Unlined Fretless

[Dingus]

I have been on the lookout for a fretless lately - I really enjoy playing fretless but havent owned one for a few years now - and have seen one or two that have caught my eye that were unlined . All my previous fretlesses were lined , and I am wondering how much harder it would be without the lines . Any thoughts or advice ?

[voxpop]

Mine is unlined and I was worried at first.
If you think about it when you play you can't see the lines as the finger board is facing away from you. Once you get over the fear of not seeing the lines it really is easy. Use your ears to hear the note , if you are out just move your finger a bit and you will hit the note.
After a very short time you won't look back.

[BassBus]

What voxpop says. Just jump in. You might sound a bit out to begin with but your ear will tell you when you are wrong. I don't know if you do any soloing with the fretless. I play in a jazz band so soloing is part of it. I use lined and unlined basses but I like the lined to give a bit more accuracy up the dusty end of the neck. On unlined you have the position markers at 3, 5, 7, etc. which gives you a guide.

[Dingus]

I am sure I could get used to it with practise , and like you both say , you dont really actually see that much of the lines when you play standing up , and in most live situations you dont see them much at all . I'm itching to play some fretless again . It's thirty years since I got my first one and I should have kept up with it in the meantime instead of sparodically dabbling in it now and again . It doesn't seem to take me long to get into it again , though .

[EssentialTension]

I'm using a lined fretless at the moment but I have both used and prefer to use unlined but with side dots.

Either way you atill have to listen carefully.

[sblueplanet]

I currently have a lined fretless but my previous fretless basses have a been unlined which I prefer.
My current wishlist is an unlined 5 string Warwick Thumb fretless.

[EMG456]

Go for it.

If it's unlined it should have the side dots in the correct place - ie on the fret positions, so you've still got that guide to start you off. After that it's your ear that gives you the accuracy anyway so especially at gigs, try to ensure that you will be able to hear yourself clearly in the mix.

Fretless is a joyous thing!

Ed

[Dingus]

Cheers Ed. I am currently doing a bit of internet bass shopping , looking at my options . As ever , I am cursed ( or blessed , depending on which way you look at it ) with expensive taste , but there seem to be a few pretty good options available . I saw a beautiful unlined Warwick fretless a while ago , but it looks like it is now sold . I will probably go for something a bit more modest to start off with and see how much I use it , and then get something better if I really start getting into playing fretless again , which I probably will . Now that I have decided to take the plunge I can't understand why I have left it so long , because I love playing fretless .

[rubis]

Years ago I had a lined Aria SB1000 then went to an unlined Wal and the change over was fine.
I then also went a long time without a fretless and when I got back into it, I was in a similar frame of mind as yourself so I made a fretless neck for my Blingray which has quarter lines and found these to be the best of both worlds.
Maybe you could find a bass with these?

Good luck
Harry

Edited May 11, 2013 by rubis

[pietruszka]

My only fretless ever is my current, a Sandberg Basic fretless, with 1/4 lines. So lines on the top and that's all. I love it, it looks better from the crowds view to. You get used to it pretty quickly, I played plugged into a tuner for a little bit to get my D and G strings a bit more accurate to help with muscle memory.

Do it!




Dan

[mcnach]

[quote name='voxpop' timestamp='1368209086' post='2074568']
Mine is unlined and I was worried at first.
If you think about it when you play you can't see the lines as the finger board is facing away from you. Once you get over the fear of not seeing the lines it really is easy. Use your ears to hear the note , if you are out just move your finger a bit and you will hit the note.
After a very short time you won't look back.
[/quote]

what the man said.

It is a little confusing at first (first few days), but you adapt really quickly. The side dots are more than enough.

[Bobby K]

Like yourself, I was very daunted at first and even posted on here about the very same issue. I needn't have worried; the side dots really are enough on an unlined board. If anything, I now find that lines on a fretless are a bit of a hinderance, if that makes sense? I also think that they aesthetically look a bit crap; the lines ruin the look for me. An unlined board gets you using your ears more and helps you play more expressively in my experience.

Put the blast shield down and use the force, you won't regret it ;-)

[drTStingray]

I agree with everyone else - it takes a little while to get used to but the rewards are worth it. You learn to play with your ears and the dots on the top of the fretboard are an invaluable guide!

You could try one of these - great value used (which is how I got mine - a 93 in mint condition, now strung with EB Grp 3 flats).

[BassBus]

Don't forget, Gary Willis uses a lined fretless neck and he is insanely talented.

[apa]

As every one else has already said. The side dots are enough and you get used to it pretty quickly. Its all in your muscles anyway.

But far more importantly - No one will pick it up and try and have a fiddle and it just looks so damned cooler.

A

[hamfist]

Personally, I find the lines actually interfere with my brain visually with fretless, making the whole fingerboard look too busy. So I actually prefer unlined, and did right from the start of learning the instrument.

[apa]

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1368337555' post='2075757']
Personally, I find the lines actually interfere with my brain visually with fretless, making the whole fingerboard look too busy. So I actually prefer unlined, and did right from the start of learning the instrument.
[/quote]

Me to. The lines confuse me. I instantly want to go between them!

A

[Bobby K]

[quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1368294425' post='2075427']
Don't forget, Gary Willis uses a lined fretless neck and he is insanely talented.
[/quote]

Yeah he certainly is. He obviously prefers the lines being there (as do many others I'm sure)

A matter of personal preference, as with everything. I really fancy one of those Gary Willis Ibanez basses but it's the lines that put me off :-)

[pietruszka]

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1368337555' post='2075757']
Personally, I find the lines actually interfere with my brain visually with fretless, making the whole fingerboard look too busy. So I actually prefer unlined, and did right from the start of learning the instrument.
[/quote]
Yes!! Me to! They make me feel dizzy when playing!


Dan