Fret # Preference

[SteveCS]

The poll is invalid - there is no '0' option:

But in all seriousness, the 20 of a standard Fender bass is not enough. The Warwick is nominally 24 and the others are nominally 21, but in real terms the Warwick fingerboard is easily playable to the equivalent of 25 and the Eko is just playable to the equivalent of 22. The StingRay doesn't quite make it to 22 on the 1st and 4th strings but is just about there - perhaps a few cents flat - on the 2nd and 3rd.

 

[Craig Orndorff]

The poll is invalid - there is no '0' option:

You know, I was going to put fretless as an option, but then I thought hey, even fretless basses have fret markers. But here we are.

 

[mongo2]

My preference is 0, but my practical answer is the number of the frets on the bass I have in my hands.

 

[TheLowDown33]

I vastly prefer 24, but will settle on 22. I do keep a P around with 20 but most of the time I pick it up and say to myself, "This is missing 4 frets and a string"

 

[Dave TB Killer]

I only need 7, so any more than that becomes redundant.

 

[lbbc]

My preference is 24 frets on a 32" scale bass. It's just more comfortable for me...my Alembic Persuader and Dave Pushic Custom basses are a fine example!

 

[Katoosie]

My 6 has 24 and I think thats realllly cool!

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

I have more than 24 frets on two of my basses, but the third, a cheap-o ABG tuned ADGC, there are 24 frets, and when I play the Prelude in C “at pitch,” I use them all.

But were I to play it as if written for double bass, I’d be an octave down and never need them. So truthfully, I don’t think I need them to play bass, I just need them to cosplay cello or two-hand tap cosplay piano.

 

[smtp4me]

Both of my current Fender Jazz'es have 20, so obviously I'm getting by with that. But... I prefer at least 21, and have had basses with 24.

 

[JRA]

i like 'em all!

my two "mains" are two-octave pieces...so there's that. i prefer 24+ positions, but none of my FSOs have them, so: big whup! if it makes a sound like a bass instrument = i can get by with whatever is available.

i voted "24" but i could have voted "How many ever the Bass I’m playing has" just as easily/honestly.

 

[Altitude]

I don't really care. I sometimes play gigs where Sir Duke is a likely call, and I don't think you can play that on a 20-fret bass. So I guess not those. Or maybe that high note is on the 20th fret, now that I think about it.

 

[steveinohio]

I really just care about scale. Has to be 34". No money after the fifth fret.

 

[micahwc]

Conceptually I like 24. Practically, the highest I've ever gone in an actual song is 14.

 

[Joebone]

24 or 22. Voted 24, but also happy with 22. And I do use them...21 or less, I feel limited.

 

[ElectricBass72]

I have 20, 22, 24... and a 0 with 24 fret lines. 5 & 6 strings tend to have either 22 or 24. 4's have 20.

 

[eeyorebass]

I don't really care. I sometimes play gigs where Sir Duke is a likely call, and I don't think you can play that on a 20-fret bass. So I guess not those. Or maybe that high note is on the 20th fret, now that I think about it.

The highest note (D#) is on fret 20.

I voted 21. In all the usual guitar keys (G, E, A, C, D) a high E can be handy. When my main bass had 20, I would have to bend to get it.

 

[Laklandfan]

Vote is invalid. The correct answer is “infinite” frets.

 

[MCS4]

I prefer 24 but will not turn down a bass just because it has fewer.

 

[skortch]

My old Stingray 5 taught me to stop worrying and love the 22 frets.

Long answer:
24 is OK and fun at times but can intrude on space between neck pickup and end of fretboard, for slapping and such.
21 is tolerable. I definitely like having that high E but a bit of over-rev would be nice, too, so 22 is the better answer.
20 feels constricted.
23 is pure insanity.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

There’s always the jokes about never going beyond the fifth fret in some genres, but how many frets do you prefer on your basses? I have some books where the exercises go up to the 21st fret (in the case I’m thinking of, it’s playing the E blues scale all the way up, but again, it’s just an exercise), but it’s my understanding that, at least for Fender, the world ends at 20. My EB-3 has 22 frets, which helped convinced me to bring it home for the summer. What do ya’ll like?

My new#1 a warmoth build has 21 , i rarely go under the 12th, so 21 is fine & the warmoth sounds killer in the "money"!