pros and cons of fretless

Wow, you really are Canadian!

There are no real pros and cons IMO, they're just different. One "con" with a fretless would be that it's harder to play in tune. A "pro" with a fretless could be that you CAN play it in tune - better than a fretted instrument.

If you like the sound of fretless basses, and want one by all means do get one. Even if you don't play them seriously, they're loads of fun to "mess around" with!

 

Props to you man, more people need to make use of that function!

 

If you need a further push.... fretless is very much worth getting into - it opened up a completely new style for me.

 

pros: No frets

Cons: No frets

 

This brought a large smile to my face.

It is sooo true.

 

Ain't that the truth!

 

I've come to refer to frets as "speed bumps" or "those metal thingys that get in my way and make me play out of tune (as opposed to me being out of tune on my own )".

Heck, now I don't even bring a fretted bass on gigs!

One con: You MUST work on your intonation constantly to both keep and improve it. It requires almost constant attention, from my experience. If you're lazy and don't like practicing, stick with the speed bumps.

 

The pro: You MUST work on your intonation constantly to both keep and improve it. It requires almost constant attention, from my experience.

Well, Gard, you put it up. I couldn't resist telling "the world" that we agree on the fact and draw different conclusions.
But as a fact: that is the main reason why I prefer playing without frets (of any kind).

 

Pro: great sound. Great, great sound. More tactile and pleasant to play. Fun. Whole new set of horizons. Impresses girls and, almost as important, other bass players who daren't bring a fretless to gigs.

Cons: Seriously, you need a more powerful amp. You get less attack. Just cranking at 5-700hz isn't enough. Anyway, that's my experience. Bt that's a lot to do with the way I play.

Of course, if you are one of those bass players for whom 40hz is THE frequency to stick your 1000 watts into to really get that floor shaking, this isn't an issue.

 

I've come to refer to frets as "speed bumps" or "those metal thingys that get in my way and make me play out of tune (as opposed to me being out of tune on my own )".

Hey Gard, that's close to what I think, only I call them training wheels. Once you remove them, you can actually lean into the turns! What can I say, I love analogies.

 

both fretted and fretless have their own respective places.. I like the tone of a fretless.. the "mwahhh" sound if you will... but I also love the sound of a fretted bass... both bass offer different things.. which to me is a reason to play both