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Fretted Vs Fretless

Fretted Or Fretless?

  • Fretted

    Votes: 102 45.9%

  • Fretless

    Votes: 53 23.9%

  • Both

    Votes: 66 29.7%

  • Neither

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • Total voters
    222
#2
Different animals... should've been a "Both" option.

Anyhow, fretless has a very distinct sound to it and (possibly because I'm not primarily a fretless player) I don't often hear a song where fretless trumps any fretted bass. But when I do hear that song, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, it's fretless or bust.

I wanna say fretless doesn't fit as well into harder styles like metal, but Tony Franklin already showed me that's not true.
 
#8
I've been playing nothing but fretless for the past 20 years, in a lot of different music styles. I don't think most musicians or the audience even realise my bass is different from most. I can make it sound fretted or fretless if I want to. Only real handicap is slapping. An occasional pop or slap is ok, but I cant get full on slapping to work.
 
#12
I play both, I bought my first fretless a week ago. I think I'll use it mostly on our quieter songs, and fretted on the harder stuff and for slap. I feel that my fretless fills up way more room in a song, but always in a good way. With fretless I don't feel the need to use all sorts of fills like counterrythms (?) and stuff, I find it a lot more expressive.

Pro's of fretless? Listen to Astral Weeks by Van Morisson (with an upright) or Belly of the Sun by Cassandra Wilson (electric and upright fretless) and I think you'll never ask that question again :D .
 
#13
Matthijs said:
I've been playing nothing but fretless for the past 20 years, in a lot of different music styles. I don't think most musicians or the audience even realise my bass is different from most. I can make it sound fretted or fretless if I want to. Only real handicap is slapping. An occasional pop or slap is ok, but I cant get full on slapping to work.
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Same here on the slapping/popping, though it's been more like nine years for me. I have no problem playing fretless in aggressive genres - with the right wood choices, technique and rig settings I can do a lot more than just sound like a mwah machine. Clear extended response, and snarly and nasty all live here too.
 
#16
Bard2dbone said:
Definitely both. If I had to HAD to pick one, I prefer my fretless. The band usually asks for fretted. When I record, I often use the fretless and tell them it's the fretted. They haven't fussed yet.
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That's fun at gigs too. I've sure fooled audiences and substitutes on the bandstand (those lines look like frets with a bit of distance). Then after a few numbers I like to whip out a few fretlessisms - glisses, sliding harmonic at the end of a section, etc. Great chortles ; }
 
#18
Scottgun said:
A fretless can sound like a fretted (even slap/pop)
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Well, I can get more like a Me'shell slap sound - or another one I think is brightly percussive when I'm dialed in for that. But as soon as I plug in the Knuckle Quake it becomes obvious that there are can be some differences when frets are involved ; }
 
#19
Well, I'm not going to vote cause I've never really tried a fretless before, though I am intrigued. There really isn't any pros or cons to a fretless bass. I guess the only con would be having to learn how to fret certain notes again, especially with unlined. Actually with lined it shouldn't even be too tough. The pros would be probably no more fretbuzz or action problems anymore really, and a nice warm tone.
 
#20
greenboy said:
Well, I can get more like a Me'shell slap sound - or another one I think is brightly percussive when I'm dialed in for that. But as soon as I plug in the Knuckle Quake it becomes obvious that there are can be some differences when frets are involved ; }
Click to expand...

I agree. I was speaking to the idea that a fretless imo is more versatile.
 

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