Did you make the right choice with fretless fingerboard markings? Did you go unlined and wish you had lines? Vise versa?
Or did you get it right?
Or did you get it right?
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Poll: Fretless - lined or unlined, regrets?
- Thread starter darwin-bass
- Start date
I started with unlined and have just stuck with it. It forces you to use your ear and frankly unlined just looks cooler.
I have both. I'm more accurate with the lined bass up the neck, but I like the clean look of unlined. And a Michael Kelly dragonfly. Not lined but a huge vine I lay down the fingerboard. I don't play that high up the neck on my acoustic so it's not as big of a deal there.
If I only had one, I'd probably have it be a faintly lined one. Just enough to see where the lines are. But Not bright white like most seem to be.
If I only had one, I'd probably have it be a faintly lined one. Just enough to see where the lines are. But Not bright white like most seem to be.
mark beem
Wait, how does this song start again??
I use a lined fretless. No regrets.
One is no better than the other. The results are the same. Just a matter of personal preference. Use whichever best allows you to express yourself musically.
In the end, that's all that counts.
One is no better than the other. The results are the same. Just a matter of personal preference. Use whichever best allows you to express yourself musically.
In the end, that's all that counts.
i have both. unlined is really cool but requires attentiveness and more ear to play. I have one jazz neck that is 'micro-lined' and it is the coolest of 'em all. it has lines that are only about 3/8" long. it looks lined from the top edge, and unlined from the front. I wish all mine were like this. It is an beauty too; ovankol with coated pau ferro board.
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I have lined and unlined. Like both. I started on a lined, then bought an unlined. The next was unlined. The last two have been lined, not that it makes me a lot of difference. I think more importantly is this: I do not give a rip whether you play lined or unlined as long as you are playing fretless (or fretted, for that matter). JUST PLAY!
I jumped in totally with unlined. Zero regrets. I didn't feel like I had a ton of issues transitioning at all - I have some spotty intonation when I get above the 15th fret on occasion. I'm "up there" so very rarely that I glissando to the note if I'm off (usually, if I'm off, it's by a hair).
I went with unlined mostly out of aesthetics. I *love* how that blank slate looks. Also, being an upright and cello player, it has a kind of comfortable familiarity about it. I think had I gotten lined, I would feel less connected with it. I realize that's silly, but it is what it is. I don't really care at all what other people think about my fingerboard - it's what I enjoy, what I'm comfortable with, and what I perform and practice best with. Everything else just doesn't much matter.
(yes, I use roundwounds on my fretless. Kalium strings, I forget what gauge... something nice for 1/2 step down on 34" scale. They rock!)
I went with unlined mostly out of aesthetics. I *love* how that blank slate looks. Also, being an upright and cello player, it has a kind of comfortable familiarity about it. I think had I gotten lined, I would feel less connected with it. I realize that's silly, but it is what it is. I don't really care at all what other people think about my fingerboard - it's what I enjoy, what I'm comfortable with, and what I perform and practice best with. Everything else just doesn't much matter.
(yes, I use roundwounds on my fretless. Kalium strings, I forget what gauge... something nice for 1/2 step down on 34" scale. They rock!)
I just started on fretless a few weeks ago, using and unlined board.
Tbh I can't see that the lines could help that much, since after a couple of weeks your intonation is only a little out rather than massively, and it comes down to how you place your fingers (like pad vs tip, rolled out by accident etc), in which the lines wouldn't make you more accurate. Maybe way up the neck it would help.
Anyway, since I think there's no major benefit or loss either way, and I like the look of unlined, that's what I'm happy with.
Tbh I can't see that the lines could help that much, since after a couple of weeks your intonation is only a little out rather than massively, and it comes down to how you place your fingers (like pad vs tip, rolled out by accident etc), in which the lines wouldn't make you more accurate. Maybe way up the neck it would help.
Anyway, since I think there's no major benefit or loss either way, and I like the look of unlined, that's what I'm happy with.
Lined ebony board on my only fretless bass, a 1994 Carvin LB-70. I dont know if this is true on other lined boards, but on the Carvin, you can subtly feel the lines which definitely helps with intonation. The downside is the lines are so visible that everyone thinks I'm playing a fretted bass!
