Killing it with only a Fretless Mexican Jazz?

[meldrumandbass]

New member to the Talk Bass community (although I have been a lurker for years). I was wondering if anyone else here plays fretless almost exclusively? I literally own one bass guitar (MIM Fretless Jazz) and my upright. I kind of think the only thing I can't do on my fretless is slap. Of course anyone can slap on a fretless, but as Marcus Miller has stated, fretted basses have that metallic "ring". And I agree.

I play mostly finger-funk, soul/r&b jazz and some 80s new-wavish style rock. I have lately been thinking of getting a Sire V7 4 string or I thought of getting a Sterling Sub 4 either would mainly be used for slap, which I don't do much of right now.

I am just wondering if any one has thoughts on this?

 

[FRoss6788]

Nothing at all wrong with the MIM jazz.
If you found a nice one, they're likely better than the Sire or SBMM Sub, IMHO.

 

[MonetBass]

There are a few people on here who exclusively play fretless; hopefully they'll chime in. Me, ever since I got my Cort fretless, I tend to play it more than my fretted bass (Fender Jazz). Yeah, you can definitely cover just about any ground using a fretless. Do it!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

New member to the Talk Bass community (although I have been a lurker for years). I was wondering if anyone else here plays fretless almost exclusively? I literally own one bass guitar (MIM Fretless Jazz) and my upright. I kind of think the only thing I can't do on my fretless is slap. Of course anyone can slap on a fretless, but as Marcus Miller has stated, fretted basses have that metallic "ring". And I agree.

I play mostly finger-funk, soul/r&b jazz and some 80s new-wavish style rock. I have lately been thinking of getting a Sire V7 4 string or I thought of getting a Sterling Sub 4 either would mainly be used for slap, which I don't do much of right now.

I am just wondering if any one has thoughts on this?

All of the basses you mentioned would be fine for slap. Go for it!

 

[Real Soon]

Yeah I was gonna say, Les Claypool didn't let that stop him heh

If you want that modern punchy sound for slap among other things, you're already on the right track. I'd throw some Ibanez SR series instruments into the ring too; a well-setup SDGR can have strings a flea's butthair from the frets.

 

[Inara]

99+% fretless player here. My main bass is a parts bass I put together, a Warmoth roasted maple and unlined ebony jazz neck, Squier PJ body, DiMarzio Model PJ pickups, and Hipshot Ultralight tuners with eXtender. I don't currently own a working fretted bass, but am thinking of getting one for a couple of solo chordal and tapping pieces I originally wrote on fretted.

 

[4stringfarley]

Been using a fretless Jazz exclusively for a while. Had a G&L L-2500 for a bit that I sold because I hated the frets. Currently awaiting my 5 string fretless to arrive from Germany. I'm a rock / Metal player, everyone tells me a I need a fretted bass with round wounds for that genre, then turn around and tell me they love my tone.

 

[JRA]

I was wondering if anyone else here plays fretless almost exclusively?

there are a bunch of us that play fretless exclusively, and the number grows exponentially every day! ok, the last part may be inaccurate.

I am just wondering if any one has thoughts on this?

i agree with you and marcus: if you're gonna slap = need frets for the best experience/effect!

any of your "slap" choices work. have fun while you abandon 'borderless playing' for the fences we eschew!

 

[equill]

Fretless-only player here - BG and EUB.
Largely fretless on guitar, too, as slide's been dominating my 6-string time. Apparently frets just don't do it for me

Thoughts: if your bass works for you, it's the right one.
No opinion about which one's suitable for slap, though, as I don't do that myself.

 

[4stringfarley]

Fretless-only player here - BG and EUB.
Largely fretless on guitar, too, as slide's been dominating my 6-string time. Apparently frets just don't do it for me

Somehow Bumblefoot as been popping up in my recommended feeds lately, I now want a fretless 6 string piccolo bass in my collection.

 

[luciens]

Fretless only for about 20 years, tho I finally bought an L2000 fretted bass last year. I no longer gig or even record, tho, so I'm technically not even an amateur player anymore.

There isn't much you can do on the fretted that you can't do on the FL, except maybe zip around up past the 12th fret area without sounding like a dying cat. A fretted player can sound decent up there right away, but an FL player can take quite a while to not sound awful.

and if you play a lined instrument, that's a lot easier.

So there are very few downsides to exclusively FL, except instrument selection and resale value.

As for slap, I can't play that style at all, so the fretted doesn't offer me that particular advantage. It is nice to be spot on on each note with the fretted bass, so there's that.

