Fretless

[ash]

I'm sunbursting it for him.

[Bg]

yeah its soaking up grain filler, its taken onboard about 3 gallons so far. So it should weigh in at approx. 3 metric tonnes (about the weight of a LP Standard).

I'll get some photos sorted out when I get a minute or two free

[Tehhaxorr]

wicked. sounds like an interesting project.

[1964]

Playing a lined fretless on the lines is not right. Fretted, the string’s final point of contact is the fret. On a lined fretless, if you finger on the line or even immediately behind the line, the final point of contact for the string is the fingerboard in the next fret space. You need to work out where you need to finger so that the string's final point of contact with the fingerboard is the line.

[Bg]

no I think thats a misnomer, the final point of contact is where you put your finger down, unless your fretboard is incredibly concaved for some reason and your action set incredibly low - neither of which is conducive to fretless. It all comes down to feel in the end. of course YMMV

[1964]

> "the final point of contact is where you put your finger down"

Have a good look when you depress the string. Your finger needs to be a little way behind the line for the string's final point of contact to be on the line. Try fingering with a tuner in front of you.

> “neither of which is conducive to fretless.”

I guess it’s subjective, but upright basses have a concave fingerboard for playing arco, and it seems that fretless bass guitars have lower action than their fretted counterparts.

> "It all comes down to feel in the end."

Ultimately, it should come down to one's ears.

> "of course YMMV"

Yes.

[thehenderson]

I used to be all about the fretless


and it's rare to find someone that can play nicely intune. Sure, anyone can play vaugly in tune, but its really beautiful to hear someone who hits the intonation perfectly everytime without that cheesy fretless vibrato that people who can't intonate do all the time.

So just practice, it's all about hearing the note in your head first, and then playing and tunning accordingly





just don't suck ass or play with silly vibrato

[1964]

I very much respect those that can play without lines.

[borge]

can we see some pics BG? i still cant quite picture what your talkibn about. is it an upright bass?

google "fretless jazz"

[Bg]

"just don't suck ass or play with silly vibrato" Well as I sold it about 6 months ago, I think you're fine. My intonation is pretty much perfect, but I don't play much jazz and the band I was in didn't have much call for fretless so it went the journey, still thats the way it goes.... at least I sold it rather than sticking it through a speaker cab

[thehenderson]

wicked man, as you can see there's alot of fretless anger pent up inside me

I used to crank a Musicman Sterling fretless, with an ebony neck. It was super sexual. Havn't seen a fretless bass in real life that has the frets drawn on, but I've seen pics on the net. Do people buy those?

[Bg]

no, we just rip the frets out of basses we don't use.... it always seems like a good idea at the time. I wouldn't buy a fretless with lines, but I might buy one with dot markers - where do you draw the 'line' (groan).

[1964]

> "Do people buy those?"

I own a high-end one, and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

> “I wouldn't buy a fretless with lines, but I might buy one with dot markers”

It would be good if all companies adhered to some standard on dot marker placement. While most place them in the same in-between-the-fret position as per a fretted, some place the dots where the frets would otherwise be.

> "I don't play much jazz and the band I was in didn't have much call for fretless"

I don't see much limitation to fretless, except for slapping and popping. You can play a fretless like a fretted bass, but not the other way around. My active fretless has massive grunt and low-end compared with my fretted passive and active Jazz Basses.

[1964]

> "we just rip the frets out of basses we don't use"

I just bought a fretted ABG with the intention of asking Ash to de-fret it. I can't see much point in a fretted ABG.

Oh well, I guess it enables me to have the lines and a legitimate excuse for having them.

[Bg]

even though you won't respect yourself