What to do? don't play my fretless

[Pinball]

Hi, I'm winding myself up as I can't decide if I should keep my fretless or sell it. I never play it except when I'm wondering if I should sell it or not. Then I take it out of its case play it and think to myself "its great, hang on to it as you will probably not get one as nice". Then I put it back in its case. It just seems to me that I would be better off with a guitar that I play or one that is a potential back up. Today I went as far as taking pictures but have now put it back in its case......... Waddyathink. Am I nuts?

It's a 97 fretless P

Do I:
1. Sell it?
2. Try and swap it for something nice that I will remember it by?
3. Put my precious in tis case safe and warm?

[attachment=144355:P fr.jpg]

[attachment=144356:P bk.jpg]

Edited September 22, 2013 by Pinball

[lowdowner]

She's a beaut!

Find a fretless player/god and get some inspiration and lessons and then see how you feel...

[Pinball]

Thanks I really want to play this. I love messing with it when I pick it up, its a special bass but realistically I don't have time for it. I have a busy life and already play lead in one band and am messing with bass in another.

[attachment=144357:P Bk grain.jpg]

Edited September 22, 2013 by Pinball

[Mornats]

That is one hell of a lovely bass to play. I couldn't put it down but unfortunately I'm not playing fretless.

[paul_5]

I play fretless almost exclusively but I'm a 'Jazz' man, not a 'P' guy.

It's a beautiful bass though.

[chris_b]

You don't play it so sell it.

Buy a bass you will play without us telling you to.

Edited September 22, 2013 by chris_b

[Pinball]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1379887119' post='2217973']
You don't play it so sell it.

Buy a bass you will play without us telling you to.
[/quote]

Your right, I know it



I mean to sell it, try to sell it but.....maybe if I bought another bass first?

I need help

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cKpqszMOYg

[dannybuoy]

Swap it for a fretted P?

[Mornats]

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1379888117' post='2217983']
I mean to sell it, try to sell it but.....maybe if I bought another bass first?
[/quote]

That's how I ended up with 6 and another incoming! Sell first, buy second

[chris_b]

Hold on....you've got 3 other basses in your sig!!

You don't need any more. Just sell it and buy beer.

[alittlebitrobot]

Permit a non bass-related anecdote:
I had a nice guitar and a crappy old mis-shapen Squier telecaster. (ok, the nice guitar was only an Epiphone but it was a very good one). This sounds silly but I just didn't feel like the Epi had any music in it for me. When I'd pick it up, I'd enjoy the feel and the tone but I never wrote anything on it. Every time I pick up the tele something new comes out. So, like you, I took the notion of selling the Epi but I wasn't sure because it was such a nice guitar. I put it in it's case and put it downstairs where my guitars aren't. Just to see if I'd miss it. Well, out of sight, out of mind. Not once in about two months did I go downstairs to get it. So, I sold it. The guy that bought it loves it, which makes me so happy AND I used the money to buy a midi keyboard and a little Zoom digital 8-track, both of which I'm having a whale of a time with.

Sell it.

[PTB]

How about putting a fretted neck on it and playing it?

Alternatively, I'm with ChrisB - sell it & enjoy the proceeds.

[Conan]

If you had two cars and only ever drove one of them, would you have the same dilemma? Or two sofas, one that you never sat on.... etc.

Why do we get so attached to these things?

[Pinball]

I like these options
[quote name='PTB' timestamp='1379917278' post='2218091']
How about putting a fretted neck on it and playing it?
[/quote]


I have already thought about getting the neck fretted as I wanted to keep the bass sounding exactly the way it does, but it was expensive and I was told that because it was lined the frets wouldn't match so I then considered another neck but shied away from that because it seemed a step to far to change something major on a bass that is sonically correct.

[quote name='alittlebitrobot' timestamp='1379890938' post='2218024']
Permit a non bass-related anecdote:
I had a nice guitar and a crappy old mis-shapen Squier telecaster. (ok, the nice guitar was only an Epiphone but it was a very good one). This sounds silly but I just didn't feel like the Epi had any music in it for me. When I'd pick it up, I'd enjoy the feel and the tone but I never wrote anything on it. Every time I pick up the tele something new comes out. So, like you, I took the notion of selling the Epi but I wasn't sure because it was such a nice guitar. I put it in it's case and put it downstairs where my guitars aren't. Just to see if I'd miss it. Well, out of sight, out of mind. Not once in about two months did I go downstairs to get it. So, I sold it. The guy that bought it loves it, which makes me so happy AND I used the money to buy a midi keyboard and a little Zoom digital 8-track, both of which I'm having a whale of a time with.

