Should you play fretless bass?
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
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The most pretentious and grating Spotify playlist I have even listened to.
The most pretentious and grating RUclips comment I have even read.
Pin of shame
Wrap yourself around a thick gauge bass string
dont stop believing is on the playlist too which is hilarious since it was played on a fretted bass
Being able to play fretless bass is like being able to drive a car with a manual gearbox; it’s not absolutely necessary, but it removes a limitation that other players/drivers have and you don’t.
And like manual transmission, it takes a little getting used to, but before long it will come naturally you forget you are doing anything different
@@buckemptier Absolutely. Then you can go into areas of playing where no fretted instrument can go. Microtones and shaping your tuning to phrasing is the next level if tone and fun.
Coming from the UK where 80% of the cars we drive are manual….this is reference doesn’t land the same! 😂
Don't Stop Believin' isn't a fretless, it's a fretted Ovation Magnum with a shitload of Chorus.
Eventide harmonizer but yeah
Jaco used Rotosound roundwounds; he mentioned it in just about every interview he ever did. The downside of fretless tone is that it doesn't cut through the mix well in a rock situation where the guitarists are using overdrive and distortion. Also if you use a "Jaco-y" bridge pick-up tone in most situations, you are not fulfilling your role of supporting the low-end. Still everyone should get a fretless, because every hour of practice on fretless is like 5 hours on fretted.
The bass can absolutely cut through the mix, demand your attention and Support the rest of the band at the same time. Just listen to the bass lines of the band muse as a example of what I mean
I would say fretless cuts through the mix more, not less, although if you play same tone as Jaco then you're right that you sacrafice low end. However, I use tape wounds and I don't play with bridge pickup only, and I get fat, low tones out of mine.
You should check out Soften the Glare, Mudvayne, Gordian Knot, and Cynic to see the range of tones and styles you can play on fretless. Ryan Martini get a very fat tone out of his fretless thumb bass, and Malone cuts through the mix every time, both of these guys do.
Close to the edge from yes has a section where chris squire uses a fretless bass, cuts right through the mix, probably because of the fuzz used on the tone
Actually, fretless bass not only cuts through distorted guitar, but does it far better and louder than fretted bass. It's the reason why many technical death metal bands use fretless bass (ex. Obscura).
Fun fact: Steve DiGiorgio used a fretless P-bass nicknamed 'the frog' on Death's Individual Thought Patterns album. His live playalong on youtube with the track Overactive Imagination completely blew me away. And then I discovered The Philosopher
Steve is my bass idol!
Early 90s death metal scene is still hugely influential on the modern progressive and technical death metal, guys live Steve and Sean Malone had paved the way to modern day fretless wizards like Dominic Lapointe
Steve's base is the only thing I can hear when listening to this album (and there are truly enough things beside base to pay attention to there!), he really makes it shine, and then again, makes it sound just like a normal fretted bass, at will, a true bass wizard...
@@icipher6730 malone was the shit. I think Ryan Martinie took the torch from malone and filling that space, as the instrumental progressive hard rock/metal fret less bassist, Soften the Glare came right on the heels of malones death, and what he is doing is unmatched.
I thought Chuck played the bass on the studio album.
The first time you bring it to a rehearsal everyone loves it and says it sounds nice. Two weeks later they don’t like it anymore. True story. Yes, I have good intonation
Why so?
@@v-bawell is a very distinctive sound and even if you play it with straight intonation most of people want the bass to sound just low and not that melodic
@@pablofichaje you can tune lower and get looser strings which results in much more low and less middle frequencies
@@v-ba what? No, you can just get a regular bass sound just with eq. I mean, people don't want you to sound liquid and vibratoing. And because of Jaco, Gary Willis, Michael Manring and many others, fretless is "supposed", expected you could say, to sound too soloish
I play my fretless no differently than I used to play my Rickenbacker, and I even play with tapewounds, and I get an awesome low end metal tone out of mine, using an origin effects preamp. Check out Ryan Martine of Soften the Glare, there is not technique or style he doesn't play on a fretless.
Jaco actually never used flats. Rotosound Swing Bass 66.
The fretless that I have is a 6 string Ibanez I defretted myself. The fretboard is black, but I filled the frets with black wood filler. The result is an unlined fretless look, but with the subtlest lines only visible to the player. It’s the best of both worlds for lined vs unlined!
That’s rad! I’m too scared to do that to one of my basses, but it seems so cool.
@@ampthebassplayer You can do it! I had no idea how to do it, I’m not a luthier, but it turned out great!
