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Newbie fretless advice needed

#41
Re lines - Another variation I have been seeing (although only on very high end $$$$$ basses) are small dots on the fingerboard to assist with intonation. Also lately there are side lines that go over onto the fingerboard for a short length. This F Bass has both features:

ac_8_final.jpg


Pedulla:
a_A-MVPGAL-SIDELINE-OPTION.jpg
 
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#42
I've said my piece about lined vs unlined elsewhere and it's already been covered here. With regards to strings, that's also been covered pretty well so I will just make one suggestion: check out Ernie Ball's cobalt flats. They don't work for every tonal goal, but I find them to be a very good option for fretless. A: they're flats, so if you're worried about wear (rightly or wrongly), you can err on the side of flats, B: they're the punchiest flat you're going to find and have an excellent dynamic range from lows to highs.
 
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#43
I've played exclusively fretless for over 30 years and most of that on unlined fingerboards. If I play lined now I find not the lines but the edge position dots cause me issues - the shortest glance at the edge on my unlined and I know where I am but I find the edge-dots at the 'in-between' position of a lined 'board a little disorienting. That said, I'm not a 'purist' and I have no prejudice either way, just preference as unlined is what I started on.

As for strings, all strings will mark the board, but marking is not the same as wearing. Rounds will wear and they will eventually create grooves - more so if you play the same songs night after night. I've used pressure-wound strings on the same bass since 1987 and in that time I've dressed the fingerboard once. In terms of workload, between 1987 and 1993 I was rehearsing or gigging at least 2 or 3 times a week with an hour or two practice per day in between. Unless you plan on sustaining this level of work I would not worry too much about wear.
 
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#44
SteveCS said:
I've played exclusively fretless for over 30 years and most of that on unlined fingerboards. If I play lined now I find not the lines but the edge position dots cause me issues - the shortest glance at the edge on my unlined and I know where I am but I find the edge-dots at the 'in-between' position of a lined 'board a little disorienting.
Click to expand...

This. I too play only unlined with side dots on the fret (including the first fret). I am so bad with dots in between the fret lines that its a total deal breaker when buying a bass.
 
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#45
Even after several years of wear on the finger board from string wear a good Luthier can refinish the surface of the board for several more years of life.
I'm a flats player but found the ground wound work well too.
 
#48
40Hz said:
Play with a tuner (of the pedal variety) plugged in so you can check your intonation whenever you need to.
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My pedal tuners mute the output when they're tuning, and they're on the floor...
For not much more than the price of a good pedal tuner (or in some cases less) you can pick up a Korg Pitchblack Pro with the big display.
Easy to see even from the corner of your eye.
I found it to be a bit of a tone suck when used in the signal path, so I drive it from a Parallel Out or Tuner Out port.
 
#51
I have flats on my Modulus Bassstar Fretless and love the ease of intonation and feel.

If anything - IMHO as an occasional music teacher (of bass, guitar and mandolin)
a skilled player shouldn't even be looking at his own hands as he plays, which makes the need for a lined fret board superfluous.

However - a lined or side dotted f-board certainly can be helpful while learning to play fretless.
 
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#52
bassstrangler said:
So final verdict...I have a rosewood board, flats. Stay away from rounds? Cuz now I'm curious about the sound.
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Use what you like, with proper technique.
I used TI Jazz Flats and D'Addario HalfRounds when I had an ebony board, but if I had a 'real wood' board again I think I'd at least try PressureWounds.
_Some_ rounds are aggressively rough (e.g. RotoSound) and stainless in general (painting with a broad brush here...).
Those might not be a good choice...
 
#53
Lo-E said:
Please don't take this the wrong way; I'm not trying to be a jerk or be unhelpful when I say: Use the search function!

Seriously, all of your questions have been answered many times over on many, many threads. Do a search and you will find more answers than you could possibly count.
Click to expand...

A forum is not an electronic reference work. It's a conversation. So it doesn't matter if things get repeated. Do you walk up to a table in a restaurant where a discussion of the latest movie is taking place and say: "There's no need for you to be having this discussion. If you'd just Google the title, everything you want to know or say is up on the web already."

No?

Then don't be "that guy." :)

-----

Addendum: to my earlier point about this place not bring a reference work- if you spend some time looking around TB, you'll find an awful lot of personal opinion and individual preference masquerading as established "fact," a good deal of outdated information, a bit of silly nonsense, and also some stuff that is just flat out wrong. So I wouldn't be too gung-ho on treating this place as a canonical reference for all things bass. It's really just a place where you have a good chance of finding some real gold if you ask the right questions.

The trick is knowing how to separate the good stuff out from the dross. And that only comes with experience.

I think the name on the tin says what it's about: TalkBass. We're talking about bass here. Not compiling an encyclopedia on it. ;)
 
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#55
ArtechnikA said:
My pedal tuners mute the output when they're tuning, and they're on the floor...
For not much more than the price of a good pedal tuner (or in some cases less) you can pick up a Korg Pitchblack Pro with the big display.
Easy to see even from the corner of your eye.
I found it to be a bit of a tone suck when used in the signal path, so I drive it from a Parallel Out or Tuner Out port.
Click to expand...

Good point. The newer ones do all seem to mute the output don't they? In which case a headstock tuner might be a better choice if you don't have a splitter or a tuner-out or similar jack on your amp.
 
#57
bassstrangler said:
So final verdict...I have a rosewood board, flats. Stay away from rounds? Cuz now I'm curious about the sound.
Click to expand...

Honestly, if you prefer the sound of rounds then just use them. Unless you utilize some kind of death grip then you shouldn't need to plane the board for years. It's not like epoxy and ebony do not require a planing after years of use either.
 
#58
Lo-E said:
Please don't take this the wrong way; I'm not trying to be a jerk or be unhelpful when I say: Use the search function!

Seriously, all of your questions have been answered many times over on many, many threads. Do a search and you will find more answers than you could possibly count.
Click to expand...
See, I don't understand these kinds of responses. If a question like this bothers you, you're free to ignore it and/or not respond. How are you being helpful?
 
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#59
spade2you said:
Purists? Most are just guys who like to talk. The real fretless purists don't really argue about lined vs. unlined because they realize that most grabbed one and learned on it.
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I learned on and have unlined. I don't care about the "crutch" stuff and I'm not an unlined snob. For me, I just like the way they look :)
 
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