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I've Got the Fretless BUG!!!!

CTC564

CTC564

Supporting Member
Mar 7, 2011
2,431
503
Toms River,NJ
#1
Not much experience with a fretless bass but I'm really GASSING for one now....and I can't make up my mind between a Lakland Skyline 5502 with a lined rosewood fretboard or a Musicman Stingray 4 string with a lined Pau Ferro fretboard...

Any thoughts, opinions or experiences????

Thanks in advance....:D
 
#2
Pau Ferro and rosewood are fairly similar woods.

The two basses you're considering are both great instruments, and have different scale lengths and different number of strings. Figure out your answer to those 2 questions (34" or 35"? 4 or 5 strings?) and you'll have your answer.
 
#4
I've liked pau ferro boards, and rosewood boards, on fretless basses. Had a pau ferro board on a Jaco sig fretless I owned briefly.

But i really love the tone and action I get with the ebony board on my Fender Tony Franklin fretless P. Miles of mwah, and a fat sound - a highly recommended 4-string fretless (and I just came across one on the Guitar Center used site - for a very good price; that's where I found mine two years ago, and it was practically brand new - used for a couple weeks and returned by someone)

For (much) tighter string spacing, on a five-string, I'd recommend the Ibanez Gary Willis sig. It's super light, too. Haven't tried a bunch of them, though, so I don't have a lot of thoughts on comparison.

I have played the Lakland 5502 fretted, and that is a killer bass - fit, finish, playability, tone, everything. Tight (not floppy) B string.

Same goes for the Stingray fretted, which was my main bass for 20 years before I switched to Laklands. Can't really go wrong with Musicman.

Once you make the switch, give yourself time - plenty of time - to adjust to the realities of fretless playing. Takes a while to get the intonation/feel right. Won't happen overnight.

Also, I'd vote for unlined - but that's a whole other topic (and subject of multiple threads and virtual fistfights)
 
#5
Thanks...I have a fretted Lakland 55-94 (avatar pic) so I'm pretty used to the 35" scale...just not sure I'll need a 5-string for a "recreational" fretless :-)

Btw, very nice playing on your Soundcloud link...and if I get good with a fretless, I hope to graduate to a Zon...
 
#7
Tampabass said:
I've liked pau ferro boards, and rosewood boards, on fretless basses. Had a pau ferro board on a Jaco sig fretless I owned briefly.

But i really love the tone and action I get with the ebony board on my Fender Tony Franklin fretless P. Miles of mwah, and a fat sound - a highly recommended 4-string fretless (and I just came across one on the Guitar Center used site - for a very good price; that's where I found mine, and it practically brand new - used for a couple weeks and returned by someone)

For (much) tighter string spacing, on a five-string, I'd recommend the Ibanez Gary Willis sig. It's super light, too. Haven't tried a bunch of them, though, so I don't have a lot of thoughts on comparison.

I have played the Lakland 5502 fretted, and that is a killer bass - fit, finish, playability, tone, everything. Tight (not floppy) B string.

Same goes for the Stingray fretted, which was my main bass for 20 years before I switched to Laklands. Can't really go wrong with Musicman.

Once you make the switch, give yourself time - plenty of time - to adjust to the realities of fretless playing. Takes a while to get the intonation/feel right. Won't happen overnight.

Also, I'd vote for unlined - but that's a whole other topic (and subject of multiple threads and virtual fistfights)
Click to expand...

The Tony Franklin model was very appealing to me...especially because of the ebony board...but I bought an unlined G&L L2000 about 20 years ago and just could not play it...
 
#10
well, there are lots of thoughts about lined vs unlined. I'll just say that you might find that you could adjust to unlined better and more quickly than you think. Good luck with your search. I'd like to try a Zon fretless one day, and a Pentabuzz, as well. Just haven't had the chance.
 
#12
Tampabass said:
well, there are lots of thoughts about lined vs unlined. I'll just say that you might find that you could adjust to lined better and more quickly than you think. Good luck with your search. I'd like to try a Zon fretless one day, and a Pentabuzz, as well. Just haven't had the chance.
Click to expand...

Thanks...I'll agree, it seems as if the Zon and the Pentabuzz are the "holy grail" of fretless basses
 
#14
Pau Ferro is a much denser wood than rosewood, a factor you want to consider if you're going to use roundwound strings. I would describe the sound as being closer to ebony than rosewood, you get some nice highs and just the right amount of warmth. Also, if you're going for that "mwah" tone, you get more of it with pau ferro than rosewood.
 
#16
CTC564 said:
Not much experience with a fretless bass but I'm really GASSING for one now....and I can't make up my mind between a Lakland Skyline 5502 with a lined rosewood fretboard or a Musicman Stingray 4 string with a lined Pau Ferro fretboard...

Any thoughts, opinions or experiences????

Thanks in advance....:D
Click to expand...

My opinion is it's not wise to go for your idea of the "ultimate" fretless bass before you rack up some experience time on fretless. (unless you've got money to burn, of course) And I would not recommend a lined neck for such an "ultimate" bass. It's a bit of a help at first, but later on you'll wish you didn't have the lines so the bass has "the look". And finally I'll say that I've got a couple of rosewood fretless fingerboards, and they are OK, but I much prefer ebony. It looks great, plays great, wears a long time, and sounds great. Softer fingerboards do tend to wear and really get chewed with round wounds. Not that you can't get it planed for a few bucks every now and then, but it's a consideration.

I guess this is one of those "do as I say, not as I do" things since my first fretless was a Carvin AC50 lined neck in ebony for over a grand. Love the ebony, but now I wish it was unlined. I would have done better to start learning with something lined and a bit more "entry" and then went for the unlined big stuff once I had a feel for what was "me".
 

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