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Fretlines or not?

M

Murphys Law

May 7, 2009
288
6
Germany
#1
Hello folks!
As this is the first thread I open I'd like to say hello first. As soon as i get my camera back working there will be a few pics of my stuff to see and I will post in the "new members" board ;).

So back on topic:
I plan on going fretless!
I play bass for some... 2,5 years or so and everytime i get to play a fretless at a musicstore or at a friends place, I have a really hard time putting it down again. It's just so much fun. I want one :D
Before playing bass I played some fretless 4-string ultrashortscale acoustics which were weirdly tuned to fifths (some call them violin and viola) so the feel of a fretless board really feels like home to me and I want to get it started.

Now on to the real question:
I talked about getting a fretless bass with a friend of mine who plays bass for ages already and he said playing a fretless with fretlines would make one look ridiculous.
Is this true?

Of course I'd rather get one without fretlines but in the terms of cost and ease of play I would have started out with a "defretted" bass.
I even actually have a half finished bassneck lying around, not fretted yet though fretslots are cut and thought of using it for a fretless bass.

I'd be glad to hear some opinions on this.
Do fretlines really make you look unprofessional and wannabe?
Are they useful at all (in terms of hitting the right note)?

Thanks!
 
#2
If Jaco was a wannabe, then yes :)
Actually you shouldn't care about how it looks, get which feels the best.
Also if you have that neck I'd go for an unlined one and later I'd fit that neck to another bass and there you go, you have one from both.
BTW yes the lines get you halfway through, only have to worry about the intonation.
 
#3
They are useful when playing faster stuff, I guess. I haven't played unlined, but I know I didn't have difficulties playing slow stuff with few notes without glancing at the fingerboard, even days after picking up a fretless for the first time. Only faster, complicated stuff, like arpeggios, rehearsed solos & stuff, that you can "cut corners" on when playing a fretted, may be a little more difficult, 'cause you'll have to do the full stretch. However, I overcame this problem as well (I love playing fretless:D). The only 2 problems I have are chords, which is to be expected somehow, and learning new songs by tab, which I find kinda weird (I got to train my ear, at least). As for the usefulness, they give you a general idea of the layout when playing more difficult stuff, otherwise your experience and muscle memory do most of the job. I find them to be more of a psychological reassurance, I think I'd be lost if I'd try to improvise on an unlined, I wouldn't know where to start.

As for the looks, I think it depends on the bass. For example, I don't like the look of a bare fingerboard on Fenders and Musicmans, they look incomplete to me. Some boutique stuff may look better without lines. However, I do not associate fretlines with lack of skill, or an unprofessional attitude. On the contrary. The gear you buy reflects a lot of things about you. The bass says "I chose this tool because I want to provide you, the audience, with the best musical experience, because it allows me to perform to the best of my ability". After all, most of us make music for other people to enjoy as well, so I don't see the problem in getting the best tool for the job. Your friend was talking about unlined being unprofessional as if the whole idea in music is to compete with other players of the same instrument. It is somehow, but on a musical level, and that doesn't always depend on mad skillz and gear.
 
#7
Hi.

I haven't got a fretless, but my DB has a tape on the side with the fret positions marked out. Now that is FAR WORSE crime than a lined fretless. Don't believe me? Just visit the DB side ;).

If I ever get a fretless, or build one or a DB, it'll be lined. I suppose that makes me a wannabe wannabe :D.

Ask Yourself this. Which one is better, unlined with horrible accuracy if something goes wrong, OR a lined that can aid in the whatever difficult situations?

If You do a lot of sub gigs, low volume gigs etc. and haven't got IEM's, you can't rely on hearing what you play. A lined FB can help enormously on a situation like that.

Regards
Sam
 
#8
Heya,

just my opinion: fretless bass playing is like singing - you must practice to be in tune. There are no fretlines coming with your voice.

Ok - and my fretless Status has lines on it and this is good. There are so many occasions when I need them:
- readjust your intonation when you hear that you're going flat
- be able to tell the guitarplayer when he's outatune - because I'm already playing inbetween the lines to keep the pitch.
- helps when playing big jumps on the neck (from high register to low and vice versa)
- helps adjusting the instrument

And then, there are also issues with the lines:
- you're not guaranteed to be in pitch when playing ON the line, you still must use your ears for the finetune
- on a dark stage they're gone ...
- you just don't look cool on the stage when staring at the neck ;-)

Finally: lines do not make you look unprofessional - as said before: Jaco ... and the Gary Willis signature bass is a lined one ...
 
#10
I own Godin A4 which has fret lines just on the side of the neck, so face on, it has a “no lines” look. So, when you look down while playing, you easily see them and it helps tons.

My other bass is a de-fretted ESP which I use at the rehearsal place. I liked the idea of the Godin so much, I painted in some lines on the side edge of the fingerboard as well.

Like others have said, using your ears for intonation is likely best in the long run, the lines give you added security and a fast way to get back when things get crazy or you can’t hear yourself playing as well as you’d like.
 
#12
I do like a clean fingerboard, but having said that my defretted SUB has maple lines and looks very nice too. As fretless isn't my main bass they are also a useful quick reference if something sounds amiss. What I really don't like is dots on the fingerboard face, they just look wrong somehow, I had mine filled in with rosewood dots so they blend in. Some of the best fretless players in the world use lines and I don't think anyone would accuse them (which include Jaco) of using them as a crutch or trainer wheels. Go with what works for you, make good music and ignore the nay sayers.
 
#13
nobody knows how comfortable you are with your playing but you..do you find yourself constantly looking at your neck to see where you are ? playing fretless will always depend on feel,not looking to see your hand position...I have been playing 44 years and dont need lines.but,until you can unmistakebly play with your eyes closed,the lines would help somewhat..but the lines will never help if you dont ace every fingering...whatever neck you choose,you will need hours & hours of practice to nail it..and remember-the lines are the frets,therefore you need to play on them,not behind them...best of luck...
 
#15
No offense, but your friend's an idiot :D Get whichever one you'd prefer to be playing in the end. There are no advantages to going unlined unless you're the type of person that gets distracted by fretlines (there's been quite a few bassists that have said this on the forum. There's a bit of an advantage to fretlines as they'll give you more of a visual cue than side dots alone, which can be particularly helpful when you have a hard time hearing yourself, but that's nothing that can't be worked past if you practice a little extra with an unlined.
 
#16
Ignore the lines. Choose the bass that sounds right and if it has lines that's OK. If it doesn't have lines, that's OK too. My current fretless is unlined, but one I borrowed for a while (way back in 1987) had lines. It didn't make any difference because you play by what SOUNDS right, not what looks right. Lines may help a little way up high where the difference between an acceptable intonation to start with and just plain bad sounding is pretty small. But just play without looking and it won't make a difference.

The OP's "friend" said playing a lined fretless would look "ridiculous". That's a silly way to choose an instrument. Jaco didn't look ridiculous and his main fretless (the "Bass of Doom") had lines because it was originally fretted.

Play the bass, not the catalog.

jte
 
#19
I have had both unlined and lined. I prefer the look of the unlined, but the lines really help me stay focused. I had reservations about playing the unlined at a show, but the lined bass gives me a comfort level and keeps me in the ballpark. The lines help a lot in the higher register and also for key changes and long "jumps" like the other member said.
One of the best compliments i ever received was another bassist who asked to see my bass on break. He was surprised and said "Oh, this is a fretless!" It was a reggae show, so I wasn't looking for the expressive glissandos, tremelos and other fretless gadgets. i was just focused on my intonation, which I guess was ok.
 

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