Fretless P or J?

[Old Garage-Bander]

Fretless J! How can you call a bass a Precision Bass without frets?

Good question. Almost philosophical in nature.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Ooh, like inlay dots on the board itself? I can't think of setting too many like that. Unmarked is still my personal favorite though

I see what you're sayin'.
If I started playing Fretless, I might need some help. Side dots then?

I once tried a bass in GC to test a used amp I bought.
Salesman said go grab something off the wall.
I did but without much thougt, grabbed a nice used Fender that had an $800 price tag and started to play.
Not only did I think this thing was an unstable POS, because it wouldn't stay in tune, but it seemed to not even stay in intonation as I played. Nasty, right?
Wrong. It was a lined, fretless and I didn't even notice that until I put it back up on the wall.

I would have pulled it back down to give it a second chance, knowing now what it was, but I embarrass myself enough as it is playing a fretted bass.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Um, well.....
View attachment 1089964

Ahhh... Looks like one of the cats that used to own me.

 

[Willy-D]

Good question. Almost philosophical in nature.

It does sound better than imprecision bass though

 

[micguy]

Neither. My fretless is wired a bit differently -it does sounds neither a p or j can do. If forced to vote, it is closer to a j that a p.

 

[onosson]

I own a fretless Jazz, had a fretless neck on my Precision for a while... but my favourite is my fretless MusicMan!

 

[InhumanResource]

I see what you're sayin'.
If I started playing Fretless, I might need some help. Side dots then?

I once tried a bass in GC to test a used amp I bought.
Salesman said go grab something off the wall.
I did but without much thougt, grabbed a nice used Fender that had an $800 price tag and started to play.
Not only did I think this thing was an unstable POS, because it wouldn't stay in tune, but it seemed to not even stay in intonation as I played. Nasty, right?
Wrong. It was a lined, fretless and I didn't even notice that until I put it back up on the wall.

I would have pulled it back down to give it a second chance, knowing now what it was, but I embarrass myself enough as it is playing a fretted bass.

Ohh, I get you. Yeah, side dots are handy, I definitely utilize those. They also typically occur on the fret "line" instead of in between frets like on a fretted bass. There's nothing wrong with lined, unlined, dots, etc by the way. Just my personal preference is that unlined boards look really cool.

I don't play fretless all that much, so I usually need to look at the beginning of a practice session...but I find that after a while you just don't look all that much and use your ears and hands to get around anyway. Either way, do whatever makes you happy

 

[Charlzm]

When I built my fretless, I went P/J. I prefer having that extra J tone to work with.

 

[JRA]

never owned a fretless P. all of my fretlesses are PJ, except for one J. the PJ's are more versatile in every way that i play/use the instrument. so: i'm thinking you are leaving out the best option (PJ). good luck!

 

[Scootbass1]

I guess my vote would be carrots since I have three unlined Fretless basses. A Zon Sonus which comes close to a Jazz I suppose. A SSD NS4CRFL that is P/J equipped. and a Steinberger XM2UF that has two EMG SSHB pickups which are basically reverse P's in a guitar humbucker body.

The Zon is my favorite since it is the lightest of the three. They all have the equivalent of 24 fret positions, and they balance much better than any F type bass I have owned. If F type basses had at least 21 frets I would definitely own a fretless Jazz. Been considering ordering a Status graphite J neck with a 21 fret overhang to build a Jazz bass. I like the stability of composite necks, although the SSD needed a truss rod tweak only twice a year in the three years I have owned it. I buy basses that sound good to me, not because they are a certain brand or model. It comes down to personal preference in the end.
Peace to all my fellow TB'ers

 

[Mvilmany]

I'm usually not a "carrots" voting guy, but when you add flats and tort...

 

[jamro217]

The bassists have voted and the P/J has won in a landslide. Unfortunately it wasn't on the ballot, so we're forced to commence bickering on what's obviously our second choice. I prefer my fretless 4001, so my third choice (after the P/J) would be a P. Have a nice day.

 

[MVE]

There's no correct answer, only personal preference.
What do your ears tell you?

The correct answer is, one of each, of course.

 

[BobDeRosa]

In the fretted world, are you generally a P or J guy? The way I found out I'm really a P guy is by owning two Yamaha P/Js -- a fretless BB3000 and a fretted BB450--and finding that I gravitate to "P-only" on both. Occasionally I'll try the J, either exclusively or blended, but always go back to the P. The BB450 will soon be for sale for that reason. I'd rather sell it to someone who will use the instrument's entire tonal range than to keep treating it like a P. I'll never sell the BB3000 fretless because its active electronics allow me to do a whole lot, tonally, with just the P.

 

[SteveCS]

I've used PJ for years, but this came my way recently and so far it is blowing me away...

 

[Ballin'bass]

Definitely jazz. So much more you can do tonally with a jazz. Which makes even MORE of a difference on a fretless. Much more nuanced sound.

 

[DavC]

depends on what sound you want ..??

more mids = J

less mids = P

thinner neck = J neck , thicker = P ( normally )

my solution ... mostly i play fretted 5vers ... but have a 4strg J & P ... have a spare fretless J neck i could put on either ..!?

 

[gumbynotpokey]

another TB false dichotomy poll....

Ok, both. I have one of each. And I'm glad I do.

Next question?

 

[Pocket4]

This my taste

 

[nonohmic]

I guess my vote would be carrots since I have three unlined Fretless basses. A Zon Sonus which comes close to a Jazz I suppose. A SSD NS4CRFL that is P/J equipped. and a Steinberger XM2UF that has two EMG SSHB pickups which are basically reverse P's in a guitar humbucker body.

View attachment 1090251 View attachment 1090252 View attachment 1090253

The Zon is my favorite since it is the lightest of the three. They all have the equivalent of 24 fret positions, and they balance much better than any F type bass I have owned. If F type basses had at least 21 frets I would definitely own a fretless Jazz. Been considering ordering a Status graphite J neck with a 21 fret overhang to build a Jazz bass. I like the stability of composite necks, although the SSD needed a truss rod tweak only twice a year in the three years I have owned it. I buy basses that sound good to me, not because they are a certain brand or model. It comes down to personal preference in the end.
Peace to all my fellow TB'ers

That Spector yo!