Fishfacefour Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 So for no real reason I've been getting gas for a fretless. I'm just noodling at home at the moment so have time to dedicate to learning a new approach. What will I gain from a fretless? I'm currently playing a 5 string, would it be best to go for a 5 string fretless? What else do I need to know? Any good cheap models to start on to see if its for me? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilorius Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) The only thing i can say to You is "talk You on fretless". Otherwise the best way is if You have at least one good fretted and fretless bass available. I like fretted 4 and fretless 5 type, about brand and model - You must decide yourself. Edited February 12, 2023 by nilorius 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 What is there to gain … enjoyment and a lovely sound. I would go for a five string (but I am a 5 string lover) and can highly recommend the Harley Benton B-550FL, mine pictured on the left. Similar to the four string version the Lobster reviewed. S’manth x 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 23 minutes ago, Fishfacefour said: So for no real reason I've been getting gas for a fretless. I'm just noodling at home at the moment so have time to dedicate to learning a new approach. What will I gain from a fretless? I'm currently playing a 5 string, would it be best to go for a 5 string fretless? Go for it. Fretless bass sounds great. I'd stick with 5 string. Face one change and one learning curve at a time. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 28 minutes ago, Fishfacefour said: Any good cheap models to start on to see if its for me? You asked for two different, so a cheap one is probably a beaten and modified fretted, and the good one is something else. A bad fretless can be really bad. Avoid. If you want to get the best out of it because of ergonomics and short learning curve, buy a similar bass like you already have. Just fretless. Then you have the same placement of the instrument relative to you, the player. Soundwise try roundwounds (many have said that nickel is the thing) and flats. The ones that sound and feel better are the ones you need. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 What do you gain? A better ear - with a fretted bass you take being in tune for granted as the frets do the work. With a fretless you have to listen more to what you are actually playing because it's easy to be out of tune. Even if you never play a fretless in a band situation it's a nice technique to try to develop. Buy wisely and you may not lose any money on selling. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Stick with a 5. There are defretted instruments (some done well, some not) and new instruments. I'd say the same as @Smanth and go with a Harley Benton, there's two - the B-550FL and the HBZ-2005FL, which are both rated about the same on Thomann. The alternative is something defretted (which you'd really need to check out in person to make sure it's a decent job) or a second-hand fretless 5. The Ibanez SRF705 is very nice but £500+ second-hand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Blank Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) 28 minutes ago, itu said: You asked for two different, so a cheap one is probably a beaten and modified fretted, and the good one is something else. A bad fretless can be really bad. Avoid. 👆👆👆 very much this. My first fretless, acquired in my early twenties, was awful and put me off fretless for decades. If you can, try a few. Don't be swayed by lined/unlined zealots either, sure, listen to advice, but in the end use whichever you feel comfortable with Edited February 12, 2023 by Frank Blank 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 I’m currently out of love with fretless, after it being my go to for decades. Even with that state of mind, I still say do it. You’re used to a 5, so stick with that if possible (1 less variable). It depends on what your definition of cheap is and I’d be wary of acquiring something cheap for cheap’s sake as this may put you off if it’s not much good (I’m not casting aspersions on the HB BTW). If you can find an Ibanez GWB35 2nd hand, I definitely recommend one of those. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwilym Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 3 minutes ago, ezbass said: I’m currently out of love with fretless, after it being my go to for decades. Even with that state of mind, I still say do it. You’re used to a 5, so stick with that if possible (1 less variable). It depends on what your definition of cheap is and I’d be wary of acquiring something cheap for cheap’s sake as this may put you off if it’s not much good (I’m not casting aspersions on the HB BTW). If you can find an Ibanez GWB35 2nd hand, I definitely recommend one of those. +1 on the gwb, but the string spacing is 16mm which was too tight for me. I've been playing a lot more fretless recently, 4 string jazz. If I were to get a 5er, an Fbass BNF5 would be top of the list, but they are not cheap. Also I would most likely string E to C, which seems to me (purely my opinion) a tuning better suited to fretless. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 I was stuck between basses recently and needed to do some recording and all I had was my Jaco Jazz so I used that and that was the beginning of using it a lot more. I learnt Sledgehammer the other day just because it was fretless it was a quick 5 minutes I grabbed before cooking dinner and thought I really must play more fretless, warning, you will end up liking it more than fretted. