Fretless - should I?

[getting-bassed]

If you're worried you won't like it, get a serviceable inexpensive one that looks good enough you'll want to pick it up and see how it goes. Finding a $85 fretless squier at a pawn shop kick started my fretless playing... before that I'd been hesitant to take the plunge. But risking $85 to see if I like something (that I can probably sell for more than I bought it for anyway) was worth the risk to me. Turns out, I do enjoy it.

Watch pawn shops, craigslist, reverb, etc.... There are always inexpensive fretless basses to be had and if you just hate it you can sell it and recoup some of your money.

ALSO, don't sweat your intonation. At first it's going to be not awesome unless you have really good pitch and previous experience with fretless stringed instruments. Get your first fretless with lines and just play it exclusively for like a month. See what happens.

But all the people saying you need to commit for a period to see if you really like it are 100% correct. It's hard at first, but rewarding to see your improvements. If you're an experienced player you'll be shocked by how quickly you go from out of tune farts to smooth in tune bass lines.

 

[basseux]

I was fretless curious, and eventually took the plunge. Now I have two of them. I’d never play for anyone but myself, but it changes how I think about fretted bass and other instruments. It’s a good exercise and experience, and I’d encourage it.

Me too, I rarely play in setup were there is not too much volume from drums or guitar distortion, if not keyboard that play in bass range and creates werid sound wobbling, were even on a fretted I wonder sometime if the bass didn't sundenly detuned.

At home with some chorus and a bit of reverb I can have my personal fun that contradicts some layman clichés like "but you can play bass only in a band setup".

 

[Pirate Captain]

get a used Tony Franklin...will be the same shape and feel as your P and if you don't like it after a while, you'll be able to sell it for exactly what you paid for it

 

[Smooth_bass88]

buy inexpensive fretless. invest the rest of your inheritance wisely!

 

[Yonni]

IMHO and with all due respect for your "mum" mom............in her honor and remembrance, depending on her age, buy a birth year bass or if she was born before bass guitars, buy a bass for your birth year. And, keep it for as long as you live.

Fretless? They are fantastic sounding and I love them! But.......speaking for myself, over the years, I've tried them 2 times and fretless just isn't for me! (Had lined fretboard.) It took me too much concentrate to play one and I visually had to confirm each note for approximate accuracy!

I think that for at last some of us, a fretless is a novelty. YMMV

I’m British, so it’s “mum”.
A birth year bass for her would be an audiovox 736, the first electric bass. They only made 100, I believe, and they go at auction for over £20,000! My birth year would be ‘66 and it is tempting. But, to be honest, I have a very nice P already and I bought an American Pro II Jazz last year. I think I would get more use out of a fretless. If I don’t get on with it I’d probably look at a Warwick Masterbuild instead.

 

[SteveCS]

This is quite an emotional decision for me. Next week I’m taking the family to London and Denmark Street is on the itinerary. It’s full of music shops

Forget Denmark Street, which these days is more about lifestyle and nostalgia. Get yourself over to Camden Town and spend a few hours at The Bass Gallery...

 

[basseux]

Yes! And get an unlined one. I have a Tony Franklin Fender and it is stunning and inspiring to play.

I maybe would have went for it if it didn't have that pickup selector.
I didn't think I needed an all around bass, which a PJ precission is good for, but more something to have fun soloing at home first, so the american pro 2 jazz bass was fitting.

I let my 25 year old vantage unlined fretless at my parents place because it was not sounding good, but was enough to have something to put my hands on when I visit.
A few years ago I decided to try to put heavier gauge rotsound strings SH77 Steve Harris signature that I use on my P bass, and it gave so much life back to that bass, that I then decided to upgrade the pickups with Geezer Butler PJ EMG which is almost too good for a bass like that, and then now it sounds really really good.

About lined or unlined, I have both basses, and although I would tend to prefer unlined, I think it doesn't really matter unless you plan to not use your ears at all or think you might not be able to hear the bass right on stage or something.

But if you have a slightly bad intonation without lines, I think lines will not help, this can only be fixed with ears.

 

[Hoochie Coochie Man]

I agree with others who have recommended a Tony Franklin fretless. I bought this one used here on TB. The previous owner changed out the tuners. I prefer not having the Drop D tuner.

 

[Lo-E]

If I don’t get on with it I’d probably look at a Warwick Masterbuild instead.

Since you mentioned Warwick I’ll point out that Warwick makes very, very nice fretless basses.

I bought a fretless Corvette Standard from a friend a few years back. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, not because it was fretless as I had already been playing fretless for decades, but because it was so modern and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

It turned out to be an outstanding instrument. Despite its (questionable) modern looks and its heavy weight that bass is a killer. Absolutely wonderful neck and the bass balances very comfortably.

Regarding lines: My first fretless, an inexpensive Yamaha, had lines. It completely messed me up. The lines I thought would be so helpful ended up distracting me more than they helped me.
Perhaps I was subconsciously trying to play too far behind the lines as I would on a fretted bass or perhaps my brain is simply wired incorrectly. Regardless, the first time I picked up an unlined fretless the mental block disappeared and I played more in tune. I sold off the Yamaha and I’ve been unlined ever since (35+ years).

All this to say you should try both and see which feels more comfortable. I’m certainly not about to say that Gary Willis is wrong but only that what works so well for him didn’t work for me and you should find what works for you before you make a big investment. Also, for the record, lined fingerboards don’t distract me so much anymore but that’s after many years of playing fretless.

