Leland Sklar owns two Warwick models that (but for one being fretless) look about identical. They’re not powder blue, but that’s practically the only difference between this one and his two.
Why is everyone so salty I mean yeah he's not jaco he has his own sound and shouldn't have to sound like anyone else or conform to a musical elitist view on the instrument
its not that at all... I would not want him showing off a product... you want your best foot forward when having your product demo'd not goober on the bass
When you start to remember that even Jaco didn’t want to be Jaco (how many celebrities want to be themselves?), It’s better that this guy isn’t him. I actually just got my hands on a preowned fretless bass that an old friend sold me. If anybody’s individual style has been motivating me, it is actually Victor Wooten. When you listen to Victor play fretless bass, you can hear Jaco’s influence, although Victor’s true style easily comes across.
Thanks for this rundown. Obviously it's 6 years old now but still useful for me. I'm considering a bass next year and I'm probably an unusual kind of customer... I'm primarily a keyboardist dabbling in other things. I played double bass when I was about 18, both for school shows and in an orchestra... but I've never been a guitarist, so although I have the note positions well learned I'm unsure about some of the guitar-related stuff. Fretless has some attractions for me, partly because of my past experience but also I like the sound and I'm keen on microtonal music too. However, if I want to add bass to the music I'm making and play it myself, it's possible that fretless might have too distinctive a sound. I'm still thinking about all this and I have a while to decide yet, but this sort of demo is very useful. Thumbs up and subscribed!
Jaco didn't put fret markers on his bass. He filled in the fret grooves after pulling the frets. Him being a fretless player is a misconception. Most of the time he played a fretted jazz. He only used the bass of doom onstage so the roundwounds wouldn't wear out the neck. If you watch Joni Mitchell's shadows and light tour you can see he plays most of the concert with a fretted jazz but keeps pretty much the same tone.
GTO It all depends on the song he's playing. For more solo based tunes he'd use the fretless and switch to a fretted bass sitting just behind him when it was more appropriate. The majority of his studio playing was on the fretless, though.
I agree. Just pulled out my weather report vinyl collection. I have a few pics of him playing a p-bass. There's a really good 4 part docu on here which I think is the best by far. A lot of good clips I haven't seen anywhere else. I just picked up a Trace Elliot V6, ever seen one of those?
wysiwyg248 he said he practiced with a p-bass neck because frets were bigger and made him try harder, and also because the round - wound strings ate up thr fretless too quick
@PathOfPirate Interesting you say this. I've never learned to play any stringed instruments, only drums. But about 6-7 years ago I got the notion to someday learn bass, specifically fretless, and that I would learn all the notes without looking at the fretboard.
Hi guys, just a quick question: When playing a fretless instrument (in this case a bass guitar), do you have to press it right on the fret line (or very close to it) and not between the fret lines, is that right?
Could you guys do a proper demo of the Sire m7? This one was just plain awful. I would like to order it from you guys, but there are no demos of it on the internet. Thank you.
Same here! I also just keep travelling throughout the internet to get some more insight on this instrument but there is just too less. I guess I need to travel to Thomann and test it out some day
i can assure you, the m7 is freakin awesome! I played every fretless bass they have in their show room and the m7 was the best hands down. Followed by an ESP LTD one. The worst ones were the harley benton shown in this video and actually a fender american pro jazz bass
Great video. I will say that when I think of a fretless bass, I think more of your Harley Benton BeatBass and similar basses like it. I love its sound more than all of the other basses. Awesome! Thank you.
I think I'm of the unlined school, or maybe side lines. But I'm not a purist who says you don't need them or that they're a crutch; I just like the look and feel of unlined fretless. It also gives me a sort of sense of accomplishment being able to play them in tune XD
The fingering is the most important thing on fretless with or (without the lines). So switching between 3rd and 4th finger leads to inconsistent intonation
Very nice demo. I find on fretless bass flatsounds inhibit the full spectrum of the fretless bass sound. It would have also been nice to play some of those basses up by the neck to hear that beautiful growl that people like Jaco achieve which I think he acquired from masters like Ron Carter.
