Fretless Short Scale Club

[Greywoulf]

How about starting a Fretless Short Scale Club!! I searched for such a club I couldn't find one here at TalkBass. So if it's OK with the moderators we can start right here and now!

Here are my two fretless short scales. A defretted Hondo Alien 31 inch scale:

View attachment 1832653


And my "Mio Tribute" 30 inch scale SX fretless short scale Jazz Bass:

View attachment 1832654


Hope you like that SX short scale fretless? Couldn't get them for a while but they're supposed to be back now, and I've one on advanced order from Rondo Music. I'll post a photo in a month or so when it arrives... (And now I don't hafta defret my Mikro! ;>)}
Greywoulf

 

[Greywoulf]

Just got a notice from Rondo Music; said they're getting some new SX short scale black fretless PJ's in stock soon... They've been absent from the scene for a while so I'm glad to see them return, even tho they're a bit more expensive now at $199. I put in my advanced order for one; I much prefer fretless, and geez it'll also look great standing next to my black Mikro! (Do looks count? -Sure they do... ;>})
Greywoulf ;>})

Ahhhh well, sadly it didn't work out... It was a nice looking, nice playing bass with perfect intonation on the initial setup, a cool glossy neck that had clearly defined fret lines, and it played well enough. However it seems short scale fretless doesn't necessarily mean lighter and easy to play, because compared to my Mikro it felt like a friggin' ~brick~ to me! It has a thick Fender J style solid Alder wood body, and a thick neck like a sawed-off p-bass with a really big headstock, which gave it severe dive syndrome. And as such it was more uncomfortable for me to play than many of the full scale basses I've had. So I returned it...
And Rondo Music was great about it too; after I explained why I needed to return it they gave me a complete refund, no fuss no bother! (I did have to pay return shipping but I considered that was fair enough..) So I'm now thinking about getting a sub-short scale fretless solid body u-bass from Rondo as a lighter weight option, but am also getting the new Ibanez GSR100 from Sweetwater. True, the GSR100 is fretted and a full 34" scale, but like most Ibanez basses it's very light and has a very thin neck.. With me I'm finding it's not the length of the reach that bothers me {I'm pretty okay with that}; it's the thickness and the weight of the bass I need to always consider now.
Greywoulf

 

[ZiggyZipgun]

Count me in! I also got the new fretless P/J bass from Rondo Music, and the finish, intonation, and sound is perfect! I mean, I mod the hell out of everything I own, and do my own setups when new ones arrive, but I didn't have to do anything to this - it just played great out of the box. Ironically, I'd just purged my collection of the only instrument made overseas, which was a solidbody sub-short-scale Kala-type bass that was probably also made for Rondo Music.

Now, I've also found this bass fairly uncomfortable to play, but this is my first fretless, so I am staring at the neck - it's as uncomfortable sitting down as it is standing up. Classical guitar-style is a little more comfortable, with my foot up on a small chair and the bass on my knee. It doesn't seem very heavy - I can break out my kitchen scale later today - so I'm thinking it's just the fact that I'm 6'-2" and I'm staring downward the whole time.

 

[brookes]

I would like a short scale, Marcus Miller Sire U5 looks and sounds pretty good...

 

[Mekana]

I picked up this Brice for a really good price a couple years ago (it was listed as B stock; the only thing I can see is a scuff on the finish that you can only see when the light hits it just right.) It does still need a set up; the nut seems a bit high, and a shim could help the action up higher on the neck, too. Because it is otherwise exactly like my fretted basses, it’s a little bit easier to adjust to playing it- everything is about where I’m used to it being, at least! Anyway, my short scale fretless :

 

[lowbass68]

My homemade 26" fretless beside my 34" lined fretless. The 26er is a quarter-sawn maple neck with an ebony fretboard (no side markers or lines). There is a truss rod in it but I need to remove neck to tighten, but in about 30 years it's never needed an adjustment and I am picky on setups. The neck is extremely stable. The body has a mahogany top and back with a wenge core. Each board was a single piece. It is also ached so its very comfy. The neck and body are finished with tung oil. Schaller bridge, Schaller PBX P style pickup with only a volume control. I used a set of Gotoh chrome tunes I had lying around and need to widen the post for the strings. I've always meant to replace them with gold tuners to match the bridge but never have. I have rounds on it and its tuned from low to high A-D-G-C, so sort of like a play a 34 capo'd at the 5th fret. The 26" inch scale is a little is close to the 5th fret position of a 35" bass so the tension is fairly tight. It's a fun bass to fool around with different ideas. The unusual scale length and no makers makes me really listen to what I am playing.

