Allow me to apply the following TB fallacy.
"If I don't need to use it, nobody else does either."
"If I don't need to use it, nobody else does either."
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But how famous is the song you wrote?
I cannot think of any famous song that requires the 24th fret G note.
I rarely go above the 17th fret, but I like having 24, anyway. Just in case. You know... maybe I will want to play a lead some crazy night...
Not really famous at all, however that fact is relevant to this discussion whatsoever.
I mean the band I played in did play at the biggest rock festival in Scandinavia, but I had left the band at that point and they didn't use my solo to my knowledge.
Does it matter though if it is famous or not?
Is it suddenly less important to play a song in your set the way it is supposed to because it is less famous?
To me that's pretty odd logics, if you can even talk about it being logical at all.
Also not everyone play covers either, where do you think the guys who do play covers get the songs they play from?
Right! From guys that write and play originals.
You might not find the use of more than 20 frets on bass in by far the most pop music, but since when was pop music any measure of quality anyway.
I'd imagine there would be some jazz tunes out there however that would utilize notes above the 20th fret.
And before you twist my words into me having stated that using notes above that 20th fret is a sign a quality, I never said that, I just said that for some songs it would indeed be needed.
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You need 6 frets for that. Otherwise you're missing Eb.
I've gigged on 2 string. It's fun.
I've got 26.. so I can't chime in.
If you're getting paid to play music "note for note", then you need a tool that will allow that to happen. If you are allowed a bit more latitude, then you need a tool that will allow that to happen.
Don't think I can tell another player whether or not they need 24 frets. I can say that for some songs I play I absolutely use the upper register if I have it - and I typically do as my main instrument is 24 fret.
I can ignore the upper 3 frets on a 24-fret bass, I can't play a high G on a 20-fret bass. I'd rather have the option than drop down an octave. Ymmv.
Don't think I can tell another player whether or not they need 24 frets. I can say that for some songs I play I absolutely use the upper register if I have it - and I typically do as my main instrument is 24 fret.
I can ignore the upper 3 frets on a 24-fret bass, I can't play a high G on a 20-fret bass. I'd rather have the option than drop down an octave. Ymmv.
The most important thing is knowledge of the fingerboard and knowledge of theory. Lots of great players have done great things with twenty frets. Twenty-four frets is great, but not necessary.
I am sure that Marcus Miller and Jaco were not inhibited by mere twenty fret Jazz Basses and Stanley Clarke was impressing people on Fenders and Rickenbackers before he got his twenty-four fret Alembic.
i have mostly 24 fret basses over many decades ... why .? i thought i might need those couple extra high notes once in a while ..! whoopy ..!!! beware , as my current 24 fret Warmoth neck ... it has a 24 fret fretboard stuck on a regular neck and bass ... so the treble side upper body scoop does Not give me the needed easy access to my last couple frets ..! and that's on my 5ver , strung E-C ...
How important is it to have frets.....
Not important at all if you happen to play music that calls for a fretless bass and never for a fretted.
My sole bass for about a decade was a Chinese jazz clone with one extra fret than the standard Fender 20. I kinda missed that extra fret for awhile when I moved to “the real deal” but don’t miss it too often. I find the frets up there to be rather cramped together and not easy to play even with my average at best sized hands, so I don’t spend a lot of time past the 12th fret.
That's really nice. Rondo used to have a 35" 4 string neck-through Brice that I really should have moved on.
