A fretless guitar is one that doesn’t have any frets. A fret is a raised, often metal, part of a guitar’s or other stringed instrument’s neck that allows musicians to play in tune by fingering within fret intervals. Frets give a richer sound to instruments, especially acoustic ones, whereas a fretless acoustic guitar is damped or has less reverberation, resulting in a flatter or muted sound. As a result, the majority of fretless guitars are electric guitars, which means the damped sound isn’t as noticeable.
The fretless guitar has a long lineage of forerunners. The violin, viola, cello, and upright bass are among the few stringed instruments without frets. There are a few exceptions, but frets are still commonly found on acoustic guitars in the United States. There are many more fretless acoustic guitars available outside of western music. One reason for this is that tuning without frets can be significantly different, and certain music may prefer non-Western scales for tuning.
This type of guitar was most likely first produced in the United States in the 1960s, and several guitar virtuosos have played fretless guitars, bass guitars, or both. These guitars are usually electric. They’re still uncommon, and playing them requires more skill. Without frets, your fingering must be extremely precise, as any violin or cello player can attest. You’re playing the wrong note, or playing sharp or flat, if your fingers are placed incorrectly. This can be seen as a benefit in rock music, as it creates a slight dissonance.
According to the website Unfretted.com, Jimi Hendrix used a Black Widow fretless guitar in the studio in the late 1960s, and the guitar was stolen. Hendrix allegedly ordered another one just before his death, according to Unfretted. In the early 1970s, Frank Zappa used fretless guitars on a number of recordings, often to push the boundaries of sound and dissonance with his unique brand of rock.
Steve Vai, Andy Summers, and Pat Metheny are among the musicians who are known for their fretless guitar work. Summers is best known as the guitarist of The Police, but also for his fearless and experimental playing, particularly in albums recorded after The Police broke up. Vai is considered a veritable rock virtuoso, and Summers is best known as the guitarist of The Police, but also for his fearless and experimental playing, particularly in albums recorded after The Police broke up. Some of Pat Metheny’s pieces feature the instrument, which he considers to be one of the best jazz guitarists in the world. Because he frequently experiments with music from other cultures, where fretless sounds are more appropriate, his jazz fusion music is equally suited to fretless work.
The fretless guitar has a small following, despite the fact that it is not the instrument of choice for many rock and acoustic guitarists. This is evident at the New York City FretLess Guitar Festival, which takes place every couple of years in early fall. There will be plenty of fretless music performed at the festival, as well as workshops and demonstrations for those who are just learning how to play the instrument.