13:10 - 13:20 . . . was that “In the Hall of the Mountain King” by Edward Grieg? If I thought I had money to burn for somebody else besides me, I would probably try getting the HB model for a friend of mine who plays both upright bass and violin bass. The minute you mentioned the bass solo being done with a reverse effect, I knew that you were going to start playing Paul Simon, Russel. Listening recently to specific tracks from the *Graceland* album, I discovered that Armand played a fretless bass on most of the album.
Mir fehlt hier der ESP LTD Fretless. Nachdem ich jetzt schon 3 mal einen kompletten Freitag bei euch verbracht hab nur um fretless Bässe zu testen um mich endlich zu entscheiden muss ich immer noch sagen: Der esp hat mir einfach jedes Mal am besten von allen gefallen. Da hattet ihr den Warwick aber nie im showroom zum testen..
BS, Jaco didn't need lines! Watch him play and he doesn't look at the neck! The reason the lines were on the Bass of Doom was he simply removed them for a fretless sound!
Enjoyed, subscribed, thanks! I thought there would have been some Harley Benton in there being Thomann and all - they surely make at least one cracking fretless for less than £130.
Warwick star have 2 series, cheap and higher price. Different kind of body's wood. And someone please let me know, if play with unplug, the sound is OK lound enough or not?
Hey dad - I have it, it's my only bass, and I love it. Made half a dozen albums with it since last year, they're all linked to from my blog over at wolfgang.lonien.de/ - so have a listen if you want to. Tip: my skills on the instrument developed a bit too since last year, so for the most interest in bass you might want to start with the latest ("Contemplation"). Have fun...
Yes, it's like making love. Whether the lights are on, your eyes are closed, or in the dark... you gotta find your way by touch... for the most pleasurable... sensual... _experience._
If i had these guitars i would...ID PLAY THE SAME SONG ON ALL OF THEM AND IT WOULD BE GLORIOUS. BUT INSTEAD WE GET A BUNCH OF TALKING AND GARBLED TUNES
@@MARS-GREENH0USE Well you don't have the guitars, so glorious is an egotistical and empty comment. Rather than sling mud here, just check out the endless supply of other info here on youtube. Nothing funnier than an egomaniac.
Thomann Music yeah, I love the Jaco Jazz Bass and the first ‘walking’ sequence you played... one fretless I had Without lines, had the edge dots in the same place as on a fretted bass, which I moved so that they occurred where the note is fingered. That way gave me accurate reference points for the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, etc....
Especially with 5 strings. You're usually lucky if they play even a single 16th note on the B string, let alone let the open string ring so you can hear it properly.
Well nice basses, however, I recommend for future reference that you practice a little more on the instruments before you record on them (ie. this video) But other than the terrible pitch - and look I'm not bagging you out fretless basses without inlays are very different playing to any other bass, it's been fun to watch this video Keep it up though!
I cannot see fret lines when I'm playing anyway, so what's the rub? I set up a J with an Mighty Mite unlined fretless neck and it has dot markets on the side. It is a sensation actually playing what sounds right rather than being trapped within the framework of a tempered scale. Frets now seem like a stupid limitation because we are trading down by sacrificing all the semitones that frets eliminate. Ask yourself how an artist like Stevie Wonder come up with his brilliant bass lines when he can see nothing or Yoyo Ma who plays an instrument with no frets or markers? My advice is to retrain your ears and venture outside the box.
I really appreciate the high quality video and comparison though I have to say your intonation needs a lot of work. It's off by almost a semitone sometimes like at 7:48 or 12:12. Really not trying to be mean, just trying to offer constructive criticism.
the jazz sounds most like an electric bass, the blue hollowbody sounds a deal more like a bass viol, the violin bass is percussive in sound, almost clacky - the five string sounds like growling rubberbands, the p-bass sounds like a p-bass
It's magic! First the Beat Bass has foam under the bridge and he tunes it and the foam disappears. This crappy CITES agreement/ law prevents you from buying the sire or any bass with rosewood fretboards. A good thing that my music purchases are all GAS, I don't need one.
I play double bass mainly so the lines I actually find a bit confusing because I usually just imagine the positions. I also think it makes you listen to ur intonation more and not rely on the lines, think it makes me a bit more musical. Maybe
Sure, why not, but their are not the same, bass guitar has a shorter scale and if you really want your fingers to wander freely on a vastness of an upright neck then you have all the freedom you want.
