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Why are lined Fretless even a thing?

#321
An analogy just popped into my head that may be totally random, but is applicable for me...

I am a very avid skier, and worked as a ski patroller for several years in college, and one thing that has been discussed quite a bit is how wearing a helmet can impart a sense of confidence / bravery to ski more aggressively - going faster, dropping off a cornice, spinning an extra rotation, whatever... Granted you can still get hurt, but there is a psychological effect to having a helmet on your head.

Similarly, at least for me, having lines on the board gives me much more confidence - whether that's because I can't hear myself as well as I would like, or if I want to play a fast fill with a bunch of left hand moves. It's nice to have confidence is all I'm saying. I ski with a helmet, and I play with lines. This is an imperfect analogy, but hopefully I'm getting my point across. Tons of people ski way better than me without a helmet, but that's not the point...
 
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#324
Les Fret said:
I know. But personally I don't see the point of using a fretless if you are not going to use the advantages or typical fretless aspects of it. That is slide, microtones and vibrato and any other fretless technique.
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Funny. I see it the other way around. I only play on frets if there is a need for something only frets can do, which isn't much - fretless is always gets first dibs on any new piece, even if none of the 'typical' things are called for. YMMV.
 
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#325
Les Fret said:
I know. But personally I don't see the point of using a fretless if you are not going to use the advantages or typical fretless aspects of it. That is slide, microtones and vibrato and any other fretless technique.
Click to expand...
I think those slides etc can get boring very quickly IMO(they're ok to use once or twice when they enhance a song in a fill, though), so I'm playing the fretless to improve and maintain my ability to use my ears.

I will get far much more of my money's worth for the above reason. Buying a fretless for the slides and other acrobatics seems like buying a sportscar just to go over 200mph.
 
#326
SteveCS said:
Funny. I see it the other way around. I only play on frets if there is a need for something only frets can do, which isn't much - fretless is always gets first dibs on any new piece, even if none of the 'typical' things are called for. YMMV.
Click to expand...

I use the fretless for a lot things. I am not saying you have to use slides all the time. But even when I try to not sound typical fretless I can't resist the occasional slide or vibrato. It's what makes it fun for me :)...
It's just a different sound. Even when you don't use slides you will still hear it's a fretless. You don't always want that sound and for that reason I use the fretted. Or when I want to play lots of chords and so. Sometimes I even sound 'fretless' when I play fretted. But everyone uses the fretless differently and that's a good thing.

EchoEcho said:
Buying a fretless for the slides and other acrobatics seems like buying a sportscar just to go over 200mph.
Click to expand...

Well you don't buy a sportscar if you only are going to use it to go shopping at the local store. :)
 
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#328
Les Fret said:
I know. But personally I don't see the point of using a fretless if you are not going to use the advantages or typical fretless aspects of it. That is slide, microtones and vibrato and any other fretless technique.
Click to expand...
I second that.
I don't go out of my way to make a fretless sound like a fretted.
 
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#329
I think it comes down to what you like and what might work better for your individual playing style. I play Fretted and Fretless, lined and unlined because to me it’s all about the instrument. It’s like the old nut width discussion, to me it doesn’t matter as long as the Bass plays and sounds good.

Personally I find if I’m not reading a chart or looking for direction from someone I’m playing with, I’m looking at my hand.
 
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#330
citizenchris099 said:
This is a sincere question and I felt it was related to technique hence why I posted here. Apologies if this isn't the correct forum.

So the only possible reason I can see for putting "fret" lines on a fretless is for people who literally stare or look at their fretboard while playing(?)
Do that many people do this while playing?

I'm told I play with my bass fairly high. My strap from button hole to button hole is 42".
I can only see the side of my neck while playing and If I try I can see a semi angled view of the frets from 12 up.
My point being I can't even really see my frets or theoretical lines if I were to play that sort of fretless. Is this abnormal?

I will say that I find playing fretless based on position dot markers (which my wife a Celist says is a bit of cheating lol) effortless. Lines would only distract me.
I find it espeically odd that relatively mainstream Bass personalities such as Scott Devine espouse the virtues of fret lines.

Anyhoo...rant over.
Click to expand...

well damn, i guess jaco, willis and richard bona are just cheating amateurs for using lined fretless basses.
 
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#331
I learned on an unlined fretless because that’s what I got at the time used for a great price. Since that’s what I learned on I prefer unlined fingerboards. I have nothing against lined ones. I have one of those too, but never look at them anyway since I rely more on the side dots and muscle memory. I may sell it and keep the unlined one, though, just because I like the feel and sound of that bass better and not because of the lines. If it was new and I was learning today, lined might make that transition a bit easier. How it sounds and how good your intonation is are a lot more important than the cosmetic lined versus unlined arguments. For a while lined fretless we’re hard to find unless you defretted one yourself (which I wouldn’t recommend). Now they seem to be more abundant than unlined. What matters is the music, so pick whichever you feel more comfortable with.
 
#340
jzucker said:
well damn, i guess jaco, willis and richard bona are just cheating amateurs for using lined fretless basses.
Click to expand...

I agree with your point here.

Hell even upright bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer uses markers on his Upright bass and that has always been a no no. Now that he has popularized it, I see it more and more. There is no 'cheating' IF what you are doing helps you play the part better. Lee Sklar has said pretty much the same when asked about different "cheats". Who are we to call foul when some of the greatest fretless players out there and one of the greatest upright players out there are using markers as visual cues to help improve their intonation?

If this is "cheating" then perhaps we should take it to it's logical conclusion and ban those damned frets they put on basses. I mean THE NERVE of companies to tell me where the note is.

In other words - Why not use everything we can to improve our playing?
 
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