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What was your first fretless bass?
- Thread starter MAJOR METAL
- Start date
It was a Godin A4 prototype just like this one.
Had been playing for almost ten years before, but a friend of mine lent me his fretless for a few weeks before I got mine.
Had been playing for almost ten years before, but a friend of mine lent me his fretless for a few weeks before I got mine.
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My first fretless would have been My Ampeg Baby Bass. 1971 if memory serves.
If we are talking bass guitar than it was a 1972 fretless P, absolutely beautiful. Purchased a day or two after Highschool graduation (1972), had been playing bas since 1968 or 1969.
If we are talking bass guitar than it was a 1972 fretless P, absolutely beautiful. Purchased a day or two after Highschool graduation (1972), had been playing bas since 1968 or 1969.
I had a fretless Peavey Foundation in 1986. It was a great bass, but I did not have the patience to get my intonation together.
In the early 80's I bought a used factory fretless Fender P with a maple(!) board. I had been playing bass for about 13 years before that purchase. I now have a Muckelroy fretless 4 and an early 80's G&L L1000 that I had professionally defretted.
In the mid 70's I studied upright bass with David Perlman, who at the time was the principal bassist in the Cleveland Orchestra. He was a cool dude, had gigged with Gene Krupa among others. He owned a factor fretless Fender P, rosewood board. He called it the "Fender".
In the mid 70's I studied upright bass with David Perlman, who at the time was the principal bassist in the Cleveland Orchestra. He was a cool dude, had gigged with Gene Krupa among others. He owned a factor fretless Fender P, rosewood board. He called it the "Fender".
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Yup!
All Koa. I get it out on occasion to remind myself why I don't often play fretless. It sounds wonderful.....I don't.
A SpectorCore 4 in transparent black. I was playing for around 6-7 years when I picked it up.
It's my first and only fretless bass. Not my main bass by any means but still I enjoy playing this one a lot.
It's my first and only fretless bass. Not my main bass by any means but still I enjoy playing this one a lot.
I am pretty sure my first Fretless was a Wish Bass that I got cheap at a local pawnshop. I enjoyed but knew it was kind of janky. I had technically been playing a long time but this was at the time that I was really getting back into bass/playing in a band so ~14 years ago.
Since then I have had a few amazing Fretless basses including a Jerzy Drozd Legend, a Stradi and my current one - Veillette Minotaur.
I don't play fretless exclusively but I have been playing it a lot over the past few months.
Current fretless:
Since then I have had a few amazing Fretless basses including a Jerzy Drozd Legend, a Stradi and my current one - Veillette Minotaur.
I don't play fretless exclusively but I have been playing it a lot over the past few months.
Current fretless:
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First fretless was an Ampeg Baby. Next came a fretless Fender J. Got away from fretless for about 25 years. Just recently bought an LTD Fretless and I'm getting the "love" back!! Cheers!
My first fretless was a Guild B-302. Nice bass that I traded off. Kinda miss it.
Next one was a '64 "P" that I stuck a Warmoth fretless neck on.
I put the Fender neck back on and sold it off when it became worth more than my car.
Still have the neck, it's on its fourth or fifth bass.
Next one was a '64 "P" that I stuck a Warmoth fretless neck on.
I put the Fender neck back on and sold it off when it became worth more than my car.
Still have the neck, it's on its fourth or fifth bass.
skyline_01
Endorsing artist: Nordstrand Audio, Tsunami Cables
early '90s MIJ unlined Jazz, olympic white. Bridge pickup was jacked so I replaced both pickups with EMG Selects (they were a downgrade IMO, but it's all I could afford at the time). I had been playing for about 7-8 years when I bought it.
I had to sell it in later years when I was in a pinch. I've owned a 'Ray fretless w/ Nordstrand pre and pickup for about 7 years & it kills.
(Stock/web image)
I had to sell it in later years when I was in a pinch. I've owned a 'Ray fretless w/ Nordstrand pre and pickup for about 7 years & it kills.
(Stock/web image)
My 2000 Yamaha RBX-260f which I got cheap. Still got it, still just used for some noodling around.
4-string Ibanez ATK with lined rosewood fretboard from '97-'00. I regret selling it.
I had been playing for about 10 years and was in my mid-20's when I got my first fretless. I was inspired to do so as a result of hearing Pino Palladino on David Gilmour's About Face album. It was a sunburst Precision bass someone had assembled from parts: Fender neck w/ unlined fretless rosewood fingerboard, no-name body (probably Hondo or something like that), Hi-A (aka Bartolini) pickup. I think I paid $200.00 for it (late 1980's prices). It sounded great, as I recall. I was playing in a prog-rock band at the time, doing all originals, and used the fretless for a ballad. I took to it fairly easily, and have been playing fretless (as well as fretted) ever since. I can't recall when or why I got rid of that bass, but I remember that I next converted my fretted '78 Stingray to fretless, and then sometime after that I picked up a used Ibanez Musician fretless, then a Fender Jazz fretless, and then over the years had fretlesses by Modulus, Pedulla, Wal, Alembic, Rob Allen, NS Design and, currently, Sire and Ibanez.
Went to E.U.Wurlitzers in Boston in 1976 and bought a fretless Precision neck. Slapped it on my 73 Jazz. Was my main bass til 2015 when I bought a fretted MIM P. Loved the P, so the neck moved to it. I have 3 basses and no frets.
The one I put back on the display rack at the store..man I embarrassed myself..LOL!!!
Peavey T20 lined fretless. I had been playing for a couple of years, and was inspired by Sting's bass playing with the Police. It wasn't too long before I replaced that with a maple-necked Fender fretless Precision, which I proceeded to strip down and refinish natural and add a J bridge pickup. (This was back in the early 80's when late 70's Fenders were not so precious...)
I ripped the frets out of my 80's Fender P and filled the holes with normal wood putty. That was, oh, as many as 5yrs after buying it, which was also the time I had been playing, early/mid 1990's.
If that doesn't count as my first fretless, then the first official, purpose-built fretless was a '04 Dean Edge bought new in '05 to make ~15yrs I'd been playing and that is 18yrs ago now. The first fretless went to bandmate and if it still exists and if I can get it back, I would/will. The Edge is right next to me here awaiting it's second refinishing/paint job.
My question is, would I buy another? Only if I sold or traded the Dean to get it. I don't need two fretless even though I need several fretted. (Unless i get my 1st fretless back. That'd be worth keeping both it and the Edge.)
HOWEVER, I very much like the stylings of the Ibanez UB805 -an upright, fretless 5 string with a bow-able neck. That is a beast until itself, not a normal bass or a normal upright bass nor a normal fretless nor a normal 5-string even. I could definitely find a place for that to live here in my apartment.
If that doesn't count as my first fretless, then the first official, purpose-built fretless was a '04 Dean Edge bought new in '05 to make ~15yrs I'd been playing and that is 18yrs ago now. The first fretless went to bandmate and if it still exists and if I can get it back, I would/will. The Edge is right next to me here awaiting it's second refinishing/paint job.
My question is, would I buy another? Only if I sold or traded the Dean to get it. I don't need two fretless even though I need several fretted. (Unless i get my 1st fretless back. That'd be worth keeping both it and the Edge.)
HOWEVER, I very much like the stylings of the Ibanez UB805 -an upright, fretless 5 string with a bow-able neck. That is a beast until itself, not a normal bass or a normal upright bass nor a normal fretless nor a normal 5-string even. I could definitely find a place for that to live here in my apartment.
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My first fretless was a MusicMan StingRay, bought new in '96 (I think). I went into the shop looking for a fretted bass but, after trying the StingRay on a whim, ended up leaving with a fretless. I'd been playing bass on a fairly casual basis for around nine years at that point. Since then I've only owned two other fretlesses: a custom-made Pierre Laporte and a Rob Allen Mb-2. I'd still like a fretless Zon.
