What is your experience on fretless basses?

[bassplayer1960]

I’ve tried a few 5-6 string basses, never had much chance to vary as I only have a guitar center in my town and for the next 140 miles that has the same cheap Ibanez basses, but once there was a Carvin Lb70 4 string fretless that felt good despite the acorn sized truss rod nut looking kinda fragile and as a fretless it felt good and I must say my intonation was not that bad for a first time fretless user (I made sure as I have an ear for out of tune stuff)

My question is do fretless basses feel easier for some of you? Do anyone of you own any Fretless 5-6 stringed basses? Do any of you have recommendations?

I feel faster on it whilst keeping my intonation well, as well as things like tapping felt so much easier than on my fretted Geddy Lee bass (and I play in a three piece metal band so playing fast is required to keep the temp while my guitar player solos) The only six string I have been able to try was the ESP LTD B206 and B205, which felt good but could use a better setup and bridge (the ones on there have bad sustain and are kinda cheap, but some versions have Emg’s that may or may not he active along with active 3 band eq)

Fretless can be easier IMHO if you practice very regularly as

I’ve tried a few 5-6 string basses, never had much chance to vary as I only have a guitar center in my town and for the next 140 miles that has the same cheap Ibanez basses, but once there was a Carvin Lb70 4 string fretless that felt good despite the acorn sized truss rod nut looking kinda fragile and as a fretless it felt good and I must say my intonation was not that bad for a first time fretless user (I made sure as I have an ear for out of tune stuff)

My question is do fretless basses feel easier for some of you? Do anyone of you own any Fretless 5-6 stringed basses? Do any of you have recommendations?

I feel faster on it whilst keeping my intonation well, as well as things like tapping felt so much easier than on my fretted Geddy Lee bass (and I play in a three piece metal band so playing fast is required to keep the temp while my guitar player solos) The only six string I have been able to try was the ESP LTD B206 and B205, which felt good but could use a better setup and bridge (the ones on there have bad sustain and are kinda cheap, but some versions have Emg’s that may or may not he active along with active 3 band eq)

the more you practice the better your internation gets and there is some real pleasure and having lowered action. It’s also nice to not push through frets. With regards to an affordable used FB with very high-quality I would recommend Godin A4. I began playing FB on an unlined A4. I ultimately traded up to a Rob Allen Mouse and Pedulla Buzz,(seemingly representing either side of the FB spectrum.) While I learned without lines, my current FBs have them as I find lines help me with upper register soloing.

 

[2strings2frets]

I tried a cheap fretless for about a year. I enjoyed the sound and the challenge of playing correctly, the meow slide was addicting but I was unwilling to dedicate myself to it and ignore my fretted instruments. In the end I traded it for a T bird.

 

[skyline_01]

I've been playing fretless almost as long as I've been playing fretted. I switch between the two, but play fretted most of the time due to the material I'm covering. My band is mostly original, so I've made it a point to construct fretless bass lines and integrate them into a number of our songs. It's a part of our sound now and the fretless songs just don't have the same sound/vibe when played on fretted. Fretless is an entirely different feel and sound and I'm glad I adopted it early on.

 

[macmanlou]

Here's a pretty good comparison of short scale fretless to fretted. The fretless in the video is the very one Scott made for me.

 

[Artman]

I learned to play a fretless before I ever had a fretted bass. In fact, before I ever owned a bass. I learned on a borrowed Univox fretless violin bass. It's always been easier for me and faster. Especially now that I am beginning to develop arthritis. I can have the action much lower on my Pedulla Buzz bass than on my fretted Jazz or any fretted bass I have ever played, and it still sounds as good if not better. I've owned some fretless Ibanez (pre-SDGR) that were also great. I also feel that the fretless allows me to play more expressively when the bass is up front in the mix. Just my experience. Your milage may vary.

 

[ElectricBass72]

hmm should one be concerned with using roundwound on fretless basses? Ive only ever seen jaco used roundwounds on videos and from reading about but never seeing anyone do that

The fretless basses I've owned and played... 3 had roundwounds, 1 had flats and 1 had tapewound.

It's all subjective... and people have different tastes. To each his/her own. I prefer round wounds on my fretless bass.

