Fret Buzz on a Fretless Bass?

[AndyPanda]

You can definitely have high and low spots on the fretboard -- rather than "fretbuzz" what you will get is notes that don't "bloom" like they should or slides that don't behave well. One way of testing is to pluck a note hard with a finger on the string close to the nut and then slide up the fretboard while the string is vibrating and it should continue sounding and actually increase a bit in intensity (rather than dying out) as you slide up the string. If you have any low spots you'll hear the tone of the string get dull rather than continuing to bloom as you're sliding.

Re: posts about nut being too low - I set mine up so the strings just meet the fingerboard at the boundary between nut and fingerboard. I don't want any space between the string and fingerboard at that point where the nut and fingerboard meet.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I'm not sure Brown was the first one to do so.

http://imperialvintageguitars.com/w...less-Electric-Bass-Guitar-273411711225-11.JPG

Depends on how one defines "half fretless," I suppose.

Is that Hohner half fretted and half fretless? I can't tell for sure, I'm sure you can say, though. Are those partial frets or partial fretlines?

Brown's bass is fretted up through the 12th fret, then fretless after that up to the 23rd fret and 24th frets.

 

[subtlestew]

I've got a fretless bass I just acquired used in the shop right now because the fret fingerboard buzz was not consistent up and down the board, indicating that it wasn't perfectly flat. Plenty of notes had the appropriate fretless mwah, but the stings couldn't be set to the proper heights (matching the board curvature) without making the mwah-sound inconsistent string-to-string, and the high notes on the A string (only) rattled like crazy when nothing else did. My tech was hoping to fix it with a delicate set-up, but I think a board level will be in order. I look forward to consistent mwah action when I get it back!

 

[Fender_Bender]

Spend a minute to check all of the screws on the tuners and bridge to make sure nothing is loose.

 

[GretschWretch]

Is that Hohner half fretted and half fretless? I can't tell for sure, I'm sure you can say, though. Are those partial frets or partial fretlines?

Brown's bass is fretted up through the 12th fret, then fretless after that up to the 23rd fret and 24th frets.

Actually, Jeff, I cannot say either way. I could not surface an image that answers the question definitively. I simply am casting back in memory to the hoopla surrounding the instrument's launching many years ago, and IIRC, the half-frettedness was one of the features spotlighted.

From the pictures I have seen, the bass may be solely fretless. Or the light is bouncing off the half-frets in such a way as to give the impression they merely are fretlines and not frets.

 

[Pauly 4001]

Is that Hohner half fretted and half fretless? I can't tell for sure, I'm sure you can say, though. Are those partial frets or partial fretlines?

Brown's bass is fretted up through the 12th fret, then fretless after that up to the 23rd fret and 24th frets.

Take it from the guy with the Hohner Bartell fretless avatar that the Hohner is fully fretless with side markers. It's also not a very satisfying fretless bass.
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[Ric5]

Is it possible to have fret buzz on a fretless bass? Or any type of buzzing for that matter?

a fretless bass should buzz a little … that is what makes the fretless have mwaahh

 

[RumbleMan3]

Petition to change the term “Fretless Precision bass” to Fretless split-coil Bass?

(Or at least any name that doesn’t include both “fretless” and “precision” in the same title?)

Amiright?

 

[Jeff Scott]

Petition to change the term “Fretless Precision bass” to Fretless split-coil Bass?

(Or at least any name that doesn’t include both “fretless” and “precision” in the same title?)

Amiright?

Precisionless®

 

[dmt]

Roughly

 

[bbh]

The buzz is the vibration of the strings against the surface of the fingerboard- it’s the quintessential sound of a fretless bass, also called “mwah.” While most bassists want this sound, dropping your action too low can result in more of a rattle than a buzz.

Steve Bailey told me there is no such thing as mwah and made a little fun of me for using that term. I was not happy about being made to look like a fool. I thought most people call it mwah...

 

[nilorius]

There are no frets on fretless, just fretlines, so it is impossible. Buzz can be heard couse of too low string set up or neck.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

Look closely, there might be a fret or two on the neck if they did not realized before they started working on it that it was supposed to be a fretless one.

 

[SteveCS]

Steve Bailey told me there is no such thing as mwah and made a little fun of me for using that term. I was not happy about being made to look like a fool. I thought most people call it mwah...

I'd never heard the term until I came to this forum in 2014. I started on fretless bass back in 1984, so 30 years without. At first I though it was 'a little bit cheesy but nicely displayed', but I guess it seems suitably descriptive, even if not precisely defined or commonly understood.

 

[GretschWretch]

Petition to change the term “Fretless Precision bass” to Fretless split-coil Bass?

(Or at least any name that doesn’t include both “fretless” and “precision” in the same title?)

Amiright?

Well, maybe. But we sure seem to be doing a lot of fretting in this thread.

 

[GretschWretch]

Steve Bailey told me there is no such thing as mwah and made a little fun of me for using that term. I was not happy about being made to look like a fool. I thought most people call it mwah...

And what does Steve Bailey call it, then?

 

[moonshinegtrs]

The idea is to get it to "buzz" (Mwah) the same everywhere... If that is your preference.

Though he played fretted instruments, John Entwistle had the lowest action of any bass I have ever played... He was quoted as saying "I prefer my frets to buzz evenly all over".

The same thing applies to fretless bass (seeking that type of sound).


Moonshine

 

[Andy Daventry]

Fingerboard buzz on a fretless can occur is the action is too low and the neck is bowed. You will hear it in the 12th fret and up. Also if you have some ramping or tail lift (Fenderitis) You will hear it in the higher frets.
I found that it's better to play fretless with the action a little high. Jaco play with pretty high action

Exactly. If the neck is too straight or there is too much relief you will get fingerboard buzzes. There is such a thing as "too straight" on fretless IME. It buzzes down towards the nut. Not straight enough, it buzzes above the octave. At least on mine it does.

 

[Turnaround]

I suppose you could call it "Fred", but that wouldn't be very descriptive. Talking about sound is like bicycling about poverty. Sure you can do it easily, but it may not be readily understood.
That sound does not occur on all fretless basses, and with an appropriate setup it can be enhanced or eliminated.
And it's not easy to distinguish between "mwah" and "buzz", because they are different degrees of the same thing - one pleasant, one less so.

 

[micguy]

I'm familiar with "mwah" lol. Am a big fan of it, but was concerned about the rattle mentioned above. Thanks guys! I like play with relatively high action so it shouldnt be too much of a problem.

A rattle is different from a buzz, or mwah. And I'd also add that, while you may like a fretless with high action (to each his own), to me that'd be an awfully boring instrument. A nice straight, even neck, with a hard fingerboard (epoxied, ebonol, or the like), and low action can give you mwah everywhere on the neck, and that to me is what fretless is all about.