I was just reading a thread and it got me to thinking of famous bassists who have played fretless. I thought this would be a great way to discover those fretless treasures :bassist:

Oh yea -
Tony Franklin - The Firm
David Gilmore - Pink Floyd
Sting - The Police

You mean, Roger Waters, Pink Floyd. David Gilmour (not Gilmore) is the guitar player.

I'm guessing you mean to name famous bassists that play fretted most of the time, but that also play or have played fretless. . .

If that is the case:

-Darryl Jones used to play fretless a lot,
-Pino Palladino, of course,
-Lee Sklar
-Marcus Miller plays excellent fretless,
-Same for Victor Wooten,
-Tony Levin,
-Richard Bona usually plays fretted, but can obviously smoke on fretless,
-Les Claypool
-Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam)


Doesn't Tony Franklin play fretless ALL the time?

Those famous ones the play fretless ALL the time (just the big names, not the lesser known):

-Jaco
-Gary Willis
-Mark Egan
-Michael Manring
-Steve Bailey
-Kai Eckhardt (my favorite!)
-Bunny Brunel
-Alan Caron (not my favorite)
-Mark Sandman (RIP - from the band Morphine)
-Jack Bruce
-Yves Carbonne
-Percy Jones

Patrick O'Hearn

You mean, Roger Waters, Pink Floyd. David Gilmour (not Gilmore) is the guitar player.

I'm guessing you mean to name famous bassists that play fretted most of the time, but that also play or have played fretless. . .
David Gilmour played the fretless parts for Pink Floyd not Roger.

David Gilmour played the fretless parts for Pink Floyd not Roger.

Didn't know that. . .

Didn't know that. . .

From the horse's mouth: http://www.de.sch.gr/~adamopou/personal/floyd/articles/gilmour_rcd_1992.html

From the horse's mouth: http://www.de.sch.gr/~adamopou/personal/floyd/articles/gilmour_rcd_1992.html

Les creo, parse, solo que no tenia ni idea. . . No que no, pues. ;)

Those famous ones the play fretless ALL the time (just the big names, not the lesser known):

-Jaco


Hmm... Jaco's output on fretted bass is higher than most people think. I'd say he played fretless most of the times, but not all the time.

Can't believe no one has brough up Mick Karn!

Greg Edwards used fretless during his tenure in Failure.
Justin Chancellor has used a fretless.

I had heard a rumor that Billy Gould used a fretless on "King for a Day...". Never did know what track, but Joe (Zon) told me all his Zons were fretted? Anyone know anything about this?

Les creo, parse, solo que no tenia ni idea. . . No que no, pues. ;)

:)

Stanley Sheldon, the bassist on "Frampton Comes Alive".

Mick Karn

Bill Wyman
Freebo (Bonnie Raitt)

:cool:
Freebo was a big influence on me.
Seen him alot. with Bonnie, when she lived in Cambridge Ma. 1976-1978.
Reason I bought my first fretless P-bass.

steve DiGiorgio

Alphonso Johnson
Percy Jones
Ralphe Armstrong
are 3 players that pushed me to go fretless, I wuz diggin' them b4 Jaco.
also.....
Mo Foster
Jimmy Johnson
Bill Laswell
Ray Brown played a mean fretless back in the day he doubled.

I'll give a shout out to Rick Danko. Nice fretless work on Stage Fright.

And since we are lovin us some Wikipedia, I'll link to a longer list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fretless_bass#Fretless_bass

I would suggest that Jack Bruce has been playing fretless primarily since the mid-seventies. He was of course an upright player originally.

Jeff Berlin's comment that all fretless players are stuck sounding like Jaco holds little water when we review the large number of players who have their own sound on the fretless, as documented in this thread. The problem has been that a lot of players don't stick with the fretless because, let's face it, it requires more work, and producers and guitar players seem to prefer the predictability of the fretted bass.

Who was Paul Simon's bassist for the Graceland tour. The band that backed him was Ladysmith Black Mambazo and I know the bassist used a Fretless Washburn bass, but I cannot remember his name.

ah, then there is the guy with bad company in the '70s :bassist:

Ray Brown played a mean fretless back in the day he doubled.


