Fretless Piccolo???

[YCBass]

I've been GAS'in bad for a fretless, but I've also been listening to a ton Stanley and the new SMV record lately so I thought to myself, "Can I do both?"

Has anyone tried this? How does it sound? I know it's possible since we've seen fretless 6's that have a .28-.32 (or whatever) high C string.

I think it would be cool as a "solo" instrument, if it's even still a bass.

 

[steve21]

can't think of why it wouldn't, and it sounds pretty bitchin'

 

[brivello]

Some of the advantages of a piccolo bass, like being able to play chord melodies and such in a good register, will be much more difficult on a fretless. keep that in mind.

 

[insomniac2295]

 

[cmewhinney]

Michael Manring's Hyperbass has piccolo strings on it even though he tunes them differently a lot of the time.

 

[YCBass]

OH MAN!!!!!!!!

I'm doing it! If only to be able to play half the stuff I heard.

Thanks for that!

 

[slamzilla]

Yep,
Jeff kicks ass.
Check out his album. There is some great stuff on it.
Z

 

[dakpluto]

Is he playing...upside down on the strings?

 

[slamzilla]

Yep!

 

[bassteban]

I could not make the high F on my fretless 7 work like I wanted/envisioned. I'm sure it was 99.9999% my spotty technique but IME the mwah is hard to get above the G string; I'm thinking there's a point where the lesser mass of a C or F string makes it more difficult to do the fretless thing well.
I replaced the 7 w/a 6 & like it much better.
Of course Jeff Schmidt could get great fretless tone from a rotten-balsa(the new spalt)Wish bass on fire. With both arms removed.
Oh & BTW, I can't chord for crepe on my 6 either.

 

[Hoover]

I could not make the high F on my fretless 7 work like I wanted/envisioned. I'm sure it was 99.9999% my spotty technique but IME the mwah is hard to get above the G string; I'm thinking there's a point where the lesser mass of a C or F string makes it more difficult to do the fretless thing well.

Conversely, it wasn't until I played a fretless 7-string that I was convinced of the validity of ERB's. The high F on the fretless Conklin I played had amazing mwah...though, due to its register, it sounded more like a sitar than a bass.

To the OP: I have always thought a fretless piccolo bass -- especially something bright & clean like a Pedulla Buzz -- would be a killer voice for melodies.

 

[Fretlessboy]

hmmmm.now I'm thinking of going pic with my Smiths

 

[spade2you]

Conversely, it wasn't until I played a fretless 7-string that I was convinced of the validity of ERB's. The high F on the fretless Conklin I played had amazing mwah...though, due to its register, it sounded more like a sitar than a bass.

Kinda depends on the scale length and tuning. I've been working with Cliff Bordwell and we're gonna shoot for a 33" scale fretless 7 AND I'll be tuning to E instead of F so I can use a thicker string to avoid anemic and sitar sounds.