Video of half fretted/fretless bass w/Kahler whammi...

maddrakkett

maddrakkett

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Check out this YouTube video of a guy playing a half fretted/half fretless bass with a Kahler whammy bar...

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-9wY57AZIs[/ame]

I wonder if I could have the last 12 frets removed from my $$ and get the same effect on a wenge fingerboard? Or would the height and intonation be wrong? Could it work with an ebony layer capped over the area?
 
that's a sweet video. he actually uses the kahler and the fretless sounds good too. a bit too unique for my tastes, but it's cool nonetheless.
 
Quite impressive stuff there. Altough he uses the instrument pretty much to its max, it doesn't make me GAS for one.....
 
pretty cool, personally i prefer the ones with the frets the go up and down, full fretted or full fretless.
 
The basses body is kinda ugly but overall I think its cool.
 
It is very impressive... I think the bass is very unique to his needs but that doesn't mean I wouldn't try that out for hours in a music store...
 
I'm interested in the idea, not because I want another bass (I won't consider anything that isn't Warwick - that's just me :wink: ), but because I'm considering having my $$ (which already has a Kahler) modded to be a half-fretless from the 12th to the 22nd fret (looks like his has the 23rd and 24th fret still in).
 
I think he left the highest frets on to keep a percussive sound when he slaps.
 
thndrstk6 said:
I think he left the highest frets on to keep a percussive sound when he slaps.
Click to expand...

I thought that was only for completely fretless basses - his bass can already handle slaps and pops with the first 12 frets...but maybe it is for slapping up high...
 
Neat idea, prolly be easier than defretting the entire neck as you'd only have to remove 10 frets.
 
I'm interested in the idea, not because I want another bass (I won't consider anything that isn't Warwick - that's just me Wink ), but because I'm considering having my $$ (which already has a Kahler) modded to be a half-fretless from the 12th to the 22nd fret (looks like his has the 23rd and 24th fret still in).
Click to expand...

I think that if you choose to defret from the 12th to the end of the fretboard you should raise your fingerboard a little on the fretless side by adding a thin veneer or something. That way the fretless part of the fingerboard would be at the heigh of a fret.
>
 
He is a good fretless player, but his whole style kinda annoys me. It seems like he would rather play guitar.
 
Vinnie said:
He is a good fretless player, but his whole style kinda annoys me. It seems like he would rather play guitar.
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Yeah! I HATE it when bass players do all they can to try and make their basses sound like anything other than a bass! :evil: And this guy makes his sound like a total wanker distorto guitar. :puke:

As much as I like Stanley Clarke and Les Claypool, I'm also not a fan of piccolo bass...

For me, I like what this guy does with the fretted and fretless portions of the bass, but for whammy bar, I prefer more expressiveness than dive bomb flash... :roll:

I think my $$ would be an ultimate expressive, versatile, and experimental instrument if I were to add the half-fretless option, but I need to find out the cost first.
 
The only problem I can see happening with your $$ Mark is the strings'll eat up the wenge board.
 
Greg said:
The only problem I can see happening with your $$ Mark is the strings'll eat up the wenge board.
Click to expand...

So that's ather reason to have a raised ebony cap glued in place. This may turn out to be more expensive than I'm willing (or able) to go. I'll have to see what a local luthier will charge, or if I'll have to send it out - but I'm still under doctor's restriction from driving until the 18th, so I'll have to look into it after then.
 
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