James Nada Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 (edited) I'm thinking of trying fretless (again) and I'm looking for opinion/debate about playing fretless on a short scale bass. I usually play long scale (P-Bass) but I also occasionally play a Hofner hollow-body short scale. The kind of fretless sound I'm thinking I want is more double bass than 'Jaco', which fits far with the Hofner thump (I think). I imagine intonation is more challenging on a short scale. So, pros, cons and opinions on short scale fretless... Edited July 2, 2017 by James Nada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark76 Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Thomann makes a fretless Violin bass [url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_beatbass_fl_vs_vintage_series.htm"]clone[/url]. If you want something cheap and easily returnable to try it out first, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrumpymike Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Not sure what your budget is but these are totally unique and offer UB-type sounds in a compact package (31.5" scale IIRC)! Michael G was one of the sponsors of our South-West Bass Bash in May and there was a huge amount of interest in his stuff. Personally I'd go for the slim-bodied version. [url="http://www.gillettguitars.co.uk/video"]http://www.gillettguitars.co.uk/video[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrumpymike Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 PS The intonation on the one I played was spot on (cos I checked it!!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tradfusion Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 [quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1498994946' post='3328400'] Not sure what your budget is but these are totally unique and offer UB-type sounds in a compact package (31.5" scale IIRC)! Michael G was one of the sponsors of our South-West Bass Bash in May and there was a huge amount of interest in his stuff. Personally I'd go for the slim-bodied version. [url="http://www.gillettguitars.co.uk/video"]http://www.gillettguitars.co.uk/video[/url] [/quote] Lovely fretless... What sort of money are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byo Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Really nice! Not a big fan of the headstock design but the body looks amazing with the contours and the added magnetic pup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrumpymike Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Around £2250 I believe but the craftsmanship, sounds, playability and finish are exquisite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 I converted one of my violin basses to fretless and intonation is a little suspect. Because of the short scale and floating bridge, a small adjustment in fingering makes a huge difference (and not always in a good way) but it does force you to listen to what you play and adjust fingering as you go along compared to the jazz bass. I don't play fretless often enough really to be good at it, but I am sure you would become used to it I actually use a bass ukulele for this sort of sound and find it a little better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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