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wanting a fretless for lessless

Hotrodmick

Hotrodmick

Dec 7, 2009
80
29
Mid-west
#1
I know this has been asked a hundred times, I did the search.

BUT

I'm wanting a fretless for expanding my playing and maybe 1 or 2 songs. I use Songster and it will say fretless so I will use my Flat wound bass for that and it's close enough. I know the Squire is a cheap way in and that is a possibility.

Here is my question:
If I start looking new/used, which brand should I pass on in the 3 to 5 hundred dollar ranger? How good is the ESP LTD ?

I'm after a 4 string and have a Schecter Hellraiser 5 to trade or sell to make this deal happen. For the price of a new one , I thought I could get a nicer used one, just a thought. And yes I want the fret lines. ( saw another thread)

Thanks
 
#5
FWIW my one and only fretless is a 2014 MIM Fender Jazz with the "learner lines" (I'm a fretless noob, so I am allowed to say that ;) ). It's actually the lightest Jazz bass that I have ever played or owned, the pickups are much better than my previous MIM's and overall I think it's very good value for money. Might fit your budget.

What kind of music do you play? What sound are you after? Pickups? Active/passive?
 
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#6
I'll never buy a new bass again, used is the way to go for sure.
Fretlines, that's a total oxymoron for me, visually and functionally. Side dots should be more than enough, play on those lines and you'll be off pitch 75% of the time. Ymmv
Try as many as you can, each one is as different as the next. You'll eventually find one that feels right.
 
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#7
Hotrodmick said:
I'm wanting a fretless for expanding my playing and maybe 1 or 2 songs. I use Songster and it will say fretless so I will use my Flat wound bass for that and it's close enough. I know the Squire is a cheap way in and that is a possibility.

Here is my question:
If I start looking new/used, which brand should I pass on in the 3 to 5 hundred dollar ranger? How good is the ESP LTD ?
And yes I want the fret lines. ( saw another thread)

Thanks
Click to expand...

The ESP LTD Vintage 214 FL is really quite impressive. Mine is better than Squier for about the same money and IMHO is nearly on par with MIM fender excepting some minor issues like some sloppy PG screws. Unfortunatley the it only comes unlined, though with dots at every fret. The more modern style b205 comes fretless and lined. I've not played one and it's a bit more $, but still less than $500.

All the usual suspects, Squire, Used MIM, Ibanez etc are all decent and worth looking at. I don't know that there are any you should deliberately pass on.
 
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#8
We're a classic rock band and this was for Hey You PF.. Hey You Tab by Pink Floyd | Songsterr Tabs with Rhythm

Please don't tell anyone but after studying Scott's bass lessons on-line, I've been playing with some jazz. I have two nice 4 strings, one with flat wounds. I have been digging the flats a lot and it's on my less guitar.

What I have now is a Fender AM Jazz 4 and a Peavey Millennium with the flats. My wife bought me the Schecter 5 string and I'm just not a 5 string player. Been a guitar player too long. I just retired so the money will be a little tight for a while, that's why I need to get the Hellbender sold and the 3 to 5 range.
 
#9
All I can recommend is play it before you buy it!
Flats on a fretted, not a fretless substitute. Though mellow and thumpy, it's missing the Mmwha!
I'd love to say "name brand X" makes the best! But it don't! it may be a $75 pawn shop,beat to hell, no name, made in Bali POS that tickles you! Get out and try em!
I will say, Japanese Fenders Rock! But so does Warwick, Hamer, and Carvin :bassist: so try if you can
 
#10
brotondo said:
All I can recommend is play it before you buy it!
Click to expand...
Definitely! Especially with a fretless.
A little fingerboard variation or warpage that might just be a few leveled frets becomes a more serious and potentially expensive issue on a fretless. As well as the general variability that is inherent in lower-cost instruments (or any instruments for that matter).
 
#11
On my fretless, there are only side dots and they are at the fret position. I have a program that checks my intonation, and it is dead on at that spot, so I've wondered where this thing comes from to not play the lines? Is it that the lines are more guidelines and you'd be playing by eye instead of ear more with a lined fretless? My jazz instructor also has me play the lines (or just before, really). Anyway, sidebar there.

To answer your question, my best advice is to find a fretless that is the closest to the specs you like on your fretted bass so it won't feel as awkward. I learned fretted on a Warwick, but first tried fretless with a VM Squier precision. Different specs (and I can't play lined fretless apparently), so I struggled a bit with it. Since I liked it so much, I saved up a bit and got a nice fretless with the same specs as my Corvette 5, a Streamer fretless 5, and couldn't be happier.

I'm currently looking at the rockbass fretless streamer as a backup/practice bass to my MIG. Post 2009 rockbasses aren't as crap as the earlier ones, but I haven't grabbed one of the fretless yet, so I can't say how nice they are yet, but that's what I'm looking at.
 
#13
I know you mentioned Squier.. I just bought a vintage modified jazz (the older one with the Duncan Design pups) used on ebay for $200. I usually modify just about everything about a stock bass, but this is actually VERY usable as is. I bought it without much thought because of how cheap it was and I've been after a fretless jazz for a while because of Esperanza Spalding. I'm NOT disappointed at all. In fact, I'm selling a couple of my other basses to fund purchasing a P bass and Ray34 in Sunburst to match the Vintage Modified!
 
#14
brotondo said:
I'll never buy a new bass again, used is the way to go for sure.
Fretlines, that's a total oxymoron for me, visually and functionally. Side dots should be more than enough, play on those lines and you'll be off pitch 75% of the time. Ymmv
Try as many as you can, each one is as different as the next. You'll eventually find one that feels right.
Click to expand...
Dunno why, but I prefer new. I really like popping my bass cherries, I guess.
 
#15
The squier vintage modified fretless that looks like the jaco bass is an AWESOME bass for the price. Squier is doing some great stuff and I've personally played that fretless a few times. I'm not into fretless but honestly I considered buying this one.great feel, strong sound really nothing bad about it and it's $279.00
 
#17
cyclopsbookworm said:
On my fretless, there are only side dots and they are at the fret position. I have a program that checks my intonation, and it is dead on at that spot, so I've wondered where this thing comes from to not play the lines? Is it that the lines are more guidelines and you'd be playing by eye instead of ear more with a lined fretless?
Click to expand...
Precisely! They are veritable crutches. The true note pattern resembles something more like a fanned fret bass, hardly any "fretline" should run truly perpendicular or straight across fingerboard. That would be great idea, fanned fretlines!
 
#18
after he got a new bass, a friend of mine in high school used a soldering device of some sort to heat up the frets on his old squire P bass and then slid them right out of the neck once the glue melted. voila. instant fretless.
 
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