From a pick on a Rick to fingers on a fretless..

FaithNoMan · #1 01-31-2006, 11:55 PM

I love my Rickenbacker 4003...love it to death, like I love Mustangs....it grinds, clanks, and thumps with the best of 'em.....but I think I need something completely different to break things up once in a while..

Well,
...I just happened to be listening to the antithesis of Tool, FNM, or Led Zeppelin tonight....

"I wish it would rain down" by Phil Collins...it reminds me of my father who passed on, and means a lot to me....

I've always loved Lee Sklar's fretless on that song...it sounds huge..and Eric Clapton's leads too, of course..
....soo ...I think I may need to expand my horizons a bit, and learn some fretless bass...

I use a pick almost exclusively on the Rick, and wouldn't think of using my fingers on it...but I also wouldn't think of using a pick on a fretless J bass....I can use both techniques pretty well, though...

So I guess what I'm saying is....how was the transition to fretless for anyone?

lemur821 · #2 02-01-2006, 12:10 AM

It was pretty hard at first. Now it's hard to remember what the big deal was, but I was so happy the first time I played a third fret G perfectly on an unlined bass. It was never something I regretted though. I just defretted and never looked back. That may have helped me a little since it was either play fretless or just don't play the bass. And I couldn't have handled the withdrawal symptoms.

I just want to know one thing: why wouldn't you use a pick on it?

FaithNoMan · #3 02-01-2006, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemur821

I just want to know one thing: why wouldn't you use a pick on it?

Just my preference, and it was the tone I heard by Lee Sklar in that song ....I love the sound of a pick on my Rickenbacker, though.
I was trying to play Tool songs without one, and realized after a while that I needed to learn to use one...well, I guess it stuck with me, because I found my style..

I just thought playing a fretless with my fingers might be a nice way to branch out a little, and look at it from another angle....kinda like how DB players instinctively know to give their basslines..."space"