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$1.5k to spend on a fretless

#25
Father Gino said:
Musicman Sterling. Not the inexpensive line, but a real Sterling. I had a 1H that I should never have sold and now ther are HH & HJ versions as well. Lovely J style neck if you like that kinda thing.
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I have looked around on Reverb and such and Sterling’s are kind of a rare bird to find in a fretless. Since the OP mentioned an L2500, I assume he’d want a 5. A couple weeks ago, I saw only 2 Sterling 5’s for sale, neither of which were fretless. I think if he wants one “now”, he’d have to buy new...
I would personally opt for a Sterling 5 over a Stingray 5...I just never jived with the SR5’s sound...
 
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#27
Another shout for the MM fretless. But I can't let this go by without suggesting Sire V7 fretless. Yes I'm a fanboy but there is a ton of mwahy goodness in these basses, plus with the extra $$ you can get a fretless amp and cab to match. Happy hunting.
 
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#28
wizerd said:
Another shout for the MM fretless. But I can't let this go by without suggesting Sire V7 fretless. Yes I'm a fanboy but there is a ton of mwahy goodness in these basses, plus with the extra $$ you can get a fretless amp and cab to match. Happy hunting.
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Yeah, (cough cough) can't really seriously and fairly mention Sire in this "more boutique" price range, but I agree, if it were me (and it was) I'd buy 2-3 Sires or bass + amp/cab gear for that amount. Though a used Pedulla might be scored in that range, and that'd be pretty high on my list, too. Choose wisely. :cool:
 
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#30
+1 on the Pedulla Buzz; I love mine, and picked it up for about the money you want to spend. I saw a very nice one on Reverb the last few days running $1.7K (no affiliation...), but it must have sold; I can’t find it now. They come up there around that price every so often, though.

+1 on the Carvin/Kiesels as well. Mine was my only bass for most of my playing career and it sounds great with any music I play. If you watch, you can sometimes find one used for less than $500, although the prices have been going up the past 6 months or so.
 
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#33
If you've got $1500 budget, then you're in the range of some very good custom builders.

For $1500, (starts at $1200 a actually) Wendler will build you a custom Electrocoustic fretless to your specs. It's not going to have the jazz tone you want, but I encourage you to check out the site and hear the clips before you decide.
Guitar Repair Kansas City | Luthier Acoustic Electric Guitar

For $1500 or so Lowdownbass will make you a fantastic fretless also.
LowDown Bass Guitars
 
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#35
A L2500 was my first fretless. It was a really well made bass, but I'm not sure the double-buck sound is something I really like for fretless. If you're looking for the classic fretless bridge-only honk, I would not go with the L2500. It is really deep and if you're looking a classic thump sound, it might fit the bill.
The other end of the spectrum was the Pedulla Pentabuzz. Lots of midrange. Pair it with some rounds and you've got mwah for days.
 
#36
Another +1 for Carvin/Kiesel. They have nice necks in general, but their fretless ebony boards are superb. They're typically well built, easy-playing basses made from great wood, though not everyone is into their sound. But with a $1500 budget you could buy a used one and use the leftover money to make that great-playing bass sound however you want. Maybe even get the board coated if that's your thing.

But if you come across a $600 Pedulla, get it.
 
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#37
Another shout out for an MM Stingray or Sterling. As a Fretless they really sound great. Ive mine since 2008 - I won't be selling it - cost £750 used then - probably well over £1000 now. This is a 1993.

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#38
A G&L L2500 is my go-to #1 pick for fretless bass. I love the feel of the neck, he added low end, and the ability to get all manner of tone out of them (I have 3 G&L: one Tribute, fretted and fretless USA Pair) However, even with the single coil switch it does not quite do a perfect Jazz bass. For that I have a 6 string SX Fender Clone. Does a super job but at only about $200 is way too low for your budget! :) I also have a couple of SX 5 string fretless too (all were modded by me to have ebony fingerboards) but the 6er somehow sounds better than the 5s. A modulus is always an excellent choice but often very pricey even used. I've played a couple Pedula and really liked the tone but was disappointed that they seemed to mostly have a certain kind of tone rather than the range I can get out of my L2500s. A Stingray is also an excellent thing to try, but do try it. Some people love them, and some hate them, so you need to know where you stand in that regard. Personally I love them but just haven't (yet) forked out for a real 'Ray. For now my OLP will have to do.
 
#40

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