Fretless Sound From A Fretted

[Paul Sung]

I wanna get a fretless bass sound from a fretted bass
All, I have is a bass chous pedal.
Are there anyway to get similar sound?(except taking out fret?)

 

[zontar]

That depends on what you mean by a fretless sound.
Using a Chorus will still sound like suing a chorus, not a freltess--nothing wrong with that--but I'm not sure what you really want.

 

[TrustRod]

For my ears rolling off some bass and a lot of treble can help. I've heard fretted Wal basses sound fretless.

 

[TN WOODMAN]

I have an easier time making my Fretless sound fretted.

 

[TolerancEJ]

Make very smooth slides between your notes. When you slide up or down, maybe you could bend the final note very slightly & return. It’s just a thought.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Just get a Fretless...it would be easier to achieve a “Fretless sound” with one.

 

[quickervicar]

Depends on what you're looking for. To my ears a lot of Journey bass lines have big mids that make them sit in the mix like a fretless played straight (no slides). This should be achievable with careful EQ. However, you'll never replicate the mwah sound or intonation variation of Bakithi Kumalo out of a fretted instrument.

 

[Les Fret]

Look up Dominic di Piazza bridge.

 

[Damorand]

Some of the zoom multifx peddles have a fretless patch (b1on or b1xon I think).. Not particularly realistic though to my ears.

 

[JRA]

i think you ought to be able to imitate some fretless parts a little bit, but fretless as a 'whole package' would be impossible, IME.

but fretlesses are so cool ( ), and so available, and so much easier to play --- why not explore that route?!

 

[iunno]

You can get a Jaco-y sort of tone with most bridge pickups that can sort of sound like a fretless. You could maybe get some sort of mwah by sliding into the note and using a bit of vibrato.

 

[Erik Turkman]

I’ve had other bass players tell me that I get a fretless sound out of a fretted bass, but, honestly, I wasn’t always sure what they meant. The last time I remember this happening on a gig I was playing a Ken Smith BSR5M through a Genzler MG350 into a Genzler BA12-3. As far as playing style, I came up playing upright bass, and I use a fairly strong right hand pluck to really get the string moving. I adjust my plucking position as needed but often end up over the bridge pickup. I also pluck with as much meat of my finger as I can, not just the tips.

Regarding left hand, I try to place my fingers right behind the fret, not at some vague point in between frets. I also try to hold notes for their full duration, letting them ring. I deliberately avoid fret clank, simply because that’s not the sound I’m going for.

I’m not sure if any of this has bearing on the original question, but that’s what I do when achieving what I’m told is a fretless sound. I do play fretless, and to me, it’s a very different sound than what I get on fretted.

 

[buldog5151bass]

As someone who tried for a while before getting a fretless, vibrato will hel a little, but only a very little. Get a fretless.