Multi-Scale Fretless?

[SpondonBassed]

I've got it into my head that I need to spend more time with my old Vantage fretless.  It is now on the stand in the sitting room where I can practice with my Zoom B3.

It's a lovely thing for an affordable bass with it's P & J styling, its passive reliability and its overall simplicity.  One minor niggle is that I can't get the E to intonate well at the twelfth because the saddle wont adjust back far enough.  I think it would for lighter gauge strings but its fine.  It is fretless after all.

Whilst being tolerable, this minor snag got my GAS going in a small way by way of an excuse to sidestep the hardware upgrade pilgrimage and go for a new squeeze, as it were, from the outset.  In simple terms:  I wanna fretless five now!  Heeheehee.  I have to satisfy myself that I can get somewhere half decent with my four first so I am being patient while looking into what's being used by like minded players.

Two new ideas for me to explore are:

• Short scale fretless five
• Multi scale fretless five

In some respects the two notions are at odds with each other if you consider a multi scale to have a range of, say - 32 to 35 inches.  Despite saying that I don't think it would be a hindrance to have a longer B than I'm used to because much of the convoluted stuff is played on the shorter strings.  Having the shorter strings might help me intonate better without so much of a stretch (damn my "webbed" fingers).

I don't see multi-scale in the Chowny range but I've really only started to look at this as of this morning.

Opinions appreciated, especially from owners.

[jrixn1]

15 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

I can't get the E to intonate well at the twelfth because the saddle wont adjust back far enough.

I can't help with the main query, but have you tried removing the saddle spring?

[SpondonBassed]

1 minute ago, jrixn1 said:

I can't help with the main query, but have you tried removing the saddle spring?

Yes.

The saddle does gain more travel without the string but the thickness of the string itself stops the saddle from going as far back as it might because the break angle becomes so sharp.  Dropping the saddle a little would help but I have the action where I want it at the moment.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[MrDaveTheBass]

I would expect a short-scale to be harder to intonate, as the tighter note spacing will demand spot on accuracy. (This is the same reason why my fretless playing is tolerable towards the headstock end of the neck, but induces audience grimaces as I wander towards the body-end of the neck).

[dannybuoy]

Playing my fretless the other day, I realised that down by the first fret, it was really hard to barre with a forefinger and play every string at the right pitch. As my arm was stretched out quite far with my hand cupped towards me, the tip of my forefinger was pointing towards my head, so I had to rotate my hand to a slightly uncomfortable position to compensate. If this was a multi-scale bass, that would have required a very uncomfortable stretch get my finger in line with the first fret line!

A shorter scale (or longer arms!) would have helped though. But if the 1st fret is a bit of a reach for you, then it's not comfortable to also have your forefinger pointing away from you and still be able to grip the bass, give it a try!

 

[SpondonBassed]

51 minutes ago, MrDaveTheBass said:

I would expect a short-scale to be harder to intonate, as the tighter note spacing will demand spot on accuracy.

Good point, well made.

[SpondonBassed]

7 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

it was really hard to barre with a forefinger

I have a problem with barre chords along the entire length of the neck.  I avoid them completely.  I take your point however.

[SpondonBassed]

This one is 34 to 37 inch and way above my aspirations so it's a good thing it's already on hold for someone.

[Owen]

I am sure that there are people all over the place playing multi-scale fretlesses with ease. However, I would see it as challenging at the very least.

[SpondonBassed]

Just now, owen said:

I am sure that there are people all over the place playing multi-scale fretlesses with ease. However, I would see it as challenging at the very least.

Given that you already play a fretless DB fiver I am not surprised to hear you say that.  I'm not set in my ways so much.

If you recall a couple of years back; you were kind enough to let me have a go on that leopard skinned beauty of yours at a DB bash near Nottingham.  I still wonder at how DB players can hold their arms at those angles and so far out from the body for anything longer than a few minutes.  That is until I remember that it took me a long time to adapt to "wearing" the electric bass too.

I'm keen to try it.  It may well be harder than mono scale but I wont know otherwise.

[visog]

6 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

This one is 34 to 37 inch and way above my aspirations so it's a good thing it's already on hold for someone.

I want one of those but with a whammy bar...