Good Fretless Tone Tips?

[In Human Form]

Hey all
Ive got a Warwick Corvette Fretless, which I run through an Ampeg BA115. I also have a Sansamp Bass Driver DI. Could anybody give me some tips for a good fretless tone using any combination of these things? My goal would be to sound somewhat like Steve Digiorgio.
Thanks
Blake

[MysticMichael]

The fact that you've posted this in the "Amps" forum, rather than the "Technique" forum, and that you've told us about your gear, rather than your technique, says a lot...

That said, your gear certainly has an impact on your tone. But it's related more to settings, which would remain more or less constant regardless of make & model, rather than being specific to any given make or model...

MM

[In Human Form]

Thanks for your valuable input. Sorry I haven't been a member of this site for 6 years...

[colcifer]

Get as much meat on the strings as you can to start an adjust from there.

[MNAirHead]

Start with a good bass setup.

Tim

[Jared Lash]

Some pointers:

Favor your bridge pickup
Pluck closer to the neck
Try to use fairly low action

There are many other nuances (varying fret hand pressure, changing right hand attack etc) but those are some basic tips.

As far as your gear goes, you want to emphasize the mids to bring out more of the fretless mwah. But your Sansamp has a well known mid scoop. Either don't use it, or dial back both the bass and treble (and boost overall volume) to bring the mids back in.

But by and large, fretless bass tone is more about technique than gear.

[unlined4string]

The strings have a huge effect on fretless tone. Finding the perfect strings to compliment your instrument could involve a lot of trial and error. As good starting point I'd suggest D'Addario nickels or DR Sunbeams. I try to avoid generalizations, but my experience has been that steel strings are rather twangy on fretless and will damage the fingerboard faster than nickel strings.