@@keps_ksk Which is wrong for a fretless bass, it also looks like the side markers are not correct for a fretless. I would not have thought they would have duplicated that part of his bass, no correctly designed fretless bass is marked like that. I've been playing fretless since the mid 80's and that bass would screw me up, I don't own any with fret markers either.
![[Eng Sub] Cort B4FL-MHPZ fretless bass guitar](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gxAlGcjJJxg/mqdefault.jpg)
As a cello and bass player I appreciate the Bach prelude slipped in there. Gj
Jj KL Same ha!
Happy to see a lot of bass stuff in this channel.
Didier Lelion We're happy to oblige!
Didier Lelion りや
God that Warwick sounds, and looks, great. I wish hollow body basses would catch on more, it's just such a rad aesthetic.
shadowseal22 man! Fretless Hollow basses = heaven
Mostly because fretted hollowbodies are usually shit from personal experience
Leland Sklar owns two Warwick models that (but for one being fretless) look about identical. They’re not powder blue, but that’s practically the only difference between this one and his two.
Why is everyone so salty I mean yeah he's not jaco he has his own sound and shouldn't have to sound like anyone else or conform to a musical elitist view on the instrument
it's easier
its not that at all... I would not want him showing off a product... you want your best foot forward when having your product demo'd not goober on the bass
I have no comment on his prowess as a bass player, but I didn't think any of the guitars sounded any good........
although i didnt hate the video i thought his jazz soloing on all blues was cringey and uninspired
When you start to remember that even Jaco didn’t want to be Jaco (how many celebrities want to be themselves?), It’s better that this guy isn’t him. I actually just got my hands on a preowned fretless bass that an old friend sold me. If anybody’s individual style has been motivating me, it is actually Victor Wooten. When you listen to Victor play fretless bass, you can hear Jaco’s influence, although Victor’s true style easily comes across.
Accomplished Bassist. His tone is consistent with each instrument he plays.
Ace of Spades on fretless is absolutely a win
When I got my first Sire, I did the same thing with the mid frequency knob. You were killing me!😆
Hell ya! Brave man. congratulations on pulling the fretless thing off so nicely!
I own a Vintage like that one, it's actually an amazing bass considering its price.
I liked when he played ace of spades on the Warwick
Thanks for this rundown. Obviously it's 6 years old now but still useful for me. I'm considering a bass next year and I'm probably an unusual kind of customer... I'm primarily a keyboardist dabbling in other things. I played double bass when I was about 18, both for school shows and in an orchestra... but I've never been a guitarist, so although I have the note positions well learned I'm unsure about some of the guitar-related stuff. Fretless has some attractions for me, partly because of my past experience but also I like the sound and I'm keen on microtonal music too. However, if I want to add bass to the music I'm making and play it myself, it's possible that fretless might have too distinctive a sound. I'm still thinking about all this and I have a while to decide yet, but this sort of demo is very useful. Thumbs up and subscribed!
Keep it up! Looking forward for more videos from you, don't stop!
One day Maybe you can play
Jaco didn't put fret markers on his bass. He filled in the fret grooves after pulling the frets. Him being a fretless player is a misconception. Most of the time he played a fretted jazz. He only used the bass of doom onstage so the roundwounds wouldn't wear out the neck. If you watch Joni Mitchell's shadows and light tour you can see he plays most of the concert with a fretted jazz but keeps pretty much the same tone.
GTO It all depends on the song he's playing. For more solo based tunes he'd use the fretless and switch to a fretted bass sitting just behind him when it was more appropriate. The majority of his studio playing was on the fretless, though.
I agree. Just pulled out my weather report vinyl collection. I have a few pics of him playing a p-bass. There's a really good 4 part docu on here which I think is the best by far. A lot of good clips I haven't seen anywhere else. I just picked up a Trace Elliot V6, ever seen one of those?
GTO yea, the squire fretless jb is more Jaco. Nothing against the vintage brand mind you, good quality copies of classics
GTO in addition, in his instructional video Jaco played a hybrid bass with a P fretted neck because he probably got his bass stolen.
wysiwyg248 he said he practiced with a p-bass neck because frets were bigger and made him try harder, and also because the round - wound strings ate up thr fretless too quick
The Beatbass looks like fun!
fretless precision; the oxymoron of all time. kidding around, I get it. nice comparisons btw.
