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Am I overthinking this?
- Thread starter RandM
- Start date
Remind me NOT to let you borrow any of My instruments!
I don't kn
That's not what I'm going for. I play it with a pick and tuned down to Eb on Sledgehammer. People love it!
A quality peizo-equipped fretless acoustic bass with nylon wounds will ALWAYS trump a straight pickup electric bass with flats in an acoustic setting. An electric cannot cop that sound. Period. That is, however, the only use I have found for it. But it does Excel in that environment.
Must be a new thing, but they make some fretless acoustic basses really large, like six feet tall, so they have a big sound and can keep up with a drummer. Usually I think people extend the bottom strap button by a foot or so, so that the bass can stand on the ground next to the player and not have to be strapped on. And for whatever reason the big basses have two holes shaped like an F instead of a big one in the middle. I dunno, they're some weird new-fangled things, but I tell ya there's plenty of sound 
Must be a new thing, but they make some fretless acoustic basses really large, like six feet tall, so they have a big sound and can keep up with a drummer. Usually I think people extend the bottom strap button by a foot or so, so that the bass can stand on the ground next to the player and not have to be strapped on. And for whatever reason the big basses have two holes shaped like an F instead of a big one in the middle. I dunno, they're some weird new-fangled things, but I tell ya there's plenty of sound
It took at least 2-3 years time for me honing and woodshedding the fretless bit down, before I got rid of all bad habits. It hadn't so much to do with intonation, but one must play through the "honey moon period" too, of not overdoing any kind of fretless glissandos and glides and always go for that "mwah" sound. It gets you listening fatigued, and once you've heard enough of that, you proceed, and then you'll play that thing just as if was a fretted one, with distinct and well articulated notes, dead spot on intonation, and NO excessive vibratos, and no chorus effects to cover up for bad intonation in your fingers! It took 2-3 years before I dared to take it out on a first gig.
It took 2-3 years before I dared to take it out on a first gig.Yes, plugged in, but that's plugged in. What's the point of that? You can plug in any solid body (or hollow) electric too, can't you? I still think they would be just assesed with totally unplugged sound.
And here we go again.
@RandM: ignore all the ABG naysaying. It's amazing that even when the (lack of) unplugged volume is declared to be a non-factor by the prospective buyer, since he's gonna plug in anyway, they manage to keep on attacking the concept. It's piezo-equipped, so it's gonna sound different from a magnetic pickup bass; it's hollow, and a lot of folks love hollowbodies (electric or acoustic), precisely for what they do to the tone, the frequencies that they enhance and attenuate, even how they (may) reduce sustain; also, in acoustic contexts it looks the part.
The above said, do listen to the butsayers. I don't play fretless (though I acquired my bass guitar rudiments on one, many moons ago), but I believe those who say you'd better learn on an instrument similar to the one you already play (speaking of which, I also vote for not selling it if you like it). In case you want more informed opinions, go to this thread
Acoustic bass fetish club Part 2
and ask those who play a fretless acoustic their opinions on learning fretless on one vs. getting an electric FL and only later, maybe, an acoustic.
In short, this guy says keep the fretted, get a fretless solid-body and don't write off acoustics.
@RandM: ignore all the ABG naysaying. It's amazing that even when the (lack of) unplugged volume is declared to be a non-factor by the prospective buyer, since he's gonna plug in anyway, they manage to keep on attacking the concept. It's piezo-equipped, so it's gonna sound different from a magnetic pickup bass; it's hollow, and a lot of folks love hollowbodies (electric or acoustic), precisely for what they do to the tone, the frequencies that they enhance and attenuate, even how they (may) reduce sustain; also, in acoustic contexts it looks the part.
The above said, do listen to the butsayers. I don't play fretless (though I acquired my bass guitar rudiments on one, many moons ago), but I believe those who say you'd better learn on an instrument similar to the one you already play (speaking of which, I also vote for not selling it if you like it). In case you want more informed opinions, go to this thread
Acoustic bass fetish club Part 2
and ask those who play a fretless acoustic their opinions on learning fretless on one vs. getting an electric FL and only later, maybe, an acoustic.
In short, this guy says keep the fretted, get a fretless solid-body and don't write off acoustics.
It's whatever the music needs. I play the acoustic for jazz and old style country. Have made exceptions based on special situations. Otherwise I play solid or hollow body electrics.
It took at least 2-3 years time for me honing and woodshedding the fretless bit down, before I got rid of all bad habits. It hadn't so much to do with intonation, but one must play through the "honey moon period" too, of not overdoing any kind of fretless glissandos and glides and always go for that "mwah" sound. It gets you listening fatigued, and once you've heard enough of that, you proceed, and then you'll play that thing just as if was a fretted one, with distinct and well articulated notes, dead spot on intonation, and NO excessive vibratos, and no chorus effects to cover up for bad intonation in your fingers!
That's good to know. So far i've been the opposite though.
