For me, it is an issue of tone, first and foremost. There are sounds that a fretless bass can get that a fretted bass just can't - and that works the other way too! I never put much stock in anyone who says that they are tonally interchangeable with the right technique. A good fretless, particularly one that is well set up, will always produce that singing 'swell' into a note and that delicate, soft decay. That takes a good low action and a straight neck but it sounds incredible.
I also find playing them fun and a real challenge. I go through phases of really being into the fretless even though I could, only any given day, play faster and more technical pieces with more ease on a fretted bass. But ultimately, there is something very satisfying about playing fretless to a high standard, or at least trying to! I think particularly when you see a bassist with an unlined board, you hope good things are coming!
I also find playing them fun and a real challenge. I go through phases of really being into the fretless even though I could, only any given day, play faster and more technical pieces with more ease on a fretted bass. But ultimately, there is something very satisfying about playing fretless to a high standard, or at least trying to! I think particularly when you see a bassist with an unlined board, you hope good things are coming!
i've never had much ambition to try and become a better fretter.