I don`t want to be rude... I`ll watch this video each time when thinking I do suck on a fretless... Cheers!
all you need to play fretless is a good fretted bass technique ----there isnt actualy much of a difference except sound and your hands
@PathOfPirate
Interesting you say this. I've never learned to play any stringed instruments, only drums. But about 6-7 years ago I got the notion to someday learn bass, specifically fretless, and that I would learn all the notes without looking at the fretboard.
@PathOfPirate dude you are that played violin before bass like how ( i did that too :p)
^___^
I thought it was Rob Schneider for a moment - Thanks Russel
This guy plays great walking basslines!
Why are you playing by the end of each "fred"? I thought you had to put the fingers on the middle
Surprisingly pleasant HB
Sire V7 fretless. Kinda rules the roost right now. At least in my house.
Squiers are often very good sounding basses...like this one
I REALLY enjoy this channel! Thanks so much for what you're doing.
Hi guys, just a quick question: When playing a fretless instrument (in this case a bass guitar), do you have to press it right on the fret line (or very close to it) and not between the fret lines, is that right?
Just have to listen to make sure its in tune
Yes, thats right if the intonation is correct. But as soon as you twitch your finger somewhat it affects. Your ears and good technique is the trick.
Video so helpful. I ordered my MIM fretless jazz bass from u guys.
Great playing. Thanks for the info.
Could you guys do a proper demo of the Sire m7? This one was just plain awful.
I would like to order it from you guys, but there are no demos of it on the internet.
Thank you.
Same here! I also just keep travelling throughout the internet to get some more insight on this instrument but there is just too less. I guess I need to travel to Thomann and test it out some day
i can assure you, the m7 is freakin awesome! I played every fretless bass they have in their show room and the m7 was the best hands down. Followed by an ESP LTD one. The worst ones were the harley benton shown in this video and actually a fender american pro jazz bass
My vote for the Vintage!
when you consider the fact that the Precision was so called because unlike an upright it had frets, isn't "fretless Precision" an oxymoron?
yep. lol
Great video. I will say that when I think of a fretless bass, I think more of your Harley Benton BeatBass and similar basses like it. I love its sound more than all of the other basses. Awesome! Thank you.
I think I'm of the unlined school, or maybe side lines. But I'm not a purist who says you don't need them or that they're a crutch; I just like the look and feel of unlined fretless. It also gives me a sort of sense of accomplishment being able to play them in tune XD
Hey guys. I'm in the states. Ordering from you is not feasible. I really appreciate these videos and watch every ad. It's what i can do.
Thanks Joseph. Really appreciate the support- I hope we entertain you!
//Andy
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses well you educate me. Which is, ultimately, way more important. Too me, anyway.
What looper pedal are you using? Super rad and informative vid!
Ha! Found this after spending $3000 after tax on an Ibanez SDGB1 with the hardshell case…. Could have saved some cash.
The fingering is the most important thing on fretless with or (without the lines). So switching between 3rd and 4th finger leads to inconsistent intonation
Very nice demo. I find on fretless bass flatsounds inhibit the full spectrum of the fretless bass sound. It would have also been nice to play some of those basses up by the neck to hear that beautiful growl that people like Jaco achieve which I think he acquired from masters like Ron Carter.
Maybe the Warwick bass you where talking about is my 5 string Streamer Stage 1
Luke.Black Metal nice Profile picture man
13:10 - 13:20 . . . was that “In the Hall of the Mountain King” by Edward Grieg? If I thought I had money to burn for somebody else besides me, I would probably try getting the HB model for a friend of mine who plays both upright bass and violin bass.
The minute you mentioned the bass solo being done with a reverse effect, I knew that you were going to start playing Paul Simon, Russel. Listening recently to specific tracks from the *Graceland* album, I discovered that Armand played a fretless bass on most of the album.
Mir fehlt hier der ESP LTD Fretless. Nachdem ich jetzt schon 3 mal einen kompletten Freitag bei euch verbracht hab nur um fretless Bässe zu testen um mich endlich zu entscheiden muss ich immer noch sagen: Der esp hat mir einfach jedes Mal am besten von allen gefallen. Da hattet ihr den Warwick aber nie im showroom zum testen..
