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Fretless advice please...

#21
Silversorcerer said:
Well, save a little more up, but some of his simpler styles aren't too far over that. When you were talking about a studio bass, that is one reason I suggested his basses also. The electronics are perfectly silent even when the knob is turned up. You'll forget it's turned on until you bump into it. They record great too. Really nice rounded tone with infinite sustain if you want it. The string scale is 35" on the 5 strings. I had no problems at all switching from a fretted 34" Fender P. The Ritter neck is far more comfortable to me. Even though it is longer, playing seems a lot less work. I can play very long sets on that bass with no fatigue.
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Scale length isn't an issue, my Studio F Bass is 34.5" and i used to have an MTD Kingston that was 35"...i'll see what i can do about saving some more up though...which are his more basic models?
 
#22
bassjamm said:
Scale length isn't an issue, my Studio F Bass is 34.5" and i used to have an MTD Kingston that was 35"...i'll see what i can do about saving some more up though...which are his more basic models?
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Usually, in a given year he makes a number of Royas that will have all the important features, just not as much fancy finishes or figured wood. That body style is the one he makes most often and it shows up from simple to outrageous. Both of mine are Royas (0448 and 0506 in his gallery), although the fretted one is totally over the top finish wise and the fretless one is quilted and flamed so it was kind of in the middle of his prices. My brother got one for his studio that was a good bit under $5000, I think. The body was solid black futura and the neck and fretboard maple with maple pickups. It is incredibly cool looking even without much ornamentation. Jens has gotten some notariety lately so it's hard to predict what his prices might be, but he can build about 50 basses a year and only a hand full are going to be the ultra-expensive ones. I think most are going to be between $4K and $10K. There just isn't a very big market for a bunch of basses over $10K. Hopefully his basses will remain within reach of serious working bassists.
 
#23
This is an interesting interview and there are a couple of nice fretless Ritters shown as well.http://www.globalbass.com/archives/may2001/ritter_basses.htm

Martin Motnik recorded #4 and perhaps others on this CD with a fretless Ritter, and this is how one sounds:[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
When I was first trying mine out, I was turning all the knobs trying to figure out what made it sound that way. Finally I turned everything off and just listened to the unamped wood. It still sounded like that.
The attention to detail in his basses is just unmatched, IMO. :bassist:
 
#24
bassjamm said:
I've also heard this...and i know that there is some truth in it...i'm not suggesting that the B sounded bad, it just didn't feel great...in all honesty though, it was a year ago, and i didn't have that much experience with fretless bass then...i did like the bass though!!!

In what ways did the Roscoe stand out for you then? I guess my top 3 at the moment would be the Zon, F Bass (purely as i have a fretted and know they're great, but i don't like the looks of the fretless at all), and probably the Roscoe...but i also have an Alfonso Iturra and a Marleaux constat fretless available to me over here, neither of which if ever played/heard...yet!!!

Thanks
Jam
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When I was searching for a fretless, my three most important qualities were tone, playability and feel. I guess that feel could be considered part of playablility, but I separated it out. Looks were not that important unless it looked like a Bongo. I don't know what Ernie Ball was thinking when they built that.

I found that the F Bass, Zon and the Roscoe all had the tone, playability and feel that I was looking for. The Elrick (which I previously stated was a close 4th) didn't have the feel I was looking for. Having said that, if there had been no Roscoe, Zon or F Bass fretless basses, I'm sure I'd be happy with the Elrick.

I eventually ruled out the F Bass because I found the tone to not be as warm as I was looking for. Don't get me wrong. It was a great fretless with great tone, but I just liked the Zon and the Roscoe that much more when I A/B/Ced them.

I found the Roscoe and the Zon tone to be very close. After spending about an hour A/B ing the Roscoe and Zon, I finally chose the Roscoe for tone and playability. Both of these qualities were very close. VERY CLOSE, but I just liked the Roscoe more.
 
#25
Bassmanbob said:
When I was searching for a fretless, my three most important qualities were tone, playability and feel. I guess that feel could be considered part of playablility, but I separated it out. Looks were not that important unless it looked like a Bongo. I don't know what Ernie Ball was thinking when they built that.

I found that the F Bass, Zon and the Roscoe all had the tone, playability and feel that I was looking for. The Elrick (which I previously stated was a close 4th) didn't have the feel I was looking for. Having said that, if there had been no Roscoe, Zon or F Bass fretless basses, I'm sure I'd be happy with the Elrick.

I eventually ruled out the F Bass because I found the tone to not be as warm as I was looking for. Don't get me wrong. It was a great fretless with great tone, but I just liked the Zon and the Roscoe that much more when I A/B/Ced them.

I found the Roscoe and the Zon tone to be very close. After spending about an hour A/B ing the Roscoe and Zon, I finally chose the Roscoe for tone and playability. Both of these qualities were very close. VERY CLOSE, but I just liked the Roscoe more.
Click to expand...

Thanks again, quite helpful!!! I've got a bit more of an idea as to what each option has to offer...thanks everyone!!!

I guess at the end of the day, it all comes down to personal taste...and unfortunately, you guys over the pond get a far better choice of instrument than we do, so it's a but of a hard decision to make when the choices aren't readily accessible...but your comments have helped me quite a bit everyone!!!

Thanks
Jamie
 
#26
I'd still like to think you might enjoy a Peavey Cirrus. Don't let the lower price fool ya. My fretless 5 plays just as nicely as my Rob Allen, though both have extremely different tones, due to different pickups, strings, woods, construction, etc. They're easily one of the best "stock" basses on the market.

It would be cake if you like their lined pao ferro fingerboard and body wood choices. Flamed maple on alder (red, peacock blue, or clear), bubinga on walnut, redwood on alder, or figured or plain walnut on walnut. You could easily have one as fast it could be shipped.

Plus, isn't your currency doing better than the US dollar at the moment?

If you want to hear a sample, The Disciple uses my fretless Cirrus 5 on the neck pickup, although the mixing and mastering process wasn't too great on my bass and the other low frequency instruments.
http://queuemusic.com/current_installation.htm
 
#29
Thanks guys...as for the Peavey, i own a Peavey already, i'm selling it...it's a nice enough bass, but having played the likes of my F Bass, it's in a completely different league, the feel, the tone, the sound...i'm prepared to pay more to get what i want!!!

However, if i can get my hands on one i will, but i'm not promising anything :D

Thanks again,

Jamie
 

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