NBD: Cheap Fretless 6 String - ID?
 

Alright guys, I've been out of the bass game since I sold my Spector Rebop 5 last July because of a really piss poor situation involving jobs and bills, and now I have a lot of time on my hands after work so I figured I'd try out this cheap fretless 6 string I found on Craigslist.

I have no idea what brand it is. The guy said there was a sticker on the headstock that said "Albatross" or something, but an Internet search has yielded no results.

It's definitely been modified. An EMG 45DC is in the bridge position, and he had made a wooden set bridge and modified the body to allow for thru-body stringing.

After I took it home I reinstalled the stock bridge and cleaned it up. I have yet to fully finish setting it up and need to grab some solvent to remove some sticky stuff, but it's generally playable. It's stung with steels, and it has pretty good tone when played through the tiny Epiphone Studio 10S amp that is my pathetic setup right now. The tuners need tightened, and don't seem to hold tune that well, which is not what I like to see on a fretless, and the bridge is not the nicest piece ever but I'm not expecting Hipshot quality on a no-name Craigslist bass.

I figure that if a 6 string fretless is the only electric bass I have, I'm kind of forced to get proficient at it and any other bass will seem relatively easy. Those were my thoughts when purchasing it and I don't really care what anyone else thinks about that, so please hold off on flaming me for buying an advanced instrument :D

Here are the pics, tell me what ya think and let me know if you recognize the shape or anything, I'm interested in knowing a little bit about it.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/e2b163c32...e0io1_1280.jpg

http://25.media.tumblr.com/3a9b4bac8...e0io2_1280.jpg

http://25.media.tumblr.com/2eaafbdaf...e0io3_1280.jpg

I don't recognize it but it looks good. How does it sound?

It looks like an inexpensive Chinese Bass, not unlike this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fretless-Bas...item337f736a18
They crank 'em out-I've seen a lot of different variations on that theme by Brice, Douglas, etc. It may have been a Galveston (and not an Albatross). They're Korean built, slightly nicer, and they make cheap 7 and 8 string ERBs as well. They are on and off Ebay:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...QEwAw&dur=4114

The 2 knobs is the odd thing. Most cheap basses have at least 3 knobs. My first thought was a Douglass, but the pocket and knobs are wrong.

I have no Idea what it is.

It sounds pretty good, but I couldn't effectively describe the tone coming out of this crappy Epiphone amp. It's got nice mids from what I can hear, good upper mid definition, not too woody. I can't comment on the low end, and thankfully it's not overly trebly or clanky with the steel strings. I'm sure it would sound great on a halfway decent amp.

There are two knobs, volume and tone, (and two jacks...) because the previous owner totally rewired it. I looked in the control cavity and I'm not entirely sure that the neck pickup is even wired in. I don't understand his wiring logic whatsoever. Both the pots and the jack are EMG solder less, if I saw correctly.

I don't know how I didn't notice this earlier, but the neck is bowed as hell. I'm gonna have to pick up a wrench so I can adjust it. It's a pain in the ass just trying to fret, and the C string doesn't sound properly because the tensions all wonky (or at least I'm assuming that's the reason).

I'm having a hard time getting used to a bass of this quality and trying to remain calm when I notice something junky... I want my Spector back!!! I figure if I can learn to play this thing I can play any bass.

Looks very much like my Douglas WOB826 that I got from Rondo Music, especially the body shape and placement of the pickups. Could be a homebrew mod project.

Looks very similar to my fretless six, mine is an infinity, I know the company trade under different names including shine. If it's made by the same company they are very good, made in the same factory's as Ibanez.