I've had my fretless for a little over a year and at first I was playing it just like a fretted and got used to it very quickly. I'm currently working out ways to play my usual chord tones and leading lines in different ways in order to get more gliss than before because it was very rare that I was getting any at all. I want to hear that mwah a bit more and it's making me approach my bass lines differently on the fretted bass as well so at the moment it's a win-win scenario. I've gigged it twice so far but only for some songs that really stand out as fretless (Love Cats, Come Together, Hard Sun etc).
Back again - changed Internet Provider yetsterday so we were offline.
I seem to have prised open the lid of a can of worms : )
On the Jazz : We get on fine and it covers a lot of "ground" very well - I respect it and it's capabilities highly but I do have to play the B with different touch and feel, that's why I'm thinking of moving to a 35" scale. I realise that the cheapest way to go would be to get a Fretless Jazz neck and put that on the Dlxe 5. Still leaves me that
soft B string though.
I've been checking clips on Utube and an Acoustic might be a bridge too far, not because I don't think they're any good but a good one that'll do what I want is likely out of reach financially. Haven't got the dosh for multiple basses right now, thought I might be able to stretch for it by selling the Jazz,
getting the M7 and useing the the savings to help but it would seem not at the moment.
The M7 seems to tic all my boxes, though it's hard to tell when you can't actually get your hands on one to try it : ) I may still go that way, put the extra aside and wait 'til I can save enough for a good Acoustic.
Thanks for the advice people - I truly appreciate it.
Cheers Maurie.
I seem to have prised open the lid of a can of worms : )
On the Jazz : We get on fine and it covers a lot of "ground" very well - I respect it and it's capabilities highly but I do have to play the B with different touch and feel, that's why I'm thinking of moving to a 35" scale. I realise that the cheapest way to go would be to get a Fretless Jazz neck and put that on the Dlxe 5. Still leaves me that
soft B string though.
I've been checking clips on Utube and an Acoustic might be a bridge too far, not because I don't think they're any good but a good one that'll do what I want is likely out of reach financially. Haven't got the dosh for multiple basses right now, thought I might be able to stretch for it by selling the Jazz,
getting the M7 and useing the the savings to help but it would seem not at the moment.
The M7 seems to tic all my boxes, though it's hard to tell when you can't actually get your hands on one to try it : ) I may still go that way, put the extra aside and wait 'til I can save enough for a good Acoustic.
Thanks for the advice people - I truly appreciate it.
Cheers Maurie.
What gauge, make and model low B string do you use?
Going up in gauge works for many a player. Not everyone by any means, of course, but you may consider it worth a try.
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(Not that you have to like D'Addarios, but trying one could give you an idea of how the gauge and tension of a bigger B feels.)
Hi RandM
welcome to TB. Going fretless is 
!!! Enjoy that trip mate 
With a good (not meaning expensive) fretless you get sounds for all kinds of music. (I played some heavy metal with mine
)I would advice you to get a solidbody (a Jazz- bass or a copie of it will be fine)
you can bring them to jazz- or blues jams and nail the sound
(even upright sounds) or just rock them!Acoustic E- basses: Try some to get your own idea about what they can or cannot do.
But don't, don't, don't bring them to a heavy rock gig
may the bass be with you
Wise(b)ass
Bag -
I was going to approach it just as you did to start. Not that I've learnt much yet, but from what I'm reading I was getting the idea that Muah was accentuated more the lower the action is - anyone?
Haphas -
To be honest I don't know - I'm checking out Tapewounds for a new set right now, any suggestions welcome.
Thanks Wisebass, Groove.
Maurie.
I was going to approach it just as you did to start. Not that I've learnt much yet, but from what I'm reading I was getting the idea that Muah was accentuated more the lower the action is - anyone?
Haphas -
To be honest I don't know - I'm checking out Tapewounds for a new set right now, any suggestions welcome.
Thanks Wisebass, Groove.
Maurie.
Um, yeah, why not? Try them. Their gauges are deceiving - they're all thin rounds under the tape, so they tend to be on the loose side.
You could start with the D'Addario 5-string set. I have it but only have used the A so far - mixed with tapewounds of other makes, long story - and I like the tone a lot. Treble is muffled but the overall tone manages too be still lively in other ways. The Fender and the three types of La Bella "White Nylons" (just "White", "Gold" and the especially well-received "Copper") are said to be even brighter (Fenders only come in a 4-string set though). Pyramid, Rotosound and La Bella blacks are instead usually reported to be the kings of traditional, uprighty tapes.
All in all I'm convinced D'Addarios, from my unusually limited experience with one string but also reviews, are a good starting point. Of interest regarding tension, in their aforementioned 5-string set there is the usual step up in tension between the E and the A, and between the latter and the D, but the B, while floppy in and of itself, is actually balanced with the E. If you like the tone there's a chance you might find the variation in required attack, string to string, to be more gradual than you're used to.
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