Fretted Vs Fretless Bass necks

[SeanM]

Hey guys,

A question for the bass players out there. I have dabbled in the 4 string realm from time to time and played both fretted and fretless basses, but it was always spur of the moment to fill in for a song or two. I am now looking at the possibility of building a bass for my collection and wanted to know what the bass crowd has to say about the difference between fretted and fretless necks.

I noticed quite a bit of a difference in the playing dynamics of the two different styles, but because they were significantly different basses I can't say one way or the other that it was because of the frets or not. So if you're a bass player please weigh in with any insight.

(just to be clear this is not a "which is better" thread just looking for insight between the two)

 

[line6man]

I will not play a fretted bass, personally, but many people cannot find use for a fretless for various reasons.

You didn't give us any info as to your playing style, and the application you will be using the bass for?

 

[SeanM]

I will not play a fretted bass, personally, but many people cannot find use for a fretless for various reasons.

You didn't give us any info as to your playing style, and the application you will be using the bass for?

Part of the issue here is that I am a six stringer but occasionally i'll pick up the bass, sometimes to hammer out a bass line for my own stuff but mainly covers. That being said I'm leaning more towards a fretted base just because it tends to be the standard. But I have always loved the fretless bass.

I'm generally playing classic rock, blues/jazz and a little progressive style stuff.

 

[swarfrat]

I too love fretless, but ... especially for a guitar player that dabbles in bass and occasionally wants to play fretless, it's dang hard to get and stay good.  Line6man is on to something.  If you wanna be good at fretless, sell ALL your other guitars and basses too.

 

[line6man]

I'm generally playing classic rock, blues/jazz and a little progressive style stuff.

Fretless basses are not all that common in rock music.
Part of the problem is the way the notes attack.
There are certainly players that can make it work though.
Tony Franklin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpnx163Ozoc
This guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZdUN9m5VMU

Blues is doable, if you go for an upright-ish tone.

 

[BassmanAK]

I would strongly suggest you go fretted... Since you said you're primarily a guitarist, the fretless will probably just end up pissing you off...  :tard:
Learning to play fretless well is an art in itself, so unless you want to go for it, stay fretted.... :icon_thumright:

 

[swarfrat]

Re attack:  Actually, it's rather perverse, but I rather enjoy the woody thunk w/ slap & pop on a fretless.  Check out the arms on that Frizz dude. He must curl Ampegs 810 cabs  for practice or something.

 

[Malta]

I own 8 basses: 7 fretted and 1 fretless and while I do enjoy playing the fretless, I find it hard to make it "fit" into any of the music I play (hard rock) so it pretty much stays at home hanging on the wall looking pretty unless I'm noodling around on it.

There used to be a company called Novatone that made necks with interchangeable fingerboards that attached to the neck via magnets to you could have 1 bass and easily change between fretted, lined fretless and unlined fretless...but I believe they went out of business years ago.

 

[line6man]

I would strongly suggest you go fretted... Since you said you're primarily a guitarist, the fretless will probably just end up pissing you off...  :tard:
Learning to play fretless well is an art in itself, so unless you want to go for it, stay fretted.... :icon_thumright:

As much as I despise the limitation of frets, yeah, fretted would probably be the way to go.

 

[BigBeard]

I would strongly suggest you go fretted... Since you said you're primarily a guitarist, the fretless will probably just end up pissing you off...  :tard:
Learning to play fretless well is an art in itself, so unless you want to go for it, stay fretted.... :icon_thumright:

As much as I despise the limitation of frets, yeah, fretted would probably be the way to go.

L6M...... Question for you....?  Did you learn to play on an upright, as in the orchestra in school?

Now keep in mind that I'm a skinny stringer, but I do own a bass..........  But I would think that if you learned on a fretless upright, that yes the frets would just get in your way?  Is it more about the tone than the technique?  That was always what I thought on the whole fretted V fretless debate.  I mean correct me if I'm wrong.  I just always was curious about this in particular, and you would be the guy who would know.

 

[AprioriMark]

As a longtime fretless/upright player, I would suggest that you get a fretted bass if it's a "sometimes" thing, and a fretless bass if you really intend to express yourself AND dedicate a lot of time to playing bass.  Here are a few notes:

1) You can get VERY usable tones for any style on a fretless.  I played fretless in a punk band, and it was awesome.
2) Fretless REQUIRES dedication to playing the bass a lot.  If you don't keep your chops in shape, your intonation will suck and you'll spend too much time "trying" and not enough time "playing."
3) Fingerboard wood matters.  Go for something hard, and I would stay away from rosewood entirely if you intend to play varied, expressive or aggressive styles.  I suggest ebony for a lot of reasons.

