I want a lined fretless bass

[A*X*7]

1. I see a lot of fretless basses on ebay but they are not lined, is it possible to have it lined and who could do it??

 

2. Another angle.... Could I by a fretted bass and just pull the frets off?

The fret gooves left behind could be my built in lines? as Line markers.

 

Is it possible ? or just weird??

Just trying to save money get a used fretless bass.

The lined fretless are to expensive.

[rikshaw]

there are a bunch of lined fretless basses. i have one (fenfer) and would love to have an unlined neck on it.

buy a fenfer unlined and i will swap necks with you

[hammer744]

Here's one... Lined Fretless and cheap...

 

http://www.rondomusic.com/sjb62mgfllpb.html

[jonjohn]

 

1. 2. Another angle.... Could I by a fretted bass and just pull the frets off? The fret gooves left behind could be my built in lines? as Line markers. .

 

 

thats what i did and filled it with wood filler a shade lighter then the rose woood

[ATTACH]255020[/ATTACH]

then i drilled out the white dots and put in some rose wood

[A*X*7]

 

then i drilled out the white dots and put in some rose wood

 

 

Dude!!!! you are awesome!!!

[A*X*7]

 

then i drilled out the white dots and put in some rose wood

 

 

Do you have pictures....Oh I see the attatchment now

[Hopi]

 

then i drilled out the white dots and put in some rose wood

 

 

That looks pretty good!

 

In fact, I was going to check with Warmoth (I've already ordered a walnut jazz body from them), to see if they could do something like that. Their site says that they use maple to fill their lined-fretless ebony fingerboards. I was going to ask if they could substitute the maple for a slightly lighter (than ebony) wood for the lines. Love the look of an unlined fretless, but past the 9th fret, my intonation takes a dump (have only been playing a fretless for 3 weeks, of course).

[jonjohn]

pictures ? what of , how i did it?

[A*X*7]

Oh ....I see the attatchment now....thanks for you r help

[jonjohn]

oh just read you next post . im a munter

[A*X*7]

 

oh just read you next post . im a munter

 

 

Your frettless sounds great on that recording!!!!!!

[jonjohn]

cheers. its an old aria though a old peavey tko 80 . you can laugh now

[coyote-1]

To each their own. But IMO a lined fretless is a bad compromise that does nothing to help you work on a most important music fundamental: LISTENING. You'll find yourself looking down at the fingerboard rather than using your ears to tell you where to place your fingers.

 

Have you ever noticed there are tens (perhaps hundreds) of thousands of professional musicians who play fretless cellos, basses, violins, and violas and don't need fretlines? In fact, were they busy looking at the fingerboard there's no way they'd be able to read the sheet music.

 

Lined fretless is a pointless cop-out.

[Goofball Jones]

2. Another angle.... Could I by a fretted bass and just pull the frets off? The fret gooves left behind could be my built in lines? as Line markers. Is it possible ? or just weird?? Just trying to save money get a used fretless bass. The lined fretless are to expensive.

 

Well, that's what Jaco Pastorious did. Just pulled the frets off his Jazz bass, then put wood putty in where the frets were, sanded it down then put boat epoxy as a covering. Seemed to work ok for him.

 

Then again, a MiM Fender fretless (wtf is a fenfer rikshaw? ) has lines. As does the Squire Vintage. They're both pretty reasonably priced.

[Goofball Jones]

To each their own. But IMO a lined fretless is a bad compromise that does nothing to help you work on a most important music fundamental: LISTENING. You'll find yourself looking down at the fingerboard rather than using your ears to tell you where to place your fingers. Have you ever noticed there are tens (perhaps hundreds) of thousands of professional musicians who play fretless cellos, basses, violins, and violas and don't need fretlines ? In fact, were they busy looking at the fingerboard there's no way they'd be able to read the sheet music. Lined fretless is a pointless cop-out.

 

This isn't the case with an electric bass though. With all the acoustic instruments such as the double bass or violin or viola the neck gets thicker the further down you go (meaning the back of the neck)...you can tell through practice and feel and yes, sound where you were. Another Jaco story, he was in a studio once and the lights were turned down, he said he couldn't play unless he could see his fretboard. Though maybe he was that experienced.

 

Also, I would never ever fault someone just because they used a lined fretless...no matter who. It's not a cop-out. When you play a fretless do you do it in the dark? Do you look at all where you're playing? Do you refer to the side-dots on the edge of the fret-board at all? Is that too a "cop out"?

[fretless]

I play a lined fretless I can tell you just because a line is there does not mean it's the right note . When I studied upright I was taught to visualize parts of the fingerboard , 1/2 way mark etc.etc. In fact you get your whole body into it , contorted shoulder , length of arm , all very physical and visual . You do actually visualize a unlined fretless fingerboard it just doesn't have lines .

[bnyswonger]

Then again, a MiM Fender fretless (wtf is a fenfer rikshaw? ) has lines. As does the Squire Vintage. They're both pretty reasonably priced.

 

Bound & Blocked has one of the Squires - I got to check it out last week. It was a pretty nice bass for the $$ IMO - reminded me very much of a Tokai.

[Kakona]

 

1. I see a lot of fretless basses on ebay but they are not lined, is it possible to have it lined and who could do it?? 2. Another angle.... Could I by a fretted bass and just pull the frets off? The fret gooves left behind could be my built in lines? as Line markers. Is it possible ? or just weird?? Just trying to save money get a used fretless bass. The lined fretless are to expensive.

 

 

I am about to list one on eBay, wonder if you might be interested? Check your PM's.