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Do Fretless Exist without a Burst Finish?

#141
I can barely understand what a bloody "stamp" on your forehead can mean to tell you what generation you're from. It's stupid and prejudiced, it doesn't mean anything to me. People of any generation are people, and just people, simple as that. "Good taste" and "bad taste" are very well distributed between generations. The futility too.

As for fretless bass colors, well, there really isn't much within your budget, the market is small and aimed at musicians who have another aesthetic standard, or don't care about it. It's not good but it's a fact. I also prefer an instrument that I like aesthetically.
 
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#142
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#143
timmus said:
Sire’s prices are all going up across the board…so much for their musical instruments affordable for the masses.
Click to expand...

AFAIK they increased prices for fretless and lefthand basses as "custom models" starting with gen 2, beforehand those were priced like regular fretted models (which is not usual, methinks).
That being said, in my experience all Sire instruments are usually cheaper in Europe than listed on Sire's website —and they are usually available here, not "out stock" or to be "pre-ordered"...
YMMV.
 
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#144
lyralain said:
While my fretted bass is currently away, I've been writing basslines on a computer & have been realizing I'd really love to have a fretless.

Problem is, almost all of the fretless basses I can find are 'sunburst' this and 'brown burst' that. Warm reds, oranges & browns abound; godawful high-gloss topcoats, cheesy dated pickguards, it's all there. I presume this is because most fretless players out there haven't progressed past where they were 30-40 years ago. The few exceptions seem to be either 'boring metalhead black' or 'natural finish over boring wood'.

Do fretless basses with actually fun, vibrant finishes, or natural finishes over really characterful wood, exist? Especially do they exist under $1k? If not, what's the best course of action- defretting & adjusting the string height of a bass that actually looks good, or going in on a cheaper fretless & getting it refinished?
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I don’t know what you mean by “boomer finish,” unless it’s gross ageism, but wow, what a post. Maybe you can provide some examples of finishes that are not “boomer finishes”? What does fun and vibrant mean to you? Maybe you could then take those descriptors and I dunno, google them.

EDIT: Oops, I mean have you even tried going door to door to music shops with a resume and asking to speak with the manager about other finishes?
 
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#147
If you think about it, the Electric Bass itself - being introduced to the public in 50s - is a Boomer. Thus, it is pretty obvious that Boomer tools come in Boomer colors.
Even bass playing, per se, is a boring Boomer thing, especially if you think about Boomers like Larry Graham, Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke and so on.
If you have prejudice against Boomers, you should definitely avoid Boomer technologies tout court and stick to millennial stuff like PC-driven MIDI controllers, which come in all color and shapes. However, keep in mind that MIDI technology and synth bass are still X Generation things. Maybe you find X Gen as boring as Boomer.
 
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#149
OldShark said:
AFAIK they increased prices for fretless and lefthand basses as "custom models" starting with gen 2, beforehand those were priced like regular fretted models (which is not usual, methinks).
That being said, in my experience all Sire instruments are usually cheaper in Europe than listed on Sire's website —and they are usually available here, not "out stock" or to be "pre-ordered"...
YMMV.
Click to expand...
You are correct about the prices being cheaper in Germany. I found this when I went to order a Sire bass and almost no one had them in stock in the US or if they did, it wasn't the style/color I was looking for (burst...LOL). That's when I found Thomann Germany and ordered two Sires from them within a few weeks of each other. Their prices were cheaper than the US places, even with international shipping charges included, and because the prices were under $600 (US) per shipment there were no import duty fees, etc.
 
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#151
jag-atk said:
If you think about it, the Electric Bass itself - being introduced to the public in 50s - is a Boomer. Thus, it is pretty obvious that Boomer tools come in Boomer colors.
Even bass playing, per se, is a boring Boomer thing, especially if you think about Boomers like Larry Graham, Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke and so on.
If you have prejudice against Boomers, you should definitely avoid Boomer technologies tout court and stick to millennial stuff like PC-driven MIDI controllers, which come in all color and shapes. However, keep in mind that MIDI technology and synth bass are still X Generation things. Maybe you find X Gen as boring as Boomer.
Click to expand...
Hence one of my previous posts in this thread...basically alluding to the fact that if it wasn't for "boomers", this thread/bass/forum wouldn't even exist...possibly even the internet...shudder the thought.
 
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#153
I've owned many fretless basses over the years, although today I have none. My first one (B.C. Rich) was natural as were two others, a Godin and a Pedulla. My Steinberger L2 fretless was black (doh) and my Carvin B5F was transparent green over a flame top. I had a mahogany G&L L1000 in a brown transparent finish. I can't recall any others (senior moment). So no bursts, which is not a finish I like, period.
 
#154
This thread reminds me of the old joke…

Young people THINK older people are dumb. But older people KNOW it’s the other way round. :D

On topic, of my eight fretless basses, one is trans green (over quilt maple), two are Lake Placid blue metallic (Tony Franklin P and a Mustang), two are sunburst (P and a Jaco clone), one is a black ABG and one is an all-graphite one piece Status Streamline. So, I guess that’s two or three boomer and four or five non boomer. The eighth, still in progress, is a Warmoth J with a honey burst zebra wood satin top and black binding (pictured). Not sure whether that one is boomer or not.
978E7DA8-C04A-4142-9AC8-71F1F4BA5BFD.jpeg
 
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#155
timmus said:
You are correct about the prices being cheaper in Germany. I found this when I went to order a Sire bass and almost no one had them in stock in the US or if they did, it wasn't the style/color I was looking for (burst...LOL). That's when I found Thomann Germany and ordered two Sires from them within a few weeks of each other. Their prices were cheaper than the US places, even with international shipping charges included, and because the prices were under $600 (US) per shipment there were no import duty fees, etc.
Click to expand...

Now let's hope thread hijacking isn't a boring boomer thing as well... :smug:
 
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#158
I cant really add anything to this thread. Other than that I'm opening up a retirement home for boomerburst basses. Send your old unwanted boomerburst basses to My "Boomerburst bass Home for the Elderly", and I'll make sure they are well taken care of in their golden years. ACT NOW!
 
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