NBD - Fretless!!

[Bridgehouse]

What a busy day!

Conference calls all the way there and back for work, but I managed to get half an hour in Jon Shuker's workshop tucked away near Hope in the Peak District. It's such a beautiful setting..

Big thanks to @MOXYBASS for the brilliant comms and for selling this one 😁

Jon is an absolute gentleman. So knowledgable, so open and a really great conversation. I can see myself ordering a build from him... 

And the bass? It's a Shuker Uberhorn Fretless 4. It has piezo bridges with a ghost preamp, and a magnetic pickup under the fretboard in the P position. He couldn't remember exactly what it was - but I tried it in the workshop and it's a fascinating solution to a balance issue.

The Ghost piezo system gives a really really rich and lovely sound - it's basically like a rich P sound, with strong upper bass and some nice highs, but with the upper mids rolled off. 

The magnetic pickup is voiced for mids - on it's own, it's like a mid-heavy P,  but with the piezo as well it's like a foghorn! Huge, deep, rich and loads of harmonics all over the shop!! There controls are logical - a switch for magnetic, both, piezo, then volume for magnetic, volume for piezo with a push pull "bright" control, and then a 3 band EQ for the magnetic (cut/boost) and a 3 way frequency switch for the mids control. Really flexible. Really good.

The neck was a total surprise. It feels about 42mm at the nut but might be less, but it has this brilliant slim carve which is really similar to the pre-CBS Precision neck - it feels great! More on this when I get to play it!

I'll give it a go later tonight and report back on my ham-fisted efforts (!)

Check me out - I'm a fretless owner. Ooer.

[ezbass]

Ooh, I say! 👍

[Chris2112]

Very smart. That finish on the back looks very good.

[Bridgehouse]

Just now, Chris2112 said:

Very smart. That finish on the back looks very good.

I'm amazed by the build quality. I don't think I've played an instrument of any kind with this sort of build quality - it feels like a featherweight piece of hewn granite..

[Reggaebass]

That’s one beautiful bass I’ve never actually played a fretless  I fancy trying one now I’ve seen that 👍

[gary mac]

Wow, that's a looker

[Frank Blank]

Lord, that is glorious.

[AndyTravis]

Always thought this was a work of art - absolutely stunning.

[Bridgehouse]

Just had a quick tinkle - had half an hour spare 

 

It appears fretless is gloriously addictive

[Frank Blank]

9 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said:

It appears fretless is gloriously addictive

I’ve had a few over the years, four I think and never really got on with any apart from the last one, a Rob Allen Mouse, I barely play anything else so I think if you are feeling this about your first then you’ve hit the mother lode, I’m not surprised mind, that bass is a jaw dropper.

[Bridgehouse]

2 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

I’ve had a few over the years, four I think and never really got on with any apart from the last one, a Rob Allen Mouse, I barely play anything else so I think if you are feeling this about your first then you’ve hit the mother lode, I’m not surprised mind, that bass is a jaw dropper.

I think it’s the board .. ok so I have to work on intonation, but it’s a real delight to play.

[Frank Blank]

11 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said:

I think it’s the board .. ok so I have to work on intonation, but it’s a real delight to play.

Me too. mine is lined, I figure I need all the help I can get! But that board looks glorious. I wonder about lines vs dots vs nowt on the board...

[Bridgehouse]

This one is side part-lines - seems ok at the mo!

[Frank Blank]

5 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said:

This one is side part-lines - seems ok at the mo!

Ah yes, with dots higher up... God I’ve got to stop looking at that bass, where’s the day gone?

[BreadBin]

Wow

[Hellzero]

Gorgeous instrument. Don't worry for your intonation, use your open strings and harmonics as these are a fixed reference. It helps a lot. Use a tuner too so you'll see if you are in tune.

Didn't I tell you about these Shuker ? They are just wonderful instruments.

Congratulations and as I always say : no frets, no limits ! 👍

[Bridgehouse]

Going to take it slow and easy and ease myself in - but man it puts a smile on your face

[HazBeen]

Gorgeous bass! You are a lucky man.

[TheGreek]

Aaah, so you bought it...jealous doesn't cover it.

I also acquired a Fretless today - a Spectorcore Fretless 4 - came with flatwound strings - man they're weird...even compared to the tapewounds I've been using. 

I'm off to YT to see what ideas I can steal borrow....

[HazBeen]

1 minute ago, TheGreek said:

Aaah, so you bought it...jealous doesn't cover it.

I also acquired a Fretless today - a Spectorcore Fretless 4 - came with flatwound strings - man they're weird...even compared to the tapewounds I've been using. 

I'm off to YT to see what ideas I can steal borrow....

I’ve really been digging Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on my fretless , really bright flatwounds that mwaah just so readily.

[TheGreek]

Found this lesson - execution isn't the best but I can see how the concept will be useful.

 

[josie]

That is gorgeous. Congratulations 🙂 

I have D'Addario chrome flats on my electric fretless - I'm after a sort of light silver shimmer/slide sound, and they give me that. If you want more of a deeper DB / jazz sound, then tape-wounds. I have the same chrome flats on my acoustic fretless, but I'm thinking of changing them for tape-wounds to have more types of sound to play with. 

[Bridgehouse]

@josie This has TI Jazz Flats on. 

I normally use Chromes on all my fretted’s bar my ACG which has TI’s on, and I am trialling a set of Fender flats on my 51P semi hollow partscaster.

The TI’s do seem to suit this tho. I really like the low tension

Edited August 23, 2018 by Bridgehouse

[AndyTravis]

Came back to have another look 😧

[josie]

Have you tried half-rounds? I'm interested / tempted...