Pickups for a fretless

[timo]

A friend has offered to build me a bass and I'm going to go for a 5 string fretless with an ebony fingerboard (and hopefully a whammy). I need to decide on a pickup and preamp, anyone got any suggestions for a big, growly fretless sounds with lots of 'mwah'?

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

why a whammy? I can slide my finger up & down a string on my fretless for similar results

[BassBod]

I've always found J types work best for fretless - EMG's are very good, especially near the bridge (but not too close!). I wouldn't worry about a circuit - see how it comes out, and add one later if it needs it?

[hubrad]

Something with a good bit of brightness available - you can always roll it off if you want to go mellow.
I've got EMG on one, Bartolini on another, and the custom built Overwater has, well, Overwater custom pickups and electronics.
Extra circuits can give you more tone options without going to the amp (or playing differently) but I don't miss them if they're not there.
Don't forget the bass itself - some woods are just more lively than others. Ebony board for me, as you've said too. Walnut is smooooth toned, ash far more zingy.
Also strings - rounds for zing, flats for mellower, etc.
The search for the perfect tone... It goes ever on.

[RhysP]

I wouldn't put a whammy on a fretless - all you'll do is rob it of tone & sustain IMO.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I'd go for a good old PJ combo. My fretless only has a P & that has plenty of mwahh for my taste, but the bridge J seems to be the classic mwahh pickup.

[JPJ]

Bartolini's same to suit the fretless better than any others imho

[MoonBassAlpha]

Mwah is much more to do with how you set the action up than the pickups. I've got Kent Armstrog soapbars in mine and it sounds nice to me. My old fretless had cheap EMG Selects (j's) in it, and I thought they were very good too.