Grahambythesea

You will find the short scale on both these guitars a bit of a contrast to the 34ins on your P bass, generally bass players consider the short scale to lack tone depth, but it is a matter of opinion. The Danelectro body is a curious laminate involving Masonite which some people describe as a form of cardboard. If the bass body adds to the resonance and tone of the instrument, and most of us think it does, then the Danelectro body is very low in resonance. Guild basses are generally well made but have never been popular, not only short scale and very narrow at the nut end, ok if you have small hands, otherwise quite uncomfortable. There's a reason why P & J basses have become the industry standard, Leo got it right and luthiers ever since and followed suit because it makes for good sounding instruments.

[quote name='mike313' timestamp='1444646103' post='2884681'] Thanks for the advice. Its not defretted, it is factory fretless, and it has the frets painted. [/quote] Are you sure about the "painted" bit? Fret lines on a fretless should be inset either wood or plastic. If they are painted they will rub off with wear from the strings. If it is fitted with round wound strings you will get a good zingy sound but the strings will cut into the finger board very quickly particularly on budget models where the wood quality isn't the best. Better quality basses fit ebony finger boards which are harder, wear less and sound better. I totally agree with the advice to try it unplugged and put your ear on the horn, the resonance is really important. Also ensure that the tuning pegs are smooth, if they are lumpy then tuning probably won't hold. This true of all basses fretted or fretless.Check the intonation, does the harmonic at the 12th sound the same as the note and make sure that when you play in the higher registers that it not fouling the board and therefore giving an untrue note. Sometimes people over adjust the action and put it too low. Conversely too high an action makes it difficult to play and notes will not be on pitch. This also applies to the nut at the top of the fingerboard. It should be cut a little lower than you would for a fretted bass but often they are not. The first couple of positions should be effortless to play. Personally I'd stick a set of flats on a.s.a.p but remember the gauges are usually a bit thicker than round wounds so the nut may need a bit of adjusting. Flats will not damage the fingerboard half as much as rounds. Good luck.

I got my Spector Spectorcore new for under £500 but you have to hunt for one. Brilliant quality but the Spector Performer 5 is readily available sub £400 one eBay. Spectors knock spots off Fenders and there cheaper subsidiaries - and I own both!

After years playing Ps I really wanted a 5 string and in 1996 Fender brought out the Jazz 5 and I had to have one. Bought the Crimson burst which is a nice colour which you don't often see but when it arrived it was set up so badly. The neck was set so low in the body there was no adjustment possible in the bridge. A little wage of cardboard did the trick, but for a US made instrument with a hefty price tag this was disappointing. I've still got it but it's never been the ultimate bass I expected it to be. It's also annoying that under some lights it hums, couldn't the guys at Fender come up with a decent humbucker for the Jazz?

I think we have technology to thank for this phenomenon! As commented above Fenders were designed to be mass produced but years ago "cheapies" were hacked out in dreadful factories by unskilled workers, but now computers can do much of the work so a factory in a developing world with low cost labour can make just as good an instrument as a skilled craftsman in the western world provided they a careful not to skimp on the quality of the materials. Often the frets let "cheapies" down, poor quality metal put in badly and not properly dressed. After all where are Squiers made these days. I have seen some horrors from that stable where the necks just keep bending, frets buzz etc. I once heard the Precision described as the electric plank and that probably sums it up. The same philosophy does not generally apply to acoustics though where the wood plays a much larger part.

Bass Collection do an excellent tribute to Jaco's Jazz with no scratch plate called the Portrait. Check out bass centre.com.

Surely a 32" low B would require a custom made string. I have 34 & 35" 5 strings and it is noticeable that the 34 has a much slacker B and thereby less tone than the 35"

I use chromes on a 35in scale 5 string fretless Spector and find them a little tight but I think that is the difference of scales. I have a 34in Fender Jazz 5 string which I think the B is a little slack on, but I have only ever tried wire wounds on it.

I had one of those back in the 80's, but fretless with lined maple neck, same headstock shape. It was a Roadster. Looks to me as though the controls knobs have been changed, originally they were plastic, sought of Gibsonish. Played great though, as good as F Precision fretless with which I replaced it.

Before you buy a "F" bass try a few others. Having owned both the P & the J be cautious most of them don't sound as good as Jaco's. In fact I would describe the P as an electric plank, one tone only and my J hums under certain types of lights irritatingly. For a bass that doesn't cost an arm and a leg I suggest you try a Spector Spectorcore fretless, has the advantage of a Fishman piezo in the bridge. The old Yamha TRB is similarly equipped and that offers a useful alternative sound palate. Pino Palladino says he adds a little chorus to fretless to give it his distinctive sound and that is certainly pleasant. You may also want to experiment with different strings, wire wounds will give you more bite but they churn up the surface of the fingerboard badly. (Jaco painted his finger board with epoxy glue to harden it). If you can afford to make sure the fretless bass you choose has an ebony finger board, it's much harder wood than rosewood and produces better sustain. Flat wound strings are less damaging to the fingerboard, but generally seem to have less tone than wire wounds, although I am sure that now loads of flat wound string aficionados will detail the benefits of their favourite string make. I do use flats myself but find that a pre-amp equaliser is needed to colour the sound to my taste. Good luck and have fun.

Get the Fishman as it has a piezo pickup in it. Gives you a different palate to a normal magnetic pickup so greater variety. Sounds particularly good with fretless. Spector fit them and the trusty Yamaha TRB fretless has a similar bridge, presumably Yamaha's own version.

I live in Dorset. Try Robin Greenwood, he does good repair work and I have an instrument made by him which is great quality. He's based near Poole - Courtyard Craft Centre, Lychett Minster. Otherwise the guys at Absolute Music are good too but more expensive.

If i could figure out how to post pics I'd show you what it looks like any one give guidance?

I recently bought a Spector Spectorcore 5 string fretless for under £500 from www.webmusicshop.it which was delivered from Italy to SouthernEngland in 4 days! Fantastic service and over £300 cheaper than stores in the UK. I've owned Fender, Ibanez & Washburn fretless basses and this knocks spots off all of them. Terrific build quality, lovely figured maple top and with the added bonus of a Fishman under saddle pick up in the bridge which offers a very different tone palate. I can't praise it highly enough. The 4 string version would probably cost you under £400 with the Euro being down as it is at present.