I need to be a little more observant!

[Hues]

.....Not that I need another bass, but it never hurts to look,right?.....

That's how they get you.

 

[nathan swann]

I was in GC today, killing time while the wife shopped next door. Not that I need another bass, but it never hurts to look right? That and the fact it was the last day to use a 16% off coupon...

So I'm browsing, and noticed a Spector Legend Classic 5 string in the used section. Got it down and played it. Boy, was it out of tune. So I got out my phone and used the tuner on it. Sounded better but still kinda weird. I kept noodling around. It was nice. And with the coupon, the price was right. I was considering trying to talk the Mrs into getting it. But something about it felt wierd. I couldn't understand why it would have flats on it. I'm not a fan of flats, but those could be changed.

Then it hit me! It was a fretless! I had been playing it for about twenty minutes before I noticed! That was a deal breaker, but it was a nice bass...
View attachment 3250723

BnB

Looks nice man. Sounds like a tight bass...I couldn't imagine a fretless with roundwound strings, but nice bass...

 

[nathan swann]

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

I agree. Frets are impossible to miss...

 

[petrus61]

It doesn't matter how basses look. A fretless sounds and feels dramatically different from the first note you play on it.

I hope anyone who takes more than 2 seconds (of playing) to tell the difference doesn't have a drivers license. That lack of awareness is dangerous.

“I didn’t realize they were traffic lights until I blew through the third one, officer. By then, it was too late I guess.”

 

[lz4005]

...I couldn't imagine a fretless with roundwound strings....

If you've ever listened to Jaco, Michael Manring, Mick Karn, Victor Wooten, Tony Franklin, Flea or Pino Palladino play fretless you can imagine one with rounds.

 

[hintz]

Thanks, that made my day!! LOL

 

[arbiterusa]

Flats are a whole lot easier on a fretless neck than rounds are. Rounds tend to wear out the wood on the neck faster.

People say this, but it’s just not so. I’ve been playing rounds on my fretlesses all my life. There’s marks, but nothing that could remotely be considered neck wear.

 

[pcake]

same thing happened to me years ago at the hollywood carvin store. i kept tuning it, wondering if the intonation was off and often it sounded fine. took me easily half an hour to realize that being said, it was the first time i ever played a fretless...

 

[DJ Bebop]

People say this, but it’s just not so. I’ve been playing rounds on my fretlesses all my life. There’s marks, but nothing that could remotely be considered neck wear.

Me too! I've got a '62 P bass that I defretted back in da '70s (yes the Jaco thang but I used a fret puller) and I've played rounds on an untreated rosewood board since then. It shows a little making but not what one would think after all this time

 

[DJ Bebop]

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

THIS:

On my way to GC...

 

[chadds]

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.

It’s hilarious! It’s sooooo bad.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Looks nice man. Sounds like a tight bass...I couldn't imagine a fretless with roundwound strings, but nice bass...

 

[lz4005]

People say this, but it’s just not so. I’ve been playing rounds on my fretlesses all my life. There’s marks, but nothing that could remotely be considered neck wear.

That means you have good technique. Using flats to have less board wear is for those who don't know what they're doing, or are scared of normal wear. Makes as little sense as people who use flats to get rid of string squeak, instead of learning how to play correctly.

Flats as a tone consideration is a different thing entirely. I have flats on a couple of piezo bridge fretless basses and they sound great. Rounds and pressurewounds on other fretless basses also sound great. Different, but great.

All that said, it is possible to do a lot of damage to a fretless fingerboard by having a left hand death grip, slapping and/or doing perpendicular vibrato. I saw a used fretless on consignment once that had ruts in the board that were deeper than the strings were thick. It was amazing that someone could have played it that roughly that long. They were literally all the way through the board in some spots, so the the maple of the neck underneath showed through.

That's the only one I've seen anywhere nearly that bad in 30+ years of playing, though.

 

[DJ Bebop]

yeah, my fretlesses have visible marks, too. big whup!

curious: how long did you play your ax with rounds before you switched strings?

That maple board is a different thing especially if it has a gloss finish on it as a lot of maple boards do.
Yep rounds will dig into a gloss finish. If it's bare wood not so much but maple is softer, I think...

 

[Chrisk-K]

Jaco cheated because he played a lined fretless!

 

[DJ Bebop]

Jaco cheated because he played a lined fretless!

 

[Stranger Danger]

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

Good thing they make all kinds of strings for all kinds of folks otherwise we’d all be stuck like that

 

[Stranger Danger]

I’ll do you one better, I use Tapes (Labela White Nylon) on my Fretless (that I basically never play. But the board is immaculate).

La Bella Tapes are the bomb dot com.

 

[DJ Bebop]

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.

No, that was me, in a Guitar Center, playing a bass I didn't know that was fretless for 20 minutes...

 

[soulstew]

No, that was me, in a Guitar Center playing a bass I didn't know that was fretless for 20 minutes...

I just had a break between meetings and watched the whole thing. Tears running down my face, I was laughing so hard.