Fretless + effects?

[mokkat]

I've been gassing for a fretless for a while now, but something that has been holding me back is that the tube videos and soundclips I can find with fretless basses, follow a common rule. They all have cool melodic solos, some with harmonics - but the only effects being used are an occacional chorus or delay.
Does anyone have experience with distortion, fuzz, flanger/phaser? Im particularly fond of envelope filters, does anyone have a soundclip of that on a fretless?

[Swimming Bird]

Sorry I don't have any proper sound clips, but they all work relatively well with enough tinkering.

My bass is a bit weird, so everything comes out very mellow. The lack of higher overtones and some lack of high-mid/high range makes some effects come out really weird or very muddy. Fuzzes tend to be especially muddy and I have a hard time getting some overdrives to sound right. Envelope filters also sound a little off and it'll be harder to get a traditional funk tone, but they work fine otherwise.

Modulation sounds brilliant though (listen to 'Flightless Bird & Man Alike' on my myspace, it's all fretless bass + effects).

[beggar98]

Fuzz sounds great on fretless, as does an drippy, wet envelope filter.

[dannybuoy]

Envelope filters and octavers, compressors, all kinds of delays and modulation and synths all work fine. I happen to prefer my fretless to my precision when using an envelope filter, so each to his own! My overdrives sound a bit dull, but not the Danelectro French Toast which is a fuzz so heavy it makes everything sound the same and brings in it's own harsh top end. The Squier Vintage Modified fretless jazz is also a bit of a steal if you're after a good value high quality fretless bass.

[andvari7]

...As do synths (the BMS being my personal choice), phasers, wahs, choruses, rotary simulators...

I hope flangers and ring modulators sound great on fretless, as well, because those are my next two acquisitions.

[bongomania]

TBH, I have used all kinds of effects and processors on fretless, and never once thought it would sound better with frets.

Steve Digiorgio uses some weird effects on fretless:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sSA8lwSuDE (envelope filter)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFofDLdCI1g (sounds like overdrive, then again, Steve might just be overdriving his amp in this one)

[dannybuoy]

And check out Steve Lawson too.

[Joe P]

How'bout Levin on Sledgehammer? ..A down-octaver (OC-2, I believe), and a PICK - which is an 'effect' by itself on fretless, if you ask me!

Joe

[mokkat]

This is some really nice feedback, thanks guys!
Cool experimental material you got there Swimming Bird

I found this clip with Lawson and Manring, crazy effects on that :P http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-GJu0Ruvhg


This certainly boosts my gas

[grygrx]

Love my Rob Allen Mouse with some effects... here is a Ram's Head with it.

http://www.grygrx.net/Pedal%20Review...ss-ramhead.mp3

[acleex38]

I run my fretless through octaver, chorus, phaser, fuzz, and a Sansamp BDDI. No sound clips, sadly.

[cheapbasslovin]

IMO you can do anything with a fretless that you can with a fretted, you just need to be more precise to do it. The mwah filled melodic solos are impossible to do on a fretted, but a balls to the wall lineup of lit up LED's will sound just as good on a fretless as fretted, if you hit the notes right.

[keb]

I've been messing about running my fretless through an envelope filter, and the combination of the fretless mwah and the envelope filter sweep makes for some very cool vocal-ish sounds as you dynamically alter your playing touch and left-hand vibrato.

[Beta]

Check out this video. It looks like Robertino Pagliari (of Ohm) is using a wah at various points.

The sound is kind of low, but you can be the judge of whether it's good or not.

[jonpopu]

Check out Melvin Jackson's "Funky Skull". He plays his upright through a maestro guitar filter, an old echo unit (can't remember which ATM), and into a Ampeg B15 (70's I think)
You can listen to some samples here:
http://www.gomusic.ru/album.aspx?id=66383