I found my 5 string Washburn in a pawnshop, already de-fretted, for a $150 with case. I'm thinking about refinishing the fretboard with clear epoxy after a good sanding. The previous owner dyed the board after the de-fret job and darkened the position markers (Hopefully they'll brighten up with the sanding). I couldn't see the lines from across the store, but easy to see while playing.
I want to do this to my Ibanez too! I’m scared to ruin it lol
@@DanielGarcia-tl6lj It's an Ibanez, not a Warlock.
Also, referring to your playlist, Don't Stop Believin' and Smooth Operator were played on fretted basses, they just had a whole bunch of chorus added to them...
Jaco, Mick Karn, Percy Jones and many more DID NOT USE FLATS with a fretless - where does this weird incorrect bias come from? Not against flats, just a little tired of this assumption, OK, more than a little tired of it. The overtones inherent in rounds contribute hugely to so much great fretless bass work.
Think it’s perceived that the rounds wouldn’t damage the board as much
I’ve only ever used roundwounds on fretless. Works just fine, no issues. I’ve never liked the feel of flatwounds.
I'm with you on that, cheers!@@figeon
100% agree with you
Ernie ball cobalts on my buzz.....sings like a bird.
More video essays, this was awesome. The point about getting a lined fretless is key, made that mistake as a noob lol. The sounds and slides you can do with one make it an awesome arrow to keep in the quiver.
1. You can easily convert a fretted bass into a fretless.
2. Fretless with roundwound strings gives more mwah than with flats.
It is not easy at all dude lol
@@NMbass906 You can simply rip the frets off with pilers. The gaps in the fretboard can be filled with some furniture filling paste (or not). I've tried to lacquer the fretboard, but the result was terrible, so I sanded it back to the bare rosewood. The nut can be deepened with the file if needed.
@@maciejbrusio8321 I'm aware of the process. It is not an easy one my friend. Average Joe is not gonna be able to knock that out in a weekend. They're gonna ruin their bass. I'm glad you had fun, but your advice is irresponsible.
Had to wait til the end for the 'mwaw'... worth it. Totally agree about the bridge pickup
I bought a squier vintage modified fretless a couple months ago and I love it for the money! It has been fun taking on the challenge of getting the notes in tune; it has really helped my ear. I think Pearl Jam’s 10 and Deftones White Pony have some fun fretless parts.
I de-fretted my very first bass after 6 months of playing, back in 2001. Ahh, the memories....
I played fretless myself, I have a Fender Jazz bass special. I wasn't planning on getting one; but I liked it's sound compared to the others I tried out. Played it exclusively for a while. When I went back to my main bass (fretted), I landed consistently right behind the fret, it made me a better player, I would recommend other bassists to try it out.
Tony Franklin recommends using fretless necks without lines because they are deceptive. Your recommendation of “practicing in the dark” supports no lined necks. My fretless is the Tony Franklin signature JP (you’re spot on that it’s ironic). I use the P pickups for rock, the J for really fretless groves from jazz to Peter Gabriel, and both while playing for church as a driving but definite support/backup instrument.
Great Video and great recommendations!
Have a Harley Benton JB40FL myself with DR Sunbeam roundwounds (like Tony Franklin) and I'm very happy with it :) Certainly a lot of value for the money.
Great video! Very informative for the budding fretless bassist. I now play fretless fivers in a metal band after having played fretted basses for nearly 40 years. I don't miss the fret wires one bit. And this was already pointed out, but Don't Stop Believin' by Journey was played by Ross Valory on a fretted bass.
The description is the most important part
Since I'm mostly a pedal steel player, I've only done a few bass gigs, but on a 2 months house gig I wasn't happy with what I was getting out of my fretted P-bass, so I lucked into a very early G&L unlined fretless, and it opened things right up. Country bass is strictly supportive, but having to pay such close attention to intonation made me think more about what to play, and my bass parts got much better. I later on got a J-Bass style fretless unlined maple-fingerboard neck and it mated up perfectly with my P-bass. I use that for recording at home and would take it out on the gig in a minute!
Great video. Thanks, AMP. I always thought I wasn’t good enough for fretless. Now I know why I’m not. It’s good to know the Sire fretless options are good, too.
I had to find this view so I could listen to the play list again.
Fretless it fun and scary too! I'm gigging with mine at church this Sunday. I have the Harley Benton you mentioned in the video. Great instrument at any price. I paid $165 for mine, plus the shipping from Thoman, so somewhere around $200 total.
Cool that you have Lobsters old sire fretless, that is literally the sexiest and best sounding fretless I’ve ever seen and heard I’ve always wanted that bass so bad! Great video AMP
Great shoutout on the Harley Benton! I have one and it's great!
