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The whole fretless thing..

mr.mow

mr.mow

Feb 11, 2009
999
368
Melbourne
Disclosures
Endorsing Artist: BBE/G&L Basses
#1
So I have one.. and to be honest have probably played it no more than 5-10 hours in the 2 years I've had it.. never much more than noodling on it.

How many other guys own fretless basses and (c'mon.. be honest).. just don't really use them for much more than occasional noodling..

just curious.. How many fretless basses are gathering dust and holding hats in the corner out there?!
 
#2
man, as I understand the spirit of your thread, I think you see the fretless as something like some side thing, maybe one tries it just for fun or as some minor deviation from the fretted main road, something like it (I might be wrong?) but with all the honesty and sincerity, since it's not your cup of tea you cannot really believe there is no serious place in life for fretless for anybody else; in other words (now I will be... banal!) you should not measure others with your own meter. I played exclusively a fretless bass for some like 10 years. It was my only bass. Then I started getting gas and I was... done! There are periods I grab one of my fretlesses and I play it for weeks, wondering why I left it so long on the hook.

Then, again, I need some fresh breath and get a fretted... that's what life is all about: different flavours. I don't like cigarettes and root beer (to say just a few) and do not understand (never could) how one could inject smoke in his lungs or try to savor a glass of that brown soda; but they still sell high...

Now, please log yourself in on the forum below and... open this very same thread... :hiding:

Invalid Link Removed

;)
 
#3
Avezzano said:
man, with all the honesty and sincerity, since it's not your cup of tea you cannot really believe there is no place in life for fretless for anybody else; in other words (now I will be... banal!) you should not measure others with your own meter. I played exclusively a fretless bass for some like 10 years. It was my only bass. Then I started getting gas and I was... done! There are periods I grab one of my fretlesses and I play it for weeks, wondering why I left it so long on the hook.

Then, again, I need some fresh breath and get a fretted... that's what life is all about: different flavours. I don't like cigarettes and root beer (to say just a few) and do not understand (never could) how one could inject smoke in his lungs or try to savor a glass of that brown soda; but they still sell high...

Now, please log yourself in on the forum below and open this very same thread...

Invalid Link Removed

;)
Click to expand...

I play fretless exclusively as well, but I see no problem with the OP's topic.

I'm sure there are threads for guys like us who just don't see any use for frets, so why not a thread for the opposite?
 
#4
maybe I got that wrong but please check the title: "The whole fretless thing" (in any case I partly corrected my entry). Thread is absolutely legit. But I think that when one buys a fretless he will... use it. Maybe 30% of the global time dedicated to music. This is interesting: let's see how many of us has some fretless just left collecting dust in the corner...
 
#6
Sorry I should explain what I mean!

Fretless requires somewhat more skill than fretted (or should I say different skills), I get the feeling that all bass people at some stage get the 'hmm I should try fretless' urge at some stage.. Only to quickly find.. 'hmm, it's quite different'.. In a similar way with double bass as well.. Similar but different!

So I guess to say it again.. How many bass players have done the 'i need to try fretless' only to abandon it shortly after? (for me it's a case of 1. No time to dedicate to it 2. Very little band stuff I do calls for it 3. I ain't got the skills!)
 
#7
mr.mow said:
Sorry I should explain what I mean!

Fretless requires somewhat more skill than fretted (or should I say different skills), I get the feeling that all bass people at some stage get the 'hmm I should try fretless' urge at some stage.. Only to quickly find.. 'hmm, it's quite different'.. In a similar way with double bass as well.. Similar but different!

So I guess to say it again.. How many bass players have done the 'i need to try fretless' only to abandon it shortly after? (for me it's a case of 1. No time to dedicate to it 2. Very little band stuff I do calls for it 3. I ain't got the skills!)
Click to expand...

Hey, I've done BOTH. My first fretless was an Alembic "blank plank" 6 string. I just fell in love and HAD to have it. But it was WAY too much bass for me at that time! And dig that I started bass playing many years ago on an upright! So at the time I didn't have the time to dedicate to it. My band stuff didn't call for 6 string let alone fretless. And I simply didn't have the skills (much the same situation as my 7 string right now.) So it pretty much sat in it's case!

So did that mean fretless wasn't for me? Nope. my second fretless was my Carvin acoustic AC-50 five string. I knew I was a noob so I got it lined. And with the help of the lines, and practice and previous upright experience, and music where I really wanted to put MORE expression into it, it became my main bass! Of course sometimes I played fretted too because it took less concentration and made fast playing easier. but I could feel the restrictions on my expression that the fixed frets placed on me. So it was two intruments. Two different ways.

But given that experience I then went into a fretted 6 string phase. Somewhere in there it dawned on me that NOW was the time to dig out the old Alembic and really give it go! And yes, that proved exactly correct! The "overwhelming" feelings I used to have that the bass gave me were quickly replaced by feeling of my voice coming through that instrument!

And now, about half my instruments are fretted and half fretless. and I play them both according to what I want from the music. So was fretless just some crazy idea that just "wasn't for me"? Well, it sort of was and yet in the end it wasn't. I think it's really just all about finding your voice on ANY instrument you choose to play. And when you do it works, and when you haven't found it yet, it doesn't.
 
#8
mr.mow said:
Sorry I should explain what I mean!

Fretless requires somewhat more skill than fretted (or should I say different skills), I get the feeling that all bass people at some stage get the 'hmm I should try fretless' urge at some stage.. Only to quickly find.. 'hmm, it's quite different'.. In a similar way with double bass as well.. Similar but different!

