Fretless 5 anyone?

[Grangur]

I've generally been playing 4s and only recently moved onto 5s. It started with a Warwick Thumb. It took me ages to get into it.

Then recently I bought a Corvette 5 from Painy of this parish. I fixed it up with new frets and it's good to play. My dilemma started just now. I've been toying with the idea of getting a 5 and ripping the frets out and bought a Peavey for the purpose. The Peavey wasn't really suited though as I'd have had to lower the bridge. So after getting down on a good groove tonight on a fretless 4 I'm sorely tempted to take the plunge and remove the frets from the Corvette.

Does anyone here play a fretless 5? If I remove the frets from my Corvette will it be unsaleable?

[ambient]

Try the Ibanez Gary Willis bass. Really nice and not a lot of money.

De-frets can be refretted, but it'll obviously cost you.

[jacko]

Yes. I've had a fretless 5 string Alembic Rogue since 2005. Strung with D'addario Chromes. Feels like butter

[geoffbyrne]

I've been playing Fretless 5 for a while now. PM'd.

G.

[Grangur]

Thanks guys. It's actually quite good if I think before posting. I did that in a rush before going to bed.

Gary Willis is well known for his 5 fretless. I once had one of those. Never really got on the the fretboard. I've also had an Esp LTD fretless: strings too close.

I think what I'm really thinking about is, "am I doing the right thing, pulling the frets out of a somewhat expensive bass"?

The answer to this is really totally subjective. If I'm sure it's what I want and I'll like it when it's done, then do it.

[NickD]

Ifor you want that particular bass fret less, I'd say it depends on your confidence level at doing it well. Personally I wouldn't touch it, John Shuker lists £120 to defret and line an existing board, I'd do that in your situation. I think a defret limits it's desirability to an extent being a bit more niche, but I reckon having someone of his skill do it maintains it's value more.

[bassbora]

Why not see if you can buy a similar Corvette but just fretless? I did a swap on here with someone who took my FNA Jazzman (Corvette body) and had that defretted so he would have both fretless and fretted version of the same bass.

I play a Thumb fretted and fretless and I find it very helpful to have the two. The muscle memory is so easy and I like to think because my hands are so used to the same body and neck shape.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1479076843' post='3173804']
Does anyone here play a fretless 5? If I remove the frets from my Corvette will it be unsaleable?
[/quote]

I have a fretless 5, TBH I usually avoid the low B for any actual fretless style playing as I find it doesnt really work too well, I only got a 5 because I tend to practice most of the time with the fretless and dont want to be swapping between 4 and 5.

Edited November 14, 2016 by bassman7755

[Grangur]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1479117155' post='3173964']
I have a fretless 5, TBH I usually avoid the low B for any actual fretless style playing as I find it doesnt really work too well, I only got a 5 because I tend to practice most of the time with the fretless and dont want to be swapping between 4 and 5.
[/quote]
[quote name='bassbora' timestamp='1479116584' post='3173961']
Why not see if you can buy a similar Corvette but just fretless? I did a swap on here with someone who took my FNA Jazzman (Corvette body) and had that defretted so he would have both fretless and fretted version of the same bass.

I play a Thumb fretted and fretless and I find it very helpful to have the two. The muscle memory is so easy and I like to think because my hands are so used to the same body and neck shape.
[/quote]

All gooD, useful points. I already have a Streamer fretted and fretless. Both are 4s. I'm wanting to move to the 5 because I sight read a lot and someone here was saying that 5s are useful if you read.

TBH GeoffByrne has been in touch offering a Yamaha fretless 5 for a fair price. So I might well give that a go.

The Corvette is a great bass. I've only recently refretted it. It has a bubinga body, plus being a 5, so it's no light weight. The other 5er I have is a Thumb. If that were a Corvette as well, then having the pair would be attractive.

The problem with defretting, as I see it is its easy enough to pull the frets and fill the slots. But going back to put frets back would never be easy.

[uk_lefty]

Wouldn't recommend defretting it, partly because Warwick make everything in both fretted and fretless so should be easy to get a purpose built fretless.
If you're really not sure try finding a cheapo fretless five Harley Benton or SX or something to see if you get on with it then invest more or minimise losses as appropriate.

I took the plunge on a fretless five for my eighteenth birthday (quite a long time ago now!) It was a massive gamble but being a lefty it was my only affordable opportunity to try a fretless, plus I'd been listening to pearl jam "ten" a lot! Never regretted it and for years it was my only bass. You can play a fretless without sliding the notes for "mwaaaah" but you can't get "mwaaaah" from a fretted...

Edited November 14, 2016 by uk_lefty

[josie]

I know a lot of peeps here do de-fret basses, but (serious question, I'm still new to all this!) wouldn't it be better to start with a purpose-built fretless? As I understand it the fretboard on a fretless needs to have a harder surface than on a fretted bass, because it has to stand up to more abrasion from contact with vibrating strings.

[Grangur]

[quote name='josie' timestamp='1479161610' post='3174488']
I know a lot of peeps here do de-fret basses, but (serious question, I'm still new to all this!) wouldn't it be better to start with a purpose-built fretless? As I understand it the fretboard on a fretless needs to have a harder surface than on a fretted bass, because it has to stand up to more abrasion from contact with vibrating strings.
[/quote]

Yes, you're right. It is better to have a factory made one. When you convert a fretted bass to fretless, what you ideally need to do is raise the fingerboard to the height of the top of the frets. So, as this is impossible, you don't simply remove the frets, but you also need to lower the Nut, Bridge and Pickups.

