Unlined fretless bass? Problem when playing fast metal stuff?

Demon · #1 06-10-2006, 02:47 PM

Hmm, when im getting my fretless i was gonna go Warwick,but now i noticed, all of em are unlined/unmarked! Feels like problem when ur onstage headbanging and playing rather fast stuff. So is this the case or do you really get used to it? If not, can anyone recomend a bass brand that makes fretlesses within price range of 400-700 bucks that sound fairly growlish or powerful like warwicks?

steve21 · #2 06-10-2006, 02:49 PM

You play a fretless with your ears, if you're good enough at fretless to play it in a fast metal band, you won't have to take a look at that neck.

Steve DiGiorgio plays unlined necks and he plays in Death Metal bands.

jbasso · #3 06-10-2006, 02:52 PM

Usually people staring at their necks while playing and headbanging at the same time look like douchebags

Thats just my opinion though. If you want to play fretless, dont count on the lines, play by ear like steve said

Demon · #4 06-10-2006, 02:54 PM

Yeh okay, but can you really hear yourself that well onstage?

SnakeAnthony · #5 06-10-2006, 02:55 PM

I thought the same thing when I first looked at the unlined Warwicks, but its not as big of a problem as you might think. The neck has side markers for where your fingers need to go (where most necks have dots in the center of every odd fret, this has the exact location of where your finger needs to go)so you can look down at that is you ever need reassurance. And after a few minutes of playing, you kind of fall into how its supposed to work. After a week or so of practice you should be more than fine. But really you need to get somewhere where you can play one first hand.

And you will never find anything that sounds quite like a warwick.

SnakeAnthony · #6 06-10-2006, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demon

Yeh okay, but can you really hear yourself that well onstage?

In ear monitors

jonathan_matos5 · #7 06-10-2006, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnakeAnthony

I thought the same thing when I first looked at the unlined Warwicks, but its not as big of a problem as you might think. The neck has side markers for where your fingers need to go (where most necks have dots in the center of every odd fret, this has the exact location of where your finger needs to go)so you can look down at that is you ever need reassurance. And after a few minutes of playing, you kind of fall into how its supposed to work. After a week or so of practice you should be more than fine. But really you need to get somewhere where you can play one first hand.

And you will never find anything that sounds quite like a warwick.

+1

the fretless warwick corvett is the sexiest bass ive played verry smooth and the no lines thing doesn't even effect a noob like me.

bassteban · #8 06-10-2006, 03:01 PM

Warwick makes lined fretless.

SnakeAnthony · #9 06-10-2006, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassteban

Warwick makes lined fretless.

I've never seen one

Do you have and pics or links? I'd be really interested in seeing one

tenorbass · #10 06-10-2006, 03:05 PM

I have done metal gigs with my warwick unlined corvette. The thing that is very important when learning fretless is to start slow then get fast. Do this by playing scales at 60 bpm and really hearing the notes. Go from 1st fret to the last on every string and get your hand position right. Check the high notes with a tuner or open strings. Good luck

SnakeAnthony · #11 06-10-2006, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tenorbass

I have done metal gigs with my warwick unlined corvette. The thing that is very important when learning fretless is to start slow then get fast. Do this by playing scales at 60 bpm and really hearing the notes. Go from 1st fret to the last on every string and get your hand position right. Check the high notes with a tuner or open strings. Good luck

+1. All very good advice.

Demon · #12 06-10-2006, 03:09 PM

Yeah, waiting for my new amp so i can get a better cleaner sound=) Cos this one is a 30 bucker. Anyway, ty guys, didnt know it had sidemarkers

Would it work to set intonation so that the right note would be at the marker?

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #13 06-10-2006, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve21

You play a fretless with your ears...

This myth never seems to go away. You play fretless the same way you play fretted- with your fingers. The only thing your ears do is tell you if you hit the right or wrong note AFTER the fact, just like with a fretted. Lines will get your fingers in the right spot BEFORE you play the note, although so will putting in the extra work on you muscle memory for an unlined. Neither is wrong, and neither is cheating, so if you want an unlined- get it. If you want a lined- get it. Hey Richard, are you reading this?

Warwicks can be ordered with lines, although they usually don't come standard that way. There are lots of lined fretlesses in that price range, but I'm not sure which ones will sound most like a Warwick to you. Not all Warwicks sound the same either- which model were you digging the sound of?

Oh, and both lined and unlined have sidemarkers, although most companies put the side dots in the middle of the fretlines (as they would look on a fretted bass) rather than directly under the lines, which never made any sense to me.

SnakeAnthony · #14 06-10-2006, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demon

Yeah, waiting for my new amp so i can get a better cleaner sound=) Cos this one is a 30 bucker. Anyway, ty guys, didnt know it had sidemarkers

Would it work to set intonation so that the right note would be at the marker?

Warwicks are already set up like this, to where the side dot marks where exactly your finger should go.