Thinking about a Modern Fretless

[trothwell]

I have 4 fretless basses and by far my favorite and #1 bass is a Yamaha (JP2). Thats a 6, but Yamaha makes the TRB series which is the base model for that and it's available in any string count.
Now.... they don't make a fretless - I had mine converted. and it's still the finest bass I've ever played. I have owned several fine fretless basses and have played countless others, and this one is it. The ONLY thing that touches it is Fodera, and frankly those are at a price point that for me did not make sense.

Running off on a tangent a bit -- other than the JP2, is the TRB series actually still available?

 

[drumvsbass]

You just cannot find them, made of pure "unobtainium."

They are exceptionally rare. However, I got mine on the classifieds here for what I consider to be a steal of a deal. Pateince, and a bit of pocketbook. Not arguing their rarity, but they are atainable, and worth every penny IMO.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I am super picky about my fretless tone. I want a bass that absolutely "sings", even when played unplugged. Very very few do that. I can listen to about five seconds of a youtube video demo and figure out if a fretless is a good one. The ones I really like (and choose to play) are MusicMan's. The EBMM USA-made Sterling model is amazing, as is the Stingray 5, all generations of them. The newer Stingray Special 5 fretlesses are especially great sounding, and there are a few of them for sale in the Talkbass classifieds and on Reverb right now (none of them for sale by me, btw). Other than that, Zon and Pedulla Buzz/Pentabuzz (even tho no longer being made) are my all-time favorites. Honestly, hardly any of the others outside of Fender Jazz designs even grab my ears attention.

I am discovering that with the stainless steel RW's Sadowsky put on the MetroExpress Hybrid fretless that bass sings quite well. The strings are hard on my fingers but may be worth keeping, even though I ordered Chrome flats today. With barely any EQ boost the bass sounds amazing. You might want to give one a try. I think it's competitive with the EBMM, in tone and playability.

 

[Root 5]

In no particular order: F Bass BNF
Ibanez SRF700,705,706 models
Musicman Stingray Custom

 

[Benko]

Rare but I wouldn't call them "unobtainium". There's one in the tb classifieds right now and another on Reverb.

For sale ZON Sonus 5 Fretless - 2013 - Burled Maple

Best Fretless Money Can Buy

• Benko (+25 /0 /-0)
• Mar 23, 2026
• Updated Jun 3, 2026
• Views: 1K
• Reaction score: 7
• Comments: 6
• Category: For Sale: Bass Guitars

$3,500.00

$3,250.00

5 watching

I agree with this post

 

[bassplayer1960]

I had a Fender Jaco for years, loved it. I sold it to help buy a fretless bass that I like even more, a Rob Allen MB-2 (5-string). For my tastes, this is just an absolutely superlative fretless bass; I don't know if there exists another fretless that I would prefer. But it also isn't quite as multi-purpose as the Fender. When it fits in the music, it's just totally awesome, but some styles it doesn't really gel with.

But given your goal for using something with soul, jazz, folk... it might suit you well.

I have a Rob Alan mouse FL that gets a lot of playing time, as I have been in folk, Celtic, country and roots rock for many years. But I would agree that with it’s acoustic upright, like tone, it’s a bit of a one trick pony. This instrument replaced a Godin A4 FL, also quite nice and well built and find sounding. I recently replaced a Pedulla Buzz, (also IMHP, a bit of a modern sounding, one trick pony, but beautifully crafted), with a Lakland 44-94 FL which is as useful as it is fantastically built. So with the Rob Allen and Lakie FL I feel I have my basis covered.

 

[Sven Olaffson]

Not mentionning any models or brands directly, but in terms of concept, what do you mean by "modern fretless"?
Considering that the Jaco Jazz Bass you already have is "old school fretless", are you thinking about the type of sound that Pino Palladino had in the 80s ? or even Mick Karn ? Guy Pratt ? Gary Willis ? Bakithi Kumalo ?

I guess the "modern" in all those cases is basically a humbucker pickup in MusicMan or bridge posistion, reinforced by active electronics. You can have this by quite a good number of brands and models. A lot of modern fretless is on 5 strings but most examples I gave are 4 strings.
Key components can also be an ebony fingerboard, low action on roundwound strings,

 

[BassicJazzy]

I'm also going to suggest that if you want to go truly "modern" consider a fan fret lined fretless design like Sire offers, or the Ibanez headless 5 string unlined fretless with ebanol (synthetic ebony) fretboard. Cannot remember, but the Sire might be headless too?

Now that's modern!

They look harder to play but folks say that's not true, you adjust to them quickly.

 

[trothwell]

I have a Rob Alan mouse FL that gets a lot of playing time, as I have been in folk, Celtic, country and roots rock for many years. But I would agree that with it’s acoustic upright, like tone, it’s a bit of a one trick pony. This instrument replaced a Godin A4 FL, also quite nice and well built and find sounding. I recently replaced a Pedulla Buzz, (also IMHP, a bit of a modern sounding, one trick pony, but beautifully crafted), with a Lakland 44-94 FL which is as useful as it is fantastically built. So with the Rob Allen and Lakie FL I feel I have my basis covered.

Ouch! I think "one trick pony" is a bit harsh. Maybe a "three trick pony".

 

[ardgedee]

Ouch! I think "one trick pony" is a bit harsh. Maybe a "three trick pony".

Nothing wrong with a baked-in sound, if that's the sound you want.

 

[MichaelPatrick]

Appreciate all the feedback, I’ve got sights on two different fretless basses, one is closer to what I currently have but has a nice preamp and would give me more of the modern tone I’m looking for, while the other is a big step up, but is ultimately my dream bass. Now, as long as the seller checks their DMs…

 

[Ric Vice]

I can’t say enough about my Lakland 55-94 Lined Fretless. Great tone, beautiful articulation, even touch response. I’ve played a Fender Jaco. The Lakland is quite a step up for me. Just my take of course.

 

[Jugghaid]

G&L M2500 or L2500 is also a good choice. Tons of tonal variety. I prefer the M2500 for mid control.