Killing it with only a Fretless Mexican Jazz?

[Rod Barchetta]

I played this at the gig last night. Was going to swap over to fretted for a couple songs where I usually use slap technique. I got lazy and played everything on the fretless, and was amazed and how good the slap sound was, especially considering it is strung with flats. I now feel as though I don't need to bring the fretted to the gig and I am not compromising anything. If I had just followed accepted convention I never would have tried it.

I should note that the bass is strung with Ernie Ball Cobalts, which are quite a bit brighter sounding than most flatwounds.


View attachment 4285306

And you have the EMG pick ups, which are much better for slap technique tone IMO.

I slap my fretless from time to time, but it has a set of Fender flats on it and it sounds less then acceptable.

I have a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on one of my fretted bass guitars and they can be incredibly bright when I need them to be. I'm getting a set for my fretless today. Thanks for the tip!

 

[SteveCS]

I played this at the gig last night. ...

I should note that the bass is strung with Ernie Ball Cobalts, which are quite a bit brighter sounding than most flatwounds.

View attachment 4285306

How long have your Cobalt flats been on? I've had a set on my fretless StingRay for about 6 months now and they are really maturing nicely.

 

[CaptainWally]

Hey, fretless aficionados! Question -- seems like the new Stingray Specials would be ideal for fretless, as they now offer an ebony board on some versions. But I don't see any traces of such a specimen.

Insights?

 

[SteveCS]

Hey, fretless aficionados! Question -- seems like the new Stingray Specials would be ideal for fretless, as they now offer an ebony board on some versions. But I don't see any traces of such a specimen.

Insights?

There was a limited edition BFR, but that's it.

 

[Rod Barchetta]

How long have your Cobalt flats been on? I've had a set on my fretless StingRay for about 6 months now and they are really maturing nicely.

I have had them on my 4-string fretted bass for over 6 months and they sound virtually the same and stay in tune with only the minor expected occasional adjustments. I will be buying these from now on for all my flat string basses.

In the spirit of complete transparency, I did have a problem with one of the strings when I first put them on. There was an imperfection in the windings one of the strings, but Ernie Ball sent me a replacement after I showed them a photo of the issue.

 

[RickC]

slap "fret" on a fretless View attachment 4284187

I was wondering if anyone else had experience with these. I had a very early A Basses fretless that had a slap fret at the end of the board; that one was hinged so you could flip it out of the way if you wanted. Worked pretty well.

That was an unusual instrument in many ways. The neck profile was based on an upright!

 

[funkmaster p]

How long have your Cobalt flats been on? I've had a set on my fretless StingRay for about 6 months now and they are really maturing nicely.

I've had the Cobalt flats on for 50 to 70 playing hours. They still have plenty of zing on them, as if they were brand new. It's my first time using them, and I've been extremely impressed so far.

 

[funkmaster p]

I slap my fretless from time to time, but it has a set of Fender flats on it and it sounds less then acceptable.

I have a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on one of my fretted bass guitars and they can be incredibly bright when I need them to be. I'm getting a set for my fretless today. Thanks for the tip!

If you do, please report back with your findings.

 

[SteveCS]

I have had them on my 4-string fretted bass for over 6 months and they sound virtually the same and stay in tune with only the minor expected occasional adjustments. I will be buying these from now on for all my flat string basses.
...

I've had the Cobalt flats on for 50 to 70 playing hours. They still have plenty of zing on them, as if they were brand new. It's my first time using them, and I've been extremely impressed so far.

In terms of hours, mine probably have ~250 hours (10 hrs/week x 25 weeks) and they still sound great. The very top has gone off a little, but actually for me that was a bit much when they were fresh. They have developed a complex character that is really responsive to the touch - perfectly balanced for fretless, IMHO.

 

[SteveC]

My issue was I lost stage presence and I got tired of focusing on technique and wanted to chill and engage with people more.

This is why I play a fretted bass in my cover band. I debated doing only fretless and I love playing them, but I can be a little less accurate with a fretted when performing.

I do miss my fretless and my try to buy it back.

 

[Rod Barchetta]

If you do, please report back with your findings.

The Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats sound amazing on my Squier Fretless Jazz. You can go from full bright to total mwah. I can't tell you how pleased I am with them on this bass.