Fretless doubts... Should I continue?

[gregouille23]

Hi there,

Earlier this year I ended up getting a Tony Franklin fretless bass, a bit by accident. The deal was just too good to pass up. I never was too much of a fretless fan and besides I play 5 strings basses exclusively but this bass is different. I suddenly enjoyed playing fretless and became better at it. It was a challenge, but I enjoyed putting the work and noticing the improvements. My ears got much better as well in the process.

A couple of months ago, I decided to take it to band practice just to give it a shot. I ended up playing the whole evening with it. It went awesome, and the other band members seemed to enjoy it as well. I asked them to tell me the minute I am sounding off, and despite asking again a few times, they said it sounded great

2 weeks later, next band practice. This time I played much less with the fretless. I felt it was getting in the way of the "performance". By that I mean my eyes were almost glued to the fretboard and as such, I felt that I had to put too much effort to play in tune (including looking at the fretboard) and that this was to the detriment of playing together as a band. I felt the fretless did not add enough to the band as a whole compared to the efforts I had to put in. I felt selfish basically because for my pleasur (playing fretless), I was hurting the band by being less present, making less eye contact with the others and so on...

Since then, I kind of went back to fretted only and felt much better the next rehearsal. I even decided to sell the fretless and get a regular 4 string P. But now I am starting to doubt... On the one hand I like fretless, on the other hand there is so much I feel I should learn and having 2 young kids and a full time job doesn't give me much practice time in the evening. So I cannot do everything at once...

Anyone had a similar experience? I am sure practice is the way out from this situation, but still I would like to hear from fellow fretless players how it went for you.

Cheers!

 

[India_Sierra]

I definitely play better on a fretted but then I expect most players do, if they're honest with themselves. I enjoy fretless though, so I will always have one and would have no qualms about using it out. However, if you think you're compromising on the quality of your performance by playing fretless then you shouldn't feel guilty for stopping. Make the right choice for yourself.

 

[Mrmatt1972]

Of course getting comfortable and fluid on fretless will take time and practice especially in a band setting. If the band likes it and you like it, why stop? Fretless is pretty rare, which is a good thing for helping your band stand out.

 

[bassbenj]

Why does everybody think it always has to be either-or? Hey I just hope that 4 string P-bass you are replacing all your basses with has flats and tort!

I love my Fretless, but you have correctly noted that they take more attention. If you are dancing, singing, and in other ways putting on a "show" Yeah, they are a lot harder to manage. A fretted bass lets you plop down a finger in a wide range of places and still sound OK. Just try putting on a show and playing double stops or chords on a fretless for a challenge.

But that said, I still love my fretless L2500 and in fact it's why I have Two of them, One fretted and one fretless. You just have to use whatever fits what you are doing and what you personally can handle. For that matter I also have a fretted Tribute for questionable venues. The point is the more you play and practice the better you get. A while back I found it extremely difficult to play bass and sing. Now, it's no problem. Practice makes perfect. So should I have just sold all my basses and said, well I'm just going to sing now? Well there may be situations where that might make sense but I wasn't in one of them. I usually take both the fretted and fretless basses, but it's no big deal to just take the fretted one if that is best.

So my solution is a fretted-fretless pair. That lets you choose and also gets you off the hook if the music exceeds your fretless ability.

 

[bobyoung53]

I played a Fretless Fender Precision exclusively during the early 80's in a full time band that played 4-5 nights a week usually and by the time the band ended (approx 2 years) I could play it with my eyes closed. I have recordings of the band and you couldn't tell it was a fretless unless I wanted you to know and I did a lot of singing back then. I have lost that touch since then but recently bought a Tony Franklin and it comes back quickly, don't sell it, play it. You will gradually get more and more confident on it to the point you won't think about it when you're playing.

 

[Frampton]

I don’t play fretless, but I wish I did. So, I say hang onto it and play when you can.

 

[JRA]

I definitely play better on a fretted but then I expect most players do, if they're honest with themselves.

honestly: that's not always the case! for some = frets are an impediment!

Fretless is pretty rare

really? i think they're everywhere these days!

OP: if you like it, feel that you have made any progress, and the other musicians are supportive = bingo...you win! bigly!

don't give up just because you found a limitation. find a way (there's always a way!) around, through, or over!

best of luck to you on your fretless journey!

 

[nostatic]

How much time per day did you spend practicing on fretless? Or more appropriately, how much time are you willing to spend per day practicing on the fretless?

