a little, which means the odds of the neck staying straight are lower than with a conventional bass. But I could be wrong. I think I was wrong once, but I might be mistaken. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d halfnote Posted July 24, 2009 Author Share Posted July 24, 2009 Thoughtful point, JC, but does the stability of the neck depend on the main part of the neck construction, i.e., below the fretboard ? I'm pretty far out of the price range myself but it's the first time I've wanted a new instrument in quite a while. FWIW, Victor Wooten allows himself to be used on their site. Again, has anyone played one of these ? d=halfnote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 but does the stability of the neck depend on the main part of the neck construction, i.e., below the fretboard ? There must be some kind of mechanism below the fretboard that moves the frets up and down. The space taken by the mechanism is space which is no longer solid wood. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1111000 Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Steel is stronger than wood. If the wood removed in the neck is replaced almost entirely by steel then I'm sure the neck is very stable. Frets in a neck on any bass also add stability. As someone who'd much rather own few basses rather than many this is a great idea to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Steel is stronger than wood if it's used in a structural way. I think it would be tough to make a functioning mechanism like that which is also structural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruiser Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I think that the instrument would be very neck-heavy. All the demos are with the player sitting down--I wonder how it balances on a strap. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I think that the instrument would be very neck-heavy. All the demos are with the player sitting down--I wonder how it balances on a strap. Ed That's an easy fix...just put it on a heavier body! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruiser Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I think that the instrument would be very neck-heavy. All the demos are with the player sitting down--I wonder how it balances on a strap. Ed That's an easy fix...just put it on a heavier body! Or lead weights on the lower strap button. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I'd also add weighted straps around your fingers for strength and endurance training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 How about attaching an unleaded zeppelin to the headstock to keep it up? Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b5pilot Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Interesting idea. Nothing I need at the moment. I bet it is pretty neck heavy. Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it. http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainCutthroat Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Very novel idea until the price tag. AND... You're a mechanism. Carvin Bunny Brunel Signature 5 String, ESP LTD 5 String, Ampeg SVT3, Ampeg 4x10 and 1x18 www.captaincutthroat.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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