About
About Guitar Flatter
Turn Your Guitar Fretless — Without Permanent Modification
Guitar Flatter is a removable fingerboard overlay designed to give compatible guitars and basses a fretless playing surface — without removing frets, replacing the neck, or permanently modifying your instrument.
It installs over the existing fingerboard and can be removed whenever you want to return the instrument to its regular fretted setup.
For players who are curious about fretless guitar or bass, Flatter offers a simple way to explore slides, microtonal phrasing, expressive intonation, and a completely different approach to the instrument.
Why I Created Flatter
As a professional musician, I have always been fascinated by the expressive possibilities of fretless instruments.
Traditional fretless guitar, however, usually requires a dedicated instrument or a permanent modification such as removing the frets. I wanted to create another option — something that would allow guitarists and bassists to experiment with fretless playing while keeping their original instrument intact.
That idea eventually became Guitar Flatter.
The first generation proved that there was real interest in a removable fretless solution. Since then, feedback from musicians around the world has helped shape the second generation.
Flatter V2
Flatter V2 was developed to improve fit, stability, installation, and compatibility across a wider range of instruments.
Instead of one universal design, V2 is available in several versions based on common scale lengths and neck dimensions:
- Fender-style guitar — 25.5” scale
- Gibson-style guitar — 24.75” scale
- PRS-style guitar — 25” scale
- Classical guitar — 650 mm scale
- Jazz-style bass — 34” scale, narrower nut
- Precision-style bass — 34” scale, wider nut
Choosing the correct model is important. Scale length, nut width, neck dimensions, fingerboard radius, and the setup of the individual instrument can all affect final fit and playability.
Because guitars and basses vary, some instruments may require a small action adjustment for best results. The supplied rubber fit strips can also be used when additional stability or width compensation is needed.
How It Works
The Flatter sits above the existing frets, creating a smooth playing surface for the strings.
The frets remain visible underneath the transparent material, so they can still serve as familiar visual reference points while you learn fretless intonation.
This can make the transition to fretless playing easier for players who are already accustomed to a standard fretted fingerboard.
Installation is completely reversible and does not require removing or damaging the original frets.
A Different Way to Play
Playing fretless is not simply the same experience without fret noise.
It changes the relationship between your fingers, pitch, vibrato, slides, articulation, and sustain.
Flatter can be used to explore:
- Continuous slides between notes
- Fretless vibrato
- Microtonal intervals
- Alternative tuning and intonation
- Experimental textures
- Fretless bass and guitar techniques
- New approaches to improvisation and composition
Like any fretless instrument, it also requires a different playing technique and some adjustment from the player.
Compatibility and Setup
Flatter is designed for compatible instruments within the measurements specified for each model, but no two guitars are exactly alike.
Even instruments with the same nominal scale length can differ in neck width, fingerboard radius, string height, neck profile, bridge setup, and other details.
For this reason, correct dimensions are the starting point for compatibility rather than a guarantee that every instrument will require exactly the same setup.
Very low action may sometimes cause buzzing or reduced sustain when using the Flatter. In those cases, a small increase in string height may improve performance.
Before ordering, we recommend checking the specifications for your instrument and using our compatibility information to select the most appropriate model.
No Permanent Modification
One of the main ideas behind Flatter is reversibility.
You can explore fretless playing without:
- Pulling out your frets
- Replacing your guitar neck
- Permanently altering the fingerboard
- Committing one instrument exclusively to fretless use
When you want to return to your normal fretted setup, simply remove the Flatter and restore your usual string setup.
Made for Exploration
Flatter is not intended to replace every dedicated fretless guitar or bass.
A purpose-built fretless instrument has its own characteristics, just as every conventional guitar does.
Flatter is designed as a different option: a removable way to discover fretless playing, experiment with new sounds, and explore techniques that would otherwise require a dedicated or permanently modified instrument.
That has been the idea from the beginning — making fretless playing accessible to more musicians while leaving their instruments intact.
— Gershon
Founder, Guitar Flatter
The Origin of Flatter - By Gershon Waiserfirer
My musical journey started early - piano, then wind instruments, then strings. But it was the Oud that
opened my ears to the soul of fretless playing. The ability to bend notes, slide between them, and
explore microtonal nuance changed everything for me.
When I tried to find a fretless electric guitar, I hit a wall. So I did what any obsessed musician might
do - I ripped the frets off a regular guitar. The process was frustrating, expensive, and irreversible. I
thought: There has to be a better way.
That thought became a mission.After two years of prototyping and refining, Flatter V1 was born - a clear, functional, portable solution. And then, thanks to feedback from players worldwide, we made it even better.
Now, with Flatter V2, you can transform nearly any standard guitar or 4-string bass into a fretless
instrument. No risk, no tools, and no limits.
Flatter is not just a tool - it's a gateway to a whole new vocabulary of sound.
Whether you're into Middle Eastern maqams, ambient textures, cinematic swells, jazz phrasing, or
just curious about fretless exploration - Flatter gives you the freedom to experiment without
switching instruments or breaking the bank.
My hope is that Flatter helps musicians around the world unlock their own sound, their own path,
and their own voice - one slide, one bend, one note at a time.