-Mark

 

[Wyliee]

As a longtime fretless/upright player, I would suggest that you get a fretted bass if it's a "sometimes" thing, and a fretless bass if you really intend to express yourself AND dedicate a lot of time to playing bass.  Here are a few notes:

1) You can get VERY usable tones for any style on a fretless.  I played fretless in a punk band, and it was awesome.
2) Fretless REQUIRES dedication to playing the bass a lot.  If you don't keep your chops in shape, your intonation will suck and you'll spend too much time "trying" and not enough time "playing."
3) Fingerboard wood matters.  Go for something hard, and I would stay away from rosewood entirely if you intend to play varied, expressive or aggressive styles.  I suggest ebony for a lot of reasons.

-Mark

Gotta say +1 for Mark's comments, stressing point #2.  Intonation is very important here.  For a part time player, I'd recommend fretted as well.

 

[line6man]

I would strongly suggest you go fretted... Since you said you're primarily a guitarist, the fretless will probably just end up pissing you off...  :tard:
Learning to play fretless well is an art in itself, so unless you want to go for it, stay fretted.... :icon_thumright:

As much as I despise the limitation of frets, yeah, fretted would probably be the way to go.

L6M...... Question for you....?   Did you learn to play on an upright, as in the orchestra in school?

Now keep in mind that I'm a skinny stringer, but I do own a bass..........  But I would think that if you learned on a fretless upright, that yes the frets would just get in your way?  Is it more about the tone than the technique?  That was always what I thought on the whole fretted V fretless debate.  I mean correct me if I'm wrong.  I just always was curious about this in particular, and you would be the guy who would know.

Nope, I started on a fretted electric.

 

[SeanM]

Thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate it. As mentioned in a previous post I probably will end up going fretted just because I have found it easier to play. The actual reason I was inquiring is to see what the you guys find the tonal differences to be if any.

The fretless I have played sounded a lot smoother and more precise, then the fretted.
This thread was actually inspired because I saw a really nice wenge/wenge 4 string fretless neck in the showcase and had a Waynes World moment.

Regards

 

[line6man]

Thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate it. As mentioned in a previous post I probably will end up going fretted just because I have found it easier to play. The actual reason I was inquiring is to see what the you guys find the tonal differences to be if any.

The fretless I have played sounded a lot smoother and more precise, then the fretted.
This thread was actually inspired because I saw a really nice wenge/wenge 4 string fretless neck in the showcase and had a Waynes World moment.

Regards

There is definitely a huge tonal difference between fretted and fretless as well.
I'm not going to go into detail, because I don't need to. Just watch a bunch of youtubes and you should be able to identify those differences for yourself.

 

[DangerousR6]

I'm generally playing classic rock, blues/jazz and a little progressive style stuff.

Fretless basses are not all that common in rock music.
Part of the problem is the way the notes attack.
There are certainly players that can make it work though.
Tony Franklin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpnx163Ozoc


Blues is doable, if you go for an upright-ish tone.

Dayuuuuuuuuuum, what a mullet.... :laughing8:

 

[tubby.twins]

The tonal differences can be big, but if you play right you can get smooth tones out of a fretted bass, as well as aggressive tones out of a fretless.  It really depends on your approach.

I'm a fretless player at heart, and although I've dabbled with a few other fretted basses along the way, I eventually go back to fretless.  But you don't need to play it like Jaco, Tony Franklin, or Gary Willis to get good sounds.  Look at the work that Pino Palladino and Nathan East have done.  If you play with good intonation and don't do a lot of slides or vibrato, you can get a nice mellow tone that works well for pop or classic rock, but doesn't immediately stand out as the "typical" fretless sound.

But you have to choose the right bass for you.  I'd say start with a fretted bass, and if you decide you want to devote more time to the bass, consider fretless.

Heck, even David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) played fretless bass from time to time.  :guitaristgif:

Thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate it. As mentioned in a previous post I probably will end up going fretted just because I have found it easier to play. The actual reason I was inquiring is to see what the you guys find the tonal differences to be if any.

The fretless I have played sounded a lot smoother and more precise, then the fretted.
This thread was actually inspired because I saw a really nice wenge/wenge 4 string fretless neck in the showcase and had a Waynes World moment.

Regards