TUNE-UPS NEWS + NOTES
Ben Lechuga
AS A RECENT CONVERT TO FRETLESS ELECTRICS, THE CHILEAN GUITARIST IS NOW OPENING MUSICAL DOORS HE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW EXISTED
By Amit Sharma
“Before I only had 24 colors to use; now I have an infinite amount on my palette,” says fretless player Ben Lechuga
AUSTIN SCHERZBERG
THERE’S NO SHORTAGE of fretless bassists, but in terms of fretless electric guitarists, it’s very much few and far between. Frank Zappa was known to experiment on occasion, and players like Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and Guthrie Govan have certainly helped popularize these instruments in more recent years. But for the most part, they’re generally considered a low-ender’s domain. And that’s precisely why L.A.-based guitarist Ben Lechuga — who won the Steve Vai Scholarship in 2011 to study at the ICMP music school in London — decided to part ways with his metal markers and opt for a board that’s more undivided and smooth.