Fretless bass survey

[Beedster]

1 minute ago, Chiliwailer said:

You’re a bad influence. 

 

I do my best mate 👍

[Rich]

11 hours ago, BigRedX said:

How do I change my vote?

 

It used to be obvious in a previous iteration of the forum, but not so much now.

As far as I'm aware, there's no way of doing it now. 

[snorkie635]

8 hours ago, Mediocre Polymath said:

Here it is. I posted a build diary on here last year, I think.

Looks very tasty that does. Hat is firmly off to you 👍

[sprocketflup]

Was quite apprehensive/scared/terrified of fretless until I picked one up in earnest, now all my favourite instruments are fretless and I can't see that changing anytime soon 

[Linus27]

8 hours ago, sprocketflup said:

Was quite apprehensive/scared/terrified of fretless until I picked one up in earnest, now all my favourite instruments are fretless and I can't see that changing anytime soon 

 

Awesome news, welcome to the dark side 🤣

[MichaelDean]

I briefly had a fretless bass. Didn't care for the tone and it didn't fit my bands. I was also using flats for the first time in a long time which I'm also not keen on. I don't like mwah and don't understand the appeal.There are a few songs where I don't mind fretless bass, but I don't even really like the tone of other people playing fretless bass. Safe to say it isn't for me 😅 Fill your boots though - variety is the spice of life.

[NickA]

On 15/07/2025 at 10:36, uk_lefty said:

What's the opinion on coated boards?

Never seen the point.  Ebony works fine for me.

[NickA]

3 of my 5 bass guitars are fretted ( counting the acoustic one) but it's one of the two fretless basses ( and my double bass ) that get 90%+ of the playing time.

 

Took my fretted 5 to a jam session last week and found I'd forgotten how to play it.

[SteveXFR]

Do you think people who only have fretted basses might see the title of this thread and think "well that's not for me, I'll move on" and then give you a result which is quite inaccurate?

[Beedster]

6 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

Do you think people who only have fretted basses might see the title of this thread and think "well that's not for me, I'll move on" and then give you a result which is quite inaccurate?

Yes 👍

[ghostwheel]

On 15/07/2025 at 19:15, Chiliwailer said:

Cheers for the GAS Chris, I wonder if fretless sales will be up this week?

I think they got up indeed. 

Looking at pictures of fretless Ps some nasty people posted here, I finally bought a Tony Franklin one. 

 

[Beedster]

22 minutes ago, ghostwheel said:

I think they got up indeed. 

Looking at pictures of fretless Ps some nasty people posted here, I finally bought a Tony Franklin one. 

 

Great decision 👏

[Linus27]

I must admit, I do love the look and the sound of a fretless Precision, there's something that is just so right about that combination, like apple pie and custard. However, in my hands, I much prefer playing a fretless Jazz. Not sure if its the smaller frets because I play all over the board, but I am way more comfortable with a fretless Jazz. 

[Beedster]

5 minutes ago, Linus27 said:

I must admit, I do love the look and the sound of a fretless Precision, there's something that is just so right about that combination, like apple pie and custard. However, in my hands, I much prefer playing a fretless Jazz. Not sure if its the smaller frets because I play all over the board, but I am way more comfortable with a fretless Jazz. 

Smaller frets? 

[Linus27]

7 minutes ago, Beedster said:

Smaller frets? 

 

Don't P-Basses have slightly wider frets or have I been believing something wrong that I was told about a long time ago 🤣

Edited 7 hours ago by Linus27

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I had an unlined fretless precision bitzer which I build over 20 years ago. The neck was really nice with a dark ebony board, however I never really took to fretless and I have not played it for a long time. A few weeks ago I fitted a Fender fretted neck to it and it is currently at the Gallery having the nut cut. The fretless neck is now packed away safely in a Fender neck box while I decide what to do with it.

[Stub Mandrel]

25 minutes ago, Beedster said:

Smaller frets? 

 

Really, reallt teensie ones.

[Beedster]

1 hour ago, Linus27 said:

 

Don't P-Basses have slightly wider frets or have I been believing something wrong that I was told about a long time ago 🤣

Not on a fretless no ……..

[lurksalot]

I swapped a Warwick fretless for a double bass many moons ago , still don’t play it really , but it’s a lovely piece of furniture 

[paul_5]

15 minutes ago, lurksalot said:

I swapped a Warwick fretless for a double bass many moons ago , still don’t play it really , but it’s a lovely piece of furniture 

I thought about getting a double bass, but what with the price of Mr Sheen / Pledge these days I’m not sure I can afford the upkeep. ☹️

[lurksalot]

29 minutes ago, paul_5 said:

I thought about getting a double bass, but what with the price of Mr Sheen / Pledge these days I’m not sure I can afford the upkeep. ☹️

Cleaning is Mrs Lurks hobby, so I don’t mind contributing to cause 😁

[Beer of the Bass]

I've had one most of the time since I was a teenager in the 90s, it comes out relatively seldom these days but I enjoy it when it does. It's on two tracks of the album my band is working on, but live it's easier to just play one bass, and sometimes it gets brought out for free improv stuff if I fancy electric bass that day - the extra expressiveness and variation over my fretted bass makes it fun to work with for that. 

My current fretless is an odd beast, it's the bass I built in my parent's utility room when I was 18 and defretted much later. It's shaped like a pointier Jazz with a funny angular paddle headstock, and a walnut body a full 2" thick that weighs an absurd amount. The pickups are a ceramic single coil under a mudbucker cover that I wound myself in something close to Rickenbacker bridge position and a Kent Armstrong toaster added later right up by the neck. The bridge is currently a brass Hipshot ric replacement. But with those pickup positions and the hefty body, it's surprisingly good as a fretless. 

[Hellzero]

16 minutes ago, Beer of the Bass said:

I've had one most of the time since I was a teenager in the 90s, it comes out relatively seldom these days but I enjoy it when it does. It's on two tracks of the album my band is working on, but live it's easier to just play one bass, and sometimes it gets brought out for free improv stuff if I fancy electric bass that day - the extra expressiveness and variation over my fretted bass makes it fun to work with for that. 

My current fretless is an odd beast, it's the bass I built in my parent's utility room when I was 18 and defretted much later. It's shaped like a pointier Jazz with a funny angular paddle headstock, and a walnut body a full 2" thick that weighs an absurd amount. The pickups are a ceramic single coil under a mudbucker cover that I wound myself in something close to Rickenbacker bridge position and a Kent Armstrong toaster added later right up by the neck. The bridge is currently a brass Hipshot ric replacement. But with those pickup positions and the hefty body, it's surprisingly good as a fretless. 

[Musicman666]

jack bruce taught me that you do not have to play a fretless as a fretless.