Fretless Bass Fret Lines

[Metaldood19]

Hey guys! I'm going to be purchasing a fretless soon (my first) and moving from a fretted 4 string to a fretless 5, I was wondering if any fretless players have ever heard of doing this. A friend of mine said he bought this thin white tape that didn't leave a residue to mark fret lines on his Cello neck when he was learning how to play fretless way back when. I was wondering if anyone knew of such a brand of tape, or just plain old type of tape that would work for this. Thanks!

 

[Beton_Soldat]

I too went from a fretted 4 to a fretless 5 a while ago. And the fretless I bought had lines on the fingerboard already (I was about to type fretboard ). You should look for a bass with lines already on it so you can save that tape lol

 

[gribuski]

I highly recommend getting a bass with the lines already on the fretboard if you've not played cello or upright before to start out. You can go the marking route, but if you do you'll want to mark it on the top side of of the neck where you can see it from the top - equivalent to marking the side of the neck on an upright (rather than on the fingerboard).

 

[EtoG]

The lines are pretty unnecessary, but many fretless models come with them. They make many people feel more comfortable about the transition, but from who I've talked to, most have said that they barely even notice/use the lines after a adjusting to the concept of a fretless.

My first fretless was unlined, and I had no problems making the transition from a fretted. Most who play unlined models will make the claim that you use your eyes less and your ears more. I would have to agree.

Everyone will have their own opinion, but that's my two cents.

 

[Jazzcat]

Not too many necks have no marks. Are you sure the neck you have in mind is buck naked?

Anyway, to your question, I would just dab paint dots on the side to mark the neck. As long as it is a finished (rather than oiled) neck, the dots should come right off with some solvent.

 

[Metaldood19]

Woops, I meant to type fingerboard, not neck. I was thinking about the neck's side markers when I was typing my first post. My mistake!

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That's the bass i'm buying btw