Bryan R. Tyler
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My first fretless some 13 years ago was an unlined, and shortly after I found myself in a situation where I couldn't hear myself well at all and my intonation was terrible; side dots are of little help when dealing with parallax. Got a lined fretless after that and have happily stuck with the lines ever since.
Not sure if I should vote for options 2 or 3
Not sure if I should vote for options 2 or 3
My first fretless some 13 years ago was an unlined, and shortly after I found myself in a situation where I couldn't hear myself well at all and my intonation was terrible; side dots are of little help when dealing with parallax. Got a lined fretless after that and have happily stuck with the lines ever since.
Not sure if I should vote for options 2 or 3
On my ABG, given that it's a different scale length, I took a suitably soft pencil and extended the dots across the fingerboard as lines. It cleans off but it helped with the unfamiliar scale and parallax and is virtually invisible for an audience.
I have a MIM J fretless with the lines and I love it. Most of the time I try not to look at them and play by ear.
But on quiet days at work I sometimes spend 10 minutes or so designing my dream unlined fretless using the Sandberg online configurator.
But on quiet days at work I sometimes spend 10 minutes or so designing my dream unlined fretless using the Sandberg online configurator.
My first fretless was a cheap SR305F from Ibanez. Sounds alright, and with lines it helps. My intonation is good but sometimes I need an idea where to shift to before i can just blindly dance away on the fingerboard.
I'm happy with my fretted basses I have, so the first upgrade will be from the cheaper 305 to the SRF705 Portamento. Can't wait...
I'm happy with my fretted basses I have, so the first upgrade will be from the cheaper 305 to the SRF705 Portamento. Can't wait...
Now I have and play both lined and unlined and it makes little difference, though I do prefer the look of unlined.
When I started out on fretless I ordered my Carvin AC 50 with lines. Being a noob I felt the "crutch" would help get me started. And that was pretty much true. However, being a noob I greatly over-estimated the amount of help that lines gives you. And then discovered that lines are fine when you are learning and woodshedding playing seated, but once you are standing with a strap all you see are the markers and the ends of the lines. And even worse if it's an older fretless it may have markers in the FRETTED positions (between frets) and that will drive you NUTS if the line ends are not plainly visible.
So basically my problem was as a noob I chose lined as an aid and even though it was a help, I then discovered to my dismay that I then had to live with that choice on that bass til death do us part! So yeah, I wish I'd just realized it only takes a tiny bit more effort to learn on an unlined and then you have a cool looking bass forever more.
On the other hand, I bought my fretless USA G&L L2500 used and it was already lined. So what could I do? The bass kills. Lined or not, who cares. Just ROCK IT!
When I started out on fretless I ordered my Carvin AC 50 with lines. Being a noob I felt the "crutch" would help get me started. And that was pretty much true. However, being a noob I greatly over-estimated the amount of help that lines gives you. And then discovered that lines are fine when you are learning and woodshedding playing seated, but once you are standing with a strap all you see are the markers and the ends of the lines. And even worse if it's an older fretless it may have markers in the FRETTED positions (between frets) and that will drive you NUTS if the line ends are not plainly visible.
So basically my problem was as a noob I chose lined as an aid and even though it was a help, I then discovered to my dismay that I then had to live with that choice on that bass til death do us part! So yeah, I wish I'd just realized it only takes a tiny bit more effort to learn on an unlined and then you have a cool looking bass forever more.
On the other hand, I bought my fretless USA G&L L2500 used and it was already lined. So what could I do? The bass kills. Lined or not, who cares. Just ROCK IT!
I started to play fretless with an unlined bass. I don't mind if the bassess are lined or not, I like both of them.
The unlined are a bit harder because you have to use a lot you ears and you have to pay attention for intonation(higher notes are the hardest), but If you practise, isn't very difficult.
The unlined are a bit harder because you have to use a lot you ears and you have to pay attention for intonation(higher notes are the hardest), but If you practise, isn't very difficult.
I have a lined ebony board. I just taped off the side, then used black fingerboard stain on the board face to hide the lines, removed the tape, then oiled the plank. Looks much cleaner and still helps with my intonation.
