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Anyone play one of these?

#25
I would love to try one of these. Everything I've considered or tried to let me match fretless liberty with fretted convenience has bombed, but these seem promising. A luthier making it a major part of his gimmick, along with those demos, do suggest that this is an idea that may finally work.
 
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#32
The obvious problem with this is that if you do vibrato or slide, you're screwed, and if you play fretless, you have to play either sharp or flat since the only way to be perfectly in tune is with the fret thing pressed in.

I suppose, maybe, if you have a low action and don't press hard, maybe you can play fretless on it without pressing the string into the slot and have it still work and not buzz, but that seems unlikely somehow. demo or not, I think if you play this like a normal fretless, or make even a tiny mistake, you'll get buzzing, no?

AND WHAT IS WITH THE CRAZY HIGH ACTION IN THE OP PHOTO? Why hasn't that been commented on? IS that required for it to work properly? Cuz if so, forget it! LoL
 
#33
eddododo said:
Really good review and clip, but does everyone else find it super silly to play a ton of harmonics to demo this bass in particular?
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The harmonics show the build quality of the bass, and it's pickups. Also they include fretless sliding, which shows it works great as a fretless.

I hear nothing in that demo that indicates anything other than fretless, and it seems to buzz a little too much for me on the E string (maybe A too, can't see him playing to know) when he's playing in the middle positions. That COULD just be a setup decision, but it could also mean it buzzes on those fret slot things, which would drive me mad.

And finally, his slap demo? it's alright, just sounds like a fretless being slapped, though. My fretless basses sound just like that, although maybe his open E thumb sounds more fretted than mine, but that would be the only note I hear that sounds anything like a fretted bass.

It could WELL be that the demo guy in that video doesn't know how to play it to take advantage of the fretted tone effects, though... I would certainly want to try one myself, to see what it's really like.

Oregon eh? Well if covid ever goes away and I can convince my family to do another 2 day drive to california, maybe I'll pop by there and make it a 3 day drive (unlikely though, honestly.... that's a commitment on a family trip that I can't expect of them LoL).
 
#34
JIO said:
If the point of being fretted is on - the note will be on. The assumption in this procedure is the "frets/fret-point" (unlike a standard fret) will be specifically located unlike a standard fretted neck, or as conjectured above - at the lower trailing edge of the scallop.
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Could you restate this in other words? I have read it through many times and I can't figure out what you mean.
 
#37
Turnaround said:
Could you restate this in other words? I have read it through many times and I can't figure out what you mean.
Click to expand...

The point where fingering the fb accurately voices the correct note would happen at the lower edge of the scallop, toward the bridge, if pressed over the center of the scallop. Think of that lower edge as the 'fret'. So that lower edge would be located where a standard fretted fb would have a fret - not at the center of the scallop. That's all I meant to translate.
 
#39
I have family in Portland so if he's available next trip (considering the world we are living in right now) I will definitely see if I can demo his design. As most things that attempt to bridge a gap between two worlds, it is somewhat of a compromise of each. But it's also a third option as far as being a bass with the articulation of a fretted bass and the feel and sound/tone (more or less) of a fretless. I think that is a legitimate and creative attempt to address the concept and I give him credit for that. I can imagine players feeling similarly about fanned-fret fb's/basses (as being a gimmick etc) but many people play and like them. Just because anyone personally wouldn't want one isn't a reason to discount it - there are plenty of standard fretted and fretless basses out there for that person to happily play.
 
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