Do Fretless Exist without a Burst Finish?

[bucephylus]

Here’s some boring “Boomer” wisdom.

The quality of individual basses, like people, goes with the the individual instrument, and NOT their appearance. Like people, one learns to take them one at a time; and not based on their appearance or age.

The main difference is that basses are things. Informed human beings learn to love people and use things. Less well informed tend to get that turned around.

Back to the appearance of instruments, there are resources out there, who are extremely skilled at changing the appearance of instruments for reasonable cost. But, since no one is asking…..

 

[thunesBARROW]

Much as there's plenty of ageism on music forums, 'boomer finish' doesn't feel like the hill to die on. It just brings up a color archetype. It is pretty silly & self-limiting to not play something because you feel it'd be to vintage though.

Aesthetic Elements That Put You Off From Purchasing Gear

I play the piano, and I’m a lefty. If I didn’t take what I could get I wouldn’t be able to play! That being said, I’m also a little sick of burst/tort myself. I own several sunburst guitars and basses, and would’ve preferred black or anything else. I guess I could get a Warmoth CAR body…

 

[LukeSlywalker]

Nothing worse than someone asking for help and being rude about it (even if they think they’re just being funny).

I used to be a know-it-all, throw big words around kid. I hope you grow a little from this and learn that it’s not endearing in the least.

 

[bolophonic]

I read the title and assumed that there was some autocorrect disaster happening. Then I read the post. Holy moly... I would delete my account if I humiliated myself like that.

 

[Root 5]

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?

You win my ‘funniest thread title’ award for May

 

[scuzzy]

DAMN is that beautiful. What is it?

it's a DP custom I converted to fretless and refinished into something more unique.

 

[sonojono]

I love this thread. It’s got everything that it needs to shake up the boomer community

 

[Al Rivera]

Boomer burst! Lol !!!

 

[claudel]

Buy a can of Krylon...

 

[Stan_da_man]

Great thread title!

 

[tpaul]

According to this article, as a member of Gen X, my taste should run to violets and reds.

"Target Market: Different Colors for Different Generations
While culture is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing branding colors, the generation your customers belong to is also significant. Baby Boomers, the segment of the population born between the years of 1943 and 1960 have their own tastes when it comes to color. This generation tends to prefer brand colors that are calming. Such colors include maroon, plum, and pale blue.

Gen X, which represents people born from 1961 to 1980 prefer a pallet of violets and reds.

One of the hottest target markets consists of Millennials which begs the question, what colors do they like? As it turns out, pink has proven to be a favorite among this quirky generation. Keep in mind however, the shade is important. It’s not a hot pink nor is it especially pale. Millennials are flocking to products sporting a Invalid Link Removedwith shades of salmon and peach."

In case you need more information to make sure your basses are the right colors for your age, here's the link to the full article: [This invalid link has been removed]

 

[mrperkolator]

In the shop downstairs I have a cream white body Harley Benton PJ bass that is getting a fretless purpleheart fingerboard mod. I got it for $150 with a cheap fret-pull job that went bad. The project is not high on my list of honey-dos, so who knows when it will be finished, but the plan is to install fiber-optic light-up spots at the fret positions that are individually controlled by a raspberry pi computer in the upper horn. It's an interesting hobby project and - if it works - it should be a fun teaching machine. The sound isn't half-bad either.

Raspberry Pi PJ should get it's own thread. Kinda cool. Using a Pi Zero I presume?


@lyralain - I came here just to see the people you triggered. Quite amusing. I used to hate the phrase "ok boomer" since it was so dismissive, now I'm ok with it because I've realized boomers are equally as dismissive. Or ignoring your question and giving you an answer outside of it that fits their needs better than your own.

Here's how you do it boomers:

You could always snag a used EHB (since you already like it) and defret.

the dissmissive-ness can be very annoying. Let's use context clues and be cool with differences.

Post your end result please @lyralain

 

[mikeoso]

I can't go outside, the trees are still getting it on and it makes me sneeze too much.

I can go on Reverb, Guitar Center, Thomann etc., search by fretless, and view a sea of amber finishes, though.

...and anything not brightly colored is boring, which, boring is, by definition, for old people? Because bright equals fun equals young?

"Boomer"? Really?

 

[Williethump]

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?

My Yamaha BB350F is screaming red. Sure wish I knew how to play a fretless bass.

 

[JMarkD]

This thread sure proves school is out for the summer. Pretty humorous troll.
And to be "helpful", OP YES, there are plenty of fretless basses available in any finish you may like. Suggest trying Google or DuckDuckGo. And that's my post-ironic comment.

 

[newwavefrank]

This was my Christmas present to myself this past year.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

How do you sleep in the spread? It would keep me awake at night….LOL.

I just turn out the light an close my eyes…works for me in most situations…
Helps me dream in colors.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Gen X, which represents people born from 1961 to 1980 prefer a pallet of violets and reds.

I call BS on this article…
As a 1975 Gen X’er, Red is really a color I dislike, especially on a bass. My favorites are shades of blue all across the board. Of course there is also my Boring Clear over Boring wood, of which I actually have two…

 

[rashrader]

Nope. Not a single one has ever been made….

 

[gstaats]

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?

Yes..
I've got two with great wood tops. I despise pickguards and what not. One is tung oil. The other is gloss - tung oil isn't great for live playing in the heat due to sweat...