Linus27

To play fretless well, you need two very important skills, a good ear and really good muscle memory. I would maybe add strong technique as well but ear and muscle memory are vital. Your fretting fingers should fall into place automatically without needing to think about it. It should be as easy as playing a fretted bass. This then links with medpb's point about being really good friends with your bass. This is such a valid point. I had a Warwick Streamer Jazzman fretless and it was the easiest bass to play. Finding F on the E string is always a difficult note for me to get right but the Warwick fell into place every time. I then tried a Musicman Stingray Fretless and I just couldn't click with it, up and down the fretboard was always hit or miss but the Warwick was spot on always. It was just so comfortable. As for practise, then you should just play everything on the fretless. Just look at it as another bass, not a fretless bass. The more you do, the stronger your muscle memory will be and the stronger your ear will become. Not all songs will work but the more you practise the better you will become. For me, fretless is about tone and technique, not specific bass lines, trying to force it to sound all mwah and slidey. It should be like playing a fretted bass but with the fretless tone. If you try too hard it will just sound pants. Do go ahead and add expression and voicing in the notes but don't overdo it. As for lined vs unlined. Personally I find unlined easier. Its like taking the stabalisers off and your not relying on the lines to be correct. Your ear and muscle memory should be covering that.

A bit of a thread revival If one was selling one of these basses, what's the general feeling on how much would be a good price. Thinking about selling mine but have no idea what to pitch it at.

[quote name='colgraff' timestamp='1453158456' post='2957068'] You are not alone, but are still weird. 😉 [/quote] Hahaha

Yes yes yes, finally, some people who are like me. I don't give a stuff about lyrics, they could be singing about toilet rolls and badgers. I just don't care and to be honest, I don't give a stuff as it's usually some old crap about themselves. The vocal just carries the melody, the words are irrelevant. I've had so many arguments with people who try and convince me a song is good from what the lyrics are about and them not getting that I don't listen to the lyrics. They just don't get that the music is what I am listening to saying that's really weird. Thank you, finally, I'm not alone.

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1446881619' post='2903094'] I'd never have guessed that - those are sixteenths Great song, and a proper workout for those plucking fingers. [/quote] Haha I nearly said sixteenth a but thought, just in case it was only eighths, it might confuse people more I love it, really catchy

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YgvsPjL7128

You guys were great as ever

Forget that, found it, What is Hip by Tower of Power with Lenny Williams

Saw a video of this song somewhere, probably Facebook but I love it but can't remember it. It was probably from the 60's and had a Motown feel, look, vibe. It's some black guy singing in a live TV studio, with a backing band. The video was in colour. The bass was very different to the usual soul, Motown bass in the fact it was playing 8's as the main part which I also think had the main vocal hook over it. I also think the group is the name of the black guy singing. What's weird is I also saw a bass cover on YouTube by a girl so I think this song has been doing the rounds. Now if anyone can work out what song I'm talking about then you are a genius

Will be interested in testing this out along with a compact C4 to replace my Reidmar and Classic 112.

I would really like to get a Status Fretless neck for my Stingray someday.

I have 5 and they are all for a reason. 1. My Fender Japan Jazz 66 Reissue is pretty my daily these days. It's what I would use pretty much for most things apart from fretless. I just feel the most comfortable playing it. 2. My ESP 400 Series Jazz used to be my main workhorse for the last 25 years and has toured and recorded everywhere. It's pretty beaten up now, sounds amazing, has sentimental value to me and is now fretless. My main fretless work horse. 3. My Stingray was always my dream bass and when I signed my record deal and got my advance I bought one. It's what I had always worked towards getting as a bass player. 4. My Fender Japan 51 Precision is a new addition but something that I wanted as a collectors item for some Motown retro fun. It's very beaten up but looks and sounds great. 5. My Warwick Streamer Jazzman fretless was the fretless bass I wanted to get when learning very much like the Stingray was. It's a great bass but I am a Fender man and not for me so will be sold/traded at some point.

I can't think of anything original these days, its all been done before. Its how you present it and the different use of tone that makes it different.

Really enjoyed that and I loved how it effortlessly blended into new directions by just changing something simple. I also found it interesting how the bass took the role and tone of a guitar and for me it worked. I agree that it could had been played on a guitar but I think some of the tone and personally would had been lost. What I would had liked would be some soft keys. Either way, totally loved it.

