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Your fretless experience?
- Thread starter 6stringvince
- Start date
I had played an unlined fretless for a laugh at a guitar shop, not long after I started playing bass about 6-7 years ago. I had no idea what I was doing and quickly changed it for something with frets to avoid making a fool of myself infront of everybody. It was always something I was curious about, but I didn't really think I could do it or just wasn't interested in that kind of sound at the time. Last year a band I was in made a visit to some university recording studios, they had a Stagg (or some other sub-low end thing) fretless bass hanging around, unlined, I decided to give it a try for fun. Actually it turned out quite well, I played a few off notes as you might expect, but that was what really made me want to get serious about it. I got a lined Soundgear very soon after, and found the transition to be absolutely no problem at all. Now that I'm used to it I'm fairly sure its fretless all the way for me now.
When I first got my unlined, I cut very thin strips (about 1/8") of black electrical tape and put them on the back of the neck and ran them from where the side dots would be, down to about the middle of the back of the neck - the tape would have ran parallel to where the frets would have been on the fingerboard.
It was easy to yank these off after a few weeks and were very visible in any lighting situation.
hi,.. good luck with your fretless, OP! if you try hard enough it may be a real character building venture. i for one dislike the fretless bass. i don't like playing them or listening to others play them. there are one or two people other than Jaco that i enjoy in spurts. i find the tone and technique that many people use lacking the variety that almost any fretted player does effortlessly. the vocabulary of most fretless players seems redundant to me. sure, great players abound and i'm nothing short of amazed at their talent/skill level, but even Michael Mannring gets old to me in less than 10minutes!
please understand,.. fretless just ain't for me, but i admire any great bassist, regardless!
BTW, i'm not just anti-fretless,.. i dislike "slap & pop" with even more fervor!
please understand,.. fretless just ain't for me, but i admire any great bassist, regardless!
BTW, i'm not just anti-fretless,.. i dislike "slap & pop" with even more fervor!
BassHappy
Supporting Member
I wanted to get my feet wet on fretless a number of years ago and I had Rick Turner build me a medium scale 32" Renaissance bass with a lined fingerboard. It was beautiful.
I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Spent a month or so with it and found I didn't have the patience to re-train myself to play on the frets instead of between them.
Got sick of seeing the bass sitting around not being played so I eventually sold it.
Hope your (OP) experience works out better than mine!
BassHappy
www.innertainment.net
I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Spent a month or so with it and found I didn't have the patience to re-train myself to play on the frets instead of between them.
Got sick of seeing the bass sitting around not being played so I eventually sold it.
Hope your (OP) experience works out better than mine!
BassHappy
www.innertainment.net
The lines are just a reference, the ear is what tells you if your intonation is right. It's partly a matter if what you're used to. The dots on a fretless stienberger really threw me as Im used to converted boards.
You can get line tape specifically for fretless necks. Check your local music store. It's used on violins and all the way up to double bass.
https://www.google.com/search?q=violin+finger+tape&oq=violin+finger+tape&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8&hl=en-US&espv=1
To the OP, there a few things that have been touched on here, you may not be aware of.
When you're buying an unlined fretless neck with side dots, there are two different possibile locations for the dots.
1) They will be exactly the same as where they are located on a fretted bass (ie, in between frets).
2) They will be shifted to be in line with where the fret would be, so you put your finger down to fret in line, approximately, with the dot.
Which one you go with is either personal preference or what your bass was made with. The Mighty Mite P Bass ebonol unlined neck I bought and learned to play an unlined neck with had them in the the #2 position, and I found this pretty agreeable and got used to. A few months later I decided I really liked unlined fretlesses and wanted to upgrade, so I got a Warwick with an unlined ebony neck. It had them in the #1 position. At first it really threw me off (during big jumps I'd instinctively fret below the dot, which was obviously very flat), but after a couple of weeks I got used to it. Now I'd rather keep them in the #1 position as I'll be keeping my warwick fretless for a while and don't want to have to get used to something else again.
When you're buying an unlined fretless neck with side dots, there are two different possibile locations for the dots.
1) They will be exactly the same as where they are located on a fretted bass (ie, in between frets).
