Fretless Bass

[Blademan_98]

A guitarist friend came around tonight. He has just purchased a fretted bass.

I let him have a go on my fretless.

At first he did not want to try.

By the time he left he was pumping out a groove!

I was just wondering how many play fretless and how many don't want to even try.

[lanark]

[quote name='Blademan_98' post='1285940' date='Jun 29 2011, 12:21 AM']A guitarist friend came around tonight. He has just purchased a fretted bass.

I let him have a go on my fretless.

At first he did not want to try.

By the time he left he was pumping out a groove!

I was just wondering how many play fretless and how many don't want to even try.[/quote]

I daren't choose - I tried one once in a shop when I'd been playing less than 6 months and was so bad and out of tune that I banished the experience from my memory. I suppose I might be better by now .... but I possibly doubt it.

[Doddy]

I love playing fretless...I've not had much of a chance to gig it for a while though.

[Linus27]

I also love playing fretless. For me, this is when I enjoy playing bass the most.

[rOB]

Haven't ever tried.

I'd love to give it a go though.

Edit - although I expect I would be terrible

Edited June 29, 2011 by rOB

[voxpop]

I think must of us are scared at first of such a stange bass but after a little time and effort it really pays off. I prefer playing the fretless now and use it exclusively in my band. It can add a real different sound and feel compared to the usual suspects.

[JTUK]

I don't really hear any lines... altho I imitate a few things as and when on fretted.

I don't really want to play all those cliched things that you hear most of the time.

[Bottle]

Tried my bass tutors' fretless Warwick Corvette five-banger - it was an awesome experience. Also tried Silddx's fretless Warwick at a bass bash once as well, liked it a lot.

I'm planning on defretting my spare Precision Special bass (well, now my [i]second[/i] spare bass!!), since I have two basses with rosewood boards, both currently fretted. Looking for that sweet 'mwaaahhhh' from it once I swap over the LaBella flats from my Vintage 'Ray copy.

That will get me into fretless territory without a large amount of expense.

I'm eager to hear of people's experiences with fretless P-basses and what pickups they'd recommend

Ta,
Ian

[Jerry_B]

Fretless is the only bass I play nowadays, predominantly played with a plectrum. I use it for the band I'm in and it's my first 'go to' option, despite having a couple of other nice fretted basses. I have a fretless Jazz, but am thinking of seeing if I can fit the neck onto an LTD Vintage-204 P/J, just to compare and contrast

[Dave Vader]

I use it as often as I can get away with, am currently building a back up fretless, so I don't have to go fretted when one packs up at a gig (or before, or whenever it decides to throw a hissy fit)

[Bilbo]

Have mostly played fretless since 1986. The fretted used to come out occasionally but I got rid of my last fretted bass last year and now have not got one. My position is that the only bass playing that sounds better on a fretted bass is slapping and tapping, neither of which I do. Chordal playing is also easier on a fretted bass but as I am not a fan of the sound of chordal bass, that is not a problem either.

Frets are for wimps

[Wil]

[quote name='Bottle' post='1286103' date='Jun 29 2011, 09:30 AM']Tried my bass tutors' fretless Warwick Corvette five-banger - it was an awesome experience. Also tried Silddx's fretless Warwick at a bass bash once as well, liked it a lot.

I'm planning on defretting my spare Precision Special bass (well, now my [i]second[/i] spare bass!!), since I have two basses with rosewood boards, both currently fretted. Looking for that sweet 'mwaaahhhh' from it once I swap over the LaBella flats from my Vintage 'Ray copy.

That will get me into fretless territory without a large amount of expense.

I'm eager to hear of people's experiences with fretless P-basses and what pickups they'd recommend

Ta,
Ian[/quote]

I've had a fretless neck on my P before. It was lovely - my P sounds quite dark anyway so the end result was a bit like an upright on steroids, rather than the cliched Jaco thing. You can hear it on the blues track "The Flood" on my solo recordings link in my sig.

I'd quite like another fretless P, I must say...

[BottomE]

I am a recent convert. There was a definite "pain"period where i struggled with getting the accuracy of left hand on the fretboard. Thats diminishing now and actually the discipline needed on the fretless is starting to pay off on the fretted. And ooh slidy notes and chords sound great.

[Ross]

Not scared at all I've got this "give me an instrument and i'll get a tune out of it" attitude, love playing all kinds of stuff.
Anyway, not tried a fretless, not had a chance. Would love to though, debating a squier VM fretless as my next bass, although at the same time i'm debating a stagg EUB...

[Clarky]

I have had a renewed attempt to become better at fretless, spurred by playing DB in my band. I don't find intonation that much of a problem (I use the side dots just like I do a fretted bass for guidance) as long as I keep up my concentration levels - if I don't, then my left hand position sometimes starts 'drifting' gently and I tend to go sharp.

[Linus27]

[quote name='Bottle' post='1286103' date='Jun 29 2011, 09:30 AM']Tried my bass tutors' fretless Warwick Corvette five-banger - it was an awesome experience. Also tried Silddx's fretless Warwick at a bass bash once as well, liked it a lot.

I'm planning on defretting my spare Precision Special bass (well, now my [i]second[/i] spare bass!!), since I have two basses with rosewood boards, both currently fretted. Looking for that sweet 'mwaaahhhh' from it once I swap over the LaBella flats from my Vintage 'Ray copy.

That will get me into fretless territory without a large amount of expense.

I'm eager to hear of people's experiences with fretless P-basses and what pickups they'd recommend

Ta,
Ian[/quote]

Derek Forbes, Ex Simple Minds uses 1/4 Pounders in his fretless Precisions if that helps.

[Jerry_B]

I'd go for Wizard Thumpers if I had a fretless Precision.

[Earbrass]

Used to play fretless in my first incarnation as a bass player a few decades ago. Haven't tried it since picking the bass up again around 2005.

I suspect that any attempt to play fretless now would swiftly result in requests that I switch to stringless as well.

[fatboyslimfast]

Interesting Q. I'd like to have a go on a fretless to see how I got on, but don't think it would be a good idea at the mo - I'm still at the basic neckgazing stage so it might be just too much of a jump at present.

[wez]

I had a couple of fretless years ago one i ripped out the frets myself and one i bought sh from the practice rooms we used ( a washburn i think) liked the sound but really didnt fit with what i was playing at the time so got rid of them. but would defo go for another one.

[wateroftyne]

I play fretless sometimes... I'm more fretless P than Jaco honk, though.

[fatback]

I hate playing fretted now cos it feels so clumsy on the fingers.

Because of my band sound I normally play fretless like fretted but i have the option of giving it some mwah if I want.

I daren't jump around like I used to though.

Edited June 29, 2011 by fatback

[LiamPodmore]

Not tried one, i think my next bass after my Stingray 5 will probably be a Squier VM Fretless Jazz, probably wont get much use in band though, maybe on softer tracks (Thats my prediction anyway, i might like it more than the Stingray)

Liam

[dannybuoy]

My first bass was a fretless!

[Clarky]

[quote name='dannybuoy' post='1286231' date='Jun 29 2011, 11:29 AM']My first bass was a fretless![/quote]
You are the Chuck Norris of bass playing, Dan!