Beginners Bass

[Muzik 4 Machines]

Why do beginners seem so afraid to start on fretless?

Because



































































there is no frets!













and it's hard to be just with jsut lines drawn on a neck

[Jono-60]

Washburn Taurus T14. Probably the cheapest of the lot but sounds and feels great. I prefered over the Squier series. I didnt get a chance to try the Ibanez as I had to get one on the day but I dont regret it one bit.

[vonRed]

Why do beginners seem so afraid to start on fretless?

I wanted to, but was discouraged from it by basically everyone. There were no fretless basses worth playing in stock at the local music stores, either, so I got a fretted bass.

I ran into a lovely fretless later. It has an unmarked fingerboard, and I have to admit, if I'd started with that, it'd have given me a hell of a time. Playing a fretted bass though feels like walking with a rollator to me now.

Bottom line, if you're a beginner and you know you want a fretless, go for it. Just get one that has a lined fingerboard.

[james0tucson]

Why do beginners seem so afraid to start on fretless?

Bottom line, if you're a beginner and you know you want a fretless, go for it. Just get one that has a lined fingerboard.

My wife (who is a French Horn player), decided one day she wanted to *ROCK*. So she went out shopping and ended up with a beautiful used Yamaha fretless 4-string and a 12" 150W Line6 amp. Now admittedly, a university grad level Fr. Horn player tends to have an ear for intonation, but this is her first guitar. She plays my woodwinds better than I do, plays piano well enough, and can play pretty much any brass like a pro, but she's never so much as pretended to play one of my guitars.

So it sort of blew me away when she came home with a bad ass bass. But she's rocking it; fretless seems to not be any impediment.

[vonRed]

Why do beginners seem so afraid to start on fretless?

Bottom line, if you're a beginner and you know you want a fretless, go for it. Just get one that has a lined fingerboard.

My wife (who is a French Horn player), decided one day she wanted to *ROCK*. So she went out shopping and ended up with a beautiful used Yamaha fretless 4-string and a 12" 150W Line6 amp. Now admittedly, a university grad level Fr. Horn player tends to have an ear for intonation, but this is her first guitar. She plays my woodwinds better than I do, plays piano well enough, and can play pretty much any brass like a pro, but she's never so much as pretended to play one of my guitars.

So it sort of blew me away when she came home with a bad ass bass. But she's rocking it; fretless seems to not be any impediment.

In many ways it's not, I often half-jokingly refer to fretless basses as 'unencumbered basses'. I think the "fretless is hard" myth comes from people who played bass already and had sloppy technique -- it's pretty simple to pick up any bass and bash away with a giant plectrum with the amp at 11, after all.

For me, the problem with switching to fretless wasn't so much intonation (much to own surprise). I tended to get lost on the neck more, and keeping my fingers in place was harder. Ofcourse then I sucked even more than I do now (I needed the tiny side dots).

That said, you're absolutely right that for an experienced musician who already plays several instruments shouldn't have any problems with an unmarked fretless.

Many high end fretless basses use a sensible compromise though, especially the ones with 2+ octave fingerboards (the images are large).

[nagal]

For me, I need really only need the frets so I can see where I am playing. Another thing I am running into is finding a fretless bass I like. Maybe I will just get a fretted bass and file down those frets

[bingobingo]

I'm a fan of SX basses if you're buying new. Great bodies and necks for the price. Decent stock electronics and hardware. Easily upgradeable. They typically have a nice selection of 4-5-6 string basses, short and long scale, fretted and fretless. Many of the fretless basses are lined as well. I've also heard some very positive comments about the new Squiers although I haven't played one myself.

I also agree with the suggestion to check out the used basses on the Talkbass forums. Asking prices are often very reasonable, and you'll get much more for your money if you buy used.

Good luck to you.

[nagal]

I am 90% positive I am going to get an Ibanez SR300 FM. I played a SR300DX in the store yesterday and it felt nice to me but what do I know? I would go with the DX but the FM looks soo much better.

[bosonhavoc]

best advice ever given to me when shopping for a electric guitar o bass

play it without plugging it in.
if it doesnt sound good unplugged dont buy it.
because you can always upgrade the electronincs but you can not replace the quality of wood and craftsmanship.

[taijiguy]

best advice ever given to me when shopping for a electric guitar o bass

play it without plugging it in.
if it doesnt sound good unplugged dont buy it.
because you can always upgrade the electronincs but you can not replace the quality of wood and craftsmanship.

When I bought my '75 Ric 4001 (new), all I did was run my hand up and down the neck. To this day, it's still the best feeling and best sounding Ric I've ever played. No need to "upgrade" the electronics.

[DeAFone]

get on ebay and buy a 70