TO GO FRETLESS OR NOT?

[jamro217]

I'd get a 34" scale fretless neck, pick which of your basses you'd like to hear as a fretless and install it on that one. Keep the original neck and if you don't like the fretless one, reverse the mod and sell it. No problem and you shouldn't lose your shirt. Hope this helps.

 

[grimjim]

Not trying to derail the OP but I'm not sure what you are referring to. (I've never even held a fretless) Are the side dots in the middle of the area where frets would normally be? Or are they on the actual line where frets would be. If the bass is tuned using the side dots then all of the notes (except open) should still be in tune. Am I making any sense? The side dots either way should be good to tune with. (Again I've no idea. Help me Obi Wan) I don't desire one but my sister who lives just outside of Branson hears someone in one of the shows who uses fretless and she wants me to get one.

The sidemarkers are where the frets would be.

 

[CaptainWally]

This is such a key thread. Fretless really does have its own distinctive sound, and it can be super alluring. Several years ago, I went nuts geeking out on Pino '80s tracks, and it prompted me to order a brand new Roscoe fretless 4. One of the best, for sure.

The reality of fretless has been aptly described. It takes effort to learn and play properly, and it's highly dubious in a live situation. On a live stage, making sure your intonation is spot-on is daunting, to say the least. It's a whole extra bass to worry about. And in most cases, the audience will not notice or care.

If you really have an itch to scratch, I say go for it. And if you're recording or doing some artsy coffee shop gigs or something, it might be a real adder. If nothing else, it's a really fun but expensive toy.

Bottom line: I'm guessing north of 90% of fretless purchasers actually use them in earnest for any length of time. Maybe you're one of the proud few, but your scenario doesn't bode well.

One thing you might consider. Get yourself a killer reverb and a chorus pedal if you don't have one. Turns down your tone knob, and you have very vaguely fretlessy vibe. For live music, it's probably a better solution.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I am in a project band that has a couple of songs that the bassline was definitely recorded on a fretless bass. I don't have one in my collection of 3 electric basses. Is there a decent, under $500.00 fretless bass out there? Or should I take one of my current basses and buy a fretless neck for a conversion?

What I have right now are: Fender American Vintage reissue "75 Jazz Bass: New(ish) MIJ Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass; and a New Fender Vintera Precision Bass.

Personally, I don't want to change any of them, each has it's own feel, and sound. The only neck I am not in love with is the Vintera, it's finish on the edges is a little rough? I'd like to round the fret edges and even possibly the fingerboard top a little. Both my Jazz Basses have beautiful slim necks that play like butter. The Aerodyne with the P-J pups is killer punchy and rings with pure intonation and clarity in the higher registers. The Vintage reissue is just amazingly Jazz Bass perfect in every way. I guess I am convincing myself to not change any but to find a fretless to add to the collection.

Any suggestions around the size of the stimulus check?

Thanks,

John

A Squire Classic Vibe fretless is eBay right now for $285. It's nice to keep a fretless around, even if you barely use it. I rarely use mine live, but I practice on it all the time because it's got somewhat high action on it- playing it really keeps your fingers in shape. Then when you pick up your main bass, it's so much easier to play. Kinda like when the batter uses two bats in the on-deck circle. But... once you get good on it, you can start bringing with you to sessions just in case.

 

[GretschWretch]

Not trying to derail the OP but I'm not sure what you are referring to. (I've never even held a fretless) Are the side dots in the middle of the area where frets would normally be? Or are they on the actual line where frets would be. If the bass is tuned using the side dots then all of the notes (except open) should still be in tune. Am I making any sense? The side dots either way should be good to tune with. (Again I've no idea. Help me Obi Wan) I don't desire one but my sister who lives just outside of Branson hears someone in one of the shows who uses fretless and she wants me to get one.

The dots are where they would be on a fretted bass. So yes, one could use those dots to tune the instrument to itself. But it still would be out of tune with other instruments.

 

[GretschWretch]

The sidemarkers are where the frets would be.

No; the side markers are where the halfway point between frets would be, just like on a fretted bass. If you intonate by using your octave harmonic vs. stopped note, your correct pitches will not be on the side dots.

 

[TDR1138]

I say go for it!

Early on in the whole Covid thing, I bought a Mighty Mite fretless neck and slapped it on a Squier Affinity P Bass. I’m really enjoying it, though I will say that if you go the route of piecing something together, you want to make sure you know how to set it up well, because that makes a lot of difference in the playability, and therefore how much you’ll enjoy it. The MM neck did need a fair amount of nut filing and tweaking to get it to play well.

Now, 8 months of casual noodling later, my 2021 resolution is to get good/confident enough at fretless that I will gig with it before the end of the year. I’m actually debating stepping up to a MIM fretless, though. Extra incentive to play...

 

[Outshined91]

I have a bootleg, somewhat oddball solution that I have found works quite well. If you roll your tone knob all the way down (or however you generate a more passive, muted tone on your basses), and plug into a chorus pedal at around 3/4 tone strength, I've found that this provides me with a pretty reasonable "fretless" tone. All things considered, it is still an imitation and isn't super close to the real thing, but can get you halfway there without necessarily needing to buy new equipment just for a limited use. Hope this helps!

