Body is one piece spaltedflamed maple wa gildaxe variegated goldleaf shatterburst treatment, final finished by pat wilkins. Bonds original idea was for the fretless fingerboard, which he dubbed a pitchboard. Neck is an allparts fender authorized jazz unlined mapleebonyboard fretless. Here, is some of our limited left over stock of original fretless wonder frets. While it has original fretless wonder frets, string bending is possible and the guitar feels good. I have a wonder 65 princeton reissue with a 12 speaker that has become my main gigging amp. Discover the sound of fender, the spirit of rocknroll since 1946. Gorgeous all original 1972 gibson les paul custom, fretless. I just wanted to see some opinions and hopefully hear a sound clip or two. Some folks will warn you off of fretless basses without the fret lines, but im really glad i didnt listen to that advice.
The original frets were in a fretless wonder style and difficult to play by modern standards so i had the neck refretted with. The initial attack sounds good just like a typical fender spring reverb. The les paul standard goldtop made its debut in 1952, and two years later, gibson. This site is dedicated to fretless basses acoustic and uprights welcome too. Mike burn from frankfurtgermany presents a fantastic and rare piece of gibson vintage wood played through several. Its other moniker, the fretless wonder, referred to its low frets and slinky action. But that soon changed as jacques dove deep into the history of this particular gibson les paul custom reissue. You can put cheap roundwound strings on your fretless and get cheap sounds with an ability to play glissandos and scoops and the guitar will do its best to sound like a traditional fender jazz.
You end up kind of figuring out a sound you like and sticking to it. Overall, with some thicker flatwound strings, its great and plays really nicely. I had a 1962 les paul custom and the frets were so tiny you really couldnt feel them at all. Originally designed as a user submitted gallery of fretless basses, our site now includes much more, including exclusive interviews and articles, featured songs and videos, a shopping area, and community links for those who play or simply admire fretless basses. After cleaning it up a bit and doing a little homework on the instrument, i soon realized it was much more than an ordinary vintage les paul. Below is what we have picked as the best models you can buy for either under 500 or under.
Some of these frets feel like railroad ties when you slide your fingers down the neck. A fretless guitar is a guitar with a fingerboard without frets, typically a standard instrument that has had the frets removed, though some custombuilt and commercial fretless guitars are occasionally made. Looking for a bit of adviceopinion on a fretless bass set up. I found the fretless wonder almost unplayable and i planned to have it refretted but it was stolen after i owned it for only about 2 years. Jan 26, 20 i had a 1960 sg style lp custom fretless wonder, i also owned the later low wide fret type les pauls, theres no comparison. I had the pleasure of playing both an original les paul black beauty 54, and an early 72 reissue. If you think the 80s wer fret less wonders, youve never seen a real fretless wonder. The forerunner to fretless guitars like the hawaiian guitar is the traditional. In its reissues of vintage guitars, gibson strives to achieve the. The frets are low and flat, as opposed to the usual medium jumbo frets found on other les paul customs, and the guitar soon was given the nickname the fretless wonder. In the late 50s and early 60s gibson used really narrow and low fret wire. Gibson les paul custom guitar info black beauty fretless wonder. The 1957 alnicop90 custom is relatively light, at 812 pounds, and is a very resonant guitar and delightful to play.
Individual kluson super tuners with singlering keystone plastic buttons. Joe and craig are back at the music zoo comparing an original 1969 les paul fretless wonder to a 1968 les paul custom shop reissue. The first thing i thought about the guitar was who was the idiot that filed down and rounded the frets laughs at this pointbeing a bit of a rookiei had no idea about the fretless wonder or its peculiarly low frets. I vote fretless p just because you dont see as many fretless p basses. Part of the fender fretless jazz sound is its strings and fretlessness, part of the sound is the guitars materials and workmanship.
Theres a pretty good chance that if the fretless neck is recent like 2000 or newer it should fit the vm p neck pocket. Apr 21, 2014 heres my latest guitar for my collection, a beat up 1979 custom with fresh refret job but still needs the tone sucking nylon saddles replaced for solid brass. I have a new fretless bass guitar, a new ibanez srf700 portamento, with stock daddario chromes flatwound strings. This instrument, like any wishbass, is best described as a diamond in the rough. Find some of their stuff to really hear the sound and possibilities of fretless bass. In 2000, the custom shop historic reissue was introduced adding yet a third heel. World renown players like guthrie govan and ron bumblefoot thal have embraced the unique tones produced by the surfreter. For beginners who are unaware, a fretless guitar has some benefits over traditional guitars. This means that there is no interruption in the string from the bridge, up the neck of the guitar. Duplicate drivers license fees must be paid in full at the time of application.
The surfreter series guitars are some of the most astounding instruments we produce. Fretless bass guitars are now so much more affordable than what they used to cost back in the 90s. Rare vintage64 valco supro usa ozark electric guitar wvibrato rare vintage64 valco supro usa ozark electric guitar wvibrato welcome to musicdungeon. Jun 01, 2008 the third reason for considering fretless is the singing quality you can get out of the instrument, just like the human voice. But it was the combination of an ebony fingerboard with low and flat frets that quickly earned the les paul custom the neckname, fretless wonder.
