anzoid Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 (edited) I picked up a secondhand Vintage Icon fretless yesterday and gigged it today. Overall: nice bass, well made and very good for what I paid (only £100 ) The good stuff: the neck is really nice - slim and fast, not shiny but not quite satin either. Variety of sounds available - roll off the tone and turn down the bridge pickup and there is tons of thud though maybe a bit hollow sounding. The bridge pickup is quite bright and complements the neck pickup nicely. Both on together with tone up has some nice bite. Bridge on its own is OK, bit lacking a little... something. Hardware is all Wilkinson and seems up to the job. Bridge has brass saddles. The OK stuff: the finish - it's"roadworn" and it's not the best job - looks like someone wiped it over with some sandpaper and a blunt knife. It's pretty much love it or loathe it but you're not kidding anyone that this bass has any real miles on it. The one I've got came with flatwounds and the seller said that's how he bought it. They're pretty dead and I'm going to get some roundwounds tomorrow which should liven things up. The fretboard is rosewood and there doesn't appear to be much of any kind of finish on it, so it's going to get a bit chewed up. It's a lined board and the fretlines stand just slightly proud of the board - you can feel very slight bumps all the way down but it's not off-putting. The bad: only got two complaints. This thing neck dives if you're strap isn't a bit grippy. The body is light weight and the head ain't with the chunky open back tuners. Sticking a leather strap on it helps some but there is still a tendancy to droop. The pickups, for all they sound great are microphonic like nothing I've ever had before. Tap 'em and the sound rings, if the strings hit them when you dig in you'll know all about it. Conclusion: it's a keeper though a string change is in order. Feels good and plays nicely with a good range of tones. It's passive too so no battery to worry about. Might be worth dropping in some other pickups at some point and I think would be worth the money in what is a well put together bass. Edited June 29, 2014 by anzoid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukeward2004 Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 I used to have an Ibanez Gary Willis - SUPERB fretless bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 (edited) [quote name='3below' timestamp='1402946102' post='2478216'] Go a little further £450 and you are into Warwick (German) territory. I am very pleased with mine. At the other end of the scale my Warwick Rockbass corvette 5 string fretless was only £150 s/h. At that money you get an ebony fingerboard and superb build quality. [/quote] Ebony fingerboard? How does your bass sound? I have a Rockbass Streamer Standard (passive) and I find the pickups a bit weak. The Corvette is active isn't it? The OP might want to consider a Harley Benton fretless Jazz bass, as it's about the cheapest option if buying new. I'm considering one myself. But on here I've seen it said that people either love or hate the ebanol fretboard on the Squier VMJ, and after one try out, I definitely like it. £100 for a Vintage Icon fretless is a real bargain. Edited June 30, 2014 by Annoying Twit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou24d53 Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 The OP's still massively undecided! Not sure whether to get a £100 Harley Benton to try out, or whether to throw caution to the wind and go for something a wee bit more refined. I'm now liking the the look of those Warwicks on Thomann! Won't be doing anything this month whatever I decide, until I come back from holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byo Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Squier Fretless P-Bass is a great first fretless, specially if you want to get away from the Jaco thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou24d53 Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 And generally £60 / £70 cheaper than the jazzes as well, I've noticed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliusmonk Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Imho, you're in the dreadful zone of the 'entry-level' instruments. Fretless is a different playing experience. If you love it, you'll want to upgrade immediately. If not, you've spent too much money anyway. As with fretted, the body shape, neck, action, pickups, fingerboard, etc play a big part. Depending on the bass, you'll be almost forced to have flatwound strings. I for one hate the 'woody' feeling of say a rosewood f'board on fretless, and I hate flats. Others hate 'artificial' f'boards. I'd say try as many as you can first, see if you're comfortable. In the UK you guys are lucky to have many decent dealers. Maybe the fretless for you is an Ibanez GWB. Maybe a jazz type. Maybe you'll find it so awkward that you'll drop the whole idea. But don't do that based on a Harley Benton bought online. Chances of success are minimal, and you'll never know why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou24d53 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 Cheers for the advice! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Last year i picked up a fretless Boomslang Jive Bass for £300. It has an ebanol fingerboard and is a superb bass. I haven't seen a better fretless for the price. http://www.rmiuk.biz/Boomslang.php?tab=0#TabbedPanels1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humapuma Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 IMO: Try to get a lined fretless with a neck profile that's as close as possible to your main fretted bass, and definitely the same scale length. Then your fingers will already have a good idea where to go and you can check your intonation against the lines. (Obviously checking you intonation with your ears is best, but it depends how good your ears are). Fun fact: Jaco owned a fretted jazz with a very similar neck to the Bass Of Doom, which he practiced on a lot. Can't remember where I saw that quoted though. Good luck with it and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 [quote name='humapuma' timestamp='1404207007' post='2490196'] Fun fact: Jaco owned a fretted jazz with a very similar neck to the Bass Of Doom, which he practiced on a lot. Can't remember where I saw that quoted though. [/quote] He also has a Jazz Bass with a Precision neck which he practiced on a lot. I try not to think of Jaco when playing fretless as he was a total one-off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humapuma Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 (edited) BetaFunk: He also has a Jazz Bass with a Precision neck which he practiced on a lot. Didn't know that. BetaFunk: I try not to think of Jaco when playing fretless as he was a total one-off. Now that really is good advice! (I can't seem to make the quotey thing work, sorry). Edited July 1, 2014 by humapuma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I'd look out for a Bass Collection SGC Nanyo - should be able to pick up a fretless for less than £150. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou24d53 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 Probably will be a jazz profile anyway, whatever I go for, to match with the rest of my arsenal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 [quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1404209350' post='2490240'] I'd look out for a Bass Collection SGC Nanyo - should be able to pick up a fretless for less than £150. [/quote] Is there anyone out there prepared to sell me a SGC Nanyo fretless for £150? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 (edited) [quote name='humapuma' timestamp='1404208943' post='2490234'] BetaFunk: I try not to think of Jaco when playing fretless as he was a total one-off. Now that really is good advice! [/quote] Edited July 2, 2014 by BetaFunk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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