 

[GrooveTheory]

A question to the short scale fretless bass club… do you also play a long scale fretless? Have you found any issues in intonation and playability when going back and forth between them? I like the idea of a short scale fretless but am very worried that if I practice on the short scale then it will throw off my regular scale game. Your thoughts and experiences?

 

[macmanlou]

A question to the short scale fretless bass club… do you also play a long scale fretless? Have you found any issues in intonation and playability when going back and forth between them? I like the idea of a short scale fretless but am very worried that if I practice on the short scale then it will throw off my regular scale game. Your thoughts and experiences?

I have both short and long scale fretless (as well as fretted) basses, and I play just as poorly on each of them

On fretless, you'll eventually find your intonation by ear (instead of by looking at "fret" lines or side dots). Switching between long and short scale basses will come to you with practice. If you have both, play both as often as you can.

 

[Inara]

I've been waiting for this for about 3 months since ordering from Adrian Maruszczyk. The bass arrived yesterday, and I'm in love.

5 string Mensinger Cazpar,
30" scale,
17mm spacing,
katalox fretless fingerboard,
matching katalox ramp,
blue Luminlay side dots,
alder body with koa top,
Delano Xtender pickups,
series/parallel/single switch for each,
passive V/B/T controls,
7.8 pounds

She arrived yesterday after only being in transit for four days! I'm getting to know her, and noticing changes as I learn how she wants to sing, and as the woods in the instrument learn how to be a bass. I love her, and am already playing some of my solo fretless pieces on her as well or better than I ever have.

There's a matching dot for the two octave mark on the ramp. I'm using it as a fingerboard extension for the strings that aren't over the truss rod access area, mostly just the D and G strings. I have the equivalent of 26 "frets" by the end of the ramp. The balance on the beautiful leather Mensinger strap is wonderful.

The only thing I'm not 100% happy about is that I went to do a setup, and the bridge saddles are already all bottomed out. I would like to lower the action slightly, just slightly. I'll have to shim the neck to do so. I've ordered a couple of blank, .25 degree maple shims. It will be quick work to fit one, and .25 degrees should give me what I want, as the action is close to what I want already.

Here are a front and back pic. The koa looks much nicer in person!

 

[Inara]

I've been waiting for this for about 3 months since ordering from Adrian Maruszczyk. The bass arrived yesterday, and I'm in love.

5 string Mensinger Cazpar,
30" scale,
17mm spacing,
katalox fretless fingerboard,
matching katalox ramp,
blue Luminlay side dots,
alder body with koa top,
Delano Xtender pickups,
series/parallel/single switch for each,
passive V/B/T controls,
7.8 pounds

She arrived yesterday after only being in transit for four days! I'm getting to know her, and noticing changes as I learn how she wants to sing, and as the woods in the instrument learn how to be a bass. I love her, and am already playing some of my solo fretless pieces on her as well or better than I ever have.

There's a matching dot for the two octave mark on the ramp. I'm using it as a fingerboard extension for the strings that aren't over the truss rod access area, mostly just the D and G strings. I have the equivalent of 26 "frets" by the end of the ramp. The balance on the beautiful leather Mensinger strap is wonderful.

The only thing I'm not 100% happy about is that I went to do a setup, and the bridge saddles are already all bottomed out. I would like to lower the action slightly, just slightly. I'll have to shim the neck to do so. I've ordered a couple of blank, .25 degree maple shims. It will be quick work to fit one, and .25 degrees should give me what I want, as the action is close to what I want already.

Here are a front and back pic. The koa looks much nicer in person!
View attachment 4508409 View attachment 4508408

I must apologize - I've discovered that the bridge on this bass adjusts differently than any I've ever seen before, and while it appeared that the saddles were bottomed out, this was due to my ignorance. There is plenty of room for adjustment, and I'm truly sorry for this misinformation!

 

[freshbass]

How about starting a Fretless Short Scale Club!! I searched for such a club I couldn't find one here at TalkBass. So if it's OK with the moderators we can start right here and now!

Here are my two fretless short scales. A defretted Hondo Alien 31 inch scale:

View attachment 1832653


And my "Mio Tribute" 30 inch scale SX fretless short scale Jazz Bass:

View attachment 1832654


Visit This Thread to see the major electronics mod I did on this bass.


Ill be glad to keep track of the member numbers. Just post a photo of your Fretless Short Scale and you're in! So I guess that makes me #1!!

Let's see those Fretless Short Scales!


Fretless Short Scale Club

#1 - jags

I would like to join . I don't have one yet but I'm considering building a warmoth ss fretless. At 67 w/ 55 years of bass I recently went back to ss basses: arthritis + I love the sound. Currently I have a JMJ mustang (flats) and a lakland HB30 (rounds).