Also, you need to be happy that the old fret lines can be seen when playing. This is because the old fret-marker dots are in the centre of the fret spacings. On a factory fretless, the dots are in the line positions of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th etc.

Wear to the FB can be reduced by having flat-wound strings, but otherwise you need to protect the fingerboard. Some use epoxy to protect the board, but the ideal is to have the fingerboard replaced with a new ebony one. Ebony feels a lot better. The 4-string fretless I have is a factory made one.

The added complication in de-fretting a Warwick, is the neck is fretted with the frets not going through the sides of the fingerboard. So when you take out the frets and put the veneer in the slot, you also need to cut through the sides if you're wanting the fret-lines to show on the sides.

I think I've already decided this baby is staying fretted.

Edited November 14, 2016 by Grangur

[Mykesbass]

Get a fretless 5 - mine is the only bass I use and love it!

[josie]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1479162185' post='3174494']
Also, you need to be happy that the old fret lines can be seen when playing. This is because the old fret-marker dots are in the centre of the fret spacings. On a factory fretless, the dots are in the line positions of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th etc.
[/quote]

Good point, I hadn't thought of that. My GMR fretless 4 has conspicuous tiny inlaid white lines, looking like the ends of frets, where the ends of the frets would be, and the marker dots are in the usual centre positions, which possibly makes the transition from playing fretted a bit easier. (There's so much muscle memory in placing your fretting finger just [b]below[/b] the marker)

The fretboard surface has very faint "fretlines" inlaid, just enough that I can see them when playing, but invisible from more than a few feet away. A work of art. GMR were never a "factory".

There's a general point here - don't want to hijack the thread, is it worth starting a new one? - when the "factories" adapt a model - 4 to 5, or fretted to fretless - how much thought do they really put into it? For example, all the Fender Jazz 5 models I've seen have four tuning pegs on top of the headstock and one underneath, which to makes it look to me like an afterthought. The Jazz Plus 5 has a longer headstock with all five on top - lovely, looks like it's meant to be.

[oggiesnr]

I play a fretless five. Low string rather than high. Custom built in the States, ie no clue who built it. Fretmarkers in line with where the fret would be but no lines on the fretboard.

Personally I would buy one that was designed to be fretless rather than ripping the frets out, if nothing else accurate fretmarkers are a god send.

[Grangur]

[quote name='josie' timestamp='1479163343' post='3174510']


There's a general point here - don't want to hijack the thread, is it worth starting a new one? - when the "factories" adapt a model - 4 to 5, or fretted to fretless - how much thought do they really put into it? For example, all the Fender Jazz 5 models I've seen have four tuning pegs on top of the headstock and one underneath, which to makes it look to me like an afterthought. The Jazz Plus 5 has a longer headstock with all five on top - lovely, looks like it's meant to be.
[/quote]

Hijack away! Let's talk fretless

[josie]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1479164719' post='3174520']
Hijack away! Let's talk fretless
[/quote]

New thread started on adaptations

I actually always wanted a fretless, not sure why. I love the sound of pedal steel, and as much as I knew the role of the bass was to underpin that wonderful slide sound, I wanted to make something like that sound myself. My multi-instrumentalist younger son rightly talked me out of getting one as my first bass, but I'm at the point now where I can learn it. I do a lot of solo bass / vocal om, and slide and good sustain are central to the voice I'm developing.

[geoffbyrne]

I had an absolutely beautiful Yamaha TRB 1005 lined fretless 35" scale.




I found real difficulty in playing it and eventually traded it for a fretted TRB5.

I thought it was the scale length that was throwing me off, but now, having bought myself an Overwater Perception ProDeluxe which is also 35" and with an unmarked fingerboard, I'm beginning to suspect I just prefer unlined boards as my intonation on this neck is infinitely better than on the previous.



As I learned fretless on a Westone Thunder III Mk.2, (possibly the best bass I've ever had) perhaps my preference for unlined is understandable.



G.

Edited November 15, 2016 by geoffbyrne

[Pinball]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1479208695' post='3174718']
I found real difficulty in playing it and eventually traded it for a fretted TRB5.

I thought it was the scale length that was throwing me off, but now, having bought myself an Overwater Perception ProDeluxe which is also 35" and with an unmarked fingerboard, I'm beginning to suspect I just prefer unlined boards as my intonation on this neck is infinitely better than on the previous.
As I learned fretless on a Westone Thunder III Mk.2, (possibly the best bass I've ever had) perhaps my preference for unlined is understandable.
G.
[/quote]
I struggled for a couple of years to play fret-less and failed, with a P bass and Bass Collection. I now happily play a fret-less/unlined version of my Stingray SR5. It was so much easier for me to play a fret-less version of a bass that I was familiar with.

[andyonbass]

I find an unlined board easier to play and you have the added bonus of not having the guitarist pick up your bass in rehearsal, twiddling about at the dusty end and pronouncing "it's bloody easy this bass playing lark!" 😉

[josie]

When you think about it, all the bowed string family (viola, violin, cello, double bass) have unlined fingerboards and no markers, and even young children just learn precise finger placement as a natural part of learning to play.

[WalMan]

I have a lined G&L L2500 fretless. Still can't always intonate properly in the heat of battle but it's fun to have around