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Why are lined Fretless even a thing?
- Thread starter citizenchris099
- Start date
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Why are lined Fretless even a thing?
WE SHOULD ALL WEAR BLINDFOLDS AND PLAY IN A DARK ROOM
WE SHOULD ALL WEAR BLINDFOLDS AND PLAY IN A DARK ROOM
I feel like the obvious answer is ‘so that you can see them’
I put nail polish dots on the side of my unlined boards so I can feel them in dim lighting but still look cool because I don’t have lines. Even though in dim light no one can tell, and even fewer care...
HINT: I use sparkle nail polish because it has a rougher feel...
HINT: I use sparkle nail polish because it has a rougher feel...
Double basses have a lot more physical feedback to guide your hand position intuitively. The ubiquitous similarity of different positions on guitar-shaped instruments make an intuitive relationship with positions a bit more difficult, a problem compounded with the tendency of many electric bassists to play different instruments regularly.
Look at a lap or pedal steel- I would argue that this is a much more apt comparison than is double bass or violins (in the interest of cutting off the imminent size discussion).
plenty of people do fine without them, plenty of people do fine with them. I have very good intonation and a well developed ear- I still prefer lined fretless, partly because I rarely play them and I’d prefer the required practice to pick one up to be relatively nonexistent, but perhaps moreso because it’s just plain convenient, does no harm at all if you’re decent at setups and have a good ear, and frankly they just allow a much higher level of playing without having to treat the requisite technique with and degree of preciousness
I have to extend a big demonstrative rhetorical YAWN towards anyone who wants to approach the preference of fret lines as something to be snarky about..
Look at a lap or pedal steel- I would argue that this is a much more apt comparison than is double bass or violins (in the interest of cutting off the imminent size discussion).
plenty of people do fine without them, plenty of people do fine with them. I have very good intonation and a well developed ear- I still prefer lined fretless, partly because I rarely play them and I’d prefer the required practice to pick one up to be relatively nonexistent, but perhaps moreso because it’s just plain convenient, does no harm at all if you’re decent at setups and have a good ear, and frankly they just allow a much higher level of playing without having to treat the requisite technique with and degree of preciousness
I have to extend a big demonstrative rhetorical YAWN towards anyone who wants to approach the preference of fret lines as something to be snarky about..
I think an unlined finger board looks better.
But my fretless is lined because that's what was available at the time
But my fretless is lined because that's what was available at the time
It came to be when people made their own fretless basses out of fretted ones. They had to fill the fret slots, and some chose contrasting filler. Or some just filed their fret crowns all the way off, leaving just the fret tangs embedded in the board. It stuck as a look for a lot of people, so even ground-up fretless builds came to use 'em sometimes.
I don't like 'em myself either, but I'm not devoting any mental energy to why anyone else does. I don't see 'em hurting anyone, so AKAIC, people can have at it.
Absolutely! I have literally been paid to play with no sound coming out of my bass before in various settings, often due to technical issues.
The scariest time was a live show, complex and carefully planned/timed live show, and my monitor didn't give me anythign. at all. no band, no counts, no click cues, no conductor/producer voice, and no me. I was behind plexiglass, and could see a couple musicians around me only due to dark lighting (we were supposed to be hard to see). I could see conductor fine. The drummer was behind plexi next to me, and I could hear him a bit thankfully acoustically. One of the people playing keys was beside me and I could see the keyboardist and hear her monitor a bit (Drums had IEMs of course)... so between them both I figured out where I was and what was going on because I knew the parts pretty well and had charts. I could not hear myself at all. Literally. I kept telling them the issue, they tried to fix it, curtain came... and it was like - Don, can you do it. I was like, well, I will do what I can, if I'm unsure I won't play. But I can't HEAR MY OWN INSTRUMENT. I was on fretless. it was lined. true story. I played 10 minutes like that through the overture to the show and through first sung number before "THUMP" my monitor came on. Thank god my bass was in tune already. LoL
apparently it sounded just fine, or so I was told. Unfortunately my amazing deed went unnoticed by most, so only I have this personal story, and even though I went around saying "I had no monitor and couldn't hear myself".... to most musicians that isn't as literal as it is for bass. It would be like a synth player not hearing it either.
Again a lined vs unlined topic? There are so many already....
Another reason could be that the lines are an important learning tool for someone used to playing a fretted bass.
I don't know. I would be far more likely to buy a lined fretless if I couldn't see the lines.
I like lines on a fingerboard, but for them to work right for me, they need to be raised a bit and made out of metal, or else everything sounds out of tune.
Then don’t use them and don’t worry about people’s preferences.
They provide a point of reference when shifting positions, chording, and to check yourself against on reading gigs. Unlined may look prettier, but when you're jumping around the neck, the chances that you're going to "miss" your note are much higher.
Sounds like a faulty fingerboard to me...
Another "why doesn't everybody see things the way I do" thread.
When I was shopping for a fretless after not having one for a few years, I couldn't find one without lines that really spoke to me, and always considered lines to be cheating. Now I'm the proud player of a Lakland 5502 with lines, and they don't bother be a bit.
John
I wouldn’t work for someone who wouldn’t let me hear myself! Period. I wouldn’t want to be called back either.
My session experience has always been where I could hear everything I needed. I can’t imagine theses places you are describing but please post them up so I can avoid them.
