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'Budget' 6 String Fretless: Is there one?

BurningSkies

BurningSkies

CRAZY BALDHEAD
Feb 20, 2005
27,956
20,348
Syracuse NY
rootshockmusic.com
Disclosures
Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
#1
I've been REALLY diving into fretless for the past year or two. I have a Fretless 5 that I just love, but I'm really thinking about a 6 as I start working with chord tones, etc.

But it would be my first 6, and this would be putting my 'toes in the water,' So I'm really looking at going uber-budget. I know it won't measure up to my fretless Dingwall 5 (or the rest of the herd), so I'm not asking for something of that level, more of me looking to see if it's a good fit before I dive into the deep end.

Any thoughts on if a fretless 6 exists in the ~500$ range that isn't unplayable? Or if you have a bead on a used 6 that is workable, that's great too.

...besides, my birthday is next week, so I deserve something. Cheap Ibanez? LTD, Schecter, etc.? Anything?

What say you hive mind?
 
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#3
80jazz said:
Wolf made/makes one.

That would be where I would start. Not sure on the quality.
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I see them on eBay, but that makes me nervous. Anyone here have experience with one?


I'm coming up empty on finding one 'premade' I'm wondering if it's better to look at some of the lower end production 6's and then have one of my guys do a defret. There's a couple 300-400$ Ibanezes, etc. that I could put a few hundred into and still be in the ballpark.
 
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#5
BurningSkies said:
I'm wondering if it's better to look at some of the lower end production 6's and then have one of my guys do a defret.
Click to expand...
I'm looking at doing the same thing to a 5 as fretless 5s don't come up all that often locally at a price I can afford (it would be an experiment for me too) and more often than not, they're a FSO which I'd rather avoid.
 
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#6
#7
A9X said:
I'm looking at doing the same thing to a 5 as fretless 5s don't come up all that often locally at a price I can afford (it would be an experiment for me too) and more often than not, they're a FSO which I'd rather avoid.
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IIRC when I did my my 5-string conversion, it cost me about $300 for the work. That's why I'm considering it, since there are some 6's in that 300$ range.
 
#8
BurningSkies said:
IIRC when I did my my 5-string conversion, it cost me about $300 for the work. That's why I'm considering it, since there are some 6's in that 300$ range.
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I would think that would be the best route ensure that it plays well, right? Presumably the defret would result in a perfectly set up instrument. The downside is you wouldn’t recoup much of the cost of the work if/when you sell it, if that matters to you.
 
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#13
BurningSkies said:
I see them on eBay, but that makes me nervous. Anyone here have experience with one?


I'm coming up empty on finding one 'premade' I'm wondering if it's better to look at some of the lower end production 6's and then have one of my guys do a defret. There's a couple 300-400$ Ibanezes, etc. that I could put a few hundred into and still be in the ballpark.
Click to expand...

Based from my experience and from what you're using currently, You'll need a certain build quality to check out a concept like a 6 string fretless.
To determine if you like a 6 string fretless, the specimen you're using must be able to hold a candle against your high end boutique basses or all you will find out is that you don't like to play cheap basses that are inferior to your Dingwalls in every aspect.

When I took my first dive into 6 strings, I bought an Ibanez BTB because I liked how it felt and played. It was the first singlecut, the 686sc, so in today's terms of BTB making a mid-model with the good wood but their house-electronics instead of the nordy pickups. It took me a while to reach the point where 6 strings felt natural and I actually preferred playing the Ibby over my more expensive, nicer made 5 string basses. It took me even longer to start noticing how some of the notes lacked a certain something and I started debating gutting it and dropping in Nordstrand pickups and a Glockenklang preamp.
In the end, I just bought a nicer bass and sold it, but I was happy with that bass and I'm grateful Ibanez made it. The guy I sold it to, by the way, told me he initially planned to use it to defret it to get a good fretless, but was yet undecided about keeping it intact.

I know Ibanez made a BTB 6 string fretless not too long ago, but their current website does not list any.
The used market is full of BTB's, though (I guess that's true for most countries).
I'd get one of the nicer models. I've never fully understood their product codes. The last number being a 5 or 6 (or 7) correlates to the number of strings. The first two numbers somehow indicate quality, a bigger number is better. Try and find the nicest one within your budget and have your guy pull off the frets.
 
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#15
Warwick Rockbass Corvette?

RB sometimes get a bashing round here but the newer models are of good quality.

(the usual comeback is “buy a used German one” but for a FL 6er i’m not sure there are many hot deals on these - ?)

EDIT here’s a link to an EU shop for an ok price, might also be available in the US?

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
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#16
Thumpin6string said:
I think the cheapest one I've seen is a Wishbass.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Search Ebay for "Wishbass" and one you like will show up eventually. He doesn't have a 6 on there right now. Or contact him through Wishbass.com or on Facebook. If you order one special made it will cost more.
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#19
PotsdamBass8 said:
I would think that would be the best route ensure that it plays well, right? Presumably the defret would result in a perfectly set up instrument. The downside is you wouldn’t recoup much of the cost of the work if/when you sell it, if that matters to you.
Click to expand...

Not terribly worried about the selling, but given there's not a whole lot of lower end fretless 6's out in the world, as an experiment I could probably find someone interested even with a bit of a loss. Also, lines would be preferred by me...so that's one way to make sure I have some.

Thumpin6string said:
I think the cheapest one I've seen is a Wishbass.
Click to expand...

I just don't think I can do it. I'm just used to a bit more precision in my builds and I'd be nervous with that one piece bridge. Also I always assumed they have fairly high action.

sludgetail said:
May want to look out for a used Carvin LB76F, I had one a long time ago and sold it (also a long time ago) for very cheap in pristine condition. There’s one on Reverb for $350 with some truss adjustment nut issues too if you’re up for some work or your luthier can dial it in. Good luck and happy early birthday brotha.
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Thanks!
...Seeee this is the kind of info I can use. I can't get any of these options to show up in a general fretless 6 search on Reverb but have hits in my price range already just by knowing the model number.
 
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