Fretlines: Am I nuts?

[Brad Johnson]

+ 1 Billion trillion million gazillion

if it's good enough Gary Willis or Jaco, why not

I understand that one of them was quite fond of goatbutt sandwiches.


Good enough for you, too?

 

[Aaron Saunders]

I understand that one of them was quite fond of goatbutt sandwiches.


Good enough for you, too?

Goood enough for me.

 

[Wademeister63]

Wow, kind of an old thread, but I believe the man is wanting exactly what I wanted and did on my bigmouth bass....

 

[Aaron Saunders]

Semi-hollow? Chambered? What's with the huge body?

 

[Wademeister63]

Semi-hollow? Chambered? What's with the huge body?

It's a pretty small body and I still need to take the thickness down a bit. It's getting close to completion and I'll start a new thread with pics.

 

[Bassmanbob]

Wow, kind of an old thread, but I believe the man is wanting exactly what I wanted and did on my bigmouth bass....

Yes. That is essentially it. Keith said no problem, just a small charge for the custom fretlines (or as I like to call them sidelines).

 

[Bassmanbob]

Oh! For the person who asked what the status was, I ordered the bass late December/ early January. Keith said it would be ready in 6- 8 weeks. So I figure the end of February, which is perfect for me.

Now let's see how long it really takes.

 

[RunngDog]

I want some type of fretline or fretmarker without the fretline being that noticable. I justreally like the look of a bald fret board, but I am concerned about improper intonation without them. The latest is the possibility of a darker fretline other than the white lines. I just want to see a picture of it before I make up my mind.

Hey, Bob. I think I have pictures of exactly what you're talking about here. My Roscoe LG-3005 fretless has fretlines in a blue that is intended to match the color of the body of the bass. They are essentially invisible from a distance of more than about 4 feet -- the diamondwood board looks absolutely clean. Closer up (i.e., to the player) the lines are visible (though they can be a bit tough to see under low lighting). Overall, I think this is a great compromise between lined and lineless fretboards.

I'm not at home right now so I can't post pics, but I'll put some up here later. In the meantime, if you check the "Show Your Roscoes," "Blue Bass," and "Purple Bass" threads, you'll find some pics there. Or for a a bunch of different views, check here:

LG-3005 with Blue Fretlines

Compare the closeup shots (where the lines are visible) to the full bass shots (where it's almost impossible to see the lines) -- keeping in mind that all these pics were taken in full sunlight where the lines have maximum visibility.

 

[NJL]

I understand that one of them was quite fond of goatbutt sandwiches.


Good enough for you, too?

pffff......goatbutt ain't anything. how about some barbacoa (with some eyeballs), lengua or tripas......also, menudo pwns goatbutt as well!

 

[Giraffe]

Not being very talented, I not only use lines all the way across, but I specify white fiber (synthetic) lines so they don't fade away (darken) like maple lines do over the years of playing and oiling. My first fretless was a Precision in the early seventies, before lines were widely available. I nearly lost my job behind that bass. When the music got hairy and I got out of position, the boss got upset, and I made myself as small as possible.

Ron Carter describes the quest for good intonation as a lifelong journey. Some guys can hit it pretty well without a crutch, but I am not one of them. As Dirty Harry Callahan once said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

Maybe think about the maple lines, knowing that you can stain or Sharpie them away when/if you get more familiar. Or those abbreviated lines look very interesting as well.

I wouldn't think you need to worry about thinking about this too much. Any time spent thinking about bass related matters is time well spent. You might want to consider how much you think about what other people think about you, or the appearance of yourself and/or your bass. Check out Dave Holland's closing comments in his interview in last month's Bass Player.

 

[Planet Boulder]

I have a fretless with lines and one without. I owned one other one that also did not have lines.

The only difference between the two for me is that, for some reason, the lines almost seem like a distraction to me. I actually almost feel more comfortable just having the dots on the side of the neck.

 

[tplyons]

I have fretlines because thats the only way MIM Jazzes come. I would prefer not to have them (as an URB player, my intonation is pretty good) and would prefer a lack of lines for cosmetics only.

Also, since wood expands and plastic doesn't, the fretlines rise and fall with my bass. Driving me nuts.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I have a fretless with lines and one without. I owned one other one that also did not have lines.

The only difference between the two for me is that, for some reason, the lines almost seem like a distraction to me. I actually almost feel more comfortable just having the dots on the side of the neck.

Again, I felt that way initially with lines. Now, the only thing that really distracts me (besides semi-naked attractive female audience members... and fire*) is side dots at EVERY position. I hate that.





*or both