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Fretless for 3 years, should I bother getting a fretted?

J

joegrant413

Dec 6, 2009
317
70
#1
I'm thinking of buying myself for Christmas either:

- a fretted bass

- an Ableton Live upgrade

- a reasonably good MIDI keyboard


I've been playing for over 3 years. Started on a 4 string fretted Ibanez SR300, traded that after a few months for a 5 string fretless Ibanez SR35 (?? model?).

Part of me says I should get a fretted 4 string. IMHO, that could let me move even faster on the fretboard. And would give me a few more tones. Also, don't ever see myself doing a lot of slap bass, but maybe some mild slap stuff, like John Taylor. I'm thinking of a 4 string Ibanez SR500. (I tried a bunch of basses one day, and my hands just like Ibanez.)

Honestly, things are going well with me and the 5 string fretless. I play in a praise band, and it's been working out well.

The Ableton Live upgrade would be to the Standard Suite, and later to Live 9. The keyboard would be to learn more keyboards, something that's on my "bucket" list as a musician.

Hey... Black Friday is basically here. What do you think?

Cheers,
-- Joe
 
#4
You also may want to have your thread moved to the basses forum, especially today. TBOT gets a little wild anyway, and Friday just amplifies it. We may end up talking about pork rolls or Ovaltine after a few more posts.

-Mike
 
#5
Thanks for the replies!

FWIW, I put the topic in this forum because honestly I could see myself buying keyboard or software. So it's not just about the bass, it's about what would make sense to buy as a musician for myself for Christmas.
 
#6
get a good used fender precision....every bass player needs at least one precision

davesignatureII-1.png
 
#7
I'm gonna say a keyboard. Seems like you're happy with your bass. If you need to upgrade your recording, that's cool. A keyboard would be a more multi-purpose purchase. You could use it for recording. You will become a better musician with some keyboard skills. Theory and harmony can sometimes make more sense on a keyboard instead of a fingerboard.
 
#8
Frets do not improve speed on the fretboard. They are little tiny speed bumps.

I find them very handy for playing chords, but other than that I think it's a wash.

I like Lonesomedave's idea. Get a P bass with frets, and play around with different types of strings.
 
#12
colcifer said:
No, we don't.
Click to expand...

+1

Only get a fretted bass if you really need it or want it. I don't play fretted bass anymore. I have one but I haven't touched it in many months and only keep it around if by chance I need it for studio work or I get the motivation to dive further into slapping and tapping. I can do both on fretless but slapping isn't as punchy and tapping is effing hard.
 
#20
I'm leaning towards a MIDI keyboard. Probably a M-audio oxygen 61. IMHO, The feedback I'm getting is telling me a fretted bass isn't really all that necessary. The biggest benefit I would see would be to get some different tones.
 

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