4 strings has always been enough for me and never been interested in fretless. 2 basses, 1 an Ibanez Talman short scale in black and a backup of the same make and model in green, job done. I use an effects pedal, but only when really needed, to achieve particular and distinctive sounds. The basses were both set up by a local luthier and with the strings of my choice give me all the sounds I need. Cheap as chips, reliable and with the added bonus of looking wonderful, to me at least .I have tried exotic and expensive instruments, active circuits etc but just find the extra controls a distraction. A good bassist mate of mine has a 1980s active Status. I dont believe he has touched the tone shaping controls for decades. Use what you need, what you like and my maxim is, keep it simple.