These fretless bass benefits and drawbacks intend to inform you about the instrument's qualities to hopefully help you make a decision for yourself. It's a beautiful instrument, but it isn't for everyone.
The fretless bass has quite a few different benefits to it, and it's fair to outline the highlights first before getting into the cons of it. Others have compared the fretless bass sound to singing because of its phrasing options. With that in mind, picking up one of these can add a different kind of voice to your music due to how it's constructed. When playing a fretted bass, the frets are designed to give you an accurate pitch when you press down on the string in various parts of the fretboard.
You can still learn how to play pitches accurately, but it will offer you some freedom at the same time which is how it gets its unique tonal flavor. This freedom will also lead us to our next advantage of using this instrument Some of these powerful tools are a big part of the fretless bass sound.
Here are some examples of how this is the case:. Luckily, this is one of the pros to choosing a fretless bass vs a fretted one. On the other hand, string buzz still can occur, so you will always want to get a proper bass set-up. The learning curve is easily considered the most common con to this instrument. What exactly makes the fretless bass hard to play? This is true, and people find it easier to produce notes with the instrument, but this is not where the difficulty lies.
The primary challenge is caused by the fact that the frets are not there to serve as a guide. People are comfortable knowing that they can find and hit notes accurately on a fretboard. It gives them one less thing to think about when playing. However, some manufacturers have taken steps to help rectify this issue to make it more accessible. Here are some ways that this common problem has been minimized:.
Since the instrument now offers these, is the higher learning curve really a con? Is the fretless bass hard to play?
Well, at this point, it really depends on what kind you buy. There are still some types out there that will present a challenge, but with these features on more recent ones, the accessibility of the fretless bass for beginners has increased. This is an example of one that is affordable, good-looking, and has inlaid fret lines to help with accuracy.
This topic may be related to the challenges and difficulties of the instrument, but it's unique enough to warrant its own section. The third reason for considering fretless is the singing quality you can get out of the instrument, just like the human voice!
Of course, this is only my point of view. Technically speaking, once again comparing fretless with upright, I feel fretless has more of a singing voice. Why, because of the length of the vibrating strings. Upright acoustic bass is a bigger instrument and has more string length.
The result of that length gives a deeper sound in the bass register, but if you go in the melodic or higher register, there is basically less sustain than on a fretless.
Continue Reading. You may also like Click to comment. Leave a Reply. More in Latest. Bass Videos R. Musings From the Road. Get Cool Bass News! There are plenty of different string breeds out there which ultimately offer different tonalities. But with fretless basses, there are certain types that are better-suited to their unique design. Roundwound strings are the most common types installed on electric bass guitars, which deliver bright and aggressive tones.
They are also quite abrasive as you can feel the ridges of their individual wire wraps. This means that using slide techniques will leave your fingertips feeling sore after extended playing sessions.
Despite these factors — some fretless bassists swear by them! Fretless basses are typically strung with flatwound strings. These are more apt for subtler styles and are far less likely to damage fingerboards. With far less friction than roundwounds, flatwound strings offer a fast and fluid feel that allows you to slide into notes without experiencing any discomfort. However, their flattened wrap-wire construction gives them a fairly dull sound compared to bright roundwound strings.
This is partly why fretless bass guitars are known for sounding warm. The origins of the fretless electric bass are largely unknown, with contrasting accounts as to who designed the first example. However, the instrument was largely popularised by the legendary jazz player Jaco Pastorius, who famously removed the frets on his iconic Fender Jazz Bass a.
A host of other high-profile names use fretless basses to great effect too. Virtuosos like Victor Wooten, Pino Palladino and Marcus Miller also frequently experiment with fretless basses, who truly demonstrate just how expressive these instruments can be.
Fretless basses are not as common as their fretted friends. However, at Andertons Music Co. They manufacture fretless versions of practically all of their bass models, from the Precision-style P Series to the ultra-modern M Series :. Plenty of high-end bass companies, like Fodera and Carl Thompson, also produce custom-order fretless bass guitars. Outfitted with sophisticated preamps and constructed from exotic tonewoods, these hand-made instruments are built for the most discerning of players.
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