Fretted to fretless

[Juan_De_Viann]

I have a Peavey U.S. Cirrus 5 fretless that I may be parting with soon if you are interested.. I can give you more specs.. PM if you are interested..

Sorry, I live in Greece. It will cost too much for that bass to come here.

Go for an Ibanez Gary Willis 35 (the Indo replica of the impossible MIJ original masterpiece)
Why don't you give it a go?

Cheers,
Wallace

It's something about the ebonol fingerboards. I don't like the sound at all. I really prefer rosewood for a fretboard, especialy on fretless basses. Since you mentioned Gary Willis, his Japanese signature bass used to have ebony on frettboard, then ebonol and the latest version comes with Rosewood. Jaco rules! The two Pedullas have ebony on fretboard, but I still believe that a good frettless is hidden in them both!

I think the question you need to ask yourself is, which do I prefer slapping and popping on, the 5 or the 4??? And then convert the other one.
Once it's a fretless, you won't be slapping on it. So go with the one less suited to that.

Both are great Slappers!

I would disagree with your statement about needing something better. Yes, Squier's rep from the past still haunts the Squier name, but the quality is surprisingly good. I own a Squier VM V Jazz and I like the bass a lot.
I hope you're not being an elitist because you own Pedullas. I own an American Jazz and a Precison Select and the Squier may not have the badge, but it has the sound and plays nicely.
If you are on a budget, it is a great way to go. You can find used ones for abut $250 - $275.

I don't like being elitist on anything. In fact I did try the Fretless Squier with the ebonol fingerboard before I write in Talkbass. But I need a good fretless and I don't believe that the high price of boutique basses is without a reason. It has to do with perfection in sound, construction playability etc, which I always try to find in basses I own. So I don't believe that a Squier would come close to what I have in mind. If money wasn't a problem, I would choose a fender american standard V for the job though.

I played a mexican fender fretless at GC a while back and it was surprisingly better than I thought it would be. Was dirt cheap too as I recall...

I believe that a mexican with vintage 60's pickups could be a good fretless solution. But I've never seen this combination in action so I will have to think about it.

There are so many options out there for fretless that would be cheaper than having this modification done. If it is something you want to do, then by all means, but there is no reason to feel like you have to pull the frets out of one of your basses to save money. How often will you be playing fretless? If it will only be for a few songs/sessions, I would just get a Squier or MTD used. Again, if this is something you want to do, that is a different story. I know Mike Pedulla will convert it, but it won;t likely be cheap or quick.

This modification can be done from a local luthier for 180-200$. And what I get is a fretless Pedulla. I do not play it that often live (maybe 20 times per year), but when I do it's for an important artist. It needs to be done well. But I also like playing fretless at home or recordings. Some great sounds can com out of it!

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

It has to do with perfection in sound, construction playability etc, which I always try to find in basses I own. So I don't believe that a Squier would come close to what I have in mind.

Aren't we all looking for the best sound and playability? I don't know which line of Squier you tried. Mine is the VM and it is a very good bass. If you are on a tight budget, then I really don't think you can get any better for the money.

 

[Juan_De_Viann]

Aren't we all looking for the best sound and playability? I don't know which line of Squier you tried. Mine is the VM and it is a very good bass. If you are on a tight budget, then I really don't think you can get any better for the money.

I should try more Squiers then!!!

 

[twinjet]

If you've never played fretless before, use the cash to get a decent but inexpensive fretless bass (Squier, Ibanez, etc.) first to see if fretless works for you. There are plenty to choose from.

I say this because from what I've seen, about 90% of the people who do try fretless soon decide it's not for them. And of the 10% who eventually do learn to play a fretless neck, about half end up not playing one all that often.

Holy bleep, does this ever ring true. I bought a Schecter Stiletto Custom 6 bass when I was 17. Saw Steve Bailey videos and thought, "wow! Six-string fretless? Cool, maybe I should do it!".

I bought a fretless a year later and six years later, I still own it... but it sure doesn't get much play time. Ultimately, I am incredibly glad I didn't defret my bass.

 

[MVE]

Holy bleep, does this ever ring true. I bought a Schecter Stiletto Custom 6 bass when I was 17. Saw Steve Bailey videos and thought, "wow! Six-string fretless? Cool, maybe I should do it!".

I bought a fretless a year later and six years later, I still own it... but it sure doesn't get much play time. Ultimately, I am incredibly glad I didn't defret my bass.

The OP has already said he has a good deal of fretless experience.

However, regarding your issue with the neglected fretless in the corner, you should try a practice program like IReal.

It has totally transformed my fretless playing. Getting to jam along with a piano and drums at any tempo with all the chords right in front of me has been the key for me to really learn fretless.

 

[twinjet]

The OP has already said he has a good deal of fretless experience.

However, regarding your issue with the neglected fretless in the corner, you should try a practice program like IReal.

It has totally transformed my fretless playing. Getting to jam along with a piano and drums at any tempo with all the chords right in front of me has been the key for me to really learn fretless.

My fretless playing isn't bad. I play mine once in a while, just enough to stay current and not lose technique. But yes, iReal B is great. I mostly don't play fretless these days because it's kind of my problem child. Difficult to get a tone I really like and the electronics suck. I need help finding a good set of pickups for my SR305F. With a sound I really like I'm more likely to want to play mine.