2) They will be shifted to be in line with where the fret would be, so you put your finger down to fret in line, approximately, with the dot.
Which one you go with is either personal preference or what your bass was made with. The Mighty Mite P Bass ebonol unlined neck I bought and learned to play an unlined neck with had them in the the #2 position, and I found this pretty agreeable and got used to. A few months later I decided I really liked unlined fretlesses and wanted to upgrade, so I got a Warwick with an unlined ebony neck. It had them in the #1 position. At first it really threw me off (during big jumps I'd instinctively fret below the dot, which was obviously very flat), but after a couple of weeks I got used to it. Now I'd rather keep them in the #1 position as I'll be keeping my warwick fretless for a while and don't want to have to get used to something else again.
Wow..you must dislike Primus song "Tommy the Cat"..its slap,pop and its fretless! Peace
There is a seller on EBay. Jockomo that sells stickers for basses and guitars and offers side dots also. I have not tried them but he seems to have good reviews. I just bought my custom Tom Martinson Nessie unlined fretless about 2 months ago and I love it . I've been playing since 72 but always fretted. For a couple of weeks I was a little frustrated but I was trying to use my eyes again. For years I have been on stage and when we were tight I just closed my eyes and played and enjoyed, just sat down closed my eyes and listened and it came together, I will not ever let this bass go. Since I am now retired from gigging it seems a shame I never tried fretless before , I would have loved the tone of it for some of the blues tunes , but now I have something new that keeps me excited about playing all over again. Something new added to my bass experience .
The one I bought was like this which was a mistake really but at the time we limited to what you could buy locally, I probably would have stuck with unlined if the dots were in the same place as a fretted bass.
I learned and practiced our entire 4 hour show on a Fretless Squier VM. It sounded great in my living room. I had every song nice and tight sans a few that I always miss a note or three. I was ready for the Big day on Fretless. When I got up on stage and started to play for our sound check, There was way way more Mwaahhhh than at home. Too much Mwaaahhhh so I used My Ric 4003. I decided to sell the Squier and plan to get higher end Fretless in the near future and try again.
Either way, I don't look down at the fret board which forces me to use my ears. I choose for the Dots to be in the # two position (where the Frets would be) just for reference when needed.
Either way, I don't look down at the fret board which forces me to use my ears. I choose for the Dots to be in the # two position (where the Frets would be) just for reference when needed.
The thing about unlined boards that throws me off is the side dots being positioned differently. I can't make the transition easily so I'm sticking with lined.
I think you'll get used to it either way. However, the lines may be too much Crutch and your ears will take longer to develop. I am serious when I tell you to practice blindfolded.
To the OP: also be aware that the set up on a fretless bass can be very different than what you may be used to on fretted instruments. Little details like depth of nut slots, neck relief, and action can dramatically affect the playability and tone of the instrument.
And then there's string choice to think about...
And then there's string choice to think about...
I've just started playing fretless about a year ago after playing fretted for years. Honestly for me the fretless doesn't get much use at shows. I do like to use it for acoustic gigs, But i like having one specifically for recording.
My recommendation is to start off with a inexpensive but decent lined fretless like a mim jazz. If you've been playing fretted for a while and try to play unlined it can be a little frustrating, and you'll more likely give up on it.
Nice thing about a mim fretless jazz is you can find them used for 300-$350 and if you want to sell it to upgrade or if you decide fretless isn't your thing you'll be able to get you money back selling it.
My recommendation is to start off with a inexpensive but decent lined fretless like a mim jazz. If you've been playing fretted for a while and try to play unlined it can be a little frustrating, and you'll more likely give up on it.
Nice thing about a mim fretless jazz is you can find them used for 300-$350 and if you want to sell it to upgrade or if you decide fretless isn't your thing you'll be able to get you money back selling it.
Fretless its not for everyone. Personally I love my fretless basses. I have both lined unlined and prefer unlined. It is easy to become frustrated at first if you commit stick with it and it will eventually come to you with practice. 
Every beginning orchestra student does that. Temporary, easy to adjust. Proven technique through hundreds of thousands of uses, for decades. You can find a bumper sticker and cut it into thin strips. Apply them either on the side or across the fingerboard, as suits you.
