Fretless as main bass in non-jazz setting?

[GeneralElectric]

I have two main basses. My 57 RI Precision bass and fretless highway one precision bass. The 57 is strung with Rotosound Trubass currently and the Highway is strung with D'Addario rounds (don't ask me what kind!)

With my current setup, my fretless can often get lost in the mix. I mean, yes, you can still hear the thing, but it doesn't cut. I plan on adding a bridge pickup to it soon. The band that I play with, that it currently gets lost a lot in, is 2 very loud and busy guitar players and a drummer.

The lighter the mix, the more inclined I am to pick up the fretless.

I don't play slap bass, so take my comments as you will.

 

[StreamerDavid]

I tried playing fretless bass for about two months in a live setting at a large church. What I found was that I had trouble when there was some reading required. Trying to look down to make the note perfect or when position switches were required was just too stressful. Let's face it, if you're playing fretless you have to do some things that just don't sound as good sometimes - particularly playing in first position when maybe it's fatter to play up the neck. Anyway, I also faced the fact that it's not 1989. The people who think it's cool to hear fretless on a pop song are all around 43 years old. If I show up with a fretless bass to a pop gig or worship church gig, people just don't give a crap about how cool it sounded on a Tears For Fears or Don Henley album 20 years ago. I love playing fretless, but pretty much limit it to gigs when I'm playing with an acoustic guitarist.

 

[Arpeggiator]

Also, in terms of fretless nuances in death metal, check out Jeroen Thesseling with Obscura.

yes man! that was the other notable death metal fretless player i couldnt think of.

 

[flipper_gv]

Steve Digiorgio.

/thread

was more thinking of sean malone but... SD does the job too

 

[Brad Johnson]

I tried playing fretless bass for about two months in a live setting at a large church. What I found was that I had trouble when there was some reading required. Trying to look down to make the note perfect or when position switches were required was just too stressful. Let's face it, if you're playing fretless you have to do some things that just don't sound as good sometimes - particularly playing in first position when maybe it's fatter to play up the neck. Anyway, I also faced the fact that it's not 1989. The people who think it's cool to hear fretless on a pop song are all around 43 years old. If I show up with a fretless bass to a pop gig or worship church gig, people just don't give a crap about how cool it sounded on a Tears For Fears or Don Henley album 20 years ago. I love playing fretless, but pretty much limit it to gigs when I'm playing with an acoustic guitarist.

It's not that hard not to sound like 80's fretless... just nail the notes.

 

[NoFrets4Me]

I'm a very casual player - just jamming with a group of guys every few weeks and playing at a couple parties a year - mostly rock covers. I used to play a 4-string fretted, but took the plunge several years ago and bought a 5-string fretless - and that's really all that I've been playing since then. I've picked up the old fretted bass a couple times, but it just seems weird to me now.

 

[Baryonyx]

I always feel like I'm cheating when I play songs from Paul Simon's "Graceland" album on a fretted bass, so I try to play them on one of my fretless jazz basses as much as possible!

 

[gkbass13]

jeff ament dosnt do too bad for himself with pearl jam...

one of my favorite recordings ever is paul simon's graceland, whihc has a lot of fretless playing on it

 

[UsherSyndrome]

Also, in terms of fretless nuances in death metal, check out Jeroen Thesseling with Obscura.

Dude! Jeroen's fretless bass sounds awesome in Obscura. I'm really looking forward to their full-lenght.

 

[Buskman]

I am a bit obsessed with the Yellowjackets right now and wanting a fretless 6 again. The problem is justifying the expense for a bass that may or may not see playing time outside of my house for my own edification

There are some decent fretless 6 strings out there for not that much ca$h. For example:

Link Removed

 

[unlined4string]

For about the past 8 years I've been bringing two fretless basses on most gigs; a solid body (Zon) and a semiacoustic (Rob Allen, Rick Turner or Veillette). I play with two groups regularly. One does "real book" jazz standards in a Latin style, the other is an all-original duo with a fingerstyle guitarist.

One reason I prefer to play fretless with these groups is that both leaders encourage me to take solos. My solo playing not as well developed as I'd like, and for me it's easier to come up with a good spontaneous solo if I'm using a fretless.

 

[Chad Michael]

Interesting, Jimmy doesn't use a fretless with the 'Jackets, all that stuff is fretted.........

Have you heard "The Spin" ('89)?

My last fill-in gig with my old cover band (classic rock, modern alternative, funk, blues) I played fretless on 38 out of 40 songs. My band mates didn't know I was playing fretless until I showed them.

 

[DistantTremor]

This looks like a great thread to revisit.

I play fretless in non-jazz settings:

I figure that once I get the cash (in maybe 500 years or so), I'll buy a boutique singlecut five string fretless with roundwounds, and I'll be set for my needs from metal to jazz.

 

[nysbob]

I play in a couple of bands where fretless P/J is all I play. The music ranges from old school blues based rock & R & B to heavier stuff with a lot of originals. A lot of people don't even notice it's a fretless, which is fine with me.