To fret or not to fret?

[Kristin Joy]

What is the general consensus for starting with a marked fretless as a beginner?

I'm sure lots of folks out there would say No Way...get a standard bass to learn it right. I'm not tone deaf in the least and pick up on learning things rather quickly. I want to soley play fretless anyway.

Opinions?

-K

[VoodooChile]

if that's what you want to do go for it and don't let anyone around here make you change what you want to do

[Christopher]

There's no stigma against fret markers on a fretless bass. There's no "right" way to learn fretless, either.

Even with the lines in place, you're still going to have to rely mostly on your ears and hands for proper intonation. A couple of millimeters either way makes a big difference. After a while, I think you'll start to get the hang of where the positions are and you can ignore the lines.

[SuperDuck]

Like mentioned above, fret lines are fine. Just don't use them as a crutch. The important thing is to develop your ear, first and foremost. My fretless is lined, my teacher's fretless is lined, and we're both doin just fine.

Good luck!

[Kristin Joy]

cool.......thanks guys

[melvin]

Yeah my frettless is lined.

And pretty much what SuperDuck said.

[JMX]

Get a lined fretless - Gary Willis recommends it, and he knows more about playing fretless than most.

[Bass Guitar]

Originally posted by JMX
Get a lined fretless - Gary Willis recommends it, and he knows more about playing fretless than most.

You are correct. So does Les Claypool, Mark Egan etc. Gary Willis does play an unlined fretless 5 though doesn't he?

[VoodooChile]

but with claypool's intonation i wouldn't take his advice but i'd go for an lined one still just to get used to it