quarter-tone frets vs. action

[jc2]

Has anyone had experience with quarter-tone fretting? My question is whether with those extra frets the action would need to be a little higher, or if with them all well leveled they would keep from buzzing even with a normal action.

[lenf12]

I can't imagine a mandolin setup with 1/4 tone frets. Aren't the 1/2 tone fretting spaces small enough to begin with?

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Paul Hostetter]

I've worked quite a bit with microtonal fretting, particularly on Turkish instruments like plucked and bowed (yayli) tanburs.

http://www.toddgreen.com/Tanbur.gif

Older more traditional ones have tied frets, but modern ones have regular nickel frets. They're always leveled and dressed like any other fret. The fretting on these is not simple quartertones, or even semitones, as you can see, but the mechanical principles remain the same.

http://www.khafif.com/rhy/saz/baglama-frets.png

The action is up to you. The Turkish instruments generally have light strings, low tension and action and buzzing is integral to the sound players want. Control of buzzing on a mandolin is really no different with 24 frets per octave than with 12. Adjust the bridge as low as possible without buzzing.

[Rick Turner]

Tied frets are not a bad way to go to experiment with intonation. Note that most, if not all middle Eastern micro-tonal instruments do not have 24 frets to the octave as is implied by "quarter-tone fretting". Rather the intervals are not what we are used to with tempered tuning.

[jc2]

It seems tied frets would imply loose strings/high action. Any conceivable way to do tied frets on an octave mandolin?

[jc2]

Len, I'm thinking octave mandolin and probably just the 5-7 lowest notes. I've been watching my fingers, and they always go close enough to the existing frets that another fret in that space wouldn't be in the way.

[Rick Turner]

Tied frets don't imply anything, but....

I put 24 movable frets onto a classical guitar once. I used standard jumbo frets and ground off the tangs, then filed small grooves into the tops of the ends of the frets so I could tie them in Indian sitar fashion to the fingerboard. This was for a Persian musician who wanted to be able to move the frets, but wanted standard fret wire. It got a bit more difficult down at the heel end of the neck, but I drilled holes through the neck under the fingerboard so I could run the nylon fishing line I used to tie the frets on through the neck.

Worked great for the guy...

No pictures, though.

[jc2]

Well, classical guitar is definitely higher action and looser strings than a steel string instrument, but that might be worth a try. Thanks for the suggestion.

[delsbrother]

Like these? (http://mandole-mandocello.blogspot.com/)

[Rick Turner]

Now there is some cool stuff!

But it's all no good 'cause Bill didn't play it that way...