I need to be a little more observant!

[Chrisk-K]

Is the OP kidding or serious? How is it possible not to have noticed the bass was fretless after playing it?

 

[Blaze Barlow]

Hold up.....you couldn’t tell that you were playing a bass that didn’t have frets?! Truly, I don’t understand how something like that is possible.

I am going to have to agree with what you say..I would have noticed it in an instant..let alone playing the instrument..

 

[Element Zero]

First of all... 20 minutes before you noticed it was fretless? Ooooookay. And second, GC coupons don’t work in USED items.

Be honest. You weren’t going to buy it anyways. You just wanted to be the cool guy on TB today.

 

[2tonic]

Unbelievable!!!!

Is that a @mellowinman softcore avatar style photo of Roy Orbison playing a P bass?

Inconceivable............

 

[DJ Bebop]

 

[equill]

Being a fretless, I still don’t understand why it would have flats on it...

They're popular with fretless players. Partly for the thuddier sound, partly for reduced finger-noise.

Fretboard wear does happen, though it's more scratching/marking than wearing grooves in the thing, but that concern isn't going away anytime soon. So that'll also be a factor - in a shop, it makes sense to me that another reason to string it with flats is to avoid people refusing to buy the floor model for concern about the fretboard being pre-worn. You can rail all you like about customers copping that attitude, but I can totally understand retailers taking a deep breath and just working with it.

 

[sharkbait130]

if you played it for 20 minutes before noticing = you probably became a fretless player....and then walked away from it!



rounds might put some 'use' marks on the fingerboard. "wear out" from rounds takes years. have you played fretless? with rounds?

Yeah , I guess "wear out" was a bit of overkill. I've played a couple of fretless basses but it's been a while and TBH I don't remember if they were rounds or flats on them. I personally can't find any advantage to a fretless for me. I both play and sing in my bands. My ears aren't good enough any more to be precise with a fretless and after 50 years of playing fretted basses , I like the "forgiveness" that they give me on stage.

 

[Mili]

But something about it felt wierd

I'm sure the Bass had same feeling about you.

 

[Frank77]

Yeah, I'm not buying it either: Even if you didn't notice the lack of frets when you saw the bass, you must've felt it when you picked it up and played the first note. 20 minutes? No way.

 

[Relsom]

I would have rejected it not because it was fretless, but because it had lines.

 

[ZAR14]

Call me cynical, but how do you play it for 20 mins and not realize it was a Fretless?

 

[micguy]

The universe us telling you that you need a fretless. If you’re comfortable enough that you don’t notice for 20 minutes, you’re a natural.

Go back. Buy it. Then put rounds on it.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

I'm right there with you.

A bass player would have to be legally blind or wearing welding gloves for that to happen.

Speaking as someone who is actually legally blind, there is no way this would happen to me.

 

[nilorius]

How could you play it for 20 min. and didn't understood it was fretless ??? I could say fretless/fretted from 10m looking.

 

[rashrader]

That must’ve been 20 minutes of the most horribly intonated fretless playing ever... Your ears must be in need of some serious cleaning. Lol.

 

[4sight]

Very odd thread... I find it very hard to believe unless you were drunk. Drunk and wearing gloves. And legally blind. Blind drunk?

 

[soulstew]

Just to be clear, for those unfamiliar with the "spoof" video genre, the audio on this is actually NOT Jaco, it's a spoof. Hate to ruin the joke, but I also hate to give fuel to fresh army of Jaco haters.

I have to admit, though, that it is pretty well done, and very funny.

 

[Rib 13]

Still, I will always use rounds on my Fretless...always...

Ive heard other TBers say this recently...however, in the past 30 years, thats the only other time I ever heard of rounds on a fretless as a norm...maybe its a newer trend? <shrug>

 

[JRA]

i think some of you skeptics are being too hard on the OP. if the neck was right and the piece 'felt great' = i can see/imagine getting lost in the moment without regard to any version of 'fretless fear/avoidance'. i've picked up certain fretted instruments and had a wonderful time...for a few moments. i knew they were fretted, but they felt so good that it didn't matter...until it did!

 

[Sbassman Scratch]

I'm sure he would have noticed sooner if it had rounds instead of flats.