Why play a fretless bass?

[J-Bass RMR]

Anyone have any experience with the Fender Custom Shop Jaco Bass. It looks great but 5K is steep.

I've had mine since '01. (Good to know its value has apparently doubled.)
It's very, very good, but at the current price, I would definitely consider different options - especially since these days, it seems build qualities in general are just better and more consistent than they were 20+ years ago.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Another early fretless favorite player...

Rick Danko from The Band. I saw them in the summer of '74 at a concert that also had Jesse Colin Young, Santana, and CSN&Y on the bill.

 

[Steadfast]

I am torn. I play fretless for a few weeks. Then I play fretted for a few weeks. It is a revolving door for me. I love them both.

 

[woodyng2]

Rick Danko from The Band. I saw them in the summer of '74 at a concert that also had Jesse Colin Young, Santana, and CSN&Y on the bill.

Definitely!

 

[stuntbass77]

Because every time I hear my favorite country song Keith Whitley’s “when you say nothing at all” I can’t imagine a fretted bass in the mix. Also, jimmy Johnson on fretless is like a massage in my eardrums

 

[blowinblue]

Because Rob made this...

And Ken made this...

M. M.

 

[amper]

Why do you play a fretless bass?

What’s your favorite part about it? I’m interested to hear peoples opinions.

Why play a fretted bass?

The answer is simple: because they sound different to each other. There are tones you can produce on a fretless that you can’t produce on a fretted instrument, and vice versa. I think every bass player should have both.

 

[coy garcia]

There is also the cool factor

 

[Jeff Scott]

That's what Rick Danko played.

 

[shade_1313]

I prefer the feel and sound. Not to mention it requires more attention to what you're doing. I think a lot of people get caught up in the stereotypical "oh this is a fretless so I have to play Jaco Mwahaaa all the time". Personally I play more stuff in lines with Pantera or 80s Metallica and most people don't realize I'm playing a fretless. Oh, and this guy was a huge influence to me purchasing my first fretless.

Steve Di Giorgio is just unreal.

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

That is the lowest action and highest pickup height I’ve seen! Assume you have a very light touch!

Nope I dig in a little, not overly so. But she plays well. And active EMGs like to be set high. Better tone and punch. And the preamp in this bass is an 18 volts HAZ. Really great player.

 

[BargeOn]

It's a Zen thing. You'll get it when you get it.
Or not.

 

[MonetBass]

Since I started on double bass at the age of 10, it just made sense to me. Plus it's so much fun! Yes, I still love my fretted EB, but tend to pick up the fretless more often these days.

 

[lokikallas]

It’s worth it just for the slide harmonics lol

 

[coy garcia]

That's what Rick Danko played.

He played the later model one with the magnetic pickup.

 

[Tom Bomb]

Doctor said I had to stop doing lines.​

 

[DigthemLows]

Because they're fun, sound great, are easier to play, and well, I love em!

 

[Joshua Vance]

Because they're fun, sound great, are easier to play, and well, I love em! View attachment 4089474

Sick reverse headstock on the P! When was that available?

 

[DigthemLows]

Sick reverse headstock on the P! When was that available?

I put it together, it's an 82 MIJ body and a custom ordered Warmoth neck. Active EMG pups from the 80s as well.

 

[BK Bass]

I just bought my first one (MIJ fretless JB62 Jazz) last month for several reasons. For me it's fun to try my hand at a new skill that, while challenging, is also not a far departure from what I'm used to already. You've got the same strings in the same layout, but you can't just pick it up and play it without learning some things first.

I liken it to riding a fixed gear bicycle: for the most part it's just like any other bike that most people can just hop on and ride--except that, crucially, you cannot coast and that forces you to re-learn how to ride a bike. I've been playing bass for decades and now I am, in a way, re-learning how to play bass!

Somebody said something upthread about it keeping them out of a rut and I would agree. It's something different enough that is fun to jump to, and makes you appreciate what you're used to when you go back to that, with something new to bring to that table. It seems that the skills developed in learning fretless (left hand technique, a better ear) should translate positively to fretted basses as well. I'm already paying much more attention to what my left hand is doing than ever before.

Other important reasons: mwah, it looks stunning (unlined!), and of course... Jaco.