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How many fretless basses?

#161
One, a Bass Mods K5 Pro lined fretless with Reed James pickups and it sounds great but man it is a heavy bass, it doesn't matter since I only use it a few times per set. I would like to put my hands on a Pedulla Pentabuzz 5 string fretless if I could. To be continued....
 
#162
mark beem said:
Down to one.

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Until I get my Pedulla! :bassist:

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That pedulla is gorgeous!
 
#163
I was very happy with two...

(1) Leduc U-Bass with Labella Deep Talkin Bass tapewounds for the thunky upright bass tone.
(2) Pedulla Buzz with DR MM Fat Beams for the singing, nasal, Jaco tone.

Now I'm pretty much down to just one: an Ibanez GWB-1 with DR Sunbeams. I find it covers all the bases.
 
#164
hsech said:
I just own one. A Carvin AC40F with tape wounds.
Click to expand...

If you only had one I can see how it would be a Carvin Semihollow body! I've got an AC50 and just LOVE what it does. It was my second fretless.

I can't believe how many guys just have one when there is so much difference between fretless basses. For example.

My first fretless was an Alembic Epic 6er with blank plank. It was way too much bass for me at the time but hey, I was in love! It's sort of a jazzy sort of bass so I'm not playing it much now.

Now my main fretless axe is my G&L L2500. Quite possibly the finest blues bass on the planet. Authority. Agressive tone if desired. Wide versatility. I love it. But sometimes the AC50 works too especially for more Trad blues.

And a recent "educational" project was my SX Fender clone 6 strings. I have 3 of them: fretted rounds, fretted flats and fretless. I had to do the fretless conversion myself but I love that passive Fender clone 6 string thing in fretless.

And of course I have several 5er SX Fender clone fretless "bar basses" that get used when I don't want to be paranoid all night over one of the expensive basses.

And lastly I have two fretless Wishbasses bought from TBers. Yes they are both Bass development and finishing projects as well as fretless basses for those gigs where only a really weird bass will do! And just because they are wishbasses doesn't mean they don't sound great (in their own way).
 
#166
1. '78 Fender P with J in the bridge and just recently added EQ-01 preamp, has piccolo strings right now but usually TI flats, getting ready to install a Bill Lawrence P and a Kent Armstrong lipstick
2. Frankenstein P (from the '78) with MM on bridge and cello fingerboard, passive with flats
3. Frankenstein Jazz with Kent Armstrong lipstick pups, passive with rounds, in the shop getting an old G&L preamp installed
4. Upright bass, plywood body with carved top, K&K piezo + pre, Pirastro Permanents for strings

They all sound pretty different and feel different too. My playing adjusts for each one and that makes me sound even more different from bass to bass.

I'd love to add a nice sounding and inexpensive fretless 8 but other than that I think I'm good on basses. Hmmm, maybe a short scale fretless I can make as permanent piccolo. Nah, I'm good.

Sounds of all of 'em in my sig.
 
#168
Ibanez MC-940 (ebony), Vantage VA900B (rosewood), Ibanez RS-940 (maple).

Also a Michael Kelly Dragonfly acoustic, and a defretted Gibson SB-450 (not currently in playable condition).

So that would be five. Why? Because I can. Actually, different strings, different pickups, they all sound different.

-Alex
 
#169
If you count my upright I have two..But my fretless electric is a Rob Allen Mouse 30..with a piezo pup in the bridge and volume control..that's it.. But it is one of the most amazing instruments I have ever played. The sound of this bass is truly in the hands of the player. I was the house bassist at a jazz jam last week. Three other bassist came in and played my RA Mouse. Everyone of us sounded different and drew different tones out of the same bass. But regardless of playing style the bass always sounded great!! One of the guys sitting in was Jon Lam, formerly with Duke Ellington..He even commented on how cool that little bass was!!
 
#170
Glad to see this thread still lives. I own two. There's no legitimate reason for me to GAS for anything else that's fretless. :)

2003 Rob Elrick e-volution 5 (stock)
2000 Ken Lawrence Chamberbass 5 (modded by Ken)

M. M.
 
#174
I have two one '75 with a rosewood board another parts bass with a 70's maple neck. I don't really need two but I liked the walnut '75 so much I decided to build a tribute to my late great bass teacher Joe Noto. He played a beautiful 70's sunburst maple fretless.
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JOHNNYSMOKEBuffaloNYwaterfront8-19-13102.jpg
 
#175
MM Cutlass 1 is my only fretless at the moment. It has an ebony board and is currently strung with groundwounds (but I'll probably go back to chromes). I intend to get a second fretless, just for variety, and I'm thinking either something with a maple board, or one of the Squier VM fretlesses, and stringing it with rounds.

wHXCFmu.jpg


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#177
CIJ Fender Jazz w/rosewood fingerboard and Bartolinis

My new Tony Franklin P-bass (it's become my go-to favorite)

A Warmoth with bloodwood fingerboard, Nordstrand pickups, and an Audere preamp

And finally, a 5-string Warwick Fortress with Bartolinis.

All unlined, of course! I've always been more of a J-bass guy than a P-bass one, but that Tony Franklin bass is just outstanding.
 

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