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fretless decision: Ken Smith BSR5TN or FBass AC5

wich fretless to buy?

  • smith bsr5tn

    Votes: 20 29.4%

  • fbass ac5

    Votes: 48 70.6%
  • Total voters
    68
M

Mr. BassmanPT

Aug 15, 2009
955
5
Europe
#1
i just bought a ken smith bsr5gn and i love it so much that i am selling all my other basses to fund another smith with the same wood combo but fretless and enjoy life with only 2 basses. that was until today.

the thing is that an fbass ac5 fretless crossed my path online and now i am not sure what to do.

how are fretless smiths like? are they so nice as the fretted? i never played an fbass before and if i want one i must buy it blindly. what can you tell me more about these both basses?

the fbass has piezzo as well as magnetic pickups and is bolt on, the smith has 2 magnetic pickups and is neck through.

maybe you can help me decide. the fbass will cost about 3000 euros used, the smith i can only find new and that will cost almost 6000 euros.

been reading and some folks say that the fbass ac is the king of fretless.. how true is that? one thing that i just saw on the fbass is that the bridge saddle is fixed. how can we intonate the bass?

regards, hope you can help me. comments will sure help me more than votes but i will open the poll as well.
 
#2
I don't think there's a single king of fretless (I'm partial to my own :)) but the two F-bass fretless basses I've owned were top-notch. I didn't have a problem with the fixed bridge. The AC5 I played a while back was great sounding too.

I've owned one Smith, and I thought it was a fantastic sounding bass, but I'm not sure how well it would translate to fretless. Maybe great, I just don't know.

I'd vote F-Bass.
 
#3
I play primarily fretless. I've never played a fretless Smith (or F-Bass) - played fretted versions of each.
I'll put it this way - Though both are top notch basses, an AC5 is much higher on my GAS list than a fretless Smith.
 
#5
keep the opinions coming.

like i said, the fretted smith i have is phenomenal, i love the bass presence all over the scale, that is why i thought of buying a fretless and be gasless forever :)

however, the fbass caught my eye but i have never tried one.

always these hard decisions :(
 
#7
i am sure about that but also one problem is that fretless smiths seem to be rare, everyone that has one is fretted so i cannot know for sure how well the sound i love will translate into the fretless.

but yeah, the best option might be the fbass.hey, look at the pictures (posting them soon)
 
#8
I like the sound of Smith's but the AC-5 is just amazing - sound and feel. I really don't think you can get any better than the AC's. I currently have a pentabuzz but when I grow up and really learn to play fretless I'll be selling stuff to buy an AC-5.

Dan K.
 
#13
I have absolutely NO experience with either of those fine basses. But, it seems to me that if you love your Smith so much, and want the same bass but fretless.... it's a no-brainer. However, if you want one of the best fretless basses in the World, and don't mind a different "flavor" from your Smith.... then give the F a try. But, the F will not be your Smith.
 
#18
I own a Ken Smith fretless 6-string. It's a fantastic bass and sounds similar to my 5-string fretted Ken Smith. It's awesome having two unique instruments with some consistency. It makes switching during gigs a snap.

I too gassed for an F Bass fretless. I forced myself to actually play one prior to buying one. I'm glad I did. The F Bass just wasn't for me. I couldn't get a handle on the tone and it sat awkwardly in my lap. It just wasn't a match for me.

I've since heard that others have had similar issues making the jump to an F Bass.

I would strongly advise playing an F Bass prior to purchase. They aren't for everyone.
 

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