New SX Fretless; no sustain??

[primus150]

Got a short scale, red fretless SX off eBay for $95 after discounts. It arrived today, so I plugged it in and it sounded good, but when I fret (well, it's not really fret, is it?) any note it dies in 1 or 2 seconds (literally). Could it be the factory flatwound strings, the neck or a pickup problem?

[dougjwray]

First of all, you might want to post this in the "Basses" forum... it might get missed here.
I would suggest a professional setup. SX nuts are usually cut too high, for one thing. And if the pickups aren't at the proper height, relative to the strings, funny things can happen.
You can experiment with different strings. Roundwound strings might be better at giving you the sustain you're imagining. (Personally, I like GHS Boomers, 45-65-85-105 gauge.)
People will also suggest that you replace the bridge with a heavier one, such as a Badass II. Slightly less "woody" tone, but more sustain, probably.

[primus150]

yeah i noticed after i added it that it was under bassists. i'll post it there