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Do Fretless Exist without a Burst Finish?

#201
So I gotta admit, I just did a "fretless bass" search on sweetwater and almost ALL of them are warm/brown/brown burst. Wild.

Found this American Pro II fretless which is a dark blue / black burst. Which, yea, not satin nor bright.
0194000761_fen_ins_frt_1_rr.jpg

Your best bet might be to buy a used Yamaha or Ibanez and get the body refinished, or get a neck you like and swap it into a body you like... I will keep looking haha
 
#206
Snert said:
I would just like to point out that the term 'Boomer' is an ageist pejorative.






And should be used a lot more to describe some of those 50s Edsel looking 3TS and PG instruments.

Signed,
Nearly a Boomer
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I was born in '84 which makes me a "geriatric millennial" (this means I put a scoop of Benefiber powder in my Pumpkin Spice Lattes).

I like FSOs, in sunburst and shades of brown. I don't explicitly dislike flashier colors or more modern shapes, but they're not really my vibe.
 
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#208
lyralain said:
One thing I've been on is bright satin finishes, like my EHB1005MS in sea foam.

The other thing I love is natural finishes over super characterful wood tops- lotsa burl & marks, even chipped away rot- though with woods & finishes that have a pale/cool undertone, not a warm one. Not expecting to find that in an affordable package though.

Really, I just want something showy and bright and 'modern' without it being super shiny (be that gloss or metallic/sparkle) or warm-toned.
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Just found this on reverb.

Edit: You might could talk them down.

Warmoth Custom Fretless Bass Blue | Reverb
 
#210
lyralain said:
Look. If mods need to close the thread, then do so. But sincerely- while the demographic remarks were a little troll-y, yes, they were meant as a good faith jab meant to highlight that not many fretless basses are being made targeted at people my age. It was never meant to insult anybody and I'm sorry that people have been hurt by it. Intent & tone are hard to communicate in text.


Again like... It was just a bit of fun to highlight that young people aren't playing these (lovely sounding) instruments as much.
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I think the point there was that the mods around here have closed threads for less. The boomer comment was probably misplayed, but I credit you for sticking around. Also most of the discussion about the topic has been incited but rather civil.

My first response was to be offended by the thread too. The more I thought of it, the more I wondered if you might have a point. Makers of mass-produced instruments have to choose their finish options carefully according to what they think uptake will be. It's possible that mass producers of fretless basses anticipate the average buyer being older (for some reason) and are tending towards more conservative finish choices.
 
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#212
You could always try getting a Pedulla. They're great instruments and no-one could make a colour finish pop like Mike Pedulla could. Of course you'll have to compete with well-heeled Boomers and hard working Millennials for them because they're not cheap :smug:

YLbGucP.jpeg


Always respect your elders. They have the benefit of experience and perspective that you don't have.
 
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#214
The original post was meant to be provocative or else the question would have been asked directly, without the snark
If the o.p. meant to say “dated” with regards to the bass’ appearance , they would have said “dated”
I’m not even of the baby boom generation, yet I can read between the lines.
That all being said , there are many basses in lots of styles and colors available
Go find one you like and paint it whatever color you want
 
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#217
lyralain said:
Fair enough, and moderate how you see fit. That said, beyond just using the generational term 'boomer' & expressing my personal disdain for that kind of finish for myself with some hyperbole, I'm not sure I've used any insults towards others or explicitly stated a value judgment beyond 'this finish feels dated'. Whether or not 'dated' is true of all amber bursts, or a bad thing, is up to the beholder.

I feel that the use of 'boomer' as shorthand for 'this feels old' in this context has been extrapolated to 'I feel old' by some viewers, who've found that feeling uncomfortable. From my end, it was meant as some lighthearted fun-poking at how young people aren't really playing fretless much and the market reflects that. I hope I'll be able to laugh at whatever way kids point out I'm out-of-touch when I've got a few more decades on me.

I'm personally trying to make 2020s music inspired by late 90s dance music that sampled 70s and 80s music & would find the fretless sound really useful, but don't see many instruments being made for someone with my aesthetic sensibilities. Most basses visually targeted at my age group seem to be after very bright metallic sounds that ain't for me.
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I like the idea of the dance electric inspired material. You might really the band Blaqk Audio. Basically the lead singer of Afi with a different band but they are kinda doing the same thing. There's a lot of overtone that a fretless brings out that really works in some of those situations. If I'm jamming a simple synth wave bass line I like having the twang in there as it provides a little something extra. It works in places you wouldn't expect. But anyway I'm personally glad you started this thread and I'm actually happy it got attention. People are so fast to complain if something they read doesn't agree with them it's funny watching all bitching and moaning. People need to see some opposing points of view once in a while because it looks like everyone gets so coddled these days that they don't know how to coexist around other perspectives. Good luck and hope you find the right bass for you.
 
#218
friedlbug said:
I haven’t seen any truly new finish options in years. The colors/finishes most folks are suggesting are contemporary right now were popular in the 90s. Carbon fiber was done 30 years ago. Aluminum 40 years ago. What is new?
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This is absolutely true. There’s a big difference between something that is “dated “and something that has stood the test of time
To be honest, in my travels I’ve seen more players of millennial age playing Sunburst P basses than just about anything else…
 
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#219
So, I searched "Used Fretless Bass" on Reverb, got 435 hits

Over 100 were not any flavor of burst or brown ( I included natural wood ones as brown for this... )

FWIW, I was born in 1949 and I'm not a "burst" guy and I don't particularly care for coffee-table gaudy wood ones either
 

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