Palmfrets, Minnesota guitarist's invention, strikes a new chord

Minnesota musician Ben Ranson developed “palmfrets,” an add-on that lets guitarists use the picking hand’s palm to fret extra notes. His idea grew from years of experimenting to expand the guitar’s range, especially its bass notes. After an early garage-built version sat unused for years, Ranson refined the design with engineers, tested plastic and metal prototypes, and received a patent on Oct. 6, 2026. He unveiled the invention at a Fergus Falls performance, where other musicians tried it on acoustic and electric guitars and bass.

Palmfrets sit near the wrist of the picking hand. A player presses a string against them with the pisiform bone at the base of the palm, then plucks that string with the picking-hand thumb. This lets the fretting hand move freely along the neck to play other notes, melodies, or chords while the palm supplies a bass line. Ranson designed the system to add capabilities without disrupting conventional guitar playing, though it takes practice to master. Musicians who tested it saw particular promise for solo performers accompanying themselves. Ranson also imagines bassists using it to play layered bass lines or chords, potentially making the bass a more self-sufficient, piano-like instrument. Its longer-term possibilities remain unknown; he expects future players to discover uses that are difficult to predict now.