Getting better on the instrument doesn't happen overnight or by accident. There also are different things to practice on fretless vs. a fretted.

Time in the saddle spent well solves most musical challenges.

 

[gregouille23]

How much time per day did you spend practicing on fretless? Or more appropriately, how much time are you willing to spend per day practicing on the fretless?

Getting better on the instrument doesn't happen overnight or by accident. There also are different things to practice on fretless vs. a fretted.

Time in the saddle spent well solves most musical challenges.

Completely agree. As mentioned, I have limited time every day to learn new material for the band, work on new tunes, practice new things (chords, arpeggio...)

 

[gregouille23]

Why does everybody think it always has to be either-or? Hey I just hope that 4 string P-bass you are replacing all your basses with has flats and tort!

The TF fretless currently has flats, but I will change this to Sunbeams which I use on all my other basses It's either/or because I like to limit myself to 2/3 basses. But maybe a fretted P should not count, I mean everyone should have a fretted P right?

 

[GrapeBass]

The only way to get better at fretless is to play as often as you can... best place to do this IMHO is practice (duh). You get the bonus of improving your playing and seeing what songs will work best with fretless. Another significant bonus is that your fretted playing will get better! It's a wholly win-win situation but your band mates may get a bit frustrated during practice as some songs do not lend well to a fretless.

Good luck, Lay it down and keep up the funk!

 

[40Hz]

The real question is how much interest you have in continuing to be able to play fretless. It’s not something you can abandon for a couple of years and then bring yourself back up to speed on in a couple of weeks for most of us.

My take is that it takes serious commitment and time to develop the skills needed. It seems a shame to just walk away from the effort it took to get you this far. However, if you think the time needed to keep up your skills could be better spent elsewhere, there’s nothing wrong with hanging up your fretless. And nothing to say you can’t pick one up and start over again down the road. I would think twice about unloading your Tony Franklin though. They’re really nice basses and the price keeps going up. So unless you need to free up the investment in it, I’d hang onto that at least while there’s any chance you might someday decide to start playing a fretless again.

 

[jd56hawk]

I tried a beautiful Midnight Wine fretless Fender Jazz on Wednesday…best looking bass at Sam Ash.
It had the fret lines and I never even realized it was a fretless at first.
Sounded great but nothing I did with it could compare to what I can do with my L2000, which plays effortlessly.
I could've bought it and stuck with it, if course, but couldn't quite justify why.

 

[Coward Of Reali]

Practicing fretless with others like in a band context is the best since you'll be able to tell with good ears when your out of tune. Playing by yourself it's hard to tell when your off the note

 

[jamro217]

If you enjoy playing the fretless, keep it. Don't try to rush using it live, because it takes time to get the intonation down. Once you feel comfortable enough to play your favorite songs on the fretless with your eyes closed, you're ready for a gig with it. One of the biggest stumbling blocks for fretless players is impatience. They want to pick it up and play it flawless the first day. That rarely happens. Relax, give it time, and enjoy it for the unique instrument it is.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Why does everybody think it always has to be either-or? Hey I just hope that 4 string P-bass you are replacing all your basses with has flats and tort!

I love my Fretless, but you have correctly noted that they take more attention. If you are dancing, singing, and in other ways putting on a "show" Yeah, they are a lot harder to manage. A fretted bass lets you plop down a finger in a wide range of places and still sound OK. Just try putting on a show and playing double stops or chords on a fretless for a challenge.

So my solution is a fretted-fretless pair. That lets you choose and also gets you off the hook if the music exceeds your fretless ability.

THIS!

 

[bholder]

Practicing fretless helps your normal playing too, keep up with it and add it to the mix as your confidence builds.

 

[Haroldo]

Reject the tyranny of 'or!' You don't need to ditch the Franklin just now (at least I sense no urgency). Play it and learn it bit by bit.

 

[gregouille23]

Practicing fretless helps your normal playing too, keep up with it and add it to the mix as your confidence builds.

This is so true, playing fretless definitely helps cleaning up your technique.

 

[gregouille23]

If you are dancing, singing, and in other ways putting on a "show" Yeah, they are a lot harder to manage.

That's part of the problem indeed. I don't sing but playing in a cover band I do try to put on some kind of a show, at least that's what I strive for I cannot imagine playing live with my eyes glued on the fingerboard all night...