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The Fretless Club

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#924
Well, I can't join yet, but the wheels are in motion. I have a good buddy who works for a local builder here (they do really high end guitars and have only done a few basses). Anyway, he is going to put together an allparts jazz bass for me. Here are the initial plans:

Jazz Body (alder)
Maple Jazz Neck with unlined ebony fretboard
Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pickups
Badass II bridge
pickup cover over the neck pickup
Ultralite tuners of some sort

Since he has access to a full spray booth, the color choice is whatever I want. I am definitely doing a matching headstock. I was thinking Sonic Blue, but I'm a little worried it won't look good with that black unlined board. Some other thoughts were olympic white, frost or goldtop gold, or Candy Apple Red. Gonna do some photoshopping before I decide. I'll keep you guys posted as it progresses.

I am jumping off the deep end as this will be my first fretless and I'll need plenty of practice time to get up to speed (especially with the unlined board, but he talked me into going for it).

Any thoughts or suggestions, throw them my way.
 
#925
NOLA Bass said:
Any thoughts or suggestions, throw them my way.
Click to expand...
Well, you know what you like in the way of colours, but if it was me I think I'd go all-black (black guard, black gloss body), or, natural body and black guard. Red body (trans-red or solid) should also look good with an unlined ebony neck. Check the pics in this thread, there's plenty of tasty examples of fenderish bodies with unlined ebony boards.

And if you can arrange it, see if you can get a 'fret-marker' at the 'one' position. Regretted not asking for that on my first fretless. Don't really need it now, but for learning it would have been good.

Andy
 
#926
BigBeatNut said:
Well, you know what you like in the way of colours, but if it was me I think I'd go all-black (black guard, black gloss body), or, natural body and black guard. Red body (trans-red or solid) should also look good with an unlined ebony neck. Check the pics in this thread, there's plenty of tasty examples of fenderish bodies with unlined ebony boards.

And if you can arrange it, see if you can get a 'fret-marker' at the 'one' position. Regretted not asking for that on my first fretless. Don't really need it now, but for learning it would have been good.

Andy
Click to expand...

Andy,

Thanks for the suggestion on that one position marker. They might be able to retro it on there for me at the shop, since you don't have too many options with an AllParts neck. As far as color, I hear ya. Like I said, love some classic colors like Sonic Blue, but I think that unlined ebony board lends itself to certain colors over others.
 
#927
matthewfoote said:
I really hate you :D Wal's are one of my favorite basses and I have owned a couple in the past. Any more pictures available for you to share.:bassist: Is it Claro Walnut over a mahogany core?

Regards

Matthew
Click to expand...


Hi Matthew, why did you sell your Wals!?!?!?!?...
I actually sold 2 and still have 2 fretless 4's

the one pictured is quite rare, its a Mrk II body with a Mrk III neck joint (5 bolt, no plate and more ergonomic) originally made for Midge Ure

its just really nice Walnut I don't think its Claro, Claro Walnut is one of my favorite woods for facings
 
#928
Update from reply #64 , page 4 , I'm actually #31 in the club.

My main bass got stolen , and I got that one to replace it.

A Carvin LB75PF , very happy , bad things sometimes have a happy ending!:smug:
 
#929
The tiny pearl or white dot position markers on the side of the fingerboard or neck are the way to go. No one can really see them and they aid in poor light or when you had one to many beers or you are tired of even if you have to think real fast on a new tune when the band is humping along. I have had a number of fretless basses starting back in 1972 and I wish they would have been available as a feature back then but none of mine ever had them. I do not look at it as cheating or that you are less talented any more I look at a fretted bass as a cheating devise for bass. Even with a dot at the 3, 5, 7, 9, (two at 12), 15, and 17th frets, you cannot even see them unless you are really looking for them. Tiny clean pearl or white dots. Very easy for a luthier to put in any neck.

What I do not like is the lined fingerboards. To me they are confusing looking at all those lines. With that said, I own a MIM Fender Fretless with lines because the price was so darn affordable. But the favorite bass I own only has the tiny dots on the side. That's my 2 cents, from an old timer.
 
#930
Hey Gary,
I've read several of your posts on this thread, and I'm not sure of something.
Do you like lined fingerboards?
'cos thus far you haven't said much about whether you prefer them or unlined...
:D :D
 
#932
kesslari said:
Hey Gary,
I've read several of your posts on this thread, and I'm not sure of something.
Do you like lined fingerboards?
'cos thus far you haven't said much about whether you prefer them or unlined...
:D :D
Click to expand...

My preference is for unlined fingerboards. A dark black piece of the best ebony on the planet for a fingerboard is my preference. The dots on the side really help and as I said do not even show. I have a whole bunch of basses and getting more each week. The MIM fretless was such an unreal deal new/used I scored it and was very impressed with the work those guys/gals did not the fingerboard in Mexico. The piece of rosewood is great and smooth! As with many Fenders both USA and Mexican, they weigh too much these days. If I could have one built I would want it ultra light like that old 1950's swap ash when I was a kid.

Here is a post I just emailed my band mate. Please forgive my spelling and grammar or any non politically correct verbiage. We both have been at it for about 40 years now;

Got the Fender Mexican fretless. It is new/used. I paid $300, plus $30 shipping from back east. The first thing I checked was the intonation. It was way off as are many guitars unless it has been carefully set up. A fretless takes a lot more talent to set up because there are no frets to mark the exact locations of each note. And your finger tip is big and a little one way or the other throws it off. Also, many people do not realize you have to intonate and tune a guitar in the position you play it. If you work on it while it is laying on a bench, it will be off because gravity pulls down in a different direction. It does make a pretty significant difference if you have a good ear.

After I set the action and intonation, I played with the pickup controls and tone knob to see how much they changed the tone. It did not sound very good or make the far-out sound when your slide the finger on the strings. I had a new set of La Bella tapewound flats I put on, reset the whole thing up again as needed with each type of string change if the strings are different (another fact some are not aware of). Anyway, wholly ****, it was like I put new pickups on the guitar with the La Bella black tapewound flats. The guitar sprang to life and mhwaahhh all over the place. I think I will leave it stock because the E string adjustment is all ready as low as it can go action wise and a BadAss bridge will not help getting that any lower and they are heavy. For $300 it's a killer machine.

The only draw back to the Mexican and most of the standard American Fenders are that they are very heavy. Not bad for sitting down but killer for standing up. If I were to design a bass it would weigh 7 1/2 pounds tops. It's so much nicer to have a ultra light eclectic than a massive heavy beast. The Mexican does sustain very well. The fingerboard is 100% nicer than I thought it would be. The rosewood is super dark with no light grain in it. It's as slick as an icy road up your way.
 
#933
Not mine, but I wish it was:
lefay2.jpg

It's a LeFay Remington Steele... I played it (it's me on the pic) 2 months ago and I want one since... It's a bit expensive, though ('bout $4000).
 
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