dclaassen

Agree with all of the above, except I would certainly get a lined fretless as a starter. You can experiment with pressure and attack/release to get the sound you want. You can also play with the strength and position of your plucking hand to get more or less attack. I would certainly go with an active bass. I use my passive fretless exclusively to sound like a fretless, or even to mimic as much as possible an upright bass.

I only had one bass for years...never had a failure, issue, broken string. Now, I have 2, and I think that will be it. If one goes into the shop, I can probably borrow one. If my fretted bass goes down during a gig, I'll use the fretless until the interval or the end of the gig, then fix whatever the issue is and go on.... same in reverse for jazz gigs...

MIne is a lined fingerboard...which helps a lot! The best way for me to get a feel for the different scale is (sorry) scales and arpeggios until I feel that my intonation is there....

It's not that bad...I was playing an unlined fretless at 17 (waaayyyyyy back), and this one is lined, and a joy to play. It's actually strange going back to my fretted bass for a bit....

I am working up some fairly difficult (for me) jazz stuff, and am using my wonderful new Spector fretless. I went back to my fretted bass and had a moment where I could not sort out where I was. Turns out the Spector has a 35" scale...did I mention it is fretless? I love the feel and the bass sounds amazing, but I wonder if those guys did that just to snicker at us poor bass players. How do cope with switching around with basses of different scales?

Or masking tape...works great for this!

It all depends on the feel. I love ebony boards, so if it can mimic that, then I am in.

Rock band…around 1982

That is a very kind offer. This base has a 35 inch scale, so I’d have to make sure it actually would fit. I have another decent case that came with a Yamaha and looks quite a bit like the old fender cases. It fits the bass really well, so I may just use that. I will certainly let you know if I decide to take you up on your kind offer.

This does not surprise me at all…

Great tonewood….all that salt air and seagull poo.

I’ve been telling our folks that for years…they only just look at the airfare. I won’t use them for personal travel…just can’t support that level of sliminess.

I am taking some students to a jazz festival in Germany, and need to take my newly acquired Spectracore fretless along. I just found out that we are flying, which means checking the bass. I have a quality Gator gig bag and a nice SKB hard case. I prefer the gig bag, but which would you use? Probably our favourite Irish airline as well.

You are a good man!

Just added this fantastic Spector fretless from Graham. I think I’m set now.

I don’t believe that weight alone matters much. My RD Artist was almost 12 pounds, and felt quite heavy. It did have loads of sustain, but that was also affected by through body stringing. My MPV is about 10.4 pounds, doesn’t feel heavy at all, and sounds great. I had a Electra that was heavy, and sounded like crap…lots of other factors at play.

Maybe one day I will be gigging enough to justify buying a pentabuzz……

I usually have one bass that is used for everything. It needs to become an extension of my body, and totally reliable. That is this bass. I am still making the conversion to 5 strings, but it’s getting closer. BTW, I have replaced the knobs since this photo. Totally agree about the tone of maple basses.

Let me know if you change your mind…

Awww…this one is just for fun, right?

Don Ellis, Bulgaria Bulge and……go!

Nice list… 1. respectfully disagree….A 1960’s vintage sunburst makes my heart flutter. 2 yup 3. Yup 4. Don’t want a bass that looks like a 60’s single guy’s coffee table. Big solid slab of ash or maple….yes please! 5. yup…dumbest thing since my biggest pet peeve…tba 6. Any kind of marker, or none, is fine with me…got a handmade bass with dots. my own #1…(let’s call it #7)…”distressed” or “road worn” finishes. Any battle scars on a bass should be EARNED….ex. See that gouge…that’s where I knocked the singer’s teeth out….(no singers were hurt in the making of this post) You want a player’s bass…play it.

Or (shudder) bagpipes…

I think I just lost more grey matter watching the first bits of this…and he is wrong about the Pearl Jam thing as well.

Nice rig! I thought I was a gear snob!…