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Fretless Bass

#62
Back in 1975 when I bought my first bass I chose a Fretless Precision. My guitarist cringed a few times (for a while...) but within a year I could play it as well as the borrowed Fretted P I was loaned by my high school band instructor. Today 42 years later I still have and play the fretless often, however as a singing bassist I have learned to simplify things and mostly play fretted basses. Still love getting my #1 out and wowing the crowd, I just don't sing while playing it much.
 
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#63
Go for it. Find an inexpensive fretless (Rondo Music has plenty available) and begin exploring. There's not a feeling or a sound quite like it. Trust your ears and practice, practice, practice!
This is mine, and I wouldn't trade it for anything!
2016-03-08 20.08.38.jpg
 
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#64
Billybladez66 said:
So does this mean I don't have to worry about open strings not being tuned either???? Can't recall ever playing a gig where I didn't have to play at least 1 open string...or have to worry about tuning for that matter.....
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Theoretically, you could get by without using an open string. I've played a fourth on a lower string rather than using an open string many times for tuning issues. But this is more of just a side note to my comment about constantly tuning yourself as you place your fingers down on a fretless.
 
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#65
I played upright bass before electric with frets. My first 7-8 years played fretted, when I picked up a G&L L2000E
fretless. Just a wonderful bass, and it took maybe a month to get used to it. Really just had to pay a little more
attention to fretting hand position and finger spacing.
 
#66
Fretless is great as long as you have a good ear. Can you sing relatively in tune? Do you have strong relative pitch? If the answer to these questions are no, then fretless might not be a good choice for you. I'm a relatively mediocre bassist at best, but I have a very strong ear (I had a scholarship to college on sax and vocals) so switching to fretless wan't that big of a deal. My first fretless was a Squier VM and I loved for several years. I have since upgraded to an unlined fretless (my avatar) and I am enjoying it, although not having fret lines is keeping me honest. It's a little more difficult, but I'm assuming once I've gotten really used to the instrument (I've only had it about a week) it will be just about the same as playing a lined fretless.

So...bottom line...do you have a good ear? If so, go for it...it's not magic...there's just no frets...
 
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#67
I've had an MIM Jazz for about a month; it was my birthday present this year. I absolutely love playing it.

As it turns out I don't think it is as hard as I thought it would be, although I do have lines, and I admit that they help me a lot. I make no apologies for it. While it is true that you need to be accurate, I don't think that you have to be absolutely pinpoint to the micron accurate. I keep it next to my workspace and it begs me to play it. It really does feel nice.... I have some nice smooth flats on it and between that and the lack of metal, my fingers are very happy. And I'm definitely faster on this than my fretted Jag.... I guess Jaco's quote about "speed bumps" has some truth to it.
 
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#69
I started on fretless. Used to play violin, so when I started bass, I found the frets....really weird. Even now, I can't play a fretted comfortably. Everything just -feels- wrong, I feel like I can't get a grip if my fingers aren't touching the fingerboard and the response is weird.

The feel is something pretty significant to take note of, other than the intonation and tone issues.
 
#70
I play fretless and I'll simply say only choose fretless if you're willing to practice.

Fretless is harder than fretted, but it's not overly difficult even for the beginner. However, it severely punishes sloppy technique. If you want to just mess about with bass, there's nothing wrong with that, but a fretted bass would be a much better choice for that. I have a whole stable of basses, but my lone fretless gets far more than it's share of practice time just because I want to keep my fingers accurate.
 
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#71
To me fretless wasnt harder to play but it was very hard to have precise intonation on louder live gigs. Try learning to play fretless like it is fretted bass, precise and correct. Then go for glissandos and other fretless speciality moves. If you like, need, want fretless I say go with it. You will train your ears as well as your fingers.
 
#72
Gravedigger Dav said:
There is one component to playing fretless you have to be aware of regardless of whether you have a lined or unlined fingerboard. You have to have a very good ear.
It isn't any harder physically. If you have been playing fretted for a while, you fingers already know where they should go.
It is a different sound and can be fun to play.
As to those who advise against it, I wonder if they have considered the fact that bass players from the 16th to the 20th century had no fretted basses to learn on.
The common technique for beginners is tape on the fingerboard, but with side dots or a lined board, it doesn't matter. Personally, I see lined fingerboards as training wheels.
They are great for some applications and don't work at all for others. It is just another tool in your kit.
One thing I can't do is sing and play fretless at the same time. I saw a video of Jack Bruce playing a fretless Warwick and singing lead on Crossroads. I am not Jack Bruce.
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I sing and play fretless but it takes constant concentration. If you start to let your mind wander...trouble!

Fretted is much easier for mindless accompaniment because approximate finger positions work just fine.

I will say, however, that when I was a 5 string noob, I fell in love with an Alembic at the local bass store and bought a 6 string blank plank fretless. Talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool! Man! It was at least a year until I felt like I was playing that bass rather than it was playing me!
 
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#73
bassbenj said:
I sing and play fretless but it takes constant concentration. If you start to let your mind wander...trouble!

Fretted is much easier for mindless accompaniment because approximate finger positions work just fine.

I will say, however, that when I was a 5 string noob, I fell in love with an Alembic at the local bass store and bought a 6 string blank plank fretless. Talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool! Man! It was at least a year until I felt like I was playing that bass rather than it was playing me!
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I salute you sir. It is a skill I could never master.
 
#75
Deep end was what i jumped into when i bought a used Brice 6 string fretless with an unmarked board. The cool thing was the side dots were positioned in the same place as where the frets would be (any other makers do this?). Tried to master it but gave up and sold it.
 
#78
sub-commandante said:
Just jump in and play it, it becomes second nature. i found frets seem confusing if you swap to fretted bass after playing one awhile.
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My first 2 weeks or so were on a cheap fretted electric/acoustic.

After I got my fretless I've never gone back. (Well I did for about 5 minutes but got frustrated and put it down) I can't handle frets anymore. At least not on the cheap bass.


*Subscribed*
 
#79
I own a lined fretless but don't play it much. You do have to be more precise with your intonation. With practice, it gets easier, but it just isn't something i have sunk the time into, and I'm not sure if or when I ever will. It's a cool sound, but not really that important to what I do
 
#80
UNICORN BASS said:
Deep end was what i jumped into when i bought a used Brice 6 string fretless with an unmarked board. The cool thing was the side dots were positioned in the same place as where the frets would be (any other makers do this?). Tried to master it but gave up and sold it.
Click to expand...

That is the "correct" position for the side dots especially on a blank neck. My Carvin has side dots in the fretted position between "frets" but it's OK because it is a lined neck and the lines are white and very visible. If you try to play a fretless bass where the lines are hard to see and the dots are in the fretted positions it will drive you nuts in no time. Even though my G&L is lined it has markers ON the fret positions.

Edit: Back when fretless was just becoming popular lot of makers (usually of cheaper basses) simply took their fretted necks and left the frets off which put the dots in the "wrong" places. Solution is to just stick on FretFX LED markers.
 

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