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Necessity of low B on fretless

A

Atticus

May 26, 2010
156
0
Memphis, TN
#1
So I've been looking at getting a fretless bass. My main bass is a 5er, but I'm not so attached to the B string that I can't switch back and forth easily. Now, I've been looking at the fretless for jazz stuff, and most jazz players don't seem to use fretless and extended range, just one or the other. I could order a fretless five, but my local store carries fretless fours.

The point being: for those of you who use fretless fives, do you think you could live without the B string, or do you use it a lot?
 
#2
I know I couldn't live without mine. Well I could but I wouldn't be nearly as happy. Five strings are just so me, regardless of what else a bass may have I can always count on mine having five strings at least until I get a six. I use the B string on all my basses regularly. It's just part of my style.
 
#3
This is just me, but I've been playing fives for over 20 years. When I play a four now I feel like somethings missing. I'm so used to grabbing notes on the B without having to change positions, that it's just second nature to me now. If my fretless was a four I'd miss the B. But like I said that's just me. Go with what's most comfortable to you.
 
#4
I vote 'no.'
I don't require the low string for any fretless work. Additionally, I find the lowest notes on the 5 to be very pitchy on a fretless, and I avoid them. I recommend starting with a 4 string. Or if you have a 4 string fender, you can just buy a neck and bolt it on there.
This is not to rule out the 5 string bass- I make better use of a high C on a fretless 5-
 
#5
I'm a five, six, and seven string player for quite a while now. On a fretted instrument, I just can't live without the low B. Started playing way back in 1969, so of course, I was a 4 stringer for quite a few years. After switching to five though, there was no turning back.

One point I'd make however, is that unless you're primarily a fretless player, I think the different mindset and technique it takes to play a fretless well, might make it easy to overlook the absence of a B string.

You're going to be quite busy just making sure your intonation is correct. And the techniques that are available on a fretless compared to a fretted instrument are going to keep you fairly busy mentally as well. These factors, at least in my opinion, might make the absence of a B string seem less important in the short run. If you wind up being primarily a fretless player, then I think the lack of extended range would definitely be a bother.

Just my 2cents, YMMV. :)
 
#7
I am a seasoned jazz player, and I have been playing my Carvin LB76 fretless for almost 12 years now. I have been playing for almost 40 years. I started on a factory fretless 1976 Fender P-bass. I would feel lost and cheated if I had to go to a 4 or 5 for that matter. If you are going to do a lot of soloing, the C string would be more useful than the low B; but the main reason for the low B is to play in position more than for the extended range. Each to their own; if you are not a true position player and are not interested in learning in that direction, then maybe you would be better off with the C string. If you are only going to play groove jazz and not solo, then just maybe a 4 is all you need. Good luck with your choice! Frank
 

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#9
I love the low-B on my Lakland 55-01 fretless 5-er. In fact, on most of the sessions I've played lately the engineers have preferred that bass over any other 4 or 5 string (even my more expensive -02 series Lakland Deluxe) I've brought in the studio. I don't find the B to be any more 'pitchy' than any other string... you just have to pay attention. I also find I need a hair more relief in the neck to make that B-string sing AND bring the thunder. I find that as long as the setup is on-point, I'm more comfy on my 5-string fretless than on any other bass.
 
#10
I don't think the low B is at all a necessity. IMO there is nothing you can't do justice to with 4 strings. On the other hand, my fretless is a 5. I play 4's and 5's and I think it's solely a matter of what suits your playing goals. If you're new to fretless, a 4 will be easier to get started on.
 
#11
Atticus said:
So I've been looking at getting a fretless bass. My main bass is a 5er, but I'm not so attached to the B string that I can't switch back and forth easily. Now, I've been looking at the fretless for jazz stuff, and most jazz players don't seem to use fretless and extended range, just one or the other. I could order a fretless five, but my local store carries fretless fours.

The point being: for those of you who use fretless fives, do you think you could live without the B string, or do you use it a lot?
Click to expand...

I use it all the time on my BB76F. For anatomical reasons I have to play a 4 string full time now and do miss the B sorely. Enough that I have to pull the 6 out of its case from time to time to play some stuff in low C or D.

There's no trick to intonating the B string, it's just like the others. In fact the B on the fretless is a very good teacher for getting a clean tone out of the lower strings in general. That vroomy, throomy low bottom tone so many guys like is even more of a mess on the B than on the E, so it forces you to adopt good technique in order to be able to intonate well down there.

So if you like it on the fretted, you'll like it on the FL also (and vice versa).

LS
 
#12
I've played 4-strings for years, but I now also have a Smith 6FL and a Simmons 5FL. I don't know that there's one answer to your question, but my take is that if you need a B on your fretted bass, you'll need it on a FL. I don't see that the bass being fretless has anything to do with the utility (or lack thereof) of a low B.

I will say that it requires some concentration to go back and forth from 4-string to 5-string (at least if you never had a low B until you'd been playing for 25 years), so you would be adding a bit of a potential hurdle to what will already be a learning experience if you plan to go fretless and you go from 5 to 4.
 
#15
To accentuate the fretless sound, you actually want to do a good amount of sliding (position shifts), and playing higher notes. So it makes a certain amount of sense that the B-string is fairly extraneous on a fretless for a lot of what people think of a fretless for. But if you go outside the box more, a 5-string fretless also makes perfect sense. I acquired one recently, btw, and will probably sell my old 4-string fretless.
 
#18
Atticus said:
So I've been looking at getting a fretless bass. My main bass is a 5er, but I'm not so attached to the B string that I can't switch back and forth easily. Now, I've been looking at the fretless for jazz stuff, and most jazz players don't seem to use fretless and extended range, just one or the other. I could order a fretless five, but my local store carries fretless fours.

The point being: for those of you who use fretless fives, do you think you could live without the B string, or do you use it a lot?
Click to expand...

will this be your first fretless bass?
 

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