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Pedulla's Penta buzz

#3
I think a fretless would work fine for you. The guy from Pearl Jam (dunno his name) used a fretless and it sounded amazing, made me wanna go get one asap. I guess it would also and a unique sound to entire songs because in those genre's people are so used to hearing fretted basses. Try one out for yourself so you can compare how it sounds to your fretted basses. As far as the Pentabass itself, they are awesome basses, no worries there. But, you might want to try out a few fretless basses (and if you can find one, a Pentabuzz) just so you get a feel for them in general before dropping 2-4G's on a Pedulla.
 
#4
We've had a few threads before about fretless for metal. Basically you get ten posts from kids saying "no wai dude fretless wont work 4 metal" and then two posts from people who actually play in a real touring metal band saying "sure I use fretless sometimes in my band, and here are the names of half a dozen other big-name metal bassists who sometimes use fretless." ...And then ten more "no wai dude" posts.

Rock, sure, fretless has been used in many types/eras/subgenres of rock. Punk is a different bird- on the one hand I don't think I've ever seen fretless used by a punk bassist, but OTOH the spirit of punk is "Eff it I play what I've got, don't tell me what to do!"

And yeah, the Pentabuzz is a well-regarded bass, but as Kwesi said there might be equally good options for you at a lower price point.
 
#5
bongomania said:
We've had a few threads before about fretless for metal. Basically you get ten posts from kids saying "no wai dude fretless wont work 4 metal" and then two posts from people who actually play in a real touring metal band saying "sure I use fretless sometimes in my band, and here are the names of half a dozen other big-name metal bassists who sometimes use fretless." ...And then ten more "no wai dude" posts.
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BWAAAAA!!! I laughed so hard I shot coffee out of my nose!
 
#6
I remember seeing this prog/metal/goth band at the new england hardcore and metal fest like 6 or 7 years ago and the bass player had a fretless. They were called "Rain fell within" and they disbanded in shortly after I saw them. It was a pretty good show. Either way, the guy tore it up on a fretless.

As said above, if this is going to be your first venture into fretless in the band setting, there are cheaper options you could explore first. Or if you're really set on the pentabuzz style, you could always get an MVP which is the same bass but fretted.
 
#7
I love fretless bass! and I love Pedullas! They are awesome basses, and you should check them out and see if you like them.

That being said, I can't think of many basses that are LESS "punk rock" than a Pedulla Pentabuzz. :-)
 
#8
You can always use the fretless, but the real argument if you can hear the fretless nuances. With heavier music, especially with mid-scooped bass, the drums and guitars will often drown out the subtle nuances of a fretless. I can never remember the name of the band, but there was a death metal band that had a fretless player. He was good, but it was virtually impossible to tell that he was using a fretless bass until the band stopped and gave him a few seconds to lead in.
 
#9
Speaking of Juan Alderete, I do remember reading that some producers brought him in for a session, and some of the artists would say 'I am not sure i want fretless here', and the producers would say 'yeah, but he doesn't play a fretless like that'. Or something like that.

Bascially saying you have the ability to do all the cool glides a fretless can do, and you have the ability to nail a line as decisively as you want.
 
#10
spade2you said:
You can always use the fretless, but the real argument if you can hear the fretless nuances. With heavier music, especially with mid-scooped bass, the drums and guitars will often drown out the subtle nuances of a fretless. I can never remember the name of the band, but there was a death metal band that had a fretless player. He was good, but it was virtually impossible to tell that he was using a fretless bass until the band stopped and gave him a few seconds to lead in.
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Might you be referring to Sadus, with Steve DiGiorgio? Maybe not, because I can tell rather clearly that he's using a fretless in most of their songs.

As for scooping your mids, I think it has been said that doing so is bad in the first place, at least, if you'd like to be heard in the mix.
 
#11
DistantTremor said:
Might you be referring to Sadus, with Steve DiGiorgio? Maybe not, because I can tell rather clearly that he's using a fretless in most of their songs.

As for scooping your mids, I think it has been said that doing so is bad in the first place, at least, if you'd like to be heard in the mix.
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Don't get me wrong, I could definitely hear his bass, but around the roahhhrrrr singing, drums, and guitars, the nuances were buried and I was using my studio headphones to listen. I have an ear for fretless, but I was struggling to tell that he was using one, other than the breaks they gave him. If you didn't already know he used a fretless, most wouldn't be able to pick it out.
 
#12
spade2you said:
Don't get me wrong, I could definitely hear his bass, but around the roahhhrrrr singing, drums, and guitars, the nuances were buried and I was using my studio headphones to listen. I have an ear for fretless, but I was struggling to tell that he was using one, other than the breaks they gave him. If you didn't already know he used a fretless, most wouldn't be able to pick it out.
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Yeah, you're probably right.
 
#14
None more metal (or fretless)...

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#15
Yeah, I'm with the majority here - a Pentabuzz is really not punk at all... Here's my thinking: Part of the appeal to playing loud rock/punk is that you aren't utterly focused on your axe, you are performing - you are running around, showing attitude, jumping up and down, singing - whatever. For that work, I would want a bass that was as easy as possible to play, DEAL reliable (as in passive electronics), and made such that if I smack it into a amp, I won't be heartbroken over a ding. I think I'd play a MM Sterling FRETTEd- right sound right configuration, right price. Fretted, because part of the fun of frets is that you don't have to pay such perfect attention to your finger placement (hence the whole idea of the "precision bass", right?) - you can focus on your singing or your stage thing.

Now, if you're talking prog-metal (dream theater, etc) then that's a different story.

My 2 cents.
 

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