Thinking of trying a fretless Bass guitar. What should I know?

[maxman]

Recently I've been interested in playing Bass again.
It's been a while but I still have some groove left in me (can you dig it?)

All of a sudden I'm tempted to try a fretless electric.
I'm going to head down to the music store and give one a whirl.

I've been practicing on my 4 string fretted bass.

How different is a fretless bass?
If it helps any I'm looking at one that still has fret lines.
I gotta take baby steps you know.

 

[demaro]

As long as you have a decent ear , you will probably really enjoy it. I have a G and L five string fretless . After I bought that , I sold my three other of my fretted basses. I am mainly a guitarist , but I get hired to play bass for many of the local theater companies in the pit orchestras. I am most happy only playing fretless bass..

 

[maxman]

Cool. My friend who showed me how to play used a fretless bass and he loves it.
Thanks for the input.

 

[Gatsby]

Not much to add to Paul's comment above. I agree: a good ear is necessary.

Check out anything--and everything--by Jaco Pastorious: it will give you a solid idea of what the fretless bass guitar is capable of.

 

[Drybonz]

I used to have one (the brand you see in Yes videos, I can't recall the name right now) that was a lot of fun to play. I think you actually can get used to it with just a little practice.

 

[maxman]

Not much to add to Paul's comment above. I agree: a good ear is necessary.

Check out anything--and everything--by Jaco Pastorious: it will give you a solid idea of what the fretless bass guitar is capable of.

A different friend who also plays bass is a huge Jaco fan. She turned me on to his work a few years ago. He's a pleasure to listen to.

 

[Drybonz]

I used to have one (the brand you see in Yes videos, I can't recall the name right now)

Steinberger... I racked my brain all morning for that... lol.

 

[The Nid Hog]

Steinberger... I racked my brain all morning for that... lol.

I can hear Chris Squire's bass rumbling in my head when I read your post.

Let us know if you find something you like.

 

[Doc4]

... well, you won't be fretting as much.

so obviously you'll have less to be concerned about.

 

[maxman]

... well, you won't be fretting as much.

so obviously you'll have less to be concerned about.

I should buy some drums instead so I can give this a ba-dum-bum-ching!

 

[AjaxLepinski]

Fretless is beyond me! Some people are naturals and pick it up quickly and really enjoy them. Plus, as an added bonus, there's the "I'm really cool, I can play fretless" aspect. I'm sure that you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of one.
This is just the opinion of an old punk rock, hacker... I tried a couple of fretless basses. I realized that it was going to take (me) a whole lot of work just to be able to bend long notes. About the only thing that you can do with a fretless, that you can't do with fretted, is bend a really long note. It's like special effects - some effects (phase shifter) sound good on one or two songs and the effect gets played out. Other effects (reverb) sound good on a lot of songs and you don't get tired of it. For me, all that mwaaaaa (pitch bending), up and down, gets played out fast but, I'm a punk and fretless doesn't really lend it self to the genre. So, IMHO if you're into funk, jazz, experimental or, if you're just looking for something new to master, then go for it!!!!

 

[Gatsby]

Not much to add to Paul's comment above. I agree: a good ear is necessary.

Check out anything--and everything--by Jaco Pastorious: it will give you a solid idea of what the fretless bass guitar is capable of.

Have you looked into what make of fretless bass you would purchase?
I know Fender makes a Jaco Pastorious Signature, but it costs a pretty penny.

An old friend of mine had a Yamaha fretless. It sounded decent, and was a solid "starter" for a fretless bass.

 

[maxman]

Honestly, im just looking for a cheap one. My current bass is a Spector and I love it.
I can't afford top end stuff anymore. i sold most of my gear years ago.
if I don't take to it, I'm not sure who I could even sell it to around here.

 

[AjaxLepinski]

I remember reading about some jazz/fusion guy who pulled his frets off at a time before fretless electric basses were in production. Grab a cheap bass, with a nice neck and pull the frets. As long as the neck is nice, even a cheap guitar or bass will play just as well as an expensive one. You can fill in the gaps with two part epoxy and save a lot of money. If you decide to give it a try, you will need to rub a little oil into the neck to keep the fretboard from cracking when you pull the frets.

 

[Gatsby]

I remember reading about some jazz/fusion guy who pulled his frets off at a time before fretless electric basses were in production.

I think they the jazz/fusion guy you are referring to is/was Jaco Pastorious.
That story is part of the lore that surrounds the man.

 

[ImaRobot]

I would suggest that you try and find a fretless that does not have marks on the face of the fingerboard, maybe be along the top of the neck for quick reference, i.e., the dots. You're going to need to get used to playing the fretless by ear and muscle memory, you don't want to be staring at the neck the whole time you're playing. It will be a more frustrating learning curve without the fret marks but I think that it will help you become a more proficient player in the end.

 

[AjaxLepinski]

I would suggest that you try and find a fretless that does not have marks on the face of the fingerboard, maybe be along the top of the neck for quick reference, i.e., the dots. You're going to need to get used to playing the fretless by ear and muscle memory, you don't want to be staring at the neck the whole time you're playing. It will be a more frustrating learning curve without the fret marks but I think that it will help you become a more proficient player in the end.

Totally agree with ImaRObot!

 

[AjaxLepinski]

I think they the jazz/fusion guy you are referring to is/was Jaco Pastorious.
That story is part of the lore that surrounds the man.

What's your favorite Jaco Pastorious album? I'd like to give it a listen.

 

[Gatsby]

What's your favorite Jaco Pastorious album? I'd like to give it a listen.

As a solo artist, it's his self-titled debut.
With Weather Report, their 1977 album Heavy Weather.

And for your listening pleasure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE6HmArln_k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdqje73KQwg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEs5sKDXZuk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae0nwSv6cTU

 

[cb91710]

Good thread.
Fretless is an awesome instrument. Takes a good ear and solid fundamentals to play, and it's easy to get into trouble... but the availability of semi-tones opens up an entirely new universe of possibilities.