Virtuosos come in all shapes and sizes, and brandish all sorts of gear. One example is Ned Evett, whose choice of weapon is as distinct as his playing style. “Fretless glass-necked guitars are complete instruments, like a pedal steel,” he tells .
“They have their own limitations and strengths – and a brutal learning curve.” Surviving that brutality led to Evett’s participation in Joe Satriani’s G4 Experience music camp last year. “I had the honor of showing my fretless guitar style to John McLaughlin, Sting and Dominic Miller backstage,” he says.
“The years of struggling to establish the fretless guitar and my own style of songwriting felt totally worth it. I’m really excited about getting on the road and showing people all the things a fretless guitar can do.” His upcoming album, , is filled with tons of shred, bouts of melody, and nothing but fretless action.
“I often have guitarists pick up one of my rigs, only to have their egos completely shattered, after expecting their fretted skills to instantly translate to it,” he explains. “However, some people have an instant affinity for it and pursue it further – picked one up at G4 and immediately sounded musical.” Doubling as an educator, Evett stays tuned in to guitar developments; so he has a perspective to offer on most subjects; say, for example, the question of whether solos have gone wrong in recent years.
“I don’t think a , as a musical statement, is any more overblown than a lead v.