4 String Fretless Thing
There was a tickling in my mind for quite some time. An image, an idea, a desire to hear an instrument play a sound.
The sound I wanted to hear, was of a 4 stringed instrument based on the chanter and 3 drones of the Great Highland Bagpipe. The vision, was of lap played intrument, similar to a slide dulcimer, with a single melody string, with 1 bass and 2 tenor drone strings. Ideally, the entire instument would be crafted from material I already had in my wood shop of scrap pile.
What I wanted, and what was created, are certainly not the same thing, and that is the both the downside and beauty of crafting a unique thing. :)
Pine, and ΒΌ" Plywood Scrap
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/01.jpg)
The dimensions of the sound box are dictated by the size and shape of the scrap left over from making Woofs Navel
Wood Was Cut and Clamped and Glued
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/IMG_20210718_092622.jpg)
and Clamped and Glued Again
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/IMG_20210718_165422.jpg)
...and Again, Until The Neck and Box Were Complete
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/IMG_20210718_203209.jpg)
Redwood Fingerboard
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/IMG_20210721_080637.jpg)
Peg Holes in the Head, and Black Locust Tuning Pegs
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/IMG_20210724_193652.jpg)
Black Locust Nut and Bridge
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/IMG_20210724_201612.jpg)
Glueng the Nut to the Neck, and the Neck into the Sound Box
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/IMG_20210724_201844.jpg)
Gluing the Sound Board onto the Sound Box
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/IMG_20210724_205805.jpg)
Construction Complete, Time to Assemble and Tune
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/IMG_20210727_083716.jpg)
1 Melody, and 3 Drone Strings
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/IMG_20210803_200657.jpg)
Woowee, it took a while, but I could now hear the sound of a 1 melody and 3 drone string fretless thing.
I didn't like it. Aside from being difficult to tune, I found the 3 drones to be absolutely overpowering of the melody string. At this point, I was a bit disheartened, but the instrument was mine and change it if I wanted to. So that is what I did.
Add a Steering Peg
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/IMG_20210810_185716.jpg)
Finished Peg Setup
![](2022-10-09_4-string-fretless-thing/IMG_20210811_174252.jpg)
Hahahaha, I still don't like it. Tuning is brutal and I really want some frets.
Oh well, at least it got made. :)
cheers,
jezra