Fretless Basses

[Suburban]

Well, one reason is fretted basses sound different. There are sounds I can get on a fretted bass that can't be done with a fretless. And, BTW, I'm a big fan of fretless basses. I play mine a lot. But to say there's no point to fretted basses is untrue, IMO. But I guess you were just joking, right?

Joking, yes, but not "just". I can make the fret free sound fretted, except for one sound: metallic microfonic. You know, the sound of two bearing balls knocking eachother inside the shell of a microphone. This seems to be available only in fast passages on a fretted board, when the speed exceeds the limits of my technique. Or when I do hammer-ons too hard because I'm not concentrated.

In short: I need frets from time to time, when I don't know the song enough to do the music. I don't enjoy them, ever, at all.

 

[Jake]

It's like comparing apples to oranges or pizz to arco. Fretted and Fretless basses have two totally different sounds, but they're equally good and equally valuable.

 

[lpdeluxe]

It's the sound of two fretless basses playing in unison.

Sorry. I'm in the market for a fretless, myself.

 

[EBMan]

Leo Fender's Precision Bass sold very well for a reason.

I suck less on a fretted bass than a fretless bass. That was reason enough for me to dump my fretless Corvette and go back to frets.