Fretless bass with Brass Plates ?

[kodiakblair]

I remember seeing a bass reviewed in the 80's in Guitarist mag. It was British built I think and the builder's name began with a W ?

It was fretless but had a small brass plate inlaid at the end of the fingerboard. I think it was to help slapping.

Any one remember this ?

Found it. Doug Wikes. Now did anyone play one ?

Edited July 10, 2014 by kodiakblair

[icastle]

I used to sell them.

IIRC, the little brass plate covered a pickup.

[kodiakblair]

Thanks I castle.

A fella over on TB was saying his fretless with black beauties was "dull" and he wanted to add a steel plate.

Have no idea if it would work but I know a guy used an aluminium fingerboard ,he swore by it.

Can't really see what he wants to achieve? He's talking about keeping the "clang" but having more "clatch"?

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1405055049' post='2498299']
He's talking about keeping the "clang" but having more "clatch"?
[/quote]

Those two terms sound like the exact things I've always tried to eliminate from my bass sound...

Edited July 11, 2014 by CamdenRob

[Manton Customs]

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1405055049' post='2498299']
Thanks I castle.

A fella over on TB was saying his fretless with black beauties was "dull" and he wanted to add a steel plate.

Have no idea if it would work but I know a guy used an aluminium fingerboard ,he swore by it.

Can't really see what he wants to achieve? He's talking about keeping the "clang" but having more "clatch"?
[/quote]

He's probably after a different slap sound...Either that or he is mistaken and thinks it will alter the overall tone (assuming he meant just a plate at the last fret).

[Conan]

It was called the "slap-plate" and AFAIAA it didn't conceal a pickup - it just gave a more percussive edge to slap played on a fretless bass.

They occasionally come up for sale on here - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/134054-withdrawn-wilkes-4-string-fretless-with-slap-plates/"]http://basschat.co.u...th-slap-plates/[/url]

They were never very common or popular, for reasons I fail to understand. Maybe there are not that many people who like to slap on a fretless bass?

Edit - I stand corrected on the hidden pickup! (Sorry icastle! ). From his own website:

[i]"In his pursuit to become the best guitar builder, he also patented several innovative ideas. His slap plates on bass guitars with pick-ups in the neck have since been copied by manufacturers worldwide.

Another design was a half-fretted, half-fretless bass, which gave players the option and versatility of two instruments in one."[/i]

Edited July 11, 2014 by Conan

[kodiakblair]

Thanks for the input guys.

I'm further confused by what this fella wants to achieve. Comments so far like " I want a fretted sound from this fretless" and " When other people play this bass it sounds good just
not when I play it" or " Technique is not the issue here " haven't cleared things up.

The phrase " BawBag" springs to mind

[kodiakblair]

The phrase was right.

Basically what he has in mind is sound completely different from what he's using the example he gave was " Say I'm playing a Beatle Bass with flats, it sounds great but when I
play it I don't want it to sound like a Beatle Bass with flats."

I'm waiting on him saying " When I play a fretted P bass I want it to sound like a fretless jazz "

In other words a pointless thread, says he might think about changing strings or pickups but " The bass I want hasn't been invented yet"

[stingrayPete1977]

Sounds like the sort of guy that says you can hear the difference between eveready and duracell batteries in active basses....

[Beer of the Bass]

I had an old Aria TSB-550 which had been defretted and had a full width brass inlay across the neck at the top fret position. It looked like a professional job that had been done early in the life of the bass, so I guess the idea must have had a bit of popularity at the time. I could never see the point of the brass plate myself, as I never liked the sound of fretless slap, but it was a lovely bass.