Fretless versus the other kind.
I got a fretless bass because I played one and loved how it felt. There’s a sense of mobility for me that enables slides and runs I can’t do on a normal bass. If a baritone horn is a fretted bass, the fretless bass would be a trombone. The sliding is a big deal. Even if you land a note off pitch, you often roll your finger where it needs to go and it sounds like you did it on purpose, if you’re good. haha. My fretless in particular I got because a friend had assembled it and used it on one of our recordings. After I heard how nimble and floppy he could sound (in a good way), I asked if he was selling it by chance. By chance he was.
The electronics in this thing.
Audere makes the pre-amp. Danelectro Kent Armstrong pickups. The sound those two elements provide is always intriguing to me. I don’t even know the whole litany of sounds you can make with the thing. I find one I like a lot and play the hell out of it before touching knobs again. I’ve only had 5 or 6 sounds. But I will say I use that classic Danelectro tone a whole lot. It is good low end, and has such a unique honk to it. It is likely the sound I use most often. A fuzz pedal on a normal bass is amazing. But a fuzz on that Danelectro sound, it drives me wild.
If you don’t know, there’s dots on top of the fretboard.
Several folks have asked me how I know where to pluck. Well there are dots on the fret board on top where I can see them. But, I think it’s mostly my ears. In fact, I would say that is a fun part about playing it. I tend to listen harder to see if I am right. It reminds me of singing harmony in that way. There’s an extra element of “doing” to it. It’s listening. I don’t mind that.
I have found the fretless bass to be a classy trial by fire instrument. There’s no learning it by learning about it. I have to jump in there with it to get any good at it. It’s practice, sure. But it’s also listening. I want my notes to sound good. It happens as I am playing it. Combined with thinking about where my hands are for pitch with my ears too, the fretless doesn’t seem near as much of a hurdle with my fingers as it does my ears. I dig that.
The main reason I love my fretless.
This thing feels amazing to play. I enjoy walking around with it hanging on my shoulders. I pick it up often to help me figure out parts or notes. The Jazz body and the neck, (Fender licensed Mighty Mite), just feel great. I pick it up to hold it. If music happens it’s a perk. But holding it works.
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