 

[Blankandson]

That was quick. Thanks for the fast explanation. That makes sense. Obi Wan to the rescue!

 

[Sid Fang]

No; the side markers are where the halfway point between frets would be, just like on a fretted bass. If you intonate by using your octave harmonic vs. stopped note, your correct pitches will not be on the side dots.

That may be true for some fretless basses, but certainly not all. I've only had 2, Music Man and Steinberger, and they both had their side markers where the frets would have been, offset a bit from the fretted version of the same bass.

 

[2F/2F]

I would not buy a fretless for that reason, even a cheap one.

If you are playing on flats, it's not hard to get a fretless-like sound.

FWIW, I played fretless exclusively for 20 years. Once I picked up a bass with frets, I never went back. Then again, I do have flats on probably 90 percent of my basses. I would definitely miss having a fretless if I was playing on rounds all the time.

 

[getBAK]

I've said it lots of times, Yamaha doesn't make lemons
Yamaha RBX 250F 4 String Fretless Electric Bass 2005 Black | Marx Music Supply | Reverb

EDIT - nevermind looks like the headstock is cracked on this one

 

[PennyroyalWe]

Dr. Cheese seems to like the Glarry fretless, and that’s under $100. Why not try it?

 

[SteveC]

Yamaha is highly underrated. I played a BB605 for a LONG time. People still talk about and identify me with that bass. If I hadn’t discovered the old Bass Classifieds site (remember that one?) I’d probably still be playing that bass.

I also had an Orange BB 414 that was excellent. Should have kept it.

 

[morgansterne]

My only caution would be that if you switch necks from fretted to fretless, the tone will change.

I had a squier classic vibe fretless for awhile. The fret lines are slightly raised.
This bugs some players a lot.
I have no experience with Glarry, but avoid a fretless Rogue brand. I got one basically free and it still wasn't worth it.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I am in a project band that has a couple of songs that the bassline was definitely recorded on a fretless bass. I don't have one in my collection of 3 electric basses. Is there a decent, under $500.00 fretless bass out there? Or should I take one of my current basses and buy a fretless neck for a conversion?

What I have right now are: Fender American Vintage reissue "75 Jazz Bass: New(ish) MIJ Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass; and a New Fender Vintera Precision Bass.

Personally, I don't want to change any of them, each has it's own feel, and sound. The only neck I am not in love with is the Vintera, it's finish on the edges is a little rough? I'd like to round the fret edges and even possibly the fingerboard top a little. Both my Jazz Basses have beautiful slim necks that play like butter. The Aerodyne with the P-J pups is killer punchy and rings with pure intonation and clarity in the higher registers. The Vintage reissue is just amazingly Jazz Bass perfect in every way. I guess I am convincing myself to not change any but to find a fretless to add to the collection.

Any suggestions around the size of the stimulus check?

Thanks,

John

used Mexican fender jazz fretless can be found for like $300. It’s a solid bass. Also the Sterling by musicman Ray 34cafl is nice and they aren’t too pricey. Could probable find a used one in your price range. I was able to get a new one from sweetwater discounted because of a tiny finish flaw within your price range.

 

[Thomas998]

I would not buy a fretless for that reason, even a cheap one.

If you are playing on flats, it's not hard to get a fretless-like sound.

FWIW, I played fretless exclusively for 20 years. Once I picked up a bass with frets, I never went back. Then again, I do have flats on probably 90 percent of my basses. I would definitely miss having a fretless if I was playing on rounds all the time.

Yep, if you put some flat wound on a fretted bass it will have the typical fretless sound which would probably be all the OP really is looking for if it is all down to being able to do a couple of songs that were intended for fretless.

 

[VoodooJazz]

If you can find a way to swing the cost, consider the Ibanez GWB35. You will get a good instrument, and you probably won’t even need to upgrade if you find that you like fretless. In any case, having a fretless is a Good Thing. You will be happy to have one if you get a nice, usable instrument.

 

[GretschWretch]

That may be true for some fretless basses, but certainly not all. I've only had 2, Music Man and Steinberger, and they both had their side markers where the frets would have been, offset a bit from the fretted version of the same bass.

Of course it's true only for some. I have a parts JP, and the dots are precisely where they should be; and I have Glarry fretless, as do others on TB, and the consensus is that the dots are misplaced. My comments were only in the context of Glarry.

 

[BlueTalon]

But when you are alone it’s really easy to rise or fall a few cents even on a lined neck. I practice with a tuner running at least a couple times a week.

True, I easily stay in on lined or unlined fretless when I am playing during a service, but I am less accurate during a lesson.

I’ve played a long time but I feel as if I could play a fretless blindfolded “just OK” but if there was a guitar or keyboard to sync to I think the could dial it in right away.

I have found that although it's really easy to get out of tune, I can stay in tune pretty well (or correct myself quickly) by often referencing an open string.