 

[arbiterusa]

I own seven basses, all unlined fretless. I've never played anything else. First one was a bass one of my high-school classmates made for me in wood shop. We didn't know how to put in frets but I told him it wouldn't be a problem. Second one was a 78 maple-necked P. Third was a Steinberger L2. I still have that one, it was my only bass for over 25 years. These days I can afford more than one bass!

I come from a violin background so it wasn't like I had to change my approach to much of anything.

hmm should one be concerned with using roundwound on fretless basses? Ive only ever seen jaco used roundwounds on videos and from reading about but never seeing anyone do that

I've never used anything but Roto 66 rounds on my basses until recently - I'm using DR Hi-Beams and they sure sound nice. I don't have problems with fingerboard wear or anything like that.

I really like flats but not on fretless, rather on fretted. I may have to get a cheap Squier Jazz one of these days and throw some flats on that.

 

[Bigpig]

I’ve tried a few 5-6 string basses, never had much chance to vary as I only have a guitar center in my town and for the next 140 miles that has the same cheap Ibanez basses, but once there was a Carvin Lb70 4 string fretless that felt good despite the acorn sized truss rod nut looking kinda fragile and as a fretless it felt good and I must say my intonation was not that bad for a first time fretless user (I made sure as I have an ear for out of tune stuff)

My question is do fretless basses feel easier for some of you? Do anyone of you own any Fretless 5-6 stringed basses? Do any of you have recommendations?

I feel faster on it whilst keeping my intonation well, as well as things like tapping felt so much easier than on my fretted Geddy Lee bass (and I play in a three piece metal band so playing fast is required to keep the temp while my guitar player solos) The only six string I have been able to try was the ESP LTD B206 and B205, which felt good but could use a better setup and bridge (the ones on there have bad sustain and are kinda cheap, but some versions have Emg’s that may or may not he active along with active 3 band eq)

It's harder and easier at the same time. Harder in that you really have to put in the time on just basic mechanics to make sure that you're playing in tune. Easier in that it's physically easier for me to play a fretless - I have relatively small hands for a bass player, and a smaller, thinner neck helps. Can't address your 5- or 6-string question, since I've just got a Squier 4-string fretless.

 

[gidbass]

I’ve tried a few 5-6 string basses, never had much chance to vary as I only have a guitar center in my town and for the next 140 miles that has the same cheap Ibanez basses, but once there was a Carvin Lb70 4 string fretless that felt good despite the acorn sized truss rod nut looking kinda fragile and as a fretless it felt good and I must say my intonation was not that bad for a first time fretless user (I made sure as I have an ear for out of tune stuff)

My question is do fretless basses feel easier for some of you? Do anyone of you own any Fretless 5-6 stringed basses? Do any of you have recommendations?

I feel faster on it whilst keeping my intonation well, as well as things like tapping felt so much easier than on my fretted Geddy Lee bass (and I play in a three piece metal band so playing fast is required to keep the temp while my guitar player solos) The only six string I have been able to try was the ESP LTD B206 and B205, which felt good but could use a better setup and bridge (the ones on there have bad sustain and are kinda cheap, but some versions have Emg’s that may or may not he active along with active 3 band eq)

I use to have the Squier VM fretless (wish i didn't sell it) and it was a fantastic bass for me as fretless will never be my #1, but I did like to play on it just for myself and occasionally bring it to practice.

Good Luck!

 

[lamarjones]

What do you mean by patience?

You're basing your opinion on just trying out a bass I believe? Do an hound and a half set and record. Then listen and see how many intonation issues you hear.

Then the patience will come in correcting that. If there are no intonation issues in that whole set, great. But that would be in the minority.

 

[spaz21387]

Ha! I still have the very first fretless I played at 17, and the gig was one of these very dark gigs, and I had that problem, and where the side dots were, I massacred the bass by filing markers I could feel with my thumb. Memory says it worked perfectly but with 40 years hindsight, I think it just bolstered my confidence that the note I was about to play was correct.

It was a fender too. It had very small dots. I struggled through that show. If it was a musicman maybe i would have kept it. I like fretted basses for live shows.