It doesn't have the amazing roasted edgeless Sire neck, but the satin finish on the HB neck feels really nice and the sounds are definitely there.
Only downside is the hefty weight, but for that price it's a no-brainer.
100% agree! I am giging with mine this weekend. It is a really nice instrument at any price. It truly is a boat anchor (heavy) though. Good thing I will have a still to sit on!
Darn autospell! I meant stool to sit on. Don't think I'll find a still at church?!
Don't Stop Believin' isn't fretless. It's an Ovation Magnum that was "detuned" by an Eventide Harmonizer
I’ve had a lot more fun with my Fretless (squire jazz) since I switched from half wound to tape wound strings (Labella). Nice and light tension and brighter than you might expect.
My Yamaha 5 string was hard to play, so I ripped the frets out and sanded it down. Just what it needed...
So, I have a PBass style Yamaha RBX series fretless that I have played in a wide range of bands over the past 18 years or so; Country, rock, rap, reggae, funk, and jam band… BUT… I put in after-market pickups and electronics; 1/4 lbs Seymour Duncan PBass pickups and some old hand-wound pots and a ceramic cap from RAELCO in SLC. I also raised the pickup on the higher strings to bring out the higher tones more. It’s been a good versatile bass. It’s easily my favorite bass even though I have more expensive options.
Ironically, in that first clip of Jaco he is playing a fretted bass.
great video!!
I just came up on a Warwick corvette standard Fretless. It’s like learning to play all over again.
Oh yeah, and it’s not lined 😭
Jaco used Rotosound RS-66 ROUNDWOUND strings. As far as I know, he never used anything else. THIS was why his tech, Kevin Kauffman, coated Jaco’s fretboard with a fiberglass boat epoxy, Pettit’s Polypoxy. I believe he used to redcoat every 8 months or so.
No#1 on your playlist - Black Velvet - the bass is done with a sampling keyboard.
Awesome vid, but don't fear the unlined board: you play the fretless with your ears, not your eyes.
Question I've always wanted to ask a pro bass player: Is learning fretless a good economic decision? How many gigs are there were someone insists that you play fretless? Money isn't everything, and fretless is worth learning just for the experience, but it's a such a steep learning curve that I wonder if it makes sense from a dollars and cents perspective.
My subjective take is that most of the time, fretless is something that bassists learn on their own, then try to work into their gigs. Kind of like how if you buy a grill you try to host more hangouts to justify the purchase in your mind.
You’re not wrong. I’ve only come across a handful of situations where fretless was specifically called for.
Learning upright is going to open up a lot more new professional opportunities than learning fretless bass guitar.
Don't Stop Believin' was played on a fretted bass: Peavey T-40
Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel is mad fun on a fretless
Showing a live clip of Jaco playing A FRETTED JAZZ has got to be one of the finest examples of irony I've ever seen.
You can clearly see that the bass isn't defretted in that footage. It is actually almost harder to find footage of him playing a bass that he hadn't defreted, so congratulations i guess?
I'm a self taught fretless bass player. I have two suggestions that helped me.
1) Wear ear plugs. They just turn the volume down 35 db on everything. You will be able to hear every little oscillation in pitch between the notes with the musician's whom you are trying to intonate with. For me an extra bonus was also being a vocalist. Let's just say hearing the flat notes being sung, will also become pretty painful for you to listen to.
2) Incorporate using your open string notes into your playing style. Again just another way of checking in on how well your intonation is going when playing notes on or around the 5th fret area
After playing a friend's fretless Jazz bass I was hooked. Eventually bought a Japanese fretless Jazz bass from a different friend for $450. 98% of what I do could be done on a fretted, but I just like the sound and feel. Oh, BTW, no lines. If you want the feel of a fretless, you should get the look.
Very informative. I had no idea on the P bass I thought it was the pick up.
Everything will sound flat due to old learned finger positions for fretted. Get octaves and fifths in tune first and the rest will follow. Then you get to the point where you can play it in tune and a whole new world opens up.
"PRECISON", well written at the beginning
Hey! Flat wounds and tone off??? Jaco Never used flats and kept his tone open most of the time!!! It was this sound that Joni loved!!
Thx a lot after listening to this amazing playlist I'm gonna have to buy a fretless 🙃 (and great video once again you rock!)
That first Jaco clip is him playing a fretted. Also as others have pointed out, people used rounds a lot on fretless including Jaco.
Took an old hondo alien from the 80’s and converted it to fretless. It’s not perfect, but I learned so much during the process. Black tapewound strings on it sound killer.
