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The whole fretless thing..

#61
before i got steinbergered, i had a yamaha headless BX-1 as my main bass and a peavey patriot as a backup. i had my BX-1 converted to a fretless and HAD to use it on gigs, mostly because i couldn't stand the sound of the peavey. if i were currently playing bass full time, i'd be using a fretless exclusively & my fretted basses would be sitting in their bags.
 
#62
:cool:

From 1988-1997, I played fretless only.

From 1997-2006, fretless/fretted 50%.

From 2006-2009-fretted only.

I now have Big Gas for a fretless Roscoe 6-string.
I see a lot of fretless in my future, again.
 
#64
I've played fretless off and on for 20 years. (Mostly off, LOL). Recently, however, I've been infatuated with fretless, and have spent the last few months playing them almost exclusively. I presently own 3 fretless basses: a Wal Mark I, Pedulla Buzz, and a '78 Precision, with another one I'm building that will be a fretless Jazz. Each has their own unique voice and character, and each requires it's own approach to playing. I just acquired the '78 P, and it's my first unlined fretless. I love it, and I'm very happy to find it's not as difficult to play as I thought it would be without the lines. Familiarity breeds content, I guess. I know the overall ins and outs of P and J basses, so it feels familiar to me. And that's my word of advice for anyone interested in pursuing fretless who wants to jump in quicker: start off with a fretless version of a bass you may already know (i.e.. Jazz, Precision, etc).
 
#67
i've dabbled with fretless off and on for years, and after taking almost every bass i've owned and making them each into a fretless, i went fretless only. best move i've ever made.

the one fretted bass i do own was collecting dust until my wife recently started playing it. so now..... i've become the art teachers bass teacher!
 
#68
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...

When my cover band breaks out those Bad Company songs again if we find the right singer. Otherwise I infrequently noodle. Got a 5 string Lightwave for sale on Craigs right now.
Gonna go to the local jazz jam some Sunday as an observer. Maybe somethin will click?
 
#69
"Santa" brought me a cheapie SX fretless a few years ago and I had a little bit of fun noodling with it and thought I'd find a nice one and really use it. I eventually found a Jazz Deluxe V fretless that sounds fantastic and ........ I hardly ever play it. I know I'd have to put the time in to get comfortable with it, but I have little enough time to play as it is these days so there's not much left to devote to something that new/different. So it sits around collecting dust most of the time.

I finally decided I'm going to try selling it and then keep my eyes open for one of the few basses I'm interested in trying. At least I know whatever I replace it with would get played, at least until I decide if I like it enough to keep it or to trade it for something else I want to try. At least I'll still have the SX in case I want to give it another try.
 
#71
bucephylus said:
As a bass player, there is little I like more than playing fretless with a hard hitting horn section. Peas and carrots.
Click to expand...

That is so true. In New Orleans some years before Katrina, I saw a big horn band playing awesome R&B at club near the French Quarter. The bassist was playing what looked like a homemade fretless jazz. His fluid lines complemented the horn parts so perfectly. I'll never forget that.
 
#72
I'm the same as mr.mow. I mean, I made a Squier P a Fretless, but I never use it seriously. Of course, there are bassist that use exclusively FL, some don't ever use FL, and some, like me and mr.mow have FL but don't use it.

Though, I think I'd get more FL action if I had a better one.
 
#73
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 recently bought a fretless bass and I'm getting used to it. The fretboard has lines so I can see where I'm supposed to put my fingers - I'm getting used to not having frets! In some ways it's more difficult because you have to fret accurately, but I'm finding that I can be a little off and it won't really be noticed in my playing situation. The advantage is I will never have fret buzz and my action is really low.

I have been toying with the idea of trading this fretless neck for a fretted one, though...
 
#74
I started playing fretted bass but was intriqued with fretless playing almost immediatly after starting to play bass . I have been playing fretless for 12 years and dont expect that will ever go back to fretted playing. Fretless allows for more expression and once you get used to it you find that there are attributes that make fretless playing easier such as lower action and the ability to easily correct if you land in the wrong place. I would recommend fretlines to any beginner. My first did not have lines and while it looked more impressive I got much better, particulary with riffs and solos in the upper register, with lines. Bottom line is that fretless bass can easily become a main axe particuarly if you are playing non rock such as folk, jazz or fusion.
 
#76
mr.mow said:
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?!
Click to expand...

Here! I actually use mine when I'm jamming and need a really ballsy tone (I have a music man sterling strung with rotosounds)
 
#77
I've played fretless exclusively for sixteen years. I'll occasionally pick up my only fretted bass for novelty's sake, but the tone seems comparatively inexpressive and it feels too mechanical and restrictive compared to the "organic" feel and flow of a fretless fingerboard. For me, the electric bass has come to be defined as a fretless instrument.
 
#78
I picked up a fretless for good about 2.5 years back, and use fretless for 90% of my gigging and practice. I have a fretted that I use when a song calls for slap, because I personally don't like slapping on a fretless. The fretless gets pretty much everything else.
Oh - my two main gigs - accompanying a singer/songwriter/instrumentalist (think folk-jazz) where fretless is a major accompaniment and melodic instrument, and a funk band, where fretless isn't the obvious choice, but it works a treat.

"To be honest...", it's the sound for me. I get that it's not for everyone, but then, it doesn't have to be.
 

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