First Time Fretless

[Uncle Walt]

I'm looking to pickup my first fretless. Do you guys have opinions on the "best" pickup config, body styles or brands for fretless? I'm leaning toward jazz but I don't wanna Jaco. I also don't wanna spend a ton because there is a good chance my pitch and intonation will suck and I'll give up. I already know that "it depends" & YMMV, I want to hear your opinions and points of view. Thanks

 

[Danny O Danny]

• Jazz basses are the de rigueur choice, but you might consider an Ibanez. You could pick up a new Ibanez fretless for between $400.00 and $1,000.00 depending on model.

 

[Killing Floor]

If you are thinking along the lines of a Jazz but don't want a Jaco take a look at the Fender Tony Franklin. It has a pretty comfortable neck with P/J and a drop D to boot. They are really nice basses.

 

[BaileyMan]

My recommendation would be for a used squier jazz fretless. You don't have to dial in the Jaco tone. They're inexpensive, and a great way to see if you take to it. They've got lined fingerboards which some find to be helpful. If you don't like it you ought to be able to sell it and make your money back.

If you do end up liking the fretless, you can still sell it and upgrade to something else that you really like.

Be patient with yourself as you get started on the fretless. You may have a good number of weeks where you feel like you'll never be able to play in tune. Don’t give up, keep on keeping on, read some threads with tips for getting started on fretless. Even Tony Franklin sometimes is a smidge off on his intonation from time to time. It's ok if it's not 100% perfect all the time.

Happy playing!

 

[bobyoung53]

I second the Fender TF, nicest fretless I've ever played. They're a P/J configuration and the pickups blend together very nice. Ebony neck is tough too.

 

[Kevin Guin]

You guys are selling me on this Franklin fretless! Tony has put out some killer bass explorations lately, too. He calls them "noodles". Can't remember, but it's probably on his yt channel.

 

[luciens]

I have 2 tony franklins and 2 Fender jaco artists, so I can recommend either one with certain reservations (details on request). Among those is they're both a pretty expensive bass, which might be out of your budget. If you can find either one used, though, for a good discount they're both ideal.
As for the tony franklin, the only big problem is has is neck dive. It has ferocious neck dive, though that's characteristic of the P bass generally. The TF comes with traditional tuners and drop-D tuner too which adds a ton of weight to the headstock.

Other than that, I admit my tony franklins get 99% of all my playing time now, even though I love the jacos.

Another option to consider is Carvin/Kiesel, which I have the most experience with in terms of fretless instruments. I had 3 at one point in time and they were absolutely impeccable in terms of build quality and QC, etc. The best thing about them is fretless is a no-cost/no-hassle option, unless you do something like the fingerboard finish (which they call the "hard as nails" option), or lines/dots, exotic wood etc. The only drawback there is it takes forever to get one, and I think their backlog is pretty substantial right now.

Those are a couple options from my own background I can comment on, beyond the less expensive ones from Fender and others, which are great options for a first FL also.

L

 

[burgerdj]

For mwah, you’ll likely want a quality bridge pick up and the Fender TF delivers (as do many PJs). Also check out EBMM - it’s a classic tone and really satisfies with some mid boost.

My fretless is a Warwick Streamer LX and the bridge pickup does most of the work.