fretless low-strung strat

This is an old, knackered guitar that lost its frets.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/MS17.jpg

strung with low middle; e1 a2 d1 g1 b2 e2. I got fat acoustic strings for it, repainted the body and pickguard, sanded and rubbed teak oil into the rosewood fingerboard. I've used half of the bad trem system that was there to make a flat plate bridge that is only held down by string pressure:

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/MS18.jpg

The pickup is temporary. I've got an EMG hummer the right size, but I might go all piezo. and put photos in the holes. the controls don't do anything yet.

look at my string anchor points!:
http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/MS19.jpg
So.. It sounds good, just like the middle notes of a fretless bass. great for low chords if you get your fingers right:the top 4 strings, being one octave lower than normal, sound a bit like a hammond organ.

gonna play me some more..

also did a bit of fret scalloping on an old encore:
http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/MS16.jpg
I've been playing it a while and I'm not really getting the point yet. I'm hoping to work up enough finger strength to bend notes by pressing down into the fret.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/medium/MS14.jpg
a lot of kids in the 90's had an encore as a first guitar. this one has a 7/8 body and a middle bucker. Quite cool for firewood eh? I like the way the light looks like a pickguard in this pic.

That's cool, have you ever heard about Godin guitars?

They make a weird 11 string fretless number, I played one a couple of weeks ago, it sounds and plays like nothing else.
oezJHjKHX78

a8uTztcboyI

yep, I would like one of them.^

I've played a couple of ouds before as well. You play with a quill instead of a pick, controlling it with your palm and thumb.
I love slides and bends. they're a very important aspect of my music. And computers can't do them properly.

On that scalloped guitar, people like Yngwie Malmsteen employ scalloped boards in a different way, to very lightly touch the string and to have an insanely low action on their guitar without buzzing. The scallops make it that his guitars still have sustain going.

KkXJzKF85FQ

On that scalloped guitar, people like Yngwie Malmsteen employ scalloped boards in a different way, to very lightly touch the string and to have an insanely low action on their guitar without buzzing. The scallops make it that his guitars still have sustain going.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkXJzKF85FQ">YouTube Link</a>

I thought Yngwie had insanely high action. I remember reading that somewhere.

I thought Yngwie had insanely high action. I remember reading that somewhere.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/Scalloped_fretboard.jpg
One of Malmsteen's actual stage guitars, it doesn't really look that high though.

One of Malmsteen's actual stage guitars, it doesn't really look that high though.

High for a shredder, I reckon. I like a bit of high action myself.