@2:26 sounds rough /:
wasn't a fan of the demo but I love the instrument. Hope we get more of julia!
BS, Jaco didn't need lines! Watch him play and he doesn't look at the neck! The reason the lines were on the Bass of Doom was he simply removed them for a fretless sound!
Whats going on at 9:12?
Enjoyed, subscribed, thanks! I thought there would have been some Harley Benton in there being Thomann and all - they surely make at least one cracking fretless for less than £130.
are there stock flatwounds on the BeatBass? Cheers!
Warwick star have 2 series, cheap and higher price. Different kind of body's wood. And someone please let me know, if play with unplug, the sound is OK lound enough or not?
Try the Harley Benton JB-40FL SB
That is a fantastic bass. At that low price I don't think anything comes close.
I have one: same upgrade as @ the above mentioned Yamaha RBX: Dimarzio + Gotoh -> now it growls..
Im looking to get the Squier fretless (5th one in this vid). Can someone tell me if its gooooood (My first fretless)
Hey dad - I have it, it's my only bass, and I love it. Made half a dozen albums with it since last year, they're all linked to from my blog over at wolfgang.lonien.de/ - so have a listen if you want to. Tip: my skills on the instrument developed a bit too since last year, so for the most interest in bass you might want to start with the latest ("Contemplation"). Have fun...
Very interesting, thanks for this good vidéo
Pietaaaaa ! 😱
Nice playing!
hehehe unless maybe you've always played one, they could be tricky? I need 1 in my life but not with fret markers. You just have to feeel it baby!
Yes, it's like making love. Whether the lights are on, your eyes are closed, or in the dark... you gotta find your way by touch... for the most pleasurable... sensual... _experience._
So many critics, rather than be rude, why not show your stuff and post some videos?
If i had these guitars i would...ID PLAY THE SAME SONG ON ALL OF THEM AND IT WOULD BE GLORIOUS. BUT INSTEAD WE GET A BUNCH OF TALKING AND GARBLED TUNES
@@MARS-GREENH0USE Well you don't have the guitars, so glorious is an egotistical and empty comment. Rather than sling mud here, just check out the endless supply of other info here on youtube. Nothing funnier than an egomaniac.
@@stormnside it makes it more glorious when you naysay😁
you know critique isn't rude
What was the name of the piece that you played by Bach?
Cello Suite No. 1 G-major BWV 1007
I literally hit subscribe because of what you said in the beginning lol
starbass and vintage are awesome
Dumb question unrelated to fretless bass, what is he using to make the loops?
Soooo... how much is the Marcus bass in US dollars? And who is the manufacturer?
Are you the actor from limitless?
Warwick is pronounced with a silent second ‘w’! ‘Warick’
Great demos... thanks for posting....
Thanks for your comment! What part did you like the most? //Simon
Thomann Music yeah, I love the Jaco Jazz Bass and the first ‘walking’ sequence you played... one fretless I had Without lines, had the edge dots in the same place as on a fretted bass, which I moved so that they occurred where the note is fingered. That way gave me accurate reference points for the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, etc....
Is the sire strung w/ flats? It sounds killer!
superb walking ... all the things you are ...
7:46 Genesis! :D
Is that what the piece is called?
Nope, that's the band ;)
What track?
Horizons :)
Actually that's Bach's cello suite n.1. Give it a listen, it's a masterpiece ;)
where's the vintage icon?it's no more disponible??
That Vintage sounded surprisingly good.
Also, is the Marcus bass lefty optional?
whats the name of the song played on the p squire??
You can call me Al -Paul Simon
please make a good set up to that vintage icon bass!!! unlistenable
What about the WishBass? They’re like $250 and handmade and dope.
my $250 squier j bass v that i tore the frets off of works
Der Ibanez SRF 700 ist besser als all diese Fretless-Bässe.
All The Things You Are!
Whats the piece at 7:40 til bout 8.
Paul Bach cello suite prelude 1 I think.
Why can't bass demo's include simple tonal runs at the low end. It's always at the player and never about how the instrument actually sounds..
Especially with 5 strings. You're usually lucky if they play even a single 16th note on the B string, let alone let the open string ring so you can hear it properly.
