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Thinking of Going Fretless

R

remainthesame

Sep 24, 2008
818
48
#1
Hey guys, I did a search but cant quite find what I'm looking for. So if this has been done before, I apologize.

Well as the title says, I'm thinking of picking up a fretless. But the thing is, I've never really had much experience with them.

So getting to my question; What kind of things should I look out for when purchasing a fretless? Let's assume that money is not an issue.

I play mostly metal, but still play a variety of genres. I do a lot of slapping, and occasional tapping. I prefer 5 strings with wide string spacing. And I don't want anything with a small body (I'm a big guy and prefer big basses)

I'm looking for specific things bout the bass that i should watch for. However if you have any brands or models that you can recommend, I'm all ears.

Oh yeah and remember guys, I don't want any fighting. Most of us are adults and shouldn't need a babysitter. Please don't waste the moderators' time with pointless bickering.:spit:
 
#2
The only reason I WOULDN'T buy a fretless is if I slapped a lot or tapped.

In any case, a used Pedulla Pentabuzz can be found in the $1500-2500 range and are killer. The body isn't super big though.

This is a hard one as most 5 string fretless basses have tighter spacing (EBMM, Ibanez, etc.).

I personally can't stand Warwicks, but I bet that would be a great choice for you. Optional broad spacing, fairly large body, great for metal, etc.
 
#4
A Squier VM fretless would be a good bass to start on. At $299 list it's not a huge investment, and the build quality is pretty good.
Try as many brands as you can. The voicing will vary between brands and models.
If money was no object I'd be looking at Warwick (Thumb NT 5 fretless), F Bass (Alain Caron model) and a Pedulla if I could find one.

(If you're where I think you are, there was a Tobias fretless 5 on your craigslist a couple weeks back, up at Fort Drum...)
 
#5
Well, I'm sure there are people out there who can slap and tap on a fretless successfully, but I would think they are the exception, not the rule. I can slap and tap the hell out of a fretted bass, but I sure can't do it on my fretless strung with flats.

I just started playing a lot more fretless in a Bad Company tribute project. It was really good for my fretless playing, but I'll still stick with a lined versus unlined version. I am getting amazing tones and using cool new techniques, it really opened up a whole new sound palette for me.

Just not slap and tap. Yet.

BTW, I play a Fender MIM Jazz fretless, and it is superb.
 
#6
Hmm... Tapping and slapping on a fretless looks quite strange at first sight... It may give unorthodox results (not necessarly pleasing, but it all depends on the context and on the player).
About the brand/model: how much is your budget? A Squier VM can be a ggod starting point in terms of quality/price. From there on, there's a world up until Ritter (I think he builds fretless). If you give us some more infos, I think we all will be glad to help you.

Anyway: a fretless is a total different beast. I didn't play it for a while (ten years or so) and now that I started again it takes a little bit of habit (even for a quiete experience and grey-haired dude like me...).
 
#7
Repeating what just about everyone else said already: Played a Pedulla Buzz (4) for years and years. Great instrument - but not for slapping and tapping.

What to look out for when buying? Same as any other bass, except instead of fret wear, you're looking out for finger board wear. Especially on something like a Pedulla where the neck is coated. I played the hell out of my Buzz for years and eventually had to drop it off at the Pedulla factory to have them refinish the neck because I was losing notes.
 
#9
Is the decision to go fretless already a well-though out one or is it still in the exploratory stage? Regardless of budget, if the search for a fretless bass is for "exploratory" purposes only then I'd go with a reasonably-priced yet worthwhile bass like the Squier VM as what the others have been suggesting or other similar ones out there. If you're beyond the exploratory stage, I guess you'd go shopping for a fretless with at least the same set of criteria you'd have when looking for a fretted (that's up to you) and of course fretless specific criteria like "mwah" factor among other things. Heck, I went through the exploratory stage with a Squier VM. Guess what - I stuck with the darn thing once I decided that I needed a fretless. The reason for this is that relative to my entire playing time, fretless only occupied a small portion thus I didn't want to spend more relative to the time of use. Besides, I made the VM a project bass and tweaked it based on what I though I would have wanted in a fretless. I guess I was also lucky that I ran into a pre-owned VM that seemed not to have the negative quirks some people talk about.

Just my $0.02
 
#10
Jaco D said:
Is the decision to go fretless already a well-though out one or is it still in the exploratory stage? Regardless of budget, if the search for a fretless bass is for "exploratory" purposes only then I'd go with a reasonably-priced yet worthwhile bass like the Squier VM as what the others have been suggesting or other similar ones out there. If you're beyond the exploratory stage, I guess you'd go shopping for a fretless with at least the same set of criteria you'd have when looking for a fretted (that's up to you) and of course fretless specific criteria like "mwah" factor among other things. Heck, I went through the exploratory stage with a Squier VM. Guess what - I stuck with the darn thing once I decided that I needed a fretless. The reason for this is that relative to my entire playing time, fretless only occupied a small portion thus I didn't want to spend more relative to the time of use. Besides, I made the VM a project bass and tweaked it based on what I though I would have wanted in a fretless. I guess I was also lucky that I ran into a pre-owned VM that seemed not to have the negative quirks some people talk about.

Just my $0.02
Click to expand...

I have one. Like it very much. It needed a little attention at the nut. Once that was done I thought it played and sounded well, I hate using the term "Jaco Tone" but surprisingly it did, despite the player :)
 
#11
Baird6869 said:
The only reason I WOULDN'T buy a fretless is if I slapped a lot or tapped.

In any case, a used Pedulla Pentabuzz can be found in the $1500-2500 range and are killer. The body isn't super big though.

This is a hard one as most 5 string fretless basses have tighter spacing (EBMM, Ibanez, etc.).

I personally can't stand Warwicks, but I bet that would be a great choice for you. Optional broad spacing, fairly large body, great for metal, etc.
Click to expand...

This is true. The funny thing about technology- when I viewed this while not logged in, "5 string fretless basses" became a hyperlink that took me here:

Invalid Link Removed

He specs state 19mm spacing. Irony?:D
 
#14
Slapping (I don't tap) on a fretless is even easier than fretted for me. Lower action reduces the effort required, it's something you can learn how to do. I demonstrate this IRL quite often and most people are surprised based on what they'd read or been told was "possible". Sometimes you just have to try things for yourself.

What's your budget?
 
#16
buy something cheap to start with. See if you can hang with playing the fretless. Its quite a change. You always have to be listening to see if you are in tune plus navigating the fretboard (especially if you are reading charts!) It takes a while to become comfortable too. When I have a gig where I'm playing it, I always get it out a couple weeks before because it takes that long to become comfortable it it again.
 
#17
Well if you have the calling, go for it !

I think I would check Carvin, Warwick and probably Pedulla and Zon for fretless ( personal choice here ).

Slap and Tapping on a fretless may be a big challenge since you have to watch your intonation but it is possible. Les Claypool do both and in the metal scene Dominic "Forest" Lapointe does it too.
 

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