Anyone know anything about this?

[Pixel Pirate]

Dont know if this has been posted before, but seems like an interesting system. What bass is that?

[thedarxide]

[quote name='synaesthesia' post='171563' date='Apr 7 2008, 04:24 PM'][url="http://www.neuserbasses.com/home.html"]http://www.neuserbasses.com/home.html[/url][/quote]

Wow, this thing looks nuts/cool....


[url="http://www.neuserbasses.com/claudia.html"]http://www.neuserbasses.com/claudia.html[/url]

[Buzz]

If I had a pound for every time this cropped up on here, I'd perhaps have enough for two pints of carling (or similar piss).

[Pixel Pirate]

[quote name='Buzz' post='171589' date='Apr 7 2008, 04:53 PM']If I had a pound for every time this cropped up on here, I'd perhaps have enough for two pints of carling (or similar piss).[/quote]

Sorry, tried to search for it but i cant find anything....

[BigRedX]

[quote name='synaesthesia' post='171563' date='Apr 7 2008, 04:24 PM'][url="http://www.neuserbasses.com/home.html"]http://www.neuserbasses.com/home.html[/url][/quote]

That looks interesting although there doesn't seem to be any details on how it actually works and the web site goes on about 'fretless sound' rather than actual fretless bass. I'd be interested to discover exactly how a retrofit bridge element can do this.

However to answer the question in the original post, the bass in the YouTube clip is actually by [url="http://www.mikeyguitar.com/bass.asp"]Mikey Guitar[/url] and as I've probably said on the last two occasions that it's been brought up, to me the system works the wrong way round as dropping the frets makes the action too high fro fretless. What it should be doing is raising the fretboard.

If you're interested in fretless/fretted hybrids you should also have a look at the [url="http://www.fretgroove.com/"]Fretgroove system[/url]. Again though this is something that I think you'd need to try to see how effectively it would work with your playing style.

[Jono Bolton]

That sounds very Primus

[thisnameistaken]

Wake me up when he makes the fingerboard rise up to the meet the frets and not the other way around.

[tauzero]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='171681' date='Apr 7 2008, 06:58 PM']That looks interesting although there doesn't seem to be any details on how it actually works and the web site goes on about 'fretless sound' rather than actual fretless bass. I'd be interested to discover exactly how a retrofit bridge element can do this.[/quote]
I think what they do is have something like a moveable bar which can be positioned just off the string between the bridge saddle and pickup. When the string vibrates, it clips the bar and that creates a sort of mwah sound, mimicing how the fretless mwah sound is created at the other end of the string.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='tauzero' post='172211' date='Apr 8 2008, 01:41 PM']I think what they do is have something like a moveable bar which can be positioned just off the string between the bridge saddle and pickup. When the string vibrates, it clips the bar and that creates a sort of mwah sound, mimicing how the fretless mwah sound is created at the other end of the string.[/quote]

With out having played one - that doesn't sound like it's really going to work as you won't get that glide up and down into the notes they'll all be semi-tone stepped by the frets.

[tauzero]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='172213' date='Apr 8 2008, 01:46 PM']With out having played one - that doesn't sound like it's really going to work as you won't get that glide up and down into the notes they'll all be semi-tone stepped by the frets.[/quote]
Um, yes. Your point is? It's described as a "fretless sound". And here's a description:

"It began with an idea from phenomenal flamenco bassist Dominique Di Piazza and was developed by Finnish bass builder Neuser. And just days before the Musikmesse began, Neuser received a patent. The Neuser F Plus is an innovative bridge modification for fretted basses that mechanically creates the blossoming sound of fretless. A sliding lever is mounted over each string’s saddle; push it toward the pickups for remarkable fretless mwah, even on open strings; push it back toward the bridge and it’s back to a normal fretted-bass sound. Neuser hopes to offer the device as a retrofit that can be installed on any number of instruments for around €390."

However, what you want is [url="http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6350940.html"]this one.[/url]

[Lfalex v1.1]

Just go for it and get a twin-neck!!!

[BigRedX]

[quote name='tauzero' post='172236' date='Apr 8 2008, 02:10 PM']Um, yes. Your point is? It's described as a "fretless sound".[/quote]

For me the "mwah" sound is directly linked to the sliding between notes. Without having had the luxury of playing a bass with this system fitted I can't see how this is really going to work...

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='172239' date='Apr 8 2008, 02:15 PM']Just go for it and get a twin-neck!!![/quote]

All the twin-neck fretted and fretless basses I've seen recently seem to have the fretless neck as the lower of the two, which to my way of thinking and playing is the wrong way around. You could only swap them if both necks were the same and on these they weren't.

[Beedster]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='172444' date='Apr 8 2008, 05:30 PM']For me the "mwah" sound is directly linked to the sliding between notes. Without having had the luxury of playing a bass with this system fitted I can't see how this is really going to work...[/quote]

I'm not sure that the 'mwah' isn't simply the normal tonal quality of a non-fretted stringed instrument as opposed to a result of sliding the note. It's simply a slower attack and longer decay than a fretted note (different energy curve?). I certainly get quite a lot without any conscious movement of the left hand. Perhaps it comes from a tiny shortening of the vibrating section of the string. but then wouldn't you get it by bending a note on a fretted?
Chris

Edited April 8, 2008 by Beedster

[lee4]

I heard that Leland Sklar used to re-fret his necks with mandolin wire.This and a light touch can,apparantly,mimic a fretless.

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='172444' date='Apr 8 2008, 05:30 PM']For me the "mwah" sound is directly linked to the sliding between notes. Without having had the luxury of playing a bass with this system fitted I can't see how this is really going to work...



All the twin-neck fretted and fretless basses I've seen recently seem to have the fretless neck as the lower of the two, which to my way of thinking and playing is the wrong way around. You could only swap them if both necks were the same and on these they weren't.[/quote]

Agreed. That's not entirely helpful. The only rationale I can see for Fretted above fretless is that it makes tapping on both necks (at once!)
easier, as you're not reaching across yourself as much- assuming you'd be tapping the lower notes on the fretted and the higher ones on the fretless...

But how often does anyone do that?

[tauzero]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='172444' date='Apr 8 2008, 05:30 PM']For me the "mwah" sound is directly linked to the sliding between notes. Without having had the luxury of playing a bass with this system fitted I can't see how this is really going to work...

All the twin-neck fretted and fretless basses I've seen recently seem to have the fretless neck as the lower of the two, which to my way of thinking and playing is the wrong way around. You could only swap them if both necks were the same and on these they weren't.[/quote]

The "mwah" appears to be the buzz of the string against the fretboard - hence no mwah even with sliding between notes on a double bass with fairly high action, and a more intense mwah as the action is lowered. It appears that this system isn't a perfect mimic of a fretless - comments are generally that it's different and one or two people liken it to a sitar.

Fretted over fretless makes sense to me if playing any slap on the fretted bass. Of course, with two fretted necks, I have the option of which to defret.