Fretless Simulator

digitech's bp200 has a pretty good fretless simulator, and a bunch of other fun effects.

 

The fretless simulator on the bp200 is great. My only big beef with it is that it doesn't handle true (3 or more note) chords too well. But, I'm probably one of the few people who would use it to play chords, so, I doubt anybody else cares about that. Anybody who has one should try out chords with the fl sim, though. It adds a sort of "twinkle" - very unusual, and really cool.

You have to fiddle with the settings sometimes, because of the way it works. It's essentially a gate that opens and closes like an auto-wah; I guess it's an auto-mwah. If you use a pick (again, I'm probably the only one who does that), you have to set the gate to be less sensitive. Anyway, it's good fun. Makes me wish I had a fretless.

 

wish you had a fretless? Needle nose plyers, wood puddy... fretless. thats what i did at least.

 

Yea, yea, I'll do it one of these days. I have a bass that I think will be great defretted. But I'm going to hold out until I have something to takes its place as a fretted.

 

in the june 2003 issue of bass player on page 42 theres a bridge that when you push on the saddle it will make the bass sound fretless. F plus bridge

 

How? A fretless mwahs because of the speaking length of the string vibrating against the wood in front of your finger. I don't understand how a bridge could simulate this. I'd be interested to know more.

 

Okay, here's what I found. It doesn't explain how it works, but I'm guessing it puts something near the string to create mwah. Cool idea. Some body here should try it out, and give us the dirt.

http://www.neuserbasses.com/nfs.html

 

I can get some good tones from my Zoom 506II, specially playing with my ABG.

/MrBaloo

 

looks similar in principle to that "fretless at a flick of a switch" or something fretless simulator add-on device advertised in BP a few years ago- the guitar version was called a sitar simulator- both lowered a metal rod into contact with the strings.

I listened to the mp3 clip on the Neuser site-
a nice sound, slightly sitar-like but no sliding and vibrato catered for.

also as on a fretless simulator effect you get mwah on the open strings and their harmonics too.

 

a couple of the fretless patches on my Vbass sound fairly convincing.
Theres even a model of jacos Jazz bass epoxycoated-fretboard-rear pickup-up-full tone, it sounds pretty accurate.
Whats great is playing my fretless w/ the fretless patches. Awesome
frank

 

This came up a very long time ago but it's relevant and I think you'll be amused!

 

oops, it seems I didn't actually post the link! D'oh!

http://www.angelfire.com/yt3/redtele/bass.html:rolleyes:

 

sigh, maybe this time it will come up as a click thing.... almost wish I hadn't bothered now!!!
http://www.angelfire.com/yt3/redtele/bass.html

 

actually it does sound surprisingly good on it's own, especially in the upper register. But I've had trouble getting it to sound good in a band environment.

 

Yes, I can see your point. I have only used the effect in 506ii for a couple of "smooth" songs in a band situation (bass, guitar, drums & grand piano). So far I don't know if any one but me noticed the difference...

/MrBaloo

 

I don't know how that bridge works, but the demo was beautiful. I might buy one because such playing deserves reward.