 

[FullumMusic]

I have always loved the sound of fretless since I first heard Brand X in the 80s. My mum passed away mast year and I’m a out to get an large inheritance. I already have 3 bases. Music is a hobby and I only play in a covers band that a P and a J are enough for. I’m thinking of getting a fretless with some of the inheritance money as a way to remember my mum. My only worry is that I will find the transition hard and not enjoy it. Any tips, thoughts or ideas for a fretless newbie? I would use it for composing and my own compositions rather than the covers band.

4 pages late and still worth jumping in and saying YES. If you're at all into the idea of playing fretless, get a fretless. They're incredibly fun to play and not much harder to play than a fretted bass. Really. Just pay attention to where your fingers are and listen.

Is there some adjustment? Yes.
Is it as hard as people make it out to be? No.

Honestly, i never hear a fretless player talk about how hard it is. Only people who haven't played fretless talk about how difficult it seems.

I do not regret for a second getting a fretless. It's "unlined" but has side dots + mini-hash marks at the fret positions only on the side of the neck. It's not my main bass, but i have so much fun playing it. And i generally can play almost everything i play on my fretted 4 strings on the fretless as well. If i really wanted to i could probably practice really hard and be able to play everything on the fretless, but that's not where i'm at in life.

And for when you do get your fretless, my two tips:
- When you start out, play a lot of open strings. You know they're in tune and give your ears a good reference point to make sure all your fingered notes are in tune.
- Practice playing double-stops of different intervals, or even chords. It really helps train your ears, hear when things are in or out of tune, and gets your hand used to the more precise position your fingers need to be. (Also, when you find the spot where the Major 3rd is actually consonant, you realize major 3rds on fretted basses are all slightly out of tune.)

 

[onda'bass]

Just do it

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I vote yes. My only regret about fretless is not getting one sooner rather than later. My suggestion is to get a bas that is familiar in feel to what you already play. It makes muscle memory kick in and makes the learning curve easier . Since you already play a P and a J, my suggestion is to get a Tony Franklin. I would buy used if possible. If I played 4 string mostly and want partial to StingRay 5's, this would be my bass of choice ( other than a Stingray 4 ). I think most of us can say that our Mum would want us to be happy more than any thing else. Get the bass and play and think of her every time you do. I bet those fond memories will have you playing with good ability in no time. Maybe you can learn t play her favorite song as your first project. My condolences .

 

[JRA]

edit:

fretless EB: any monkey can do it!

I think I would get more use out of a fretless.

fretless EBs are the bomb! you'll love yours.


it's tough losing our parents. sorry to hear about your mum.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I have always loved the sound of fretless since I first heard Brand X in the 80s. My mum passed away mast year and I’m a out to get an large inheritance. I already have 3 bases. Music is a hobby and I only play in a covers band that a P and a J are enough for. I’m thinking of getting a fretless with some of the inheritance money as a way to remember my mum. My only worry is that I will find the transition hard and not enjoy it. Any tips, thoughts or ideas for a fretless newbie? I would use it for composing and my own compositions rather than the covers band.

Just do it. And, don't give up if you think you can't hang. It takes time, and obviously, you have the interest. I "did" my first fretless bass after hearing Unorthodox Behaviour in '76 when the album came out. I (gently) ripped the frets out of the 1972 Telecaster Bass I had at that time and began The Journey.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

The

The Bass Gallery in London has a few in, but I’m not looking to spend £13,000 just yet!

I get it. I was not aware of your budget, as I mentioned. But the ones on Reverb are about $10K. If you do care to share your budget you'll get tons of more specific suggestions. Good luck and have fun!

BBB

 

[Jogobass]

On the contrary, I would say it’s very smart because it develops your ears faster.

It might help people who are not focused on listening in the first place. That's all the benefit I see for a sighted person. It won't make the ear better, it will just help you focus on hearing, which is something a musician is supposed to be doing all the time. In contrast with musicians who only play the patterns and movements out of habit.

 

[Yonni]

Forget Denmark Street, which these days is more about lifestyle and nostalgia. Get yourself over to Camden Town and spend a few hours at The Bass Gallery...

This is the plan. I haven’t been to Denmark Street since the 80s. My son is looking for a new keyboard so I thought Denmark St would at least give me something to look at as well.

 

[bassdude51]

I’m British, so it’s “mum”.
A birth year bass for her would be an audiovox 736, the first electric bass. They only made 100, I believe, and they go at auction for over £20,000! My birth year would be ‘66 and it is tempting. But, to be honest, I have a very nice P already and I bought an American Pro II Jazz last year. I think I would get more use out of a fretless. If I don’t get on with it I’d probably look at a Warwick Masterbuild instead.

Ha ha ha......well, I'm British also. 325 years removed. True. Last name Webb. So.......it's mom. LOL. Mum, mom, mommy, madre whatever.

Ironic, I have a 1966 candy apple red P Bass. Really! Ain't for sell though.

I wish you the best with your fretless quest.

Otherwise, a birth year bass in memory of your mum is the way to go! IMHO

I'm sooooo sorry her passing! "Vaya con dios".

 

[Indiedog]

Tom Clement makes excellent Fretless instruments. I have three Fretless basses and the Clement is my favorite.

 

[cholyoke]

Get one! I think the best advice I've seen in this thread is to get a bass that is similar to what you currently own. It will feel familiar when you first play the new bass. I got a five string fretless Bongo, which has similar feeling neck to my other five string EBMM basses. I also stopped playing the fretted basses for a while to focus on the fretless bass. I still reach for it more often than I reach for the others.