Anybody Playing Fretless Bass?

Chris Templeton · Post by **Chris Templeton** » 28 Oct 2021 2:23 pm

Anybody playing fretless bass?

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 28 Oct 2021 2:42 pm

Yes. I played the fretted kind professionally for years, but now I've taken up pedal steel I find the fretless a natural companion. My first instrument was and still is the trombone.

Can anyone spot the connection?

Chris Templeton · Post by **Chris Templeton** » 28 Oct 2021 2:45 pm

"A natural companion" Yes! so expressive.

Ken Pippus · Post by **Ken Pippus** » 28 Oct 2021 2:46 pm

Infinite number of wrong notes available on all three?

I played bass to eat for a number of years, some on fretless. Loved the thing.

Karl Paulsen · Post by **Karl Paulsen** » 28 Oct 2021 5:31 pm

I play Fretless.
Most of my gigging is on fretted but most of my home playing is on a Fretless. Currently a 35" Wendler Electrocoustic.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/nbd-we ... t-20112712
It's the most upright-like sounding solid body I've ever played and only 5.8 pounds!

Upright bass was my first instrument and I have a plywood Englehardt I occasionally play.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 28 Oct 2021 6:02 pm

I like this bass:

https://youtu.be/gueMPOKK95s

From these posts:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=374904

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=374601

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 29 Oct 2021 1:22 am

Yes, but not right now.

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 29 Oct 2021 3:50 am

My friend the late Billy Puckett formed a Western swing band here in the Atlanta GA area years ago and I played bass on the few gigs we were able to land for that great underappreciatatted genre in this area.

I happened on a deal for a Godin acoustic electric 5 string fretless, basically a Telecaster-like body. It thumps like an upright with tape wounds on it and was as perfect a tone as you can get, unless you play upright, for Western swing and shuffles.

Al Evans · Post by **Al Evans** » 29 Oct 2021 5:49 am

Bill Cunningham wrote: I happened on a deal for a Godin acoustic electric 5 string fretless, basically a Telecaster-like body. It thumps like an upright with tape wounds on it and was as perfect a tone as you can get, unless you play upright, for Western swing and shuffles.

That's what I've got, except mine is a 4-string. It works great played with acoustic guitars in a "folkie" setting, which is my main use for it.

--Al Evans

Marvin Born · Post by **Marvin Born** » 30 Oct 2021 7:17 am

I play an Shen hybrid upright for bluegrass or an electric 4 string fretless for band gigs. Goes along with the steel being fretless.

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 31 Oct 2021 10:41 am

Me too. I play a variety of genres but am influenced heavily by the (surprise surprise, for a bassist) funkier stuff. Chic, Bernard Edwards, Jamerson, Bootsy, and then from older stuff like (when I was 16...in the 90s, though) Jack Bruce, McCartney, and very significantly Chris Squire. About a decade or so ago I borrowed a fretless and leaned in hard with a jazz fusion group, and really love it. I'd been playing fretted again until several years ago. I picked up a 4 string Godin (much like the above...but with a magnetic pickup as well). Phenomenal instrument...super versatile and easy playing. To me it doesn't get the upright thump, possibly because of the strings I have on it, and more significantly, my playing style...but it does have a good Jaco growl with the pickup. Love it!

Karl Paulsen · Post by **Karl Paulsen** » 31 Oct 2021 10:49 am

Those Godin A series basses are really great. Almost bought an A4 in 2000 but I wanted a 5 string so I ordered a Carvin.

The Wendler I have now has a piezo and magnetic pickup. Very upright'ish but when I solo the mag pickup it sounds like a fretless Precision.

Nic,
Have you tried flats and a foam mute?

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 31 Oct 2021 7:03 pm

Did a fair amount of bass gigs on fretted,got a fretless just to see what it was all about.Def the bees' knees!

Lucked into a very early(neck date 11/17/80) fretless G&L L-1000, and about that same time found a fretless Schecter J-Bass type maple-fingerboard neck which went on a beat-up-and-then-refinned '72 P-bass.It woke that bass right up!
Here they are....

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 3 Nov 2021 9:10 am

Karl Paulsen wrote:Nic, Have you tried flats and a foam mute?

It still has the flats that came with it...Chromes I think, I just have zero dissatisfaction with them so far. When [if!] I change, I'll probably spring for the Thomastik-Infield Jazz Flats. I put them on another incredibly cheap Chinese Franken-P-bass (from parts) that I defretted years ago (the strings cost almost as much as the bass parts did) and I love that bass now. I picked them as they are one of the lower tension flats out there and that frankenbass has enough neck issues as it is...

Not tried a foam mute...I should say, it wasn't a complaint on the bass, I'm sure a good foam mute would dial back the considerable sustain enough that with the piezo, a good upright sound could be had. I'm just not (usually) going for that sound unless I'm trying to make a Hawaiian backing track or something. Normally I'm one of those irritating "overplaying" type bassists...so I love the more modern (but not scooped/glassy) sound of the mag bridge pickup.

Not fretless...but if anybody wants a good 4 string workout I can certainly recommend this tune, that I happened across again today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le0BLAEO93g

Miles Lang · Post by **Miles Lang** » 2 Jan 2022 6:57 pm

Yes. I prefer upright or fretless to playing a fretted bass

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 2 Jan 2022 8:17 pm

Sometimes. I studied upright in college for a while, but I've never exactly been a 'bass player' as I have always leaned to guitars. But when we ocaasionally have a 'bass player issue', I sometimes use this Warmoth fretless J-Bass neck with ebony board that I got from Orlando Colom several years ago, on a Jaco signature body. It is perfection, to my tastes.

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 20 Jan 2022 7:31 am

Nic Neufeld wrote: It still has the flats that came with it...Chromes I think, I just have zero dissatisfaction with them so far. When [if!] I change, I'll probably spring for the Thomastik-Infield Jazz Flats.

I did end up putting new TI Jazz Flats on it. Love them! I feel like the sound is a tiny bit brighter and in a strange, but good, way, more quirky. Hard to put my finger on it, no pun intended. They feel softer in tension than the Chromes for sure. Expensive, but great strings. Been playing it direct into the board with my Sansamp Bass Driver (dang, that thing is almost 25 years old!).