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What's the appeal of a fretless?


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I saw one in a shop and tried it. It wasn't as hard to play as I expected and it sounded really different, so a few weeks later I bought it. For a few years I only had fretless basses - starting with that Tanglewood P, then a Godin Acoustibass, then a 22-fret Jazz that I de-fretted.

It's just a different sound, depends whether you like it or not. I think in the right hands they can sound really interesting.

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Joined a band and in my head some of the basslines sounded better on a fretless. Bought a cheap one to find if it was true. For our first gig I played 2 of the songs on it. Three gigs later I was using the fretless bass for most of the set.

I don't use fretless bass on any of the songs I play currently, because they don't require it. That may well change in the future.

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[quote name='GreeneKing' timestamp='1357408161' post='1922298']
[b] What's the appeal of a fretless?[/b]


Mwaahaha
[/quote]
This ^. I think it's just a more expressive instrument, also I like the slightly softer attack on each note; My right hand technique really 'digs into' the strings, so not having any frets helps to eliminate the 'clankiness' that I get on fretted basses.

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If a person had an old cheap 4 string bass that they didnt mind got wrecked and they wanted to try to defret it.
What tools would they need and how would they do it ?

I remember reading about Jaco Pastorius defretting a J and creating the bass of doom but is it as simple as it sounded ????

In addition to that, while they are at it they might want to remove the black painted finish to leave the wood bare. Whats the best way forward for this ?

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Fretless playing has helped my left hand strength and improved my 'ear' a fair deal.

I love the sound of a fretless with a vocalist and an acoustic guitar, the overtones or 'mwah' as its referred to as (usually in 'for sale' threads) really is another set of sounds.

I prefer practicing on fretless, but find it hard to avoid the cheesy slides.

It's a really organic sound with flat wounds, and can be vocal and expressive as well as a bit synthetic with round wounds.

Glad I have the option, think every bassist should at least try it.

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[quote name='bassman344' timestamp='1357411330' post='1922367']
If a person had an old cheap 4 string bass that they didnt mind got wrecked and they wanted to try to defret it.
What tools would they need and how would they do it ?

I remember reading about Jaco Pastorius defretting a J and creating the bass of doom but is it as simple as it sounded ????
[/quote]

The answer is no its not as simple as it sounds. To correctly defret a bass properly you have to know what you are doing or you will reap misery upon your bass! The good news is there are loads of good videos on Youtube that talk you through the correct procedure.

Jaco Pastorius was infamously flippant with many of his claims and was not averse to exageration and the like when describing his antics. I believe he later claimed that he actually bought the bass of doom with the frets already ripped out (badly) - before fixing it up by filling the fret board and coating it in yachting epoxy.

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[quote name='bassman344' timestamp='1357411330' post='1922367']
If a person had an old cheap 4 string bass that they didnt mind got wrecked and they wanted to try to defret it.
What tools would they need and how would they do it ?

I remember reading about Jaco Pastorius defretting a J and creating the bass of doom but is it as simple as it sounded ????

In addition to that, while they are at it they might want to remove the black painted finish to leave the wood bare. Whats the best way forward for this ?
[/quote]

There are lots of threads here about this, and online. Have a search. It's essentially very easy, if you take care. For defretting my Stagg I used nail clippers to remove the frets, wood veneer glued into the fret holes, three or four grades of sandpaper from smooth-ish to very very smooth to get everything flat and even, then some wire wool for good measure, and then some Danish oil because I read somewhere it's a good thing to do. That was it.

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I play my fretless as I play my fretted bass. No cheesy slides or vibrato. I love the way it plays and the feel. If you came to a gig and closed your eyes you'd be pushed to tell it was a fretless you were hearing most of the time

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[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1357423903' post='1922594']
I play my fretless as I play my fretted bass. No cheesy slides or vibrato. I love the way it plays and the feel. If you came to a gig and closed your eyes you'd be pushed to tell it was a fretless you were hearing most of the time
[/quote]

Same here - I just think that an unlined fretless looks really cool. I've been thinking for a while about getting another one

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[quote name='bassman344' timestamp='1357464972' post='1922845']


Im lost now and cant find my way home.
LoL
Will read up on it and try it. Cheap bass to try it on so dont matter if it a goes south.
Thanks guys.
[/quote]

I did it to a cheap Jazz copy once. A cheaper instrument is less likely to have the frets glued in. I never ran a soldering iron up and down the fret first and with a pair of pincers the frets came out in no time with minimal tear out.

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[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1357423903' post='1922594']
I play my fretless as I play my fretted bass. No cheesy slides or vibrato. I love the way it plays and the feel. If you came to a gig and closed your eyes you'd be pushed to tell it was a fretless you were hearing most of the time
[/quote]

A very good point to. You do, to a certain degree, get two basses in one :D

A

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I find it fills the band sound out more, I use fingers mostly but also a pick and mute the strings with my RH palm on a couple of songs where I want that old fashioned flat wound sound.
I think most of us spent the first week on fretless sliding around, after that I started just to use it for playing properly but with a different feel/sound.
After a few years of experimenting (having tried and moved on from active acoustic,Precision, MM style) I settled on passive jazz as my weapon of choice.
What I hate is when (usually none bass players ) say " have you trued that with a chorus pedal?" - No, I don't wish to sound like every band from the 1980's that I hated.
And remember - the slide is still there for when you absolutely need it.

Edited by Dom in Somerset
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[quote name='Dom in Somerset' timestamp='1357469530' post='1922911']
I find it fills the band sound out more, I use fingers mostly but also a pick and mute the strings with my RH palm on a couple of songs where I want that old fashioned flat wound sound.
I think most of us spent the first week on fretless sliding around, after that I started just to use it for playing properly but with a different feel/sound.
After a few years of experimenting (having tried and moved on from active acoustic,Precision, MM style) I settled on passive jazz as my weapon of choice.
What I hate is when (usually none bass players ) say " have you trued that with a chorus pedal?" - No, I don't wish to sound like every band from the 1980's that I hated.
And remember - the slide is still there for when you absolutely need it.
[/quote]

Agreed (Although reverb is nice!) The slid is like slap. Wonderful when used at the appropriate juncture but otherwise just cheesey.

A

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