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24 Fret basses...

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patRICK4003

Feb 2, 2011
19
0
#1
So The first bass I ever owned was a Yamaha RBX170, and it had 24 frets. It was also ugly, and besides its decent pickups and thin neck, was a piece of :scowl: .

I've noticed that my Fender Jazz has considerably less fret buzz, even when I dig my fingers in. This could just be due to its better truss rod/ action adjustability, but it also seems that having 24 frets (like on my Yamaha) contributed to its fret buzz, even with a pathetically high action.

So here's my question: Why are there basses with 24 frets? Who needs to play notes on a bass that high? What kind of awful, wanking bass solo would call for a 24-fretter?
 
#2
it has its uses. I don't go there often, but I still like the option to do so. usually in some kind of big upwards slide during a fill (and if the root is G then being able to get up there or not will make a big difference) or at the end of a phrase/solo. It's kind of silly musical logic you're using - if you have 21 frets you're saying that you might go to the 3rd octave on the E - but going to the 3rd octave on the G would just be ridiculous? if you see what i'm saying

I play warwicks, which have 24 frets. I think your fret buzz was more a product of general craftsmanship
 
#6
Yeah, basically it adds 3 or 4 high notes that your average bassist would never consider going near. It makes me wonder why a Yamaha sub-$200 beginner bass would have 24 frets. Sometimes I think they just want to have more frets so they can get a away with making a smaller, lighter body. Maybe they are preying on the kids that assume 24 is inherently better than 21.
 
#7
Also it's good to remember that the neck lenght affects the slap tone a bit. Just like the position where you pluck the string affects the tone, the point where a string hits the fretboard when slapped makes a difference. It's not a question of which is better, they're just differend. I've never managed to get that fat twang out of 24 fret basses. Likewise, I've never managed to get that super tight modern tone out of 20 fretter. Of course there are plenty of other factors too and you can alter the slap tone by slapping next to the bridge, but the neck lenght does effect it.

And why people might prefer 24 frets.. We all play differend stuff and with differend techniques. All things affect how we like our basses and playability. With some techniques the fret number makes a difference even if you never use the actual notes available. Just because there are a couple of extra frets doesn't mean you have to keep playing up there. But you can if you want to.

Having 24 frets doesn't make the strings buzz more easily. The reason why your 24 fretter had buzzes was because of poor fretwork and also probably because of poor setup. Many if not most super low action achieving boutique basses come with more frets than a basic fender.

It's all good and I like having both.
 
#8
I'd like 26. Several of mine have 24, and none of them have pathetically high action or ridiculous fret buzz.

Not everybody needs more than 20. Plenty of people don't use more than 7.

I don't see how it's that different from people who need more than 4 strings. Or 5. Or 6.
 
#9
What the hell is it with you guys and talking down on ANYTHING thats past the fifth fret? SO WHAT if someone wants to play around the (gasp) 20-24th fret? Sheesh. Theres more to life than playing the root to every damn thing.

/anger
 
#12
patRICK4003 said:
So here's my question: Why are there basses with 24 frets? Who needs to play notes on a bass that high? What kind of awful, wanking bass solo would call for a 24-fretter?
Click to expand...

So glad you've figured out what's best for everyone.
Thanks, I feel much more educated now.
 
#14
patRICK4003 said:
The effect of fret number on slap tone is interesting, I never thought of it that way.
Click to expand...

I won't touch the idea of one being better than the other, but having a few 24 and 21 (hell, I don't know, I didn't count them) fret basses, there's a difference with slap/pop sound, feel, and technique. My last bass came with 26 frets, but I quickly discovered that my thumb does NOT like that when slap is factored in. I still like the bass, but it's not something I'm going to do again.
 
#15
Didn't mean for this thread to turn into troll city, but I've just always thought of anywhere above the 16th fret or so as somewhere a bassist should avoid. For me at least, its just plain awkward to play in that area, and the tone suffers. Of course, this is just my opinion.
 
#16
That kind of thinking is too limiting for me. I may never get past the 16th fret on most gigs, but I damn well want to be comfortable there, because as a working musician, I know every now and again, somebody's going to want me to do it.

Also, I would hesitate to base my opinion on 24 fret basses on experiencing one mediocre bass with several issues.
 
#17
patRICK4003 said:
Didn't mean for this thread to turn into troll city, but I've just always thought of anywhere above the 16th fret or so as somewhere a bassist should avoid. For me at least, its just plain awkward to play in that area, and the tone suffers. Of course, this is just my opinion.
Click to expand...

There's as much reason for a bassist to avoid playing up there as there is reason for a guitarist to avoid playing up there or a saxophonist to avoid playing in the upper reaches of his instrument.

In other words, there's no reason.

Music and the musician dictate taste, not the instrument. You can play the most beautiful lyrical line on the highest frets of your bass and the most annoying million-note wanking ever heard on the lowest frets, or vice versa. There is nothing to gain from arbitrary limitations. Playing high on the neck may sound awful in a lot of music. Taking that notion to mean that it should be avoided could mean you avoid adding it to a piece of music that could be infinitely better if it had it. Open minds are what keeps music alive.
 

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