Jul 09, 2016 a fretless bass player will feel like he or she is in heaven with this set up. I recently took the plunge and bought a fretless fanndec 5string bass, by no means a top of the line instrument. Funny, my bond utilises the switches in a different way. Discover whats missing in your discography and shop for fretless releases. This 1997 model is actually a reissue of the 1970s model s100 which. Technically speaking, once again comparing fretless with upright, i feel fretless has more of a singing voice.
Ive done a lot of calculations and string expirimenting, and i like the sound of tuning the fretless down to clike an arabic ouds lowest string or a cellbut maintaining guitarstyle tuning its. This is the vintage64 valco supro ozark electric guitar. The fretless wonder frets were maybe rd the width of the late 60s frets. I had a 1960 sg style lp custom fretless wonder, i also owned the later low wide fret type les pauls, theres no comparison.
Shop fender electric guitars, acoustics, bass, amps and more. Often you will hear the tone described with words like mwah or growl. Though not quite fretless wonder low, they are low enough that ive. The third reason for considering fretless is the singing quality you can get out of the instrument, just like the human voice. Unfollow fretless bass to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. The custom was also sometimes called the fretless wonder, due to the fret wire which was dress flat and low. Today, not many remember the original gibson fretless wonders, that gibson had used years ago. Three pafs, original wiring harness all original parts including fretless wonder frets in great shape. Its kind of a misnomer, since strictly speaking any tone control is a filter. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. This is a oneoff custom unlined fretless 4 string 34 scale bass.
Three pafs, original wiringharness all original parts including fretless wonder frets in great shape. Mar 04, 2016 fretless instruments are not uncommon in the world of music, however, a fretless guitar is an instrument that isnt often mentioned. Why, because of the length of the vibrating strings. Best of all, the lower price they are now charging do not comprise the quality of the instruments which make them really value for money. Fretless p discussion in basses bg started by ryanjd, feb 15, 2012. Fretless classical guitar fretless for sale unfretted. Neck is an allparts fender authorized jazz unlined mapleebonyboard fretless with a modified paddle headstock, brass side dot position markers for each fret, resourced 80s. We organize meetups, teach coding, and build applications for web and mobile using ruby, react, react native, angular, ionic, and more. For me the pitchboard is the most troublesome feature of the bond. The smallest frets are the type youll find on fretless wonder les paul customs stock on the mid1950s and late 60s reissue models or stock gretsch guitars. Replacement reverb tank for princeton reissue the gear page. Ibanez first crack at a 24 fret guitar and it still plays like a new guitar.
Replacing original gibson fretless wonders alwehda. It is well made, solid, toneful and somewhat of a tone wood purists concept. When i play f on the a string 8th position, the string buzzes between my finger and the nut. The fretless guitar lacks the frets that one would traditionally see on a guitar.
In this video we are looking for help with a price on the gibson les paul fretless wonder 1969 and you will get to here the guitar play. The 1954 les paul custom also saw the introduction of gibsons new bridge, the abr1. The three rocker switches are for volume, treble and bass the actual setting shown in matching color in the display, while the top three push buttons select the pickups. The lower two buttons are for the phase of neck and bridge pickup. The o riginal low profile fretless wonder frets have serious play wear and some of the ones with deep grooves need to be replaced. If you plan on renewing your drivers license, then you will also be responsible for paying the renewal fee. My only complaints are the tuners which seem extremely stiff and rigid as well as the lack of fret markers, though the second issue was easily rectified with some tape. Fretless instruments are not uncommon in the world of music, however, a fretless guitar is an instrument that isnt often mentioned. I bought a squier vintage modified fretless jazz today, and i seem to be getting fret buzz when i play directly on the fretmarkers past the 89th fret. I have a vm p that i swapped with a mighty mite j neck its a fun bass.
As far as your guitar, a good luthier will measure or eyeball how much fret is left. Solid onepiece mahogany body with a threepiece carved maple top. Whitebound ebony fretboard with 22 thin fretlesswonder frets and inlaid pearl block position markers. This is a solid instrument for any guitarist looking to try out a fretless for the first time. Epiphones inspired by 1955 les paul custom vintage guitar. I own about 10 other fender basses and while the look and feel of this are spectacular, the sound from these particular set of pick ups is phenomenal. If you wish to request a duplicate driver s license for a document that is close to its expiration date, you may choose to renew your license instead and pay for the necessary renewal fee. Shop fender guitars, basses, amplifiers, audio equipment, accessories, apparel and more. Of course, you dont have be an other worldly shredder to put it to good use. Whitebound ebony fretboard with 22 thin fretless wonder frets and inlaid pearl block position markers. Fretless is a software development and management consultancy in indianapolis.
Excalibur surfreter special fretless imetal, hsh dimarzio, maple top. I am having trouble with string buzz in one specific part of the fingerboard. Some amazing fretless bass players are jaco pastorius, michael manring, mick karn, les claypool, john giblin and percy jones. Inlaid pearl gibson headstock logo and fivepiece pearl splitdiamond inlay. The fat yet clean sound of bloomfields lp was an urgent driving force in the. No volute, thin binding in the cutaway and a nice 59 style neck profile. Here you can see that they are a very flat low fret, with the fret shape extended through the binding. Im sort of new to fretless but this bass kicks butt. Classical guitar strings ususally range from about 85lb100lb 3945lb of tension given a 650mm scale length almost always longer than an oud. May 14, 2007 some of these frets feel like railroad ties when you slide your fingers down the neck.