Cort B5FL !
No Ibanez???
How about a Scott Whitley?
Well nice basses, however, I recommend for future reference that you practice a little more on the instruments before you record on them (ie. this video)
But other than the terrible pitch - and look I'm not bagging you out fretless basses without inlays are very different playing to any other bass, it's been fun to watch this video
Keep it up though!
The playing at 20:00 has convinced me to not get a fretless. They seem easy to play poorly.
Im looking for a fretless 6 string. Preferably with fretlines.
Basses or wouldn't piccolos?
Ma che ci vuole a regolare l'altezza delle corde. !!!!!
He forgot the Fernandez fudge pusher.
I cannot see fret lines when I'm playing anyway, so what's the rub? I set up a J with an Mighty Mite unlined fretless neck and it has dot markets on the side. It is a sensation actually playing what sounds right rather than being trapped within the framework of a tempered scale. Frets now seem like a stupid limitation because we are trading down by sacrificing all the semitones that frets eliminate. Ask yourself how an artist like Stevie Wonder come up with his brilliant bass lines when he can see nothing or Yoyo Ma who plays an instrument with no frets or markers? My advice is to retrain your ears and venture outside the box.
Good advice!
Ace of spades?
Thanks for not saying Jaco , ooopps I said it
Action too low or dead spots on that Vintage bass. It's not supposed to sound like a sitar.
i hate the squier P... and don't like Hofner (generically)... the others are good (that's my taste).
left me feeling a little flat..😀
What was the top 40s song?
Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al
I really appreciate the high quality video and comparison though I have to say your intonation needs a lot of work. It's off by almost a semitone sometimes like at 7:48 or 12:12. Really not trying to be mean, just trying to offer constructive criticism.
On the first bass sounds to me like the upper neck is too convex. As if amplified via a paper cup on the higher positions. Sounds like crap.
My name is Sharky, give me the damn bass.
How am I gonna emulate Pino Palladino with Paul Young for under 1000? Even a Sterling fretless is beyond that. ;__;
learn his technique, that'll get you way closer to his sound than getting a MM humbucker
Tin Man I should, and definitely will. Jaco still sounded like Jaco on a fretted Jazz bass too.
the jazz sounds most like an electric bass, the blue hollowbody sounds a deal more like a bass viol, the violin bass is percussive in sound, almost clacky - the five string sounds like growling rubberbands, the p-bass sounds like a p-bass
Watching this guy is like watching a really bad car crash that for some reason you can’t stop watching.
Baby first
I honestly feel bad for him. He clearly loves bass but yeah the tuning/intonation is seriously painful
It's magic! First the Beat Bass has foam under the bridge and he tunes it and the foam disappears.
This crappy CITES agreement/ law prevents you from buying the sire or any bass with rosewood fretboards. A good thing that my music purchases are all GAS, I don't need one.
I heard rumors that ebony will be added to that list too.
9999plato ok Nero.
Nearly every great fretless player I know is pro-lines. Who the hell is anti-lines and WHY??
it looks much better without lines, to me anyways.
I play double bass mainly so the lines I actually find a bit confusing because I usually just imagine the positions. I also think it makes you listen to ur intonation more and not rely on the lines, think it makes me a bit more musical. Maybe
So play your double bass, it's a different instrument and it's there.
René G ....what? That's a very confusing response. Why not play both?
Sure, why not, but their are not the same, bass guitar has a shorter scale and if you really want your fingers to wander freely on a vastness of an upright neck then you have all the freedom you want.
Dots are in the wrong place for fretless on the first bass
What? No they're not
@@keps_ksk They absolutely are. It's marked like a fretted bass which is wrong
@@Bass.Player isn't the whole concept of the jaco bass to remake jaco's bass who in itself is a fretted bass guitar that had its frets taken out?
@@keps_ksk Which is wrong for a fretless bass, it also looks like the side markers are not correct for a fretless.
I would not have thought they would have duplicated that part of his bass, no correctly designed fretless bass is marked like that. I've been playing fretless since the mid 80's and that bass would screw me up, I don't own any with fret markers either.
@@Bass.Player even so, how are the dots supposed to be placed? I'm only aware that fretless basses don't have any dots at all
8:40
Hi Thomann, why not make a separate bass guitar channel..?