The Fretless Club
 

Fretless owners stand up and be counted! (Literally, I will be assigning member#s)

Share your pics, any pertanent details about your bass, and your thoughts on it (pros/cons)

The rules: Anything Fretless counts, even upright basses.

I recently defretted my Cort Action 4 string. It's a pretty amateur job, but it works and I'm happy with the result. I'll hopefully soon be buying some new pups for it and maybe even an Aguilar DB-1 preamp for it. I'll have to talk to some people about this. We shall see.

"I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member"
—Groucho Marx

Number Please
 

Count me in...

'78 Fender Fretless P-Bass

'78 Fretless and '78 Fretted P-Bass


Pros
My first and second basses

Cons
None

Pertinent Details
None really...just like the way they sound and feel

2001 MIM Fender Standard Jazz Fretless (Bought N.O.S. in 2004, stock instead of the white pearloid pickguard)

Chris V: Member#2

tmw: Niiiiiiiiiiiiice!!! You're member #3

This baby should be on my doorstep any day now

Awesome bass! You're #4.

While fretless basses are so much easier to play when they have the fret lines on them (I'd be soooooo lost without mine) they look so much cooler when they don't.

A 5 string fretless would be cool too. Then you could do some Mark Egan. If you've never heard of him, I reccomend checking him out. A good song to start with would be "Spirals" off the album "As We Speak"

Tell me about it! I seem to have much better intonnation on my fretless (lined) jazz than my URB :p

I guess that just has to do with the whole practice thing...

Yeah. Fretlines are kind of a crutch, really. But I tell you what, I know I need them. I'd be lost without them.

And those of you that dont need them, kudos. (just to get that out of the way) :)

Since I play mostly fretless, I might as well join a club on TB.


My first fretless.

Pros: dang near everything
Con: Peavey installed the position markers in the WRONG places.


My 2nd fretless and first 100% handcrafted bass.
Pros: extremely comfortable and offers a plethora of amazing fretless tones. It's very light.
Con: the gaboon ebony doesn't seem to enjoy the climate


My 3rd fretless.
Pros: it weighs less than 6lbs and sounds a lot like an upright. What's not to love?
Con: the short scale can be unforgiving at times.


My Conklin, the most recent edition.
Pros: very well made, versatile, and the Dymondwood fingerboard is virtually indestructible. This is hands down, one of the most solid low Bs I've ever played.
Con: a shade heavy and the RMCs don't simulate an upright sound as good as my Rob Allen basses, but with a little help from the EQ, it has some nice low end bump that you'd expect from a passive P bass with flats.

I'm in !!
 

Well seeing as I've just taken delivery of my Sei fretless - suppose I should play :cool:

This bass is a custom built by luthier Martin Peterson at Sei Basses in London - lovely guy who works with his clients really closely to get the right instrument. And boy has he delivered.

Obviously it's going to take a bit of time to settle and for me to get used to the tones available. Martin reckons the tone and growl will develop over time as grooves get established on the fingerboard and the instrument settles. However I can tell you the D&G strings just sing with a bit of mid boost :D

Here are the specs as ripped from my posting on the Sei owners Club.

Specs
Body Style - Headed Flamboyant Offset 5 string Fretless
Fingerboard - Ebony
Neck - Flamed Maple with Purpleheart stringers
Body Wood - Mahogany
Facing Woods - Birdseye maple
Circuit - Schack 18v
Pickups - Nordstrand Fatstacks
Veneer - Dark

General Options
- Blue side Leds
- Tuning pegs slightly angled towards body
- Strap button behind top horn
- clearly lined
- Gold hardware
- Full facing on front
- Schaller straplocks
- Carbon fibre rods

I'm no photographer but here are 8 photos

"Dig That Maple Baby":cool:


I know these lines caused Martin some hassle and a lot of work :D. The fretlines are a real big deal to me and we bounced some ideas back and forward. I'm so pleased with how they've turned out. Nice that they come over the top edge as seen in the first photo. Not to everyones taste but they most certainly are mine - and it's my bass so there :spit:













And Lastly - A Family Group Shot... :cool:

That Conklin sure is pretty !!!!!!!!! Very nice...

Spade2u and Paddy: Extremely cool lineups, guys! I'm afraid to ask how much you've spent on your collections! ;)

Spade = #6

Paddy - #5 (as per our PM's earlier)

I have an '89 Fender Jazz Fretless!

(Pictured with my '62 RI Jazz)

Fretless J is really cool. It has that Jaco vibe!

You're #7

I'm scared to look at the receipts!!! Taken me a long time to get here. The Sei's have to be played to be believed - awesome instruments. The wick ain't too shabby either ...

Thanks, guys! It's a blast to play and has opened me to the idea of a 7 or 8 string (non-octave) fretless in the future. The C string offers a lot of neat harmonics and helps me fill a lot of space in my jam band trio. Mike and Bill turned a non-existing bass of my dreams into a reality.

LOL, I don't think I wanna know! I was very lucky with my career and timing. After graduation, my cost of living was very low. When mixed with an abundance of overtime and a lack of a social life, I managed to greatly reduce my debt, while saving a lot, AND snagging a few purdy basses. Of course, buying a house and a life outside of work slowed it down considerably, but I can't complain. Viva fretless!

Ive got two :)

Stingray HH fretless


Aria Pro II banger fretless

#8 Mohawk! Fretless MM's are the bomb!

Spade: I was listening to the John Patitucci ablum "Now" (c 1998) and on the last three tracks he puts up his upright bass and busts out his Fretted 6-string Yamaha. On the last track, it's nothing but 6-string bass, no drums, no nothing. What -amazes- me is how much that 6 string electric bass played in the high octave on the high strings sounds like an accoustic 6 string guitar...I was blown away. It's a really nice song, but I really listen to it more for the sound of the bass than what John's playing. Great stuff! I'll have to look up what the name of the song is.

Finally a club for me too:) Give me a number please. This is my 5-string AV custom bass that I got in August. It has a very comfortable superlow action (wonder if all fretless basses do?) and I love the fingerboard. And of course it sounds awesome. Here's the link to specs and pictures taken by the luthier:
http://www.avbasses.cz/5NTBJM.htm
And here's my picture