Thanks Beedster. The purpose is to just add one to my collection rather than try and get the best fretless MIJ Precision. I have a very limited edition 2013 Fender Japan Jazz 66 Reissue which is the nicest bass I have ever played. It is white with matching headstock, blocks, binding etc. I have always wanted one after seeing them on the Fender Japan website. Never thought I would get one but then a very limited quantity were imported in to the UK (around 50 I think) and so I bought one and couldn't be happier. I also have a very rare Fender Japan 51' Precision from the early/mid 90's. It's not one of the later reissues from early 2000 that came in sunburst and butterscotch. I first played one when recording an album in 1998 and fell in love with it. They made it in a very pale yellow lemon colour but I never ever saw one. I have been hunting for one in this colour for 17 years and this year one came up for the first time ever and so I bought it. Its pretty beaten up but that is part of the charm and it is amazing. I already have the most amazing fretless Jazz in the shape of an ESP 66 reissue Jazz as well as a Warwick Streamer Jazzman fretless. I just fancy adding a Fender Jap fretless Precision to my collection. I shall keep looking but I may need to build my own as you suggest.

Cheers everyone. I will just keep looking. The two Jap Fenders I currently have I never ever thought I would own, especially one of them so I am hopeful something will turn up

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1444685469' post='2885144'] I'd have thought your best bet is to buy one of the numerous USA Precision FLs on here at the moment, by the time you've paid for an MIJ Precision, and then defretted (and devalued) it, it might be that the USA route will be equally economic. [/quote] I may have to do that but I love Jap Fenders and all things Japanese so want to at least try and get one

So wish I could find one

I am a big fan of Fender Japan basses, having a few in my collection but one bass eludes me, a Fender Japan Precision Fretless. Do they actually exist? I've seen lots Fender Japan Jazz Fretless basses for sale but not any Precision Fretless. I'm wondering if my best option is to get a Japanese fretted Precision and get it professionally deforested.

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1441021987' post='2855364'] Very nice...but where's the Natalie Imbruglia profile pic gone?????????? [/quote] Haha you have such a good memory. Either that or you just have this association of my name with Natalie Imbruglia Either way, I've traded her in now for someone new. My new virtual girlfriend is Gal Gadot [URL=http://s85.photobucket.com/user/Linus27uk/media/image.jpg1_zpsg3yck5a4.jpg.html][IMG]http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k46/Linus27uk/image.jpg1_zpsg3yck5a4.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Link worked for me. Nice effort and lovely bass.

Finally took a trip to Bass Direct to trade in my EBS Classic 60 combo and pick up a MarkBass MiniMark 802 combo. Walked in and wow, walls and walls of amazing basses. It was like an Aladdin's cave I was greeted by a very helpful young guy (Markus??) who setup the 802 combo for me and offered to get me any bass I wanted. At the same time he was serving a guy from Manchester who was playing through a Sandberg California fretless and Roscoe fretless which both sounded amazing. We got chatting and I ended up playing them both as well. Not so keen on the Roscoe but the Sandberg was lovely. I have never played a Sandberg before but it was very nice indeed. The guy then went on to try a Roscoe Century 6 stringer which I think he ended up buying I got to try a Kala UBass which I really didn't like. I own a Kala Sub bass which is incredible but the UBass felt cheap and did not sound too good. I also tried a classic Stingray and a Spector Euro 4. The Stingray was very heavy and didn't seem any different to a normal Stingray but the Spector sounded awesome. Really fell in love with it and the tone was to die for. Really had to hold back on taking the plunge Anyway, the MarkBass sounded amazing and really impressed with the tone considering it only has a volume, VLE and VPF. All my basses (Stingray, Fender 66 Jazz, ESP fretless, Warwick Streamer fretless, Fender Telebass and Kala Sub) sound amazing through it. I'm half tempted to trade in my EBS Reidmar and Classic 112 and get a MarkBass Little Mark and New York cab. Many thanks to Mark and Markus as Bass Direct. Extreme helpful and such a wonderful shop. I think I will be making the trip up from Surrey again. [URL=http://s85.photobucket.com/user/Linus27uk/media/Bass/image.jpg1_zpsg1p0vvxz.jpg.html][IMG]http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k46/Linus27uk/Bass/image.jpg1_zpsg1p0vvxz.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1439769486' post='2845671'] Waterfront has a very nice bass tone, I must say. It gets the spotlight at the start of the song, too. [/quote] The main bass line that goes through the whole song is a sequencer although Derek did play it on early version of the song. The bass parts now are the little runs that play over the sequenced bass line.

[quote name='Platypus' timestamp='1388960508' post='2328256'] Linus27 did an interview with Derek Forbes for Basschat, a few years back: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/94210-basschat-derek-forbes-interview/ [/quote] Thank you, I was going to search for the link to my interview to post here