So I guess to say it again.. How many bass players have done the 'i need to try fretless' only to abandon it shortly after? (for me it's a case of 1. No time to dedicate to it 2. Very little band stuff I do calls for it 3. I ain't got the skills!)
Click to expand...

I have a fretless that I bought on a whim, it was only about $60 but it plays well. Never played one before but fancied a go. Been playing since 1967 so I sort of know where to put my fingers. After about 3 rehearsals I was out gigging with it. Played about 5 gigs with a blues band (which has now folded). In the 3 piece I play in I usually play 5 string so it doesn't get gigged anymore but still love playing it at home. I only take one bass to gigs otherwise I would take it along. It is certainly not gathering dust in a corner, in fact I've had to break off writing this to play it.

One thing it is really good for is learning songs on that our vinyl collecting guitarist has taken from his albums. They are never in key so the fretless is great as there is no tuning up.

So to answer your points.

1. I have the time now to dedicate to it as I recently retired from work, but would really have struggled had I still been working.

2. If you really wanted to fit it into a band you could in most cases. Not so sure about metal, thrash etc but all of the stuff I do in our covers band I could, except I would want a 5 fretless.

3. I am pleased that I quickly got to the stage where I was proficient enough on it to take it to gigs.
 
#9
I did purchase a lower end fretless and only play it once in a while.
After installing some flats I think I could cut a job with it if need be.
It is just another tool in my box, that screwdriver that when you need it nothing else will do.
A friend of mine only had his fretless so it:) can go either way.
 
#10
I love playing fretless.
My main axe from about 1987 to about 1996 was a Rickenbacker 4001 factory fretless made around 1972 I found in a pawnshop for $325.00.

Here's the issue-most ROCK bands or GB bands or what have you have a certain idea what bass should be and/or sound like. I did gig with the Rickenfretless for almost a year in a serious professional band in upstate NY doing Doo Wop and R&B. At some point I took my early Ken Smith fretted 4 to a gig and basically never looked back, the Smith just cut through the mix so much better and the guitarists and drummer shut up for good about "fretless is for jazz" etc.

Now to get even stranger, the Rick went away in a complicated equipment trade and i got itchy for a new fretless so bought an early Wishbass that was made to spec. I played Wishbass #38 in a progressive original metal band for about 2 years! It was so weird but so right, as the music was way out there and the WISH seemed the most appropriate thing for that band.
I also played the Wish in a classic R&B band with a horn section right up until 6 months ago (my wife had twins and my gig days are on hold for a while-I play marches for the newborns in 2/4 time all the time and 3/4 waltzes lmao!)

I wouldn't try playing fretless in a GB band again unless there was lots of ballads and R&B. For certain genres of music, Leo's concept of frets on bass just make sense.
 
#11
I have a Gary Willis Ibanez that I pretty much don't play; maybe 3 hours in the year and a half I have owned it.

There's a certain, "everybody should have a fretless" mindset I seem to have fallen for. :) In the back of my head, it's like I think I should own one.

I keep thinking I'll find a spot for it, but so far I haven't. :)

I would sell it, but resale is low, and I'm lazy.
 
#12
The first time I played fretless was for a recording session. One was pushed into my hands and I was told (nicely) "play this". It went okay after I got over the shock but geez...

I didn't play one again for six or seven years when I felt I should give it a try and expand my knowledge and skills. But I got a MIM Fender Jazz, couldn't find a sound I liked and promptly sold it.

Ten years later...

I just got a Lakland 55-02D lined fretless. It's time to try it again but with a good instrument, a clearer head and the time to put into it. Looking forward to it!
 
#13
I de-fretted an old Squier P and yeah, since I also have a Fender P around the house, it's been collecting dust.

As of now, it's in the rehearsal room as my spare bass. I left it there in hopes of me forcing myself to play with it more. Gotta say, I do like playing fretless, but it's just such a different beast... haha.
 
#15
I think another example of what mr.mow is saying would be - "I'm a bass player so I NEED to own both a Fender Precision and Jazz even though I might not play them both"

I have a fretless not because I thought I needed to have one but because I wanted to try one. I don't play it much because I don't have the time to practise as much as I need to but I have not abandoned completely.
 
#16
Sorry I should explain what I mean!

Fretless requires somewhat more skill than fretted (or should I say different skills), I get the feeling that all bass people at some stage get the 'hmm I should try fretless' urge at some stage.. Only to quickly find.. 'hmm, it's quite different'...
Click to expand...

Ah, now I see! So, I'd definitely say that a fretless is more or less like... this:

Link Removed

Got to put some real time and effort to get good results !!! :)
 
#17
I love to play fretless. My first realy fretless (real meaning one that was manufactured as a fretless and not defretted) was a Stingray 4. That thing sounded SO awesome. When I was in a band and gigging regularly, I used it for one-2 songs and switched back & forth with the fretted....but then got lazy. I started to switch to fretless once mid-set and then just finish off the set fretless. And it sounded awesome.

I then (like an idiot) traded that bass and never found another fretless that sounded or felt anything like it. Which is why I only noodle on my current fretless. That and the fact that I'm not in a band right now....as a matter of fact, all I do is noodle on any of my basses.
 
#20
About 8 years ago, I bought a really nice Warmoth lined fretless neck for my 78 P-bass. In the years since I have noodled around with it but I was never able to dedicate the time that it required. I have switched the neck back and forth through the years. Recently I decided to switch it out for good. I have tried selling it on eBay but have had no luck.

If I ever decide to try fretless again, it will be on an originally fretless, unlined bass.
 

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