Hmmmm........:eyebrow:

ah, then there is the guy with bad company in the '70s :bassist:Are you thinking of Tony Franklin? He was with Paul Rogers in the 80's. I didi not know that BC had a fretless.

Jeff Berlin's comment that all fretless players are stuck sounding like Jaco holds little water when we review the large number of players who have their own sound on the fretless, as documented in this thread. The problem has been that a lot of players don't stick with the fretless because, let's face it, it requires more work, and producers and guitar players seem to prefer the predictability of the fretted bass.

Amen!

It think that saying the bass is predictable does not give enough credit to the handler. I have played fretless for many years now. It gives a different dimension and feel to the songs. Where I love it for country and slow tunes, I don't really care for "My style" playing fretless for faster tunes. I can pick up fretted or fretless and play all night with either one. There is more work involved with fretless, but my playing does not decrease either way.

Larry Klein ~ "Boys of Summer" by Don Henley

Pino Palladino ~ "Every Time You Go" by Paul Young (and many other great performances)

John Myung of Dream Theater has played Fretless on songs like Through Her Eyes and the odd other song or two.

ah, then there is the guy with bad company in the '70s :bassist:

Boz Burrell. I'll throw Rod Hicks from Paul Butterfield's band in the mix as a early pre-Jaco fretless player along with Freebo and Rick Danko.

Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree plays a Wal fretless often
Scott Bannevich of Edwin McCain's band plays a mean Warwick fretless.

Paul Denman played a fretless Stingray on most of Sade's stuff.

I don't know of any bassists with frets. ;)

I do know of some that play a fretless bass though. There's one guy, I think his name was Jaco something. I hear he was decent.

Jah Wobble played it a lot in the early PIL days, had a fretless Ampeg bass....

Jah Wobble played it a lot in the early PIL days, had a fretless Ampeg bass....

what is pil?

what is pil?

John Lydon's 'Public Image Ltd' post Sex Pistols band.

Sean Malone of Gordian Knot and Cynic. An incredible player, very versatile.

Graeme

Tony Levin on Peter Gabriel's "So"
Pino Pallidino (I always thought that was him on "Boys of Summer" and "Sunset Grill"...)
Percy Jones.
David Gilmour on Pink Floyd's "The Wall"
Sting is the primary reason for my lusting after a maple fretless P. (didn't he have a Hamer 8-string Fretless at one time?)


I wasn't a big fan of Tony Franklin's sound on the Firm's stuff; sounded a little sour--it's been while though...

L
PS Oh yeah, and Jaco (I'm listening to "Soul Intro/The Chicken" from the Birthday Concert right now!)

Paul Denman played a fretless Stingray on most of Sade's stuff.

:cool:
Paul may have played some fretless bass.
But, his Stingray is fretted.

Pino Pallidino (I always thought that was him on "Boys of Summer" and "Sunset Grill"...)


Nope, definitely Larry Klein on "Boys of Summer."

Let us not forget Jimmy Haslip :)

bakithi's playing on paul simon's graceland is what originally made me want to play fretless. so beautiful and tastefull.

Paul Denman played a fretless Stingray on most of Sade's stuff.

Been a fan since 86 and never seen him with a fretless,but it's mentioned here in an article from BP? He plays upright also?

http://members.tripod.com/~j0hn_e/bp997.txt

Jimmy Flim Johnson

Jimmy Haslip is the kat that inspired me to turn to fretless. I wish he would get back on it

Tom Fowler is another fantastic fretless player, but on a lot of the Zappa live stuff his intonations is so ON that it sounds like fretted.

Another way to hear Larry Klein is with Joni Mitchell, where he basically plays Jaco's parts. The guy really surprised me. I expected it to be lame but he does a great job of it. Larry is Joni's ex husband, BTW.

I also don't know if Fernando Saunders was mentioned. Great fretless sound with Lou Reed.

Jimmy Flim Johnson

Jimmy Haslip is the kat that inspired me to turn to fretless. I wish he would get back on it

Wow! I totally forgot that one! Have you hear Holdsworth's "IOU Live" CD? Lots of great fretless on that by Flim...

L