I almost never play fretted. Slap tone is the only advantage of frets to me. If you play with loud guitars or drums it gives you a little help playing in tune when you can't hear yourself very well.
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Help me love frets..
- Thread starter MuseChaser
- Start date
One thing I'll throw in here that hasn't been mentioned yet: It's possible to get a really good vibrato on a fretted bass, but the technique involved is very different than what you'd use to get a vibrato on any of the violin family of instruments. And therefore it's probably quite different than what you're used to using on a fretless bass.
I have never played fretless but I would just like to say that some frets are different.
I love the tiny vintage style fret wire of my old CiC Squier CV60, which is different than what they put today on it and very different than the big jumbo ones.
Feeling might suit you better
I love the tiny vintage style fret wire of my old CiC Squier CV60, which is different than what they put today on it and very different than the big jumbo ones.
Feeling might suit you better
I've played fretless for over 40 years now. Since I'm not really fond of slap, it has served me well. Like others have said, I feel fretless gives me more nuances in my playing. Fretless can be a challenge on reading gigs, but it is definitely doable.
I play both fretted and and fretless on gigs, depending on the situation. However, I really prefer fretless. It did take me quite sometime to get over the "that sounds like Jaco" thing, but eventually I said screw it. My bandmates prefer it when I play fretless.
With all that being said, short scale fretted basses and tape wounds have given me a new perspective on playing fretted basses. Now, I'm really loving both!
I play both fretted and and fretless on gigs, depending on the situation. However, I really prefer fretless. It did take me quite sometime to get over the "that sounds like Jaco" thing, but eventually I said screw it. My bandmates prefer it when I play fretless.
With all that being said, short scale fretted basses and tape wounds have given me a new perspective on playing fretted basses. Now, I'm really loving both!
Also, what about chords? Just one thing of many that distinguishes fretted from fretless basses.
Like you I have played almost exclusively fretless since mis '80s. For a few years in between I've had a fretted bass on hand but they never got much use. Fender USA Jazz from '85 - '86 then a Squier JV Precision '88-91, but it was never really my thing. You say you are missing something with the fretted bass, and I get that - I always felt the same way, so they got little use and didn't stick around too long. Then in 2015 I got my 3rd fretted bass, an SBMM Ray34, and I have to admit that I really love it and it now gets close to equal playtime.
It is different, and I try to see it as that rather than lacking or missing something. There are certain things for which fretless isn't always the right tool. Yes it's always 'in tune' (give or take), but that's not a big draw if you have good intonation - given your background I suspect you don't struggle in that regard. There can be a piano-like quality to the notes. Something about the crisp attack, ringing sustain and pitch stability bring dimensions that fretless can't quite match. It is a different type of flexibility and expression. In the upper registers you can get more into guitar language where glissing over frets and certain ornaments - trills, turns and the like - really shine compared to fretless. This is especially the case if you have a classical dimension to your playing, which again I suspect you might.
To finish, I think a good setup and the right string choice are crucial. Mine is very low and I use medium-light (40-100) stainless rounds - flats do nothing for me as they have none of those piano-like note qualities I look for*. I also like to have just a little bit of fret 'clank' on hand, but for the most part I keep in clean with a light touch. As with all things bass, a poor setup can really scupper any attempts at 'finding your voice' and getting the best from an instrument.
It can be a difficult transition, but stick with it as (and it still pains me a little to say so) there are rich rewards.
YMMV
* That said, I recently added a (fretted) Hofner with black tapes to my line-up, which brings yet another dimension of warm fat 'gooeyness' that only a Hof can do. I still getting my head around it but again it's just just different, not lacking or bad in any way. Instruments like that certainly change the way you think!! I can't help thinking what a fretless Hof might be like ... Oh the rabbit holes ...
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I played a fretless the other day for the first time in donkey's years and it was great fun. And whilst I'm not a huge fan of active fretted basses I love the plethora active fretless sounds out there (with a particular soft spot of fretless Stingrays). 99% of the time I play my fretted Precision but if I had a fretless that percentage would certainly shrink.
I don't know how to help you love frets though,even though they do some cool things you can do different cool stuff on a fretless and as long as it sounds good and cool most audiences wouldn't care in the slightest, I suspect. Personally, I would enjoy it either way.
I don't know how to help you love frets though,even though they do some cool things you can do different cool stuff on a fretless and as long as it sounds good and cool most audiences wouldn't care in the slightest, I suspect. Personally, I would enjoy it either way.
I feel about frets the way Quigley felt about handguns: "Said I didn't have any use for'em; never said I didn't know how to use them."
Technically you can play fast chords, arpeggios and lines precisely, even at upper register without being a virtuoso. Even most "pro" fretless users don't sound that precise in upper register and most don't even dare 3 or + note chords, 3-4 string arpeggios in upper register, but It's relatively easy for a mediocre fretted player, everyday occurrence.
I loved playing FRETLESS, but when I had to take on a lot more singing responsibility. It became a chore to keep intonation and vocal pitch in line. Do you what you like. I just explained why I had to stop fretless.
I actually took the opposite path than you. Learned to play on fretted bass (and acoustic guitar) about 46 years ago, and only "just" took up the fretless bass about 8 years ago.
Yes, fretless is more expressive and that's why I enjoy it so much. But... I cannot get the metal-on-metal clank of strings and frets on a fretless bass. So my answer to your question is all about tone - there is a sound I can only get on fretless, and a sound I can only get on fretted, and that's why I own/play both.
No pluses, homie. They exist because of folks like us to have a hard time playing fretless. Unless you like the sound or the feel of fretted instruments I would say there’s no obligation to use them. Especially if you’re a good fretless player.
Two different sounds. You really can't make a fretted bass sound fretless and you can't make a fretless bass sound fretted. I play both and don't care to only ever play one or the other. For a lot of the blues, R&B, soul work I do I want that gritty growl that you can only get from frets.
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ABsolutely. And that's why I don't do vibrato on fretted basses because I don't want to develop that as a habit that transfers to my fretless, DB, or EUB. I learned on a DB, and only play fretted basses because the band prefers the "tone". They're hard-core wanna-be rockers, and only hear "edgy" tones in their heads. At home, I play my fretless basses, because I find them more fun, and I need to keep up the hand-position practice.
But as others have said, it's all a matter of what you prefer, and what fits the music. Fret-less vs fretted is really not an argument over what's "best". They're completely different instruments.
Oh yeah, about different instruments: I just got myself a cello. Something
totally different than what I've been playing. I wonder what the band will think about it . . .
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IME that is unlikely to happen. I now find switching between the two has become quite natural with no detrimental 'artefacts' crossing over. The strings on frets have a totally different feel under the fingers and that drives an 'autopilot' modification to technique - bending and wrist vibrato feel natural on frets but I never find myself doing that once the frets are gone. Maybe that's from years of only playing fretless. One thing that does transfer from fretless to fretted is the rolling 'fretless' vibrato, which can impart a nice subtle sweetening to fretted notes - with the right pressures and motion it is even possible to move ± around the pitch and not just go # in the 'usual' style. I wouldn't say it's enough to go all 'barbershop' with intonation, but it can be enough to really 'lift' a note - Jeff Berlin is a master of this.
YMMV
Edit - good luck with the 'cello
