Fretless disease

[MD]

Frets?

 

[Axtman]

 

[Spent]

I have a couple. Got the first one at a Mars music store back in the 90s. Walked in one day and spotted a Yamaha RBX160 fretless makes down to $149. Played it off and on for years. I ended up getting a great deal on a Fender Deluxe fretless Jazz a few years back and played it almost exclusively for about a year in an original project. Now I alternate between that and my Carvin LB76. Love playing fretless.

 

[bbh]

I have an old Tobias killer b. There’s not much more expressive for bass than a FretLess.
That being said, most of my situations required fretted axes.

 

[jamro217]

As a converted lead guitarist, the first basses I owned were fretted. By the late '70's fretless instruments were becoming popular. Tried a couple and loved them. Bought a Mighty Mite fretless maple J neck (no markings of any kind) in '79 and put it on a '76 P bass. It's now on a Jazz bass, and other fretless basses here include a Hohner P/J, two Ps and a Ric 4001 (see avatar). Once you start on a fretless, you can't stop. Fretted basses are fun, too, but fretless is where the most freedom and personality can shine through. Welcome to the club.

 

[sawzalot]

It is an an absolute incurable illness. At one point I sold my fretless and I recently picked one up again and I realized how much I missed it.

 

[getBAK]

And now for some unsolicited Fretless advice. I've had a bunch of fretless, including a Carvin/Kiesel LB70. A few thoughts
Stay away from Roundwound strings, they are tempting and I've destroyed two fretboards with them. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] are a nice compromise that won't destroy your fretboard.
Ebony fretboards are tough, but lack some of the warmth you'll probably want. Try a couple
Go with a lined fretless, it's worth it for the reference points
If you get a P-style bass, get both pickups. Neck to bridge pickup have massive differences in tone on fretless, you'll want both.
Tracks you need to study

• Paul Simon, Diamonds on the Souls of her Shoes (Bakithi Kumalo ,changing how people approached the bass)
• Joan Osborne, St Teresa (Mark Egan with maybe the best fretless tone ever recorded)
• Death - The Philosopher (yes, really, Steve DiGiorgio is insane)
• Eric Clapton Tears in Heaven (Nathan East being tasty)
• Pink Floyd On the Turning Away
• Jaco Come On Come Over (that would be the bridge pickup sound)

 

[Ric5]

I have one fretless and I like it … it will never be my main player

 

[4bluestrings]

What style would you use this fretless for?

I play mainly metal, but on this I just played melodic stuff. I’d play rock too. I did see some guy playing some crazy metal on a 6 string fretless... And of course Ryan Martinie plays whatever he wants and it sounds amazing.

 

[VoodooJazz]

July 13, 1985. I walked into my local music shop to pick up 2 sets of D'Addario NHR-72 strings that I'd ordered for my Fender Precision. Just inside the front door, I was greeted by a used natural P-bass with a fretless rosewood fingerboard. I was intrigued. I looked up. Behind the counter was a television. The Live Aid concert was being broadcast, and The Who were playing "My Generation." John Entwistle lit into the bass solo and I took it as a sign. I left with two packs of strings and a new bass. I played it all afternoon. I fell asleep that night with that bass in my arms.

"If there's a cure for this, I don't want it." - Diana Ross

 

[4bluestrings]

July 13, 1985. I walked into my local music shop to pick up 2 sets of D'Addario NHR-72 strings that I'd ordered for my Fender Precision. Just inside the front door, I was greeted by a used natural P-bass with a fretless rosewood fingerboard. I was intrigued. I looked up. Behind the counter was a television. The Live Aid concert was being broadcast, and The Who were playing "My Generation." John Entwistle lit into the bass solo and I took it as a sign. I left with two packs of strings and a new bass. I played it all afternoon. I fell asleep that night with that bass in my arms.

Yeah I am taking it as a sign too. The guy I worked with on my Vanquish (see avatar) is back on Tuesday from NAMM. I’ll be calling him and ordering my new fretless.

 

[saabfender]

PSA: Roundwounds will not destroy a tung oil-treated rosewood board. That's like saying Japanese oak drumsticks break cymbals.

 

[nilorius]

When i first took and tried a fretless i understood that will never ever play fretted bass and that fretless a a fully different instrument than fretted and have a different more possibilities and that it could be studied and learned till my last day.

 

[Fathand]

So I played a fretless for the first time today. Really played it. It was a really nice Moser. Now I have to have a fretless. I didn't buy it as it is a brand new bass in the shop, but had scratches and dents in the wood and for that money, it better be perfect. They weren't willing to come down, so I left. No worries, but it now infected me.

It had no fret lines and wasn't too bad to get used to. Kiesel will be getting a call on Tuesday for a PB4 fretless. Then the wait.

Is this how it happened for other fretless players? You tried it and it was over?

This happened to me recently. I've tried fretless basses a couple of times throughout the years, but they never really clicked. Not until I got my latest one, which was a pretty much a lucky strike because I bought it as a "lets see if it is salvageable" project. It was and now it's my go to playing bass at home. I don't have any actual use for a fretless currently, but I like the challenge (intonation, especially with chords + playing it without obvious mwah).

 

[equill]

Short version: it's not where I started, but it's what I consistently gravitate towards.

 

[One_Dude]

I play both fretted and fretless; I decide which to use based on the gig and the set list. When I haven't played the fretless for a while and pick it up to play a few notes, I always have that same "oh yeah" moment.

I am almost never looking to buy another bass until I see a used fretless: that always gets my attention.

Thump on,

One_Dude

 

[rtav]

I love my Carvin LB76F... even with the butterfly reflecting through the window.

 

[Watchootognbout]

If you could play a fretless bass with rounds over a large white piece of paper on the floor under the neck for a period of time(pause).......you will not see fingerboard sawdust on it.

The extent of wear from rounds has been greatly exaggerated.
You will see winding marks after a great while.
Which are easily sanded out with a radius block and some super fine sand paper.

Edit:
Now.
If you slap,tap,double thumb and push the palm of your hand down the strings over the neck on your fretless(Jaco did this on occasion)the deal is off!

 

[madbass6]

It's just so much fun. Makes a great noise.

Hoping you meant ,
" makes a great sound"

 

[logdrum]

I did the de-fretting thing myself on a 70's Kramer Pioneer - a P-Bass copy in the mid 80's. It had a maple fretboard and I filled the fret channels with clear epoxy.Played that for about a year and a luthier added an ebony board and extended it all the way to B. I still have that bass. This a picture taken maybe 7 years ago. My son is using it now. It also has piezo pickup in the neck and saddle. Hence the abundance of knobs. I actually have more fretted basses than fretless but recorded this thing more.

Sorry OCD folks about the mess.