Fretless options.....

[MuddBass]

Howdy all....

Been thinking about joining the fretless community for a while now.

Need some input from you all

[list]
[*]I only play five string basses
[*]Recession budget of £500~£600 tops.
[*]Prefer to buy s/h but open to suggestions.
[*]Light weight is a positive factor as I sometimes get 'bass players shoulder'
[*]Will be used mainly for laid back soul / some jazz n blues / backing acoustic musicians
[*]My main concern is the low B string sounds dull on some of the fretless 5's i've tried.
[/list]


What should I go out and try......Discuss

Edited February 2, 2009 by five-string.co.uk

[wotnwhy]

i had an MTD kingston fretless 5, and cannot recomend it highly enough, superb instrument in every respect. deeply regret selling it as they're like hens teeth it seems.

i think the market is limited for reasonably priced 5 string fretless basses. you seem to have the uber-cheap ebay stuff, then nothing really of note till you edge towards the grand mark. and i don't think your alone with your budget because 2nd hand examples always seem to fetch good prices.

so..um.. good luck

[Platypus]

[quote name='wotnwhy' post='398316' date='Feb 2 2009, 08:48 PM']i had an MTD kingston fretless 5, and cannot recomend it highly enough, superb instrument in every respect. deeply regret selling it as they're like hens teeth it seems.

i think the market is limited for reasonably priced 5 string fretless basses. you seem to have the uber-cheap ebay stuff, then nothing really of note till you edge towards the grand mark. and i don't think your alone with your budget because 2nd hand examples always seem to fetch good prices.

so..um.. good luck [/quote]

Think there's a fretted one in the for sale section for £375 - having that de fretted wouldn't cost a lot more..

An Ibanez GWB would also be within budget

Edited February 2, 2009 by Platypus

[lemmywinks]

I played a cracking Yamaha in Frets Guitar Centre (spits) a while back, think they still have it.
Was looking at it before buying my first fretless but was a bit over budget, had one too many strings and was a bit too modern looking for me. The low B was very defined though and it had a decent circuit in it
Good string spacing too

[wotnwhy]

[quote name='Platypus' post='398327' date='Feb 2 2009, 09:03 PM']Think there's a fretted one in the for sale section for £375 - having that de fretted wouldn't cost a lot more..[/quote]

ha ha! when i first saw it for sale that was the first thing to pop into my head. however the jewel in the crown of the kingston i had was the ebenol (composite) fretboard that really made it sing!

and i always assumed the GW sig was a lot more than £500... might have to look into them

[BigRedX]

[url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/eb_page09.php?area_id=3&data_id=146&color=CL01&year=2009&cat_id=2&series_id=211"]Ibanez GWB35[/url]

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='five-string.co.uk' post='398298' date='Feb 2 2009, 08:29 PM']Been thinking about joining the fretless community for a while now.[/quote]

You make it sound like we all live in a retirement home for '80s Bassists.

[hubrad]

I just got a Crafter Congress 5FL as a stand in; The original strings were pretty bad - especially the B, and the pickups were ok. Now equipped with Picato flatwounds and EMG soapbars, this bass rocks!
Even my wife wants me to keep it after I've done the surgery on my Ex-Ibanez Roadster!
BTW, welcome home - fretless is the one true path.
HUGH

[MuddBass]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='398939' date='Feb 3 2009, 02:06 PM']You make it sound like we all live in a retirement home for '80s Bassists.[/quote]

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='five-string.co.uk' post='398298' date='Feb 2 2009, 08:29 PM']Howdy all....

Been thinking about joining the fretless community for a while now.

Need some input from you all

[list]
[*][b]My main concern is the low B string sounds dull on some of the fretless 5's i've tried.[/b]
[/list]


What should I go out and try......Discuss[/quote]

Try tenor tuning!
EADGC instead of
BEADG

Barre that C&G for lovely intervals... No dodgy "B" to worry about either!

[MuddBass]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='399321' date='Feb 3 2009, 07:41 PM']Try tenor tuning!
EADGC instead of
BEADG

Barre that C&G for lovely intervals... No dodgy "B" to worry about either![/quote]

Thats one idea I'll consider....would get the mind thinking too when swapping mid-set too between standard tuning!

[Johnzy]

If your not going to slap the fretless, then i would recommend using heavier strings. i find it easier to play a fretless with 45-135 strings as the tension keeps my hand/strings moving in one direction!!! playing with a louder amp and lighter touch also vastly improves any b string!!!