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Wow, fretless experience

#22
Not to start one or continue a debate from elsewhere, lines or no lines on a fretless is utterly, completely, unimportant. What is important is whether or not you sound good and feel comfortable with your instrument.
 
#24
I don't really want to get into the lined/unlined thing too much as to ruin this thread, but I really don't think it matters. I've had both.My current is lined. I don't think it makes ma a lesser player. Jimmy Haslip played a lined fretless. I don't stare at my fingerboard, but there are times when I take a quick peak for reference. Yeah,the side markers would probably be enough, but this bass plays and sounds so great, I'm not going to let a little thing like the lined/unlined thing decide it for me.

If I were to get another fretless, I may look for and prefer an unlined board - especially an nice ebony board - but I don't think a lined board would be a deal breaker either.
 
#25
in 1989, my two fretted basses were stolen: and I only received enough insurance settlement cash to afford one decent replacement bass. i was fortunate to find a fretless MusicMan Sabre ... so i jumped straight in to the deep end: I didn't get another fretted bass until 1999! A full decade on fretless only!

for me, it as the best thing that ever happened to my bass playing. my ear developed. my hands developed. my mind and imagination all developed. eventually, I acquired an old Framus upright, and later still an Ergo EUB... the fretless MusicMan was catalyst for lots of musical growth.

When I finally found a cool MIJ '51 P-Bass RI, even my fretted bass playing had improved due to the strength and dexterity and other improvements facilitated by my time on fretless only.
 
#26
Mr_Music90 said:
xD lol

Question about those lines : Do you think it's better to play without lines if you wanna play fretless exclusively?
Click to expand...

Have not made that jump yet. Waiting for the right bass. Short scales without markings are hard to find. I’m looking into a Steinberger / Hohner Headless bass and having my Luthier make a short scale neck in a fretless to fit. The challenge is to find these headless basses with a bolt on neck. I think the plain board would look great on these basses.
 
#27
SteveC said:
I don't really want to get into the lined/unlined thing too much as to ruin this thread, but I really don't think it matters. I've had both.My current is lined. I don't think it makes ma a lesser player. Jimmy Haslip played a lined fretless. I don't stare at my fingerboard, but there are times when I take a quick peak for reference. Yeah,the side markers would probably be enough, but this bass plays and sounds so great, I'm not going to let a little thing like the lined/unlined thing decide it for me.

If I were to get another fretless, I may look for and prefer an unlined board - especially an nice ebony board - but I don't think a lined board would be a deal breaker either.
Click to expand...

:D:D
 
#28
Ken J said:
Have not made that jump yet. Waiting for the right bass. Short scales without markings are hard to find. I’m looking into a Steinberger / Hohner Headless bass and having my Luthier make a short scale neck in a fretless to fit. The challenge is to find these headless basses with a bolt on neck. I think the plain board would look great on these basses.
Click to expand...

I have two Birdsong short scale fretless basses w/o lines; am waiting for a Birdsong HY5 fretless that I believe will the first one ever made. My fretless Birdsong Corto-bass is my main player.

Here is my Birdsong Mesquito (Mesquite wood)

mesquito1.jpg
 
#29
I put a call out for a used lined fretless Birdsong Corto-bass and after talking to Brian it turned out he only made one. Dont know if I want to dive into that much money and find out I would have prefered a lined one.
 
#30
I love my fretless. I thought I wasn't going to like it, so I bought the cheapest jazz bass the store had, played it as is for a few weeks to get used to the neck (I'm more of a P-neck guy) then ripped the frets out.

Now it's a 50/50 chance I bring either my P or one of my fretless Js. I do think lines help for a beginner. I've been paying my fretless for about a year, and now I'm thinking about getting an unlined later this year.
 
#32
Got a call for a last minute fill-in gig with a piano, vocalist and bass. I realized into the 1st song I was not tuned to the 88 ivories. My fretless saved the day by being able to 'adjust' my intonation/tuning to the piano's tuning. Too cool, IMO.

Try doing that on a fretted. 2 lessons learned: Always bring the fretless and tune up BEFORE you go on.
 
#33
Sarah_J said:
I have never tried a fretless bass, and until recently never thought I would want to; I've always believed that its far too difficult and 'weird'.
However, having seenInvalid Link Removed play her fretless bass, I really reeely want to try now :)
Click to expand...

Oh my! This is her FIRST song on fretless? Well, sure a (borrowed) fretless Stingray is awesome, but I really hate it when I have to look at someone like this and then look at myself and compare! My first fretless song sure didn't come out like this even though it was on my Fretless Alembic! Feh.
 
#35
That's great to hear! Hey, can you tell me a little bit about the action of a fretless? I din't pay attention to it actually, but are the strings lower than a fretted bass?

rootsnfifths said:
Got a call for a last minute fill-in gig with a piano, vocalist and bass. I realized into the 1st song I was not tuned to the 88 ivories. My fretless saved the day by being able to 'adjust' my intonation/tuning to the piano's tuning. Too cool, IMO.

Try doing that on a fretted. 2 lessons learned: Always bring the fretless and tune up BEFORE you go on.
Click to expand...
 
#37
Mr_Music90 said:
xD lol

Question about those lines : Do you think it's better to play without lines if you wanna play fretless exclusively?
Click to expand...

Lines are a help to the noob but remember you can't really see them standing up. My first fretless (Carvin AC50) was ordered with lines because I was a fretless noob. And yeah, it helped just a bit at first. But then later you get sorry because the unlined look is so much better, not to mention the fact that the side markers on lined (and defretted) are often in the fretted positions. Since you can only see the ends of the lines anyway standing, proper fret side markers are very important.

But all that said, I'd also say that fretlines for me are not a deal-breaker. My Carvin has lines as does my G&L fretless which I bought used and the first owner bought it with lines. The neck lines do not make it any less an awesome fretless bass. But at least the side markers are in the right spots.
 
#38
Runnerman said:
Is there any genre where a fretless is totaly out....or can you generally dial it in to get whatever sound you want with effects/eq/etc?
Click to expand...

Well fretless can fit anywhere IMHO as long as the bass player is interested in it. Effects could work just as good as with a fretted bass. I know some people like to ad a little bit of chorus to their fretless sound. I've heard fretless basses with reverb in their sound, which sound great too.
 
#40
Thanks guys. We are classic rock covers and originals in a similar vein. I think I am going to defret an old Peavy Grind I have and give it a go. Assuming there's plenty threads on here with defret tips.
 

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