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First fretless, which one?

L

larrysb

Mar 23, 2020
420
638
$ilicon Valley
#1
I’m interested in getting a fretless bass, would be my first fretless though I’ve been playing a long time.

Got inspired after putting a set of TI flat wounds on my Geddy Lee bass.

I have some general parameters:

Not too expensive. (??? Whatever that means)
Not too heavy. ( under 9lbs)
Good balance.
Four strings are good.
Lines probably, not necessarily.
Tend to favor Jazz Bass style but not a rule.
Used or new, don’t care.

The Harley Benton are the cheapest bang for buck, but I don’t think I can live with the weight. They seem to be rolling in at 10lbs for the JB models. The price is crazy low though.

On the higher budget side, there are some deals on Jaco signature J-basses and I like the one I played, under 9lbs but it was a scratch and dent for too much money.

Saw a good deal on a fretless 5-string, but I’m not motivated to also take up 5 string at the same time.


Suggestions?
 
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#4
IMG_20240421_190811159.jpg

Fender Player Series Fretless Jazz bass. No need to mod, no need to upgrade. Pro level, nevertheless fairly inexpensive. I use Dogal carbonsteel flats ftw.
 
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#6
I bought a Ibanez SRH505F 2 years ago, returned it promptly as the build quality was not great and the neck shape didnt work for me.

If the Sire V5 24 Fretless becomes available at some point at SW, I'll probably try one out.
 
#9
The beauty of playing fretless to me lies in the simplicity of the instrument. Single pickup, no frets, no active electronics..just you, the strings, and a neck.
My first was a $100 ebay neck screwed on to my most cheepy bass(did 100's of gigs with it). Glarry and rouge are completely playable and I would be right at home taking one on stage.
 
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#10
larrysb said:
I’m interested in getting a fretless bass, would be my first fretless though I’ve been playing a long time.

Got inspired after putting a set of TI flat wounds on my Geddy Lee bass.

I have some general parameters:

Not too expensive. (??? Whatever that means)
Not too heavy. ( under 9lbs)
Good balance.
Four strings are good.
Lines probably, not necessarily.
Tend to favor Jazz Bass style but not a rule.
Used or new, don’t care.

The Harley Benton are the cheapest bang for buck, but I don’t think I can live with the weight. They seem to be rolling in at 10lbs for the JB models. The price is crazy low though.

On the higher budget side, there are some deals on Jaco signature J-basses and I like the one I played, under 9lbs but it was a scratch and dent for too much money.

Saw a good deal on a fretless 5-string, but I’m not motivated to also take up 5 string at the same time.


Suggestions?
Click to expand...
Honestly, for ease of playing and acclamation time I'd recommend getting a fretless model of a fretted bass you already own. Muscle memory can work wonders.:thumbsup:
Just MHO - YMMV:bassist:
 
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#17
larrysb said:
I’m interested in getting a fretless bass, would be my first fretless though I’ve been playing a long time.

Got inspired after putting a set of TI flat wounds on my Geddy Lee bass.

I have some general parameters:

Not too expensive. (??? Whatever that means)
Not too heavy. ( under 9lbs)
Good balance.
Four strings are good.
Lines probably, not necessarily.
Tend to favor Jazz Bass style but not a rule.
Used or new, don’t care.

The Harley Benton are the cheapest bang for buck, but I don’t think I can live with the weight. They seem to be rolling in at 10lbs for the JB models. The price is crazy low though.

On the higher budget side, there are some deals on Jaco signature J-basses and I like the one I played, under 9lbs but it was a scratch and dent for too much money.

Saw a good deal on a fretless 5-string, but I’m not motivated to also take up 5 string at the same time.


Suggestions?
Click to expand...
Well... I'm not sure I'm really to the point in my fretless bass playing that I'm qualified to make suggestions. Although I've been playing bass since 1968, they were all 4-stringers, and all fretless. I didn't buy a fretless bass until a few months ago - and I confess that it was bought more or less on a whim... However, here's my fretless adventure so far:
I'm very, very left handed, and according to my 7th grade Music Class teacher? Tone deaf as well. So, trying to learn to play a bass with no frets seemed like a big exercise in futility. But, a few months ago I decided to see if there were any left handed lined fretless basses. And, looking on Reverb, I found one; a '93 Fury Anthem lined fretless. Fury is an interesting company, and after reading about them, I decided "Oh, what the Hell" and bought it. Turns out its also a 32" scale bass - and thru-body only, so I had some trouble finding the right strings for it, but once it was sorted? Once I figured out that I had to put my fingers on the fret lines, it's a very easy - and very, very fun - bass to play. So much so, that I decided I needed a long scale and a short scale lined fretless bass, too. 'Cause... hey; why the Hell not? So... currently, Birdsong Guitars is making me a short scale lined fretless Fusion Bass. and I played my long scale G&L Kiloton lined fretless for about an hour last night. My Schecter Stiletto Studio lined fretless will be coming out in rotation for a month, in May. I have so many basses, I have to rotate them out for a month, 3 at a time. Otherwise, there's no room to play... However:
- Lined or unlined? For me, definitely lined. But, I'm sorta handicapped, hearing wise; you probably are not. Up to you, but lined, IME, id definitely easier to start with.
- Weight? The Schecter is the heaviest, at 9.25 lbs. The Fury and the G&L weigh in at 8.88 lbs. and 8.56 lbs., respectively. The Schecter is actually about the average weight for my bass herd...
- # of strings? Personally, with large hands - with very short, very thick fingers, I find more than 4 strings very hard/near impossible to play, depending on the particular bass. And, since none of the music I like to play was never recorded/originally played on anything but a 4-string bass? I don't see any need for one, TBH...
- Balance? I have no complaints about any of my fretless basses, but... IME, "Balance" seems to vary greatly from one person to the next. I have several basses that balance just fine - on my shoulder; but, are constantly complained about here on TB, as notorious neck-divers. I also have some that really are seriously unbalanced, as well as some that... well, technically, yes they are neck-divey - if holding up something the weight of an Egg McMuffin qualifies... You'll just have to find that out for yourself, I guess..
New or used? Finding a fretless bass means you're fishing in a pretty small pond. For me? Finding a lefty lined fretless bass was more like fishing in a puddle. I got lucky with the Fury Anthem; really lucky with the G&L and the Schecter; and I have to have the Birdsong made. You will have many more choices, I imagine - especially if you throw "unlined" into the pot. And, coincidently? Pretty sure the Right handed Birdsong Fusion lined fretless bass on Reverb is still for sale...:whistle:
 
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#19
Squier Classic Vibe '60s Fretless Jazz, since you're already used to a jazz bass. Everything will feel right at home!

If you want to venture out for not too much more, the ESP LTD B-204SM Fretless. I just bought the 5 string version of this model and it is fantastic. I've owned a few fretless basses over the years and this one mwahhhhsss and plays the best.
 
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