Less frets

[timmo]

Never noticed until the other day. I have a Peavey Milestone 3 with 20 frets, and my Clover has 24 frets. Why would you want a bass with less frets, and do many basses come with 20 frets?

[John Schoen]

Precisions have 20 frets.

[EssentialTension]

20 is more than enough. YMMV.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='John Schoen' timestamp='1392053817' post='2364126']
Precisions have 20 frets.
[/quote]
... and Jazz bass.

[timmo]

ok. i thought the Clover Avenger was a prcision bass. No idea why i thought that. I assumed the Peavy was some jazz type bass. Again no idea why

[SlapbassSteve]

I think the reason is it's so rare to need more than 20, and when you do it's difficult to access them without a bigger set of cutaways.

Thinking about it though, I guess it depends what you're used to. My U-Bass has only 16 frets, and I find myself really missing the high C note that would be there if it had 17. There are a few things I have to play down an octave to accommodate this, the ad lib bit at the start of Don't Stop Me Now for example

[neepheid]

I think 21 makes sense, at least you can complete the last octave. This topping out at Eb (in regular tuning) makes no sense to me. And spare me the "20's enough because Leo said so" dogma

Edited February 10, 2014 by neepheid

[discreet]

Shouldn't that be 'fewer frets'?

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1392058544' post='2364204']
I think 21 makes sense, at least you can complete the last octave. This topping out at Eb (in regular tuning) makes no sense to me. [b]And spare me the "20's enough because Leo said so" dogma[/b]
[/quote]

Especially as he changed his mind in all later bass designs.

[Roland Rock]

Fewer frets ;-)

[Mornats]

Fret less?

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1392058691' post='2364206']
Shouldn't that be 'fewer frets'?
[/quote]
Correct.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1392054327' post='2364140']
ok. i thought the Clover Avenger was a prcision bass. No idea why i thought that. I assumed the Peavy was some jazz type bass. Again no idea why
[/quote]
I don't really know what a Clover Avenger is but I think we meant that ordinary Fender P and J have 20 frets - copies or others in same style can have as many as you like.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1392058544' post='2364204']
I think 21 makes sense, at least you can complete the last octave. This topping out at Eb (in regular tuning) makes no sense to me. And spare me the "20's enough because Leo said so" dogma
[/quote]
I was more thinking 12 would be enough because I can't recall when I last went up there.

[geoffbyrne]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1392059589' post='2364232']
I was more thinking 12 would be enough because I can't recall when I last went up there.
[/quote]

As many as that?

G.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1392060939' post='2364263']
As many as that?

G.
[/quote]
I was exaggerating so as to look flashier.

[BigRedX]

How many frets you need depends on what you want to play.

For me 19 would be fine most of the time because when I am playing high up on the neck I'm normally playing drones on an open string at the same time, so 19 frets gets me open D and D two octaves higher on the G string at the same time. If I'm going to be using anymore frets I'll want 24 as that gets me open D and then G two octaves and a fifth above.

However the other thing to consider is that more frets will make some of the lower ones easier to access. A 20 fret neck might be plenty of frets but you have to remember that access to the ones above the 15th fret is hampered by the neck joint. A 24 fret bolt-on neck will get you better access to more frets.

[Les]

I have no idea how many frets any of my basses have

[Kev]

My Dolphin has 26....

[chris_b]

I occasionally get up to the 10th fret.

Any further and I'd need oxygen.

[Geek99]

Dolphins are very good at flip-bass

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1392081842' post='2364552']
What does a dolphin need with frets? Or with a bass, for that matter!
[/quote]

Maybe it swopped it for its old bicycle?

[HowieBass]

More frets seen these days since manufacturers have machines cutting the fret slots and so can achieve higher accuracy than a hand cut fingerboard? Correct intonation harder to achieve higher up the neck as fret placement tolerance reduces?

[Prime_BASS]

If I'm in thinking, two basses that are 34" scale, one with 20 frets has a shorter neck and more has a longer neck/fret board. All though the notes are still in the same place along the neck.
No?

[MarkG3]

Surely metal fans only need one fret and all strings tuned to low E?



Only joking, sometimes metal bassists push the boat out and use the 2nd fret