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fretless that sounds like a upright...

jazzyteen

jazzyteen

Jun 13, 2005
67
1
38
Ottawa, On, Canada
#1
hey everybody,

need help... I play a lot of jazz and I am in a dilema... wrather not play upright since I am left handed, my teacher told it wasn't worth playing lefty on an upright, and I defenetively do not want to play left handed on electric and right handed on upright or quit electric for upright... (not enough upright gigs were i'm at) Therefore, I would like a fretless that can sound as close as possible to an upright. I'm not sure what would do the job and I don't want to spend a fortune (no F bass or anything near that price range) I thought of ordering on warmoth. I would want a 5 string and probably an ebony fingerboard... I'm just not sure wich p-ups or body wood to get... I have a yamaha TRB5, would that sound good as freless if I buy a new one and change to ebony neck? or maybe a 5 string fender jazz with a new ebony neck...

suggestions pleaaasssee, I am desperate to get a nice sounding fretless for swing...

thanks

JT
 
#7
Chris Brubeck gets a great straight ahead jazz sound from a fretless Rickenbacker of all things. It's not going to be so much in the bass you choose, as long as it has a neck pickup, as it is the techniques you use and the approach you take to playing the bass lines.
 
#11
dvh said:
Godin A4.

They might be called something else now but mine (fretless) emulates an upright quite nicely.
Click to expand...

+1

I don't have one myself, but there's one at a local music store that I plan to buy when I get the coin, and I've played it quite extensively. (actually an A5 fretless, but all it is is one more string than an A4)

sorry to derail, but do you think the A4 was worth the money, dvh? I'm looking for a good fretless acoustic/semiacoustic. I really enjoy the upright-like sound it has.
 
#13
you can definitely play lefthand double bass, but you would have to have it built for you. there are some factories that would do this, but it´s not so cheap..
the only thing that I can think of besides money (selling the bass later will be hard) that is a reason not to do it as a jazz player is that you have to bring your bass all the time - even at jam sessions.
but of course if you plan to play it only a few times that it doesn´t make sense.

I actually like fretted electric bass in jazz - check out steve swallow, there are others as well.
btw, steve swallow sig bass: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#14
The nearest thing is defo an acoustic bass guitar, I also have a fretless Godin A4 and with TI flats or Acousticore strings the tone is decent.

Here's a sample:

Link Removed


My Godin is about 4-5 years old. I didn't like the LR Baggs Piezo's and so I installed a K&K pure PU under the bridge. This is with TI Acousticore strings.

Davo
 
#15
dvh said:
Godin A4.

They might be called something else now but mine (fretless) emulates an upright quite nicely.
Click to expand...

I had the earlier model ("AcoustiBass") and with flats it was pretty convincing. Only bummer was the neck dive - it's hard to play an unlined fretless properly when you're propping up the neck with the knuckle of your index finger...
 
#17
jazzyteen said:
hey everybody,

need help... I play a lot of jazz and I am in a dilema... wrather not play upright since I am left handed, my teacher told it wasn't worth playing lefty on an upright, and I defenetively do not want to play left handed on electric and right handed on upright or quit electric for upright... (not enough upright gigs were i'm at) Therefore, I would like a fretless that can sound as close as possible to an upright. I'm not sure what would do the job and I don't want to spend a fortune (no F bass or anything near that price range) I thought of ordering on warmoth. I would want a 5 string and probably an ebony fingerboard... I'm just not sure wich p-ups or body wood to get... I have a yamaha TRB5, would that sound good as freless if I buy a new one and change to ebony neck? or maybe a 5 string fender jazz with a new ebony neck...

suggestions pleaaasssee, I am desperate to get a nice sounding fretless for swing...

thanks

JT
Click to expand...

Knowing nada about the issue, but being blackbelted in google, I'd say your teacher should really shape up about the advice. I'd say give it a shot, try to find a leftie double before giving up here..

D.Don
 
#18
Tough dilemma...

The instruments being mentioned here will indeed come closer to an upright sound than most bass guitars, but the reality is that nothing but an acoustic upright really sounds like an acoustic upright.

I play a lot of jazz and got so tired of having to turn down upright gigs that I invested in a Kydd electric upright. It's a short scale bass with bass guitar-like playability and a reasonably close approximation of acoustic bass tone. Maybe you could get one made left-handed?

But it is definitely possible to have an upright converted to left-handed for you, and I guess my advice would be that if you personally love the sound of acoustic upright, you should seriously consider making the investment to get one made for you and get started on it while you're young. On the other hand, if you don't personally idealize the sound of upright, it's probably not worth the trouble and expense.
 
#19
TrevorOfDoom said:
Juan Alderete plays fretless P's because he claims it sounds more like an upright than most other electric basses. i agree with him. but it still sounds like an electric.

if i were trying to fully emulate an upright, my money would go for a fretless Lakland Hollowbody, DS'd with flats.
Click to expand...

The whole myth that a P bass with flats is the most authentic usually reflects a lack of trying new things. I respect Juan, but a P bass has nothin' on a semi-hollow piezo fretless strung with some nylon flats. The piezo and P may have similar tones, but the piezo picks up much more finger noise and percussion, which can be vital for faking an upright tone.
 

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