Why are lined Fretless even a thing?

[Dr. Keebs]

Jaco only needed lines?

Seriously, I play a lined fretless because it was that way when I bought it. It also sounds and plays phenomenally. Brady Muckelroy knows how to build em. I'm also (as I've observed in almost 30 years of playing) in good company among countless pros and non-pros who at least sometimes look at their fingerboards. Lastly, I play fretless for the quality it gives a track I'm playing it on. I don't care if it has lines. I don't care if my intonation is so spot on that I don't have/need/use lines.

FWIW, my intonation is pretty spot on, maybe because of my well-trained ear, maybe because the lines aid it. Maybe I can play unlined. Don't care. I like my instrument as is.

 

[dkelley]

Ask Tony Levin, one of the most respected incredible bassists of all time.

He plays fretless with lines because, in a session, you cannot play out of tune, and it's quite possible to be out of tune for a split second on an unlined fretless when shifting or stretching.

Unlined means you have to hear the slightly out of tune note before you know it's out and can fix it, no matter how fast you are at that.

Lined means hit it in tune before you have to hear it.

Anyone saying lines don't help clearly didn't use them how I did.

I played on lined fretless exclusively for years in lots of styles and hiring scenarios. Most didn't know it was fretless... because it was so accurate.

I play unlined now and am not as accurate.

And it's not my skillset... I play very well. But it's impossible to jump around the neck and be perfectly accurate without lines. With lines, it's possible, with effort.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

A lot of people that own a fretless bass use it for a song or two. Lines help you get closer to correct pitch more easily. If you don’t want to use them, look away.

 

[kesslari]

If "looking at your fingerboard" was a crime, a lot of great bassists (including fretted players) would be in bass jail.
Watch a video of Jeff Berlin.

I was told once that it was originally easier for mfgs to make lined necks because they could use their regular production line, then at the end figure out how many fretless necks they needed.
That might be an urban myth.

 

[kesslari]

A lot of people that own a fretless bass use it for a song or two. Lines help you get closer to correct pitch more easily. If you don’t want to use them, look away.

Blindfold yourself, even! People will walk away talking about how awesome the bass player's ear was, playing blindfolded. It'll be the next big thing, you'll see.

 

[overit]

There is also probably a marketing reason for putting lines on a fingerboard - an entry level Squier fretless w/o lines could possibly be intimidating to a newbie checking out a fretless for the first time at a store. With lines on it, it could be more approachable and could result in a sale rather than a bass someone glances at and walks on by because they think they can't play it.

On the other hand, when I was 13 and saw an unlined G&L Fretless L1000 back in the 90s, I thought it was the coolest thing ever and convinced my father to trade in my fretted Aria Pro II RSB for it. It was probably the first fretless I ever saw, didn't know who Jaco was or what a fretless sounded like until the shop guy plugged it in for me.

 

[FunkHead]

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.

A surprising amount of bass players are tone deaf it would seem. Just look at the Tab requests for simple 3 chord songs. Those people need to be able to count frets in order to play a song. So not only do they need to look at the fingerboard, They also need to look at their laptop screen at the same time.

 

[rmayer]

The few times I’ve tried fretless I’ve been more comfortable with a lined fretboard. I have short fingers and have a problem (laziness?) stretching my left pinky and ring finger to intonate properly. The lines helped me with this. Obviously, this is not an issue on my fretted basses.
My question is Why is worrying about lined fretless even a thing?

 

[lestratele]

Back straight shoulders back...I'm not going to see my fingerboard.

You are obviously not a fat guy.

 

[TonyP-]

Yeah, lined fretless Basses Offend me as well and trigger micro aggressions

Please, I need me safe space now.

 

[J_Bass]

A lot of guys who play unlined suck and they just seem to don't notice that.

But the rest of us can hear the bad intonation.

 

[Ric Vice]

Since I play Double Bass, you'd think a lined bass wouldn't be something I'd need, but DB fingerboards are curved to match the curvature of the bridge. Granted a bow plays into the picture, but that's not really an issue with fretless.

There's a tactile feeling to the lined board, that really helps me with intonation, since the scale length is much shorter on an EB than a DB. I wouldn't even attempt using an unlined board. Just my take however. Many moons ago Gibson had a guitar called the fretless wonder. So for me personally it's similar to that.

 

[MisterFabulous]

Because of me. I'd be lost without the lines. You could, however, replace the lines with little markers on the top edge of the fingerboard near the thickest string. Voila! No lines all over the board.

 

[Afc70]

Oh my goodness.... that is a gem...

Thanks! It’s got the diamondwood board, bart pup’s/ bart pre... really is an amazing bass, really sings!

 

[Williethump]

I need to stare at the fret/fingerboard with cobra-like concentration and intensity all times. I briefly glance at the next TAB but then get riveted to the board until the next measure.
When attempting to play my fretless Yamaha BB350 I sometimes need to stop practice and let the ax cool down like an overheated .50cal M2 machine gun from the laser-like heat of my glare. Without the lines I'd be lost in space. I still sound awful but luckily I've got pretty good bass-face so it works out OK.

 

[Harold Runyan]

Thank you!
It’s an ‘04 Rickenbacker 4004, Cheyenne ii model.
I’ve owned it since about 2008,and have made a lot of modifications to it.
View attachment 3858490

Very nice looking bass. I much prefer this over the 4003s I’ve seen over the years. But that’s just me...

 

[Nephilymbass]

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.

Oh you can definitely see the end of them on the side of the neck with most lines fretless basses. they are helpful specifically when playing on dark stages when sound conditions aren’t ideal. Like standing next to a loud drummer or guitar player or playing with a big PA that’s subs bleed back onto the stage a lot. Every lined fretless I’ve played you could see the lines from the side of the neck so I’m not sure where that is coming from. I wish more fretlesses basses were partially lined. To me thats the best compromise between looks and function.

 

[Watchootognbout]

If you were playing "Brown Eyed Girl",you can play without looking.
If you were playing Tribal Tech's "The Big Wave",you NEED to look at the fingerboard.

 

[RabidMusic]

As a keyboardist I hate those all black versions of keyboards. I need to be able to quickly glance at the keyboard and get a reference in dim stage light when I need to jump and octive or two. I've played drums in total darkness. Not a lot of fun. When playing music you need to relax and get in a flow. Worrying about position is counter productive. If lines on a fretless bass helps the musician relax and not worry about making a big jump without hitting the wrong note, then they need to be there.

 

[pluki7]

If you're playing very fast songs that require you to jump all over the fret board, lines would really be helpful.