Crap, I didn't realize it was an official challenge to do a fretless bass video with out saying… that word. 😂 Anyway… I just got a G&L Tribute Kiloton fretless and I think it's really great. I'm not likely to play a ton of fretless in the near future (especially live), but I love recording with it, so I need to have one around. The Kiloton only has one pickup but it's in that magic spot.
The preamp on that bass might just be the unsung hero of the instrument regarding to its tone.
It’s a bit of bear to dial in, but it is versatile.
Love the clip of Jaco... using a FRETTED Bass!.
I use fretless and I love it but I also started the bass on an upright which might explain it. I love being able to slide my fingers across the board without any frets. I recommend it tbh 😊
Great video! I really want a fretless, but I'm a little scared of the complications that will come from not having frets when it's time to try and do set-up stuff. I guess I should try and find a good local tech before I get one.
Couple more suggestions for fretless songs: "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt and "Woman in Chains" by Tears for Fears.
Bass players should have atleast 1 of everything.
Based on that playlist, I think we all should be playing fretless! Off to go shopping…
I was listening to Higher by Creed and the bass sounds like a fretless. Or played so well that the slides lack that fretted sound. Maybe it’s eq’d perfectly
I have both a lined fretless J bass and a Tony Franklin P bass. Weirdly I’m more accurate w/o fret lines.
The best strings to get a great fretless growl Is definitely round wounds. I've been playing fretless for over 12 years, professionally and my fretless Is strung E A D G C ( high) . I use a solid unlined ebony FB like an upright bass. Personally the lines just get in the way and cause confusion because on a fretted bass you play the note next to the fret, and on a lined fretless you play on the line. To me that's more confusing than having no lines. And I use upright left hand fingering on both fretted and fretless basses. Having no lines helps you to develop muscle memory as well.
My little brother got bored with guitar and jumped to bass. First time I saw him play was on a fretless. He was jamming along with Tower of Power note for note.
He got done and handed the bass to me. Thing was OUT OF TUNE. Not kidding, he had been adjusting for the relative tuning on the fly flawlessly. He hadn't even noticed it was out of tune.
Some people just have that kind of ear.
i just got one playing it is far easier than i thought it would be
Switching from cello to electric bass, I wonder if this would work for me
Spotify playlist needs some Mick Karn 😉
Fretless basses are cool and I really appreciate the ability it take s to play one , but I think they sound horrible.
Ugh alternative reality history again.. Here's reality. Alphonso Johnson put fretless on the map and he did it way before Jaco. Michael Henderson also played fretless with Miles Davis. Even though Stanley Clarke didn't play fretless he put electric bass in the front first. Jaco admitted he copied them especially Alphonso. Also Jaco is playing Teen Town false harmonics on a fretted bass in the clip
The Jaco video example you are showing is of him playing his FRETTED Jazz Bass, which he used systematically live on Birdland.
Possibly because he was singing as well towards the end the of the performances, or the punch on 'fake' harmonics (vs open harmonics) .
There are plenty of other vids of him on fretless should you want to show one.
I didn't think you could play the intro on bird land without a fretless. Isn't he sliding artificial harmonics on that riff, as far as I know you can only do that on a fretless.
@@buckemptieryou can do it on fretted but it’s a little harder.
@@buckemptier on birdland, he's bending the string, not doing slides! you can see it pretty clearly on the clip being referenced :)
bends are way iffier on a fretless too.
@@gabrieldahlgabridahl right on, I though he was sliding a couple frets. I never 4ewlly saw him play it lose up. But I've never seen footage of Jaco playing anything but fretless
@@Farewelltokingz right on, that's something I guess never figured it out
I pulled the frets out of a cheap bass I had and made it a fretless, did the squiggle with it for a couple of weeks, and then put it in a case, shoved it under the bed, and it’s sat there untouched ever since. The squiggle doesn’t resonate with me
I just don't fret. Life choice. 🎀
3:39 AWE! shucks! Thanks man. TRY IT, people! blindfolds!!!!
Kinda funny showing a clip of Jaco on his fretted though
Play the heck out of it (like he said) in the dark, that works wonders.
Great video, now I learned something new. Thank you.
Can't wait for this new Sire GB5. It's a Godin A4/5 for like a third of the price. Might be my first fretless!
Hell yeah!
I love the sound of the fretless so much. Im considering whether to get my first. I have been looking at the Sire V5 fretless or the Ibanez SR370Ef, but I've never had a chance to actually try out a fretless so I don't know if it'll be an expensive mishap. The Harley Benton Fretless is only £144 and has good reviews etc. Any in these comments or the video poster have any hands on experience with these? it's the Harley Benton mentioned in this video...?
