• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Fretless players -- Lines or no lines?

Fretless Bass -- Lines or no lines?

  • Yup, gotta have them.

    Votes: 81 43.1%

  • Nope, loses all the sex appeal.

    Votes: 97 51.6%

  • I'll stick to fretted 'cause I can't handle a fretless...

    Votes: 10 5.3%
  • Total voters
    188
#101
I'm surprised it took this long to bring up perfect pitch.

Perfect pitch is a great thing, but doesn't always necessarily help starting out in the right position. I once met a guy who claimed to have it, but often started out a bit flat or sharp. He managed to find the notes quite nicely, but I found it odd that he started his notes off pitch.

Really, the line/dot config is there to start you off in a better place in regards to true pitch. Your ear will assist you the rest of the way.

Regardless of my personal preferances, looking at the NS EUB, I would think the concave neck and lack of heels would make this an ideal extended range EUB, but unfortunately lacks the heels of an URB, which makes the dots practically required.
 
#102
The debate regarding looking at the FB (as bad habit or not), having lines being a crutch or not is very interesting.

I played trombone for ten years while I was in school, and the trombone is very similar to a fretless bass in many ways, where as a valved instrument is more analagous to a fretted instrument.

When playing trombone, you have to develop muscle memory as to where notes are properly intonated, just as with a fretless. The only difference is that the intonation points are only the equivalent of 7 positions on the bass, and they don't compress like they do on a bass as you move away from first position. Of course, another difference is that one "jumps strings" on trombone with one's armature, but that is obvious.

The only problem with looking at your position on a trombone for visual cues is when you are attempting to play while reading music. This would also be true for the bass. I had to learn through muscle memory and ear that I was in the right position on the trombone because I was always reading music while playing. You just can't read and watch the slide at the same time.

As bass players, we tend not do much reading other than perhaps site reading to learn a new bass part if we have the music in notational form. Indeed, probably the vast majority of bass players don't read a lick of music.

So in defense of XGabriel, I think it can be sort of a bad habit to always look at your FB, but ONLY if you need to read music or if you are doing a lot of singing (I think it's almost as important to look forward when singing as it is when reading). Also, I think it is true that unless you force yourself not to look, you probably will never LEARN not to look. BUT, if it isn't a necessity for you, then it really doesn't matter, which is sort of the other side of the coin.

My only fretless was lined, and I liked that because I had never played one before and it made it easier to play it with some immediate proficiency. What I also realized was that if I ever wanted to play while sight reading music or to perhaps a slightly lesser extent, sing while playing, I was going to really have to put the time in learning to play without reference to the lines. With everything else I am trying to learn to do, I decided to stick to fretted for now, and take on the challenge of playing a fretless bass properly (I mean for someone who reads and sings) sometime in the future.

Which is also why a chose number 3, at least for a while.
 
#103
Spencer! said:
That's an ignorant thing to say, because playing unlined did make me use my ears more. Would everyone in this thread calm down if I wrote "IMHO" after every sentence?
Click to expand...

Hey, whatever works for you works for you. The fact remains that a bass is an inanimate object and completely incapable of "making" you do anything, and the only thing that made you use your ears more was you. I could just as easily pick up one of your unlined fretlesses and play it using my ears less and my eyes more than I do on my lined fretless. It's completely up to the player, and has nothing to do with the instrument.
 
#108
Having tried all combinations, I like them partially lined..best of both worlds:

RickTurnerFretLines2.jpg

90's Rick Turner EL35 Custom

HohnerNeck.jpg

Early 70s German Hohner
 
#110
I really think unlined looks best. But it shouldnt be about looks. Also, for some reason, when I play a fretless, I tend to play more naturally with a bit more vibrato on an unlined ,because there is no line there telling me to play there. On an unlined, since there is no divider there, my fingers seem to move around a bit more.
 
#111
Richard Lindsey said:
Doesn't matter. Do whatever works. The results are what count. If you play well, whether you use lines or not is irrelevant. I prefer lines myself.
Click to expand...

That is the bottom line. Who cares what it looks like, especially to other people. Get what is best for YOU. I guess the only question would be resale value if you ever tried to resell it. It seems to me that the unlined fretless basses are more sought after. I could be wrong but that is what I see. I have had 2 unlined fretless basses (Godin, Custom Kramer) and 4 lined fretless basses (Hamer, G&L custom, Warmoth, Fender) and always liked the lined basses better (for me). The best sounding I had was the Warmoth 5.
If I ever get another it will be a Zon, Modulus, or Pedulla Buzz 5 string. I have never played/heard a better sounding fretless than the Pedulla.
 
#113
No lines please.
Just dots on the side of the neck at 3/5/7/9/12, etc.
I can find my way aroudn just fine most of the time, jsut want a quick easy visual reference once and a while, not the confusion of 22 quick easy references;)
 
#114
I use a lined fretless. But contrary to what a lot of people here are saying, I ordered it with lines because I like the way it looks. The first fretless I ever played (and the one that convinced me to start playing fretless) was unlined and I played fine on it. After looking around for a good fretless I came across a lined model (ebony board with maple lines) and it looked awesome. So when I ordered my first fretless I specified I wanted lines on it. And it looks fantastic.

Would I balk at having an unlined? Nope.
Would I prefer it to have lines? Yep.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back