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Fretless bass setup

Discussion in 'Hardware, Setup & Repair [BG]' started by Nick303, Jul 13, 2013.

  1. Jul 13, 2013 #1
    Nick303

    Nick303

    Jun 9, 2013
    I have a VM fretless jazz and although I have a good working setup, I feel it could probably be better still.



    I'd like to know people's thoughts on bridge settings, neck relief and nut height to achieve the best mix of sound and playability.



    I have quite a lot of 'fret' buzz (don't know what else to call it 😊) and I think that's necessary to get a mwah going, but it makes playing the bass a little too tricky. You really have to 'shape' every note, and I've realised that this makes it hard to play quickly.



    Am I missing a trick or two?
     
  2. Jul 13, 2013 #2
    Slowgypsy

    Slowgypsy 4 Fretless Strings

    Dec 12, 2006
    NY & MA
    There's no "correct" answer to this one. With fretless bass, your setup is very personal as everyones preferences are different. My main player is a fretless Stingray. I actually keep my action slightly on the high side because I like the tone with that action setting... I don't like the tone with the lowest action I can get on the instrument. You'll have to play with, and experiment with various settings until you find the settings that are the right balance of tone and feel.

    Welcome to fretless. One of the joys of the instrument is the ability to "shape" every note. One of the difficulties of the instrument is the ability to "shape" every note. It's certainly challenging in the beginning but practice, practice, practice... it does eventually become second nature.