Fretless talk

[arbiterusa]

Completely unconventional, but this works for me...

It's strung with LaBella Deep Talkin' SS flats and I keep the tone knob at about half.

OK. Who makes this? Because I seriously might have to get one.

ETA: never mind, figured it out. This may have to happen.

 

[JIO]

I have a fretted bass... but I never play it.

Here's my primary bass - a fretless Bee Bass Groovebee with a coated fingerboard and Kalium roundwound strings.

The Delano is a great pu for fretless.

 

[kkaarrll]

The Delano is a great pu for fretless.

why?

 

[JIO]

why?

I feel the Delano is a deep, rich sounding pu, in some ways like the (now Novak) Bi-Sonic Darkstar. A fretless bass that delivers a deep, dark tone sounds good to my ear. Not to imply any fretless bass for everyone as there are many sonic approaches (re; the OP's reference to a 'Jaco tone', or Pino etc) - I have built a few fretless basses and feel a deep sounding pu favors a rich fretless tone. As always, ones opinion may vary.

 

[Torn Bassist]

This is my fretless Spector NS4

 

[jim777]

I would like to get a rosewood boarded fretless again, maybe a Fender jazz. I'd also love to get a Pedulla Buzz or Pentabuzz, that would be awesome In the meantime, there isn't anything I can do that my STR can't accommodate, as it is a far better bass than I am a player!

So, for the OP, I like ebony or rosewood boards, and I do like active basses. I like the East and Aguilar preamps the most I would say. Nordstrand or Fralin pickups, and I generally end up with bolt-ons though I don't prefer one neck joint type over another honestly.

Here's a pic of it for the possibly one person on this board who isn't tired of looking at it lol The Clement was also a fantastic bass, but the STR is special to me.

 

[eightyearsapril]

And here are mine: the red one is a Kiesel Icon with an unlined ebony fingerboard, while the blue bass was one I built from a kit. It has a lined and CA-coated rosewood fingerboard.

Since the Kiesel has a piezo pickup to go with the ebony board, its feel and sound is completely different than the blue bass.

 

[Morris2103]

Link Removed

Here is my fender jazz fretless bass. One of my favourite basses to play

 

[boyet]

I would like to get a rosewood boarded fretless again, maybe a Fender jazz. I'd also love to get a Pedulla Buzz or Pentabuzz, that would be awesome In the meantime, there isn't anything I can do that my STR can't accommodate, as it is a far better bass than I am a player!

So, for the OP, I like ebony or rosewood boards, and I do like active basses. I like the East and Aguilar preamps the most I would say. Nordstrand or Fralin pickups, and I generally end up with bolt-ons though I don't prefer one neck joint type over another honestly.

Here's a pic of it for the possibly one person on this board who isn't tired of looking at it lol The Clement was also a fantastic bass, but the STR is special to me.

What are your observations about the effect of the semi-hollow body to the fretless tone? The Status Electro that I have is also semi-hollow and I think with the piezo pickup, the tone becomes bigger and more natural sounding.

 

[99Z3]

All I can say is that I have played one of these and it has to be the best sounding acoustic bass I have ever heard!

 

[jim777]

What are your observations about the effect of the semi-hollow body to the fretless tone? The Status Electro that I have is also semi-hollow and I think with the piezo pickup, the tone becomes bigger and more natural sounding.

Honestly, mine is only semi hollow on the bass side of the body, and solid on the bass side. It's got a flamed swamp ash top and flamed swamp ash body, and I think that's a bigger contribuitor to the sound than the hollow section. I actually did have nice semi hollow Warwick for a while, and that had an East preamp as well and sounded just spectacular. I should have kept that one!!

Maybe someone with a Warwick

 

[Djadja]

The Delano is a great pu for fretless.

why?

I can't really separate out what is pickup vs. what is the construction of the bass, but the instrument has all of the characteristics I look for in a fretless... it is very vocal and expressive. I did a session last night and the engineer kept remarking, "that bass sounds amazing!" I told him it is the player

 

[JIO]

I can't really separate out what is pickup vs. what is the construction of the bass, but the instrument has all of the characteristics I look for in a fretless... it is very vocal and expressive. I did a session last night and the engineer kept remarking, "that bass sounds amazing!" I told him it is the player

It is the combination of everything included, in harmony with the player.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I feel the Delano is a deep, rich sounding pu, in some ways like the (now Novak) Bi-Sonic Darkstar. A fretless bass that delivers a deep, dark tone sounds good to my ear. Not to imply any fretless bass for everyone as there are many sonic approaches (re; the OP's reference to a 'Jaco tone', or Pino etc) - I have built a few fretless basses and feel a deep sounding pu favors a rich fretless tone. As always, ones opinion may vary.

I agree!I have Delano SBC7 HE/s pickups in BOTH of my six string fretless and my seven string fretted basses.

 

[Ale the Snail]

Here's my fretless "El Bajo Caracol". It's the only bass of mine I play since I got it. Fretless with a Kahler gives you so many different ways of expression I can't imagine ever going back to fretted. Frets just feel limiting now. I won't say it's the best bass in the world or any of that nonsense but it is the best bass for me.
I just recently had a backstop for the trem installed so I can use a Hipshot drop tuner without going out of tune and it works great so far. With the new levers Hipshot makes I've got it set up to drop to D and B.

 

[kkaarrll]

Here's my fretless "El Bajo Caracol". It's the only bass of mine I play since I got it. Fretless with a Kahler gives you so many different ways of expression I can't imagine ever going back to fretted. Frets just feel limiting now. I won't say it's the best bass in the world or any of that nonsense but it is the best bass for me.
I just recently had a backstop for the trem installed so I can use a Hipshot drop tuner without going out of tune and it works great so far. With the new levers Hipshot makes I've got it set up to drop to D and B.
View attachment 783484
View attachment 783486

explain your pickup and electronics please?

 

[Ale the Snail]

Neck pick up is a Dimarizo Willpower neck with its own output, middle is a Seymour Duncan Steve Harris and bridge is a Seymour Duncan Hot for Jazz 2 with their own output. Volume for each pickup, no tone knobs. Pickups are summed together with a Boss LS 2. Great way for routing effects and keeping overdrive off the neck pick up.

 

[JIO]

Here's my fretless "El Bajo Caracol". It's the only bass of mine I play since I got it. Fretless with a Kahler gives you so many different ways of expression I can't imagine ever going back to fretted. Frets just feel limiting now. I won't say it's the best bass in the world or any of that nonsense but it is the best bass for me.
I just recently had a backstop for the trem installed so I can use a Hipshot drop tuner without going out of tune and it works great so far. With the new levers Hipshot makes I've got it set up to drop to D and B.
View attachment 783484
View attachment 783486

Creature of the Black Lagoon!