The official "Show your basses" thread part 19!

[cataract]

I have one -

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Perfect combo- well done!!

 

[JIO]

Perfect combo- well done!!

I sold the NB-1 but still own the EB-200. Someone had the NB-1 made lined-fretless (pro job) before I owned it and I added a Guild RI Darkstar - a cool ss fretless

 

[BassicJazzy]

Yes, that's their selling point - no animals harmed in making them.

All the leather in my straps came from animals that died from natural causes, though there might have been a suicide, or two?

 

[deejaid]

I was really itching to try a Fretless, so I bought a fretless Warmoth neck off Reverb to put on a Precision body. I loved the feeling of the unfinished Goncalo Alves neck with Pau Ferro fingerboard, and also realized I really like playing fretless.

I decided a fretless Jazz bass is what I was after so I grabbed a metallic sparkle/ flake burst body from MJT, added cream Dimarzio Area J’s, and wired it master volume, master tone, blend.

I am loving how it turned out as it sounds fantastic and weighs just under 9lbs. Super happy with this one.

 

[Gervais Cote]

I was really itching to try a Fretless, so I bought a fretless Warmoth neck off Reverb to put on a Precision body. I loved the feeling of the unfinished Goncalo Alves neck with Pau Ferro fingerboard, and also realized I really like playing fretless.

I decided a fretless Jazz bass is what I was after so I grabbed a metallic sparkle/ flake burst body from MJT, added cream Dimarzio Area J’s, and wired it master volume, master tone, blend.

I am loving how it turned out as it sounds fantastic and weighs just under 9lbs. Super happy with this one.

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That bass is gonna sing, no doubt about it !

 

[nonohmic]

I was really itching to try a Fretless, so I bought a fretless Warmoth neck off Reverb to put on a Precision body. I loved the feeling of the unfinished Goncalo Alves neck with Pau Ferro fingerboard, and also realized I really like playing fretless.

I decided a fretless Jazz bass is what I was after so I grabbed a metallic sparkle/ flake burst body from MJT, added cream Dimarzio Area J’s, and wired it master volume, master tone, blend.

I am loving how it turned out as it sounds fantastic and weighs just under 9lbs. Super happy with this one.

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Love that!

 

[deejaid]

That bass is gonna sing, no doubt about it !

I had a jazz bass shaped bass before, but it had a P pickup and a TV Jones in the bridge position. This is my first time with a true JJ pickup configuration and I am really liking it.

 

[Jeff Scott]

That bass is gonna sing, no doubt about it !

Yes, but will it sing in tune?

 

[JIO]

Yes, but will it sing in tune?

It can always mmwwwaaahhh close enough for... you know...

 

[CletusMarley]

 

[BassicJazzy]

Yes, but will it sing in tune?

I'm not a fan of lines but even without them it's a lot easier to stay in tune than you would think, once you get the hang of it. Lines can mislead you.

 

[JIO]

I'm not a fan of lines but even without them it's a lot easier to stay in tune than you would think, once you get the hang of it. Lines can mislead you.

My advice for anyone wanting to start playing fretless is to get a fretless like the bass (neck) they are familiar with. Your muscle memory is there and the transition will feel familiar.

 

[BassicJazzy]

My advice for anyone wanting to start playing fretless is to get a fretless like the bass (neck) they are familiar with. Your muscle memory is there and the transition will feel familiar.

I think a lot of people fail at it because they just don't commit to it. You have to be prepared to put your fretted basses away for quite a long time, and concentrate on the fretless. 2 months, minimum, if you practice daily.

This of course assumes you have decent muscle memory and technique to start with, and aren't tone deaf.

 

[JIO]

I think a lot of people fail at it because they just don't commit to it. You have to be prepared to put your fretted basses away for quite a long time, and concentrate on the fretless. 2 months, minimum, if you practice daily.

This of course assumes you have decent muscle memory and technique to start with, and aren't tone deaf.

Also a psychological block - "where are my frets?" get in the way of just relaxing, turning off the over-thinking and just playing the way one always plays. Side dots and lines are a helpful transition to guide location.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I'm not a fan of lines but even without them it's a lot easier to stay in tune than you would think, once you get the hang of it. Lines can mislead you.

 

[BassicJazzy]

Also a psychological block - "where are my frets?" get in the way of just relaxing, turning off the over-thinking and just playing the way one always plays. Side dots and lines are a helpful transition to guide location.

Yes, it's a visual thing. It does require a change in fretting technique, unless you just happened to be a fingertips player who hit just behind the frets before trying fretless. For me, accurate side dots in the right positions are important for keeping perspective clear, "seeing" the board in my mind. Lines slow me down, and mislead, since the notes are not always at the lines. That said, I did play a lined fretless for about 4 months before switching to unlined. Would it have been as easy to pick up unlined? I will never know.

Then of course there's the all important connection to the ear for adjustments, which becomes almost an unconscious thing. That takes a lot more than 2 months of play time.

That's just me. Everyone is different. Some people cannot see the board without the lines. And then there are some boards that have so much decorative detail that I cannot understand how anyone can play them, but they do.

 

[BassicJazzy]

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Now that is a long board! At least 30 positions, perhaps more? I'm feeling upright vibes from it!

 

[Jeff Scott]

Now that is a long board! At least 30 positions, perhaps more? I'm feeling upright vibes from it!

34 1/2" scale length-26 "fret" positions. Ziricote.

 

[MovinTarget]

I think a lot of people fail at it because they just don't commit to it. You have to be prepared to put your fretted basses away for quite a long time, and concentrate on the fretless. 2 months, minimum, if you practice daily.

This of course assumes you have decent muscle memory and technique to start with, and aren't tone deaf.

Welp that might be me b/c I once sold my fretted and bought a beautiful Cort Artisan B4 fretless and stopped playing for over 10 years suddenly, lol

 

[JIO]

Yes, it's a visual thing. It does require a change in fretting technique, unless you just happened to be a fingertips player who hit just behind the frets before trying fretless. For me, accurate side dots in the right positions are important for keeping perspective clear, "seeing" the board in my mind. Lines slow me down, and mislead, since the notes are not always at the lines. That said, I did play a lined fretless for about 4 months before switching to unlined. Would it have been as easy to pick up unlined? I will never know.

Then of course there's the all important connection to the ear for adjustments, which becomes almost an unconscious thing. That takes a lot more than 2 months of play time.

That's just me. Everyone is different. Some people cannot see the board without the lines. And then there are some boards that have so much decorative detail that I cannot understand how anyone can play them, but they do.

All good points. My only fretless has a lined ebony fb. I primarily play fretted basses, but at this point the lines are more casual visual references that in a way I don't really 'see' (give undue attention to) anymore.

Ex-Factorbird fretless - 3-piece Koa body made to '64 T-bird specs / Kubicki Ex-Factor ebony lined fretless multi-lam maple neck & tuner-bridge / G&L MFD pu's and 9v L2K pre. Strung BEAD -

a recent recording using it -