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I made up my mind: I prefer lined fretless.

Personally, I'd rather do without the lines and suffer the occasional bum note.
Hey buddy, can you spare a flat 5?
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Imagine you're a shop mechanic. Maybe you've been working on cars for 50 years. Snap-On (or insert your favorite tool maker here) releases a new socket and wrench set, and they're not labelled SAE or Metric. They don't have sizes marked clearly on each individual tool and you can't quite tell a 3/8" socket from a 10mm without comparing it to some bolts you have sitting around. Sometimes you pick the wrong one and accidentally strip a very tight bolt trying to break it loose.

But don't worry, because the unmarked tools look very sleek, and in the long run they'll help you develop your sense of touch as you fiddle with sockets of various sizes trying to find the closest match! As an added benefit, your less experienced friends will be too intimidated to borrow (and subsequently lose) your tool set!
 
Jurgen here does a nice job. I really don’t think lined or unlined makes much dif if you are this good.

I play unlined ebony, for no significant reasons. The basses I like came that way.

Intonation is a life long journey and I’m into it almost 50 years on the bass. The lower the notes the harder to hear intonation. ‘Total Energy Tuner’ is a good app for learning.

 
I am so glad I bought the Glarry instead going in the deep end with a Tony Franklin. I can play unlined fretless and I can stay in tune, but frankly, I don’t need the challenge of an unlined fingerboard. Lined or not, it is very easy to go out of tune playing fretless. The lines make it much easier for me to self correct. Your mileage may vary, but I have no shame in my game:we get no bonus points for difficulty of execution, so I am happy to have the help of lines.

I'm proud of you for being honest, stupid though that sounds.

I took a long time to admit that, both to myself, and to other bassists. For some reason that I find a little offensive (still), certain people seem to feel that it requires a better ear to play in tune without fretlines... when, in fact, perfect pitch, amazing ear, incredible skills or not.... no fret lines increases your likelyhood of missing a note, particularly something that is out of the standard box shape, in a chord, in a jump, playing portrait of tracy... whatever your jive. Why would we do that to ourselves?

Well chosen, sir.

I do, also, kinda wish I had lines on my carvin, at least very faint ones.
 
if i could have afforded the process to get a fender jazz with an unlined board, i certainly would have. as it stands I got a fretless fender jazz with lines as that was what i could afford. inititally it was about how it looked. now it's about how accurately i can play and how much i love that bass!! in the end for me it's what the people are hearing from our instruments that counts the most for me. A lined neck gives me the best possiblitly of sounding my best.
 
I am so glad I bought the Glarry instead going in the deep end with a Tony Franklin. I can play unlined fretless and I can stay in tune, but frankly, I don’t need the challenge of an unlined fingerboard. Lined or not, it is very easy to go out of tune playing fretless. The lines make it much easier for me to self correct. Your mileage may vary, but I have no shame in my game:we get no bonus points for difficulty of execution, so I am happy to have the help of lines.
I’m with you Doc. I don’t have a fretless, but if I get one it will be lined. At least for the learning curve.
 
no fret lines increases your likelyhood of missing a note, particularly something that is out of the standard box shape, in a chord, in a jump,

For some reason the mad thought came in my mind what could a good six string player do on a fretless sixer. That's a whole new set of parameters.
I bought a six string fretted in a moment of insanity. Though it is truly too much bass for me in real time I was caught unaware how intuitive and "modular" if you will, playing one was.
Perhaps lines or not it would be an interesting idea for the right player.
 
I bought this in 1998, with a lined ebony board. A few years ago I had HG Thor do his magic on it.

View attachment 3946275

Wow, you can really notice that coated board! Looks awesome

I am past 5 years on the HG Thor waitlist currently :wideyed:. Mine would be over a wenge warwick board (de-fretted) so I think the coating would make a huge difference on such a porous wood