L

 

[Killing Floor]

Not exclusive but I've been playing fretless since the 80s so I'm at least engaged if not married to it. I also play fretted so maybe I can't commit.
You can slap technically, maybe better (my opinion) with certain strings but it is surely not the sound that most of us associate with slap. Likewise, fretless has a few strengths too. Nothing wrong with playing only one bass especially if you compensate by buying lots of pedals! The last couple MiM fretlesses I've played have been great and there's a used one locally I have been trying to talk myself out of buying.
Welcome to TB and let any of us know if you need advice spending money on gear.
Embrace the mwah.

Insert some comment about Jaco needing or not needing something.

 

[ItsmeSantiago]

I played fretless 95% of the time for about two years. Loved it and didn't feel the need to play anything else. That 5% was for recording purposes. My issue was I lost stage presence and I got tired of focusing on technique and wanted to chill and engage with people more.

 

[arbiterusa]

I was wondering if anyone else here plays fretless almost exclusively?

Been doing so for over 35 years. This year I bought the first fretted bass I've had since 1986. I don't like flats on fretless but it turns out they sound real nice on a fretted bass. It's a nice diversion.

As for work, I have yet to run into a gig where I needed a fretted bass.

If I needed to slap for a gig, I'd bring one of my ebony/ebonol fingerboard basses. Those work fine. Most of the time I use my rosewood fingerboard basses. I rarely slap; truth is I'm good enough at it for the few times I've had to do it, but I'm no Claypool or Wooten. Not even close!

 

[Dana R Gregory]

You can definitely slap a fretless. There is a 1984 video on YouTube of Gary Numan playing live in London and his bass player is playing a fretless bass. If you watch the video you will see him slap on several tunes with no problems. I just returned to bass after a 15 month hiatus due to tendonitis and arthritis in my fingers and hands. I just got a Squier Classic Vibe 60s Fretless Jazz Bass. I can get a nice bright sound out of the chromes mounted on it or a nice fat vintage sound for Raggae and Motown if needed. I have been wanting a fretless for a long time and now is the time. I have no problem hitting the notes as I have played fretless an upright in the past. I plan to purchase either a Fender Rumble 200 or a 500 combo in a few weeks as funds permit.

This is my "Jaco" bass.

 

[meldrumandbass]

Been doing so for over 35 years. This year I bought the first fretted bass I've had since 1986. I don't like flats on fretless but it turns out they sound real nice on a fretted bass. It's a nice diversion.

As for work, I have yet to run into a gig where I needed a fretted bass.

If I needed to slap for a gig, I'd bring one of my ebony/ebonol fingerboard basses. Those work fine. Most of the time I use my rosewood fingerboard basses. I rarely slap; truth is I'm good enough at it for the few times I've had to do it, but I'm no Claypool or Wooten. Not even close!

I don't like flats on fretless but it turns out they sound real nice on a fretted bass. It's a nice diversion.--Me either! I don't like flats on only bass, not counting my upright. DR Highbeams or Rotosounds on my fretless.

 

[meldrumandbass]

You can definitely slap a fretless. There is a 1984 video on YouTube of Gary Numan playing live in London and his bass player is playing a fretless bass. If you watch the video you will see him slap on several tunes with no problems. I just returned to bass after a 15 month hiatus due to tendonitis and arthritis in my fingers and hands. I just got a Squier Classic Vibe 60s Fretless Jazz Bass. I can get a nice bright sound out of the chromes mounted on it or a nice fat vintage sound for Raggae and Motown if needed. I have been wanting a fretless for a long time and now is the time. I have no problem hitting the notes as I have played fretless an upright in the past. I plan to purchase either a Fender Rumble 200 or a 500 combo in a few weeks as funds permit.

View attachment 4283727

This is my "Jaco" bass.

I love it Mine is a similar look. I wonder if Gary Numan's bassist was Pino Pallandino? Pino slaps his fretless on Paul Young's "Stay for Good" and at least one Numan song that I can't recall the title to.

 

[CaptainWally]

80s new-wavish style rock : This is my wheelhouse, so I'm interested. Are these your own originals, or are you covering songs, as well? If the latter, while there is plenty of material that incorporates fretless into the music, e.g. Paul Young, Japan, Roxy Music, etc., my experience is that most of it is much better suited for fretted. Curious to know about your experiences.

 

[SteveCS]

I love it Mine is a similar look. I wonder if Gary Numan's bassist was Pino Pallandino? Pino slaps his fretless on Paul Young's "Stay for Good" and at least one Numan song that I can't recall the title to.

White Boys and Heroes.

 

[SteveCS]

...
...I was wondering if anyone else here plays fretless almost exclusively?
...

Pretty much, since mid '80s:

Technically this one belongs to my daughter, but I get my mitts on it when she's not around: