What was your first fretless bass?

[pbass888]

This was a CAR Bass body at one time. The neck was de fretted by HG Thorr and picked up here on tb. . Had been playing a few years and wanted a fretless after playing the big bass . The body is so old it forgot it was a tree! It was my main working bass in NYC for years on a 3-4 night a week schedule.

 

[megarat]

I was playing for 3-5 years before I tried my first fretless. It was an unlined Alembic Essence that I picked up here on TB. It was a lovely bass and I kept it for several years, but I struggled with its neck dive and eventually moved it on. That said, the very first time I played with that fretless bass it felt like home, and I think about those initial learning experiences fondly. Today, while I still go between fretted and fretless routinely, I regard myself primarily as a fretless player.

That Alembic also taught me the joy of TI Jazz flats, which have propagated to most of my basses since then. I find them especially lovely on fretless basses.

 

[RickBlair]

Mine is a Carvin LB75F that I ordered from the factory in 1992. Before that my only bass was my Mosrite Ventures Model that I bought new in 1965.

The Carvin has Koa body wings (no charge option!) and an ebony fretboard. I gave the fretboard a coating of TruOil gunstock oil and that really woke up the sound without having to have the fingerboard coated in poly.

I experimented with electronics other than the originals but the stock Carvin pickups and preamp are the best sounding combination by far in this bass.

Rick B.

 

[sethlow3]

What's kinda friggin crazy is I went from owning a cheap Rougue for two months to selling it (my first ever bass sale) to moving on to a Godin Acoustibass, Tacoma, and Turner Renaissance after that quickly. All of them fretless unlined. I was really trying to give unlined thing a go but gave up on it a few years into it.

I think I kept thinking that the next unlined fretless was somehow going to be better or make me a better player the more expensive it got. What I really learned is that fretless isn't my thing.

 

[fdeck]

My cello.

I got a fretted Fender Mustang Bass in 1977, then a Kramer DMZ5000 fretless around 1980. I quickly realized that I would probably never play the Fender with frets, and de-fretted it shortly thereafter. Later on, I sold the Kramer, and the Fender is my main electric bass.

 

[21Pastorius12]

My first fretless was also my first bass - a 1977 Ibanez 2626B Artist Bass that came to me defretted. But, as I already had 5 years of experience on URB at that point, fretless was actually easier for me!
Yes, I still have it and still play it regularly.

Hey Ged is that really you !!!!!!! haha !!

 

[21Pastorius12]

My first, January 2022, Sire V9. I had been playing a little over two and a half years.

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I have a G&L L-2000 tribute that I've been thinking about having de-fretted.

Hope you don't mind me saying that the finish on the epoxy of your fingerboard looks absolutely beautiful and I bet it feels so smooth!

 

[21Pastorius12]

My cello.

I got a fretted Fender Mustang Bass in 1977, then a Kramer DMZ5000 fretless around 1980. I quickly realized that I would probably never play the Fender with frets, and de-fretted it shortly thereafter. Later on, I sold the Kramer, and the Fender is my main electric bass.

Bought a Mustang bass a few months ago, never tried one before until picking that one up in the shop, it knocked me off my feet, what a tone and the bottom end is amazing too!

 

[Jeff Scott]

...TI Jazz flats... I find them especially lovely on fretless basses.

Yes, they are!

 

[gtlover]

Hey Ged is that really you !!!!!!! haha !!

LOL, no, just a longtime fan. Geddy is the same age as my parents (who were cool enough to get me a MIJ Ibanez fretless for my first bass).

 

[21Pastorius12]

LOL, no, just a longtime fan. Geddy is the same age as my parents (who were cool enough to get me a MIJ Ibanez fretless for my first bass).

Ahhh that's great man! Big rush fan here... thanks for replying

 

[juancaminos]

My first fretless was a Black lined Hamer Cruise 4 string. I played the crap out it.
Now I have 11 unlined fretless basses.

 

[Sam Evans]

It's been a while, so I'd be hard pressed to give an exact date, but I think I bought my first fretless bass very early '88 (January or February, probably); it was a silver Fender Jazz Bass Special. I had been playing bass since about April '87, and started upright around October '87, so the transition to fretless was no problem.

 

[Axtman]

I had been playing bass for decades before I got a fretless. I am racking my brain to remember what it was. It was either a black MIJ Fender Jazz or it was a Warmoth neck that I stuck on a Fender Jazz body.

 

[FeltTipPen]

G&L L-2500. I was playing on and off (mostly off) for about 15 years raising my family. The fretless was life changing, and I will always have one in my arsenal!

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Early-mid 80s used Peavey T-20 "FL". I had been playing less than 5 years.

 

[packhowitzer]

NS Design CR5. Love it.

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[Nightsprinter]

MTD Kingston Z6.

I was listening to a lot of Jeroen Paul Thesseling stuff back around 2010 and wanted lots'o'strings. Still have it. About to replace the barrel jack for the 3rd time.

 

[timmus]

Mine is a Carvin LB75F that I ordered from the factory in 1992. Before that my only bass was my Mosrite Ventures Model that I bought new in 1965.

The Carvin has Koa body wings (no charge option!) and an ebony fretboard. I gave the fretboard a coating of TruOil gunstock oil and that really woke up the sound without having to have the fingerboard coated in poly.

I experimented with electronics other than the originals but the stock Carvin pickups and preamp are the best sounding combination by far in this bass.

Rick B.

I never considered putting TruOil on my fretless Carvin fingerboard but perhaps I should. See post #112 in this thread. That's my Carvin fretless. How many coats of TruOil did you apply?

 

[Dabndug]

I bought my Maton JB4 in '82 as a foray into fretless. Lightweight, with quality hardware and pickups and a super-comfortable shallow neck profile. Circuitry is passive VVT, with a mystery switch. It sounds brilliant and is easy to play - its an absolute gem. Currently my go-to practice bass.