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) Lots of things to ponder over to make your move to fretless. The first is what do you predominantly play? If you are mostly a 5 string player then get a 5 string fretless. The transition will be more natural and you won't be so limited in playing what you are already playing on your fretted 5 string bass. The biggest decision is do you go for lined or unlined? There is no right or wrong choice here, it is purely down to what you prefer to play or more comfortable playing. I play unlined as I personally find lines are a huge distraction, it's easier to play but equally a bigger challenge to be more accurate so hugely rewarding and it improves your ear and technique. Players who play lined fretless basses will have their own preferences and as I say, there is no right or wrong, but your own individual preference. For information purposes, a lined fretless you play on the lines and an unlined, you play on the dots or the gaps between them. There are more lined fretless basses available so your choices will be bigger. Fender make a range of lined fretless Jazz basses and a very very good lined fretless bass is the Ibanez SRF705. Beautiful bass and if it was unlined then I'd have one. Ibanez have also just released a headless 5 string lined fretless which is quite funky looking. Just remember, even if it doesn't have lines on the board, it still has lines on the side of the neck like the Ibanez fretless basses making it lined so don't get caught out thinking its unlined. As for unlined then your best bet will be second hand and a good start will be a Japanese Fender Jazz or Precision. As I say, it's hard to find an unlined fretless bass these days but not impossible and I think Warwick make an unlined Streamer Rockbass which looks nice. As for playing then if you have good technique and a good ear then they are no different than playing a fretted bass. It's all about playing accurately, listening to what you are playing and making micro adjustments on the fly. It's not difficult and it's not all about slides, vibrato and Jacoesque runs, you can make it as none fretless sounding as you want. Try playing your 5 string in the dark and low light and see how you get on. If you are ok and can hear when you are out and can adjust then you'll be fine. One thing I found though is my fretted bass was a '75 Fender Jazz with blocks and binding but because I'm so used to playing a clean fretless fretboard, the blocks and binding on my fretted bass was so distracting, I had to sell it as it was so distracting to play. As for the benefits, personally I prefer the tone of a fretless and the freedom that it brings. It's so expressive and musical and if you get a good one, they can so sing. Also, you'll find your technique will adjust and you'll slide up to notes and there's no step that you get with frets, it's one smooth transition from note to note. Also, chords are fabulous, for example, play an open A and fret C# (11th fret on the D string) at the same time and add a bit of vibrato, it sounds wonderful. Any singular note with a bit of vibrato sounds wonderful and expressive but you don't have to and that's the beauty, you can make it sound nothing like a fretless bass if you want. Harmonics are also another lovely, rich feature that come alive on a fretless, especially with a bit of chorus and reverb. With regards to strings, roundwounds will cause wear to a fretless board but never be afraid to use them. They sound great and the wear is minimal unless you are playing hundreds of gigs a year. A 5 minute rub down with 0000 Steel Wool and applying Beeswax Orange Oil after will bring the neck back to a glass like finish. I've used roundwounds for years and never ever had an issue, however I would never use them on my maple fretless board. Personally though, I use either LaBella Black Tapewounds which sound fabulous and are designed for fretless or LaBella Low Tension Flats on my fretless Precision's which give a very full, rich, warm, rounded tone. Good luck with your search and don't be afraid to make the switch. These are my fretless basses and if you have any questions then just ask. Edited February 12, 2023 by Linus27 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Don't do it. Fretless is awful. There, I tried 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dclaassen Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 I’d recommend a 5 string. It it’s down on the number of shifts needed, which is a bit bigger deal for me on fretless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelDean Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 I briefly had a fretless bass. I don't care for mwah or any of the other words used to describe the sound! Mind you I'm not even a big fan of other people playing fretless, so maybe I should have seen it coming 😅 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilorius Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 25 minutes ago, neepheid said: Don't do it. Fretless is awful. There, I tried Yes......you tried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishfacefour Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 Thanks everyone. Loads of great stuff to think through. Top marks to neepheid for actually trying to talk me out of it, the rest of you are pure enablers! 😁 Off to the marketplace I go... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) Nope... My Son loves his He wanted 2 Octave, Unlined so was thinking of the Harley B450FL, then found this on FB MP... So Sweet. Edited February 12, 2023 by PaulThePlug 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Just now, Fishfacefour said: ...the rest of you are pure enablers! 😁 Duh, this is BC. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dclaassen Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Buy 4 fretless basses…lined 4, unlined 4, lined 5, unlined 5 give me the ones you don’t want…. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilorius Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 5 minutes ago, dclaassen said: Buy 4 fretless basses…lined 4, unlined 4, lined 5, unlined 5 give me the ones you don’t want…. Why so strong, he is just a small guy from a pure family:) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Fretless can sound great but if you're not planning on playing in a fretless manner - i.e. you're just going to be playing the same stuff the same way as you would on a fretted bass - then there's no point in having one. If you're wondering what I mean, have a listen to Alan Thomson playing bass with John Martyn. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Blank Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 12 minutes ago, nilorius said: ...he is just a small guy from a pure family:) ...spare him his life from this monstrosity. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassie Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 No. Do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Do it. I love playing fretless, more so than my other two fretted basses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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