Abstract: An electric bass guitar with retractable frets for the purpose of for example enabling the musician to perform dynamic slides without volume attenuation of the slide by moving the frets down into the neck of the guitar out of play. The retractable frets provide dual positions to choose from in regard to fret positions: a first, retracted position which provides frets flush with the fretboard, giving the electric bass a fretless guitar characteristic, and a second, non-retracted position which provides frets protruding out of the plane of the fretboard as in a conventional guitar; or alternatively the selection of retracting only certain desired one of the frets without interrupting the effectiveness of the remaining frets.The neck includes on its upper side a lateral, inclined slope upon which the wedge-shaped frets ride. As the frets are moved across the neck, and ride up the slope, they rise up out from the neck body and protrude above it to be in their operative disposition.