Sell it.
[/quote]

A good point, I write my own tunes and can't think of anything that I have written with this one. Although I love listening to fretless I seem to get the sounds I like from sliding my fingers around on a fretted bass. Its time it left as its not my go to bass.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1379890907' post='2218023']
Hold on....you've got 3 other basses in your sig!!
You don't need any more. Just sell it and buy beer.
[/quote]
I like your thinking.

Edited September 23, 2013 by Pinball

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1379920346' post='2218108']
... so I then considered another neck but shied away from that because it seemed a step to far to change something major on a bass that is sonically correct.

[/quote]

Swopping necks is fun & easy. That bass is made of interchangeable parts ... they're designed for mix'n'match!

Also, put flatwounds on it.

[Mickeyboro]

After 30 years I have a folk gig where I use my fretless Guild. So glad I kept it!

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1379879491' post='2217779']
.......Then I put it back in its case.......... but have now put it back in its case.........
....... Put my precious in tis case safe and warm?

[/quote]

Maybe try keeping it out of it's case and see if you play it more, if you don't then maybe you need to sell it.

Used bass prices don't seem too healthy at the moment as far as I can tell. You say you might not be able to get another one that's so nice, so unless you need the money now there's no rush.

[uncle psychosis]

I would do this:

1. Keep it on a stand, not in its case. See if you play it more. If you do, great. If you don't...proceed to step 2.
2. Put it in its case and then put the case somewhere thats fairly inaccessible---back of the wardrobe, a mates' spare room, etc. Leave it there for at least 6 months. If you don't find yourself missing it and wanting to play it in that time then sell it. If you do, then keep it. Now is a horrible time to be selling instruments so unless you have a pressing need for the cash there's no need to rush.

[Pinball]

Thanks Rich and Psychosis, I have a plan. I'm going to "keep it to hand" for a couple of weeks and see if I use it. That may not seem long but I have already had it nearby for a couple of years and hardly used it. If it isn't used much I'll maybe try and sell or trade. If I can't get a reasonable deal. I'll stash it a way for a while-I can't imagine that it will devalue much. Any idea of what the value is as it's the only Fender I own???

I won't go down the route of stashing it away as I did that with a strat, which went in the loft 1987 and never re-appeared until 2010, by which time the case had rusted. Thankfully the guitar was fine inside but I still didn't play it and sold it to buy something else.

Thanks

Edited September 23, 2013 by Pinball

[bh2]

Keep it... or... sell it.... you decide.

If it was me I'd keep it.

I have one already.

[ezbass]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1379887119' post='2217973']
You don't play it so sell it.

Buy a bass you will play without us telling you to.
[/quote]I'm in this camp. I've always had a 'If it doesn't get played, it's out' policy and TBH there aren't any that I miss if they were sold on because of this (there are plenty, mainly guitars, that I wished I'd kept that had to go to finance GAS though).

[AndyTravis]

Had a Fretless precision bass, regret shifting it on.

I split my playing 50/50, and tend to find I prefer playing Fretless as I play more than fiddle about like I tend to on fretted.

I don't really seem to play Fretless in the typical 'mwah' kind of way, and I think that keeps it in the circle of played basses.

I'd say keep it or sell it to me, haha.

[Pinball]

Well, still not playing it so..........Ill keep it till I need the cash or fancy something else

[Sumatra]

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1380991301' post='2233200']
Well, still not playing it so..........Ill keep it till I need the cash or fancy something else
[/quote]

my 2 cents: if I got the point you're not a genuine fretless guy. I'm under the impression you are able to but you rarely do.

My personal opinion is that playing fretless is more difficult than the fretted. To my experience it's not enough to keep it "reachable" to find yourself practicing on it: you must decide that you want to have hard time with a scope in mind. If I remember correctly Jaco was putting a P neck on the Jazz only to practice on a more difficult ground..

I don't know if you regularly practice at home or not, but if you do I would suggest to keep the bass and try this way keeping in mind that it won't jump in your arms by itself at the beginning.

You may either find your new way, or understand that it's not a matter of fretless/fretted.



ciao
Luca.