 

[macmanlou]

I use to have the Squier VM fretless (wish i didn't sell it) and it was a fantastic bass for me as fretless will never be my #1, but I did like to play on it just for myself and occasionally bring it to practice.

Good Luck!

The newer Squier Classic Vibe fretless jazz has an Indian Laurel wood fingerboard instead of the Ebonol that the older Vintage Modified came with. Invalid Link Removed

 

[gidbass]

The newer Squier Classic Vibe fretless jazz has an Indian Laurel wood fingerboard instead of the Ebonol that the older Vintage Modified came with. Invalid Link Removed

View attachment 3530247

yeah, I really liked the look of it without the pickguard. That FB does look nice! Maybe someday i'll pick up another...

 

[micguy]

Never had a problem and managed to fool most people into thinking I was playing a fretted bass.

Funny how we all think differently - the last thing I want to do when playing fretless is try to sound like a fretted instrument - round wounds on an ebonol fingerboard is my choice; I don't think I could make that combination sound fretted even if I worked at it..

One thing I've found that makes fretless a bit easier is...stainless frets on my fretted basses. They're pickier about finger positioning than nickel frets (they clank much easier if you're not in the right spot)- that forces you to be more on top of the fret, which means, when you pick up a fretless (most of my gigs are fretted(, your fingers are better trained in terms of positioning.

 

[Frndmoretti]

My perception of pitch has always been terrible. I would make a fool of myself.

 

[mattj1stc]

I've owned a few. The good news is that coming from fretted bass guitar, fretless bass guitar is easier to master than upright, which is also fretless but longer scale (requiring different fingering strategies). I honestly didn't find figuring out consistent intonation to be all that difficult. Yes, at first you have a slow down, be more aware of your fingers, listen more, maybe even play along with a tuner. However, at some point your muscle memory and hearing kick in to the point where you can play reasonably comfortably (meaning not having to constantly look down at your left hand). I ultimately went back to fretted, in part because it's a little easier to play, but mostly because I was playing in situations where most of the fretless tonal qualities really weren't that audible (at least 2 guitars or more, keys, many singers, etc.). I'd consider going back to it if I was in something smaller/quieter and my extra effort would be more audible.

 

[rogerbmiller]

Having had formal training on upright but not on electric bass, for many years I felt far more comfortable on fretless.

With years away from the upright bass, this is no longer the case. But I do not find fretless to be daunting in any way. It just takes lots of warming up before I play to get the muscle memory going.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

I can play in tune on one, but am unwilling to put in the time to learn how to sound really good.

It took me a bit, but I got down, I was being a little too selfconscience about intonation, but having a lined fretless helps a lot, but I do find myself sliding into notes & my vibrato is a little more exaggerated when playing fretless. I can stop it if I tell myself it's getting annoying. I can play it straight & make it sound like a fretted bass, but where's the Fun in that? I love getting that "Mmwwahhh" sound!

I don't play 5vers although I have one. I can't get over that "where the F ! am I?" (upside down) feeling
or the floppy B string thing. I can't fathom the frustration of having a 5 or more string fretless! but. I am a creature of bad habits.

 

[spiritbass]

It took me a bit, but I got down, I was being a little too selfconscience about intonation, but having a lined fretless helps a lot, but I do find myself sliding into notes & my vibrato is a little more exaggerated when playing fretless. I can stop it if I tell myself it's getting annoying. I can play it straight & make it sound like a fretted bass, but where's the Fun in that? I love getting that "Mmwwahhh" sound!

I don't play 5vers although I have one. I can't get over that "where the F! am I?" (upside down) feeling
or the floppy B string thing. I can't fathom the frustration of having a 5 or more string fretless! but. I am a creature of bad habits.

Good deal. Another point that I did not mention is that I don't have the need for the fretless tones...

 

[John Bess]

One thing I noticed in the OP's comments is how much you enjoyed the fretless. If that's the case, let nothing stop you from playing one. As has been stated, you can find ways to fit it into what you are doing with your current band. Most importantly, getting one will get your technique together and may draw you to play other genres of music where the fretless is more prevalent. Enjoy the journey.