Been playing fretless since '73. Absolutely hate lined fretboards. Too much of a distraction. Best advice I would give someone starting out? Put a clip-on tuner on your headstock, and use it to learn proper intonation. Great ear training , too.
1:29 what’s that song?
MUUUAAAH There you go I said it 😈 For me fretless is it. The one, the only one. Ive got four. Upright electric, Ibanez 6, merlin and Sandberg 5's . 1 Lined, 3 unlined FB. Ive got the Ibanez SDGB1 on order. Playing fretless well? go practice. Lots. Scales, arpeggios, crawling exercises. Learn the fingerboard of the mind. (It's got the movable frets of not equal temperament) The new (old) frontier. Steve Di Giorgio is my bass fretless hero. Speed metal fretless 🤘 Check him out. For Metal I use round wounds, double and triple gain stack Darkglass drive and distortion pedals. Combined with the muah? It can cut through the mix as much as I need. No p bass for me.
not lined fretless is actually not that hard cause they usually have dots on top
its easier if you play on the side too, like how janek gwizdala hold his bass
Very much hate the fret buzz, and I like a clean look…so I work hard to make sure that I’m in the right place…lol. Lines are not necessary, the dots on the top of the neck will give you guidance and as you mentioned, muscle memory (inside your brain) and the sound (inside your ears)…But that is just me and I took almost 10 years to get “good ish”…And thanks 😊for the video, nicely informative and will drag a few more into the dark magic of fretless…mmmmwwwwaaaaaahhaaaa…
I was looking at getting that 4 string Ibanez SRF700, but was curious about the side markers. Are you supposed to play on the fret lines, or the dots? This thing has both.
m quite determined to get one like this vs one with lines. I'm the kind of putz that needs their instrument to look nice for me to play so, a bit of a handicap here haha.
Great video! Please send Lobster my regards! Hope he's doing ok!
4:08 - You do realize that Alannah Miles' "Black Velvet" features a _synthetic_ bass using fretless _samples,_ right?
5:35 - I don't need fret lines on the fingerboard. From where I am playing, I do not _see_ the fingerboard.
I need the marker dots on the upside of the neck.
A question: I want to try and learn how to play bass. I really like the fretless sound but in the future - if my plans go well - I also want to play fretted bass. Should I start learning the fretless or the fretted? My experience with flute is that it's better to start learning the hardest to play first but I want the experience of someone who teaches bass playing. Thanks!
If you aspire to play fretless, I’d say to go straight to fretless! It wouldn’t be any different than starting on upright bass (or really most string instruments for that matter).
Would you recommend aria pro 2 313 jp? I couldn't fine anything on it.
I've been considering just getting a cheap (lefty) fretless Harley Benton jazz bass to kinda diddle with fretless and see if it's something for me. But I'm pretty afraid that my intonation is just gonna suck ass and get demotivated
Practicing with your tuner pedal on will stop you kidding yourself that your intonation is as good as you’d like it to be
I could be wrong, but I don't think Birdland is on a fretless, and the clip you showed of Jaco was definitely not fretless.
I think the real sound is with Rounds, flats are for fretted Pbasses, Jaco himself did it, but make sure that your fretboard is with some kind of wood protection or the rounds would eat the neck out, Fretless with flats sounds super dull to me.
Good video, and a great intro to this fascinating instrument. Apropos of nothing, it's funny how you rely on Wikipedia as the end-all of "historical accuracy," which can and shall not be questioned, argued or disputed. Silly, but funny. 😀
Not only should you play fretless bass you should absolutely take the frets out yourself!
Last shows I've made were as a special guest playing fretless on pearl jam songs. Love the sound
But want to change my 5 string JB for a P bass..
A fretless P bass is an oxymoron
First Jaco clip is fretted bass :D
I LOVE MY BASS
As others here have also noted, I don't agree with your statement that the secret to the fretless tone lies in the use of flatwound strings - neither did Jaco, Tony Franklin and a whole slew of other players. Roundwound strings give you way more tonal spectrum on a fretless.
5:35 TFW someone mentions Souls
My first bass an Ibanez roadstar 2 series .... FRET LESS !!!!! Took me some time to figure it out ......
Love the roadster! Must have had quite the tone as a fretless
That Roadstar had Rotosound medium gauge nylon flats strings, needed to use of some lube to slide easily on those strings. @@blousug
"Black Velvet" is a keyboard bass, fwiw
those glossy finger boards yuk ! as well as flats too. round wounds on rose wood jazz for lyrical and growl to cool dead notes and moveable harmonics. Its a great sounding bass.unlike the one in the video
jokes on you i have an unlined fretless pbass 😎