CAn it ever be... truly fretless?

madmartyr17 · #1 10-20-2011, 10:40 PM

I recently had my buddy defret an Alvarez 5 string I bought in a pawn shop. I was wondering if there was anyway to coax those sexy fretless tones that Sean Malone, Manring and Jaco get? Is it an EQ thing, a method of Recording, or is it just the way the bass is built?

Nev375 · #2 10-20-2011, 10:46 PM

Are you implying that you can't get those tones from your defretted alvarez?

I think your exact question needs to be clarified.

BassChuck · #3 10-21-2011, 04:39 AM

You might need to lower the action, possibly regroove the nut so the strings are a bit lower. The sound you are talking about (mwah) is affected by a number of things, string height, string type, and fingerboard are all issues among other things.

paradigm_shift · #4 10-21-2011, 08:01 AM

Also depends how you EQ, Mids are your friend

Lo-E · #5 10-21-2011, 08:03 AM

It should be noted that technique is also a big part of that sound.

fingerbun · #6 10-21-2011, 08:04 AM

I don't know the Alvarez. On a J-bass you use the bridge pickup for those mwah tones.

Mayers · #7 10-21-2011, 08:27 AM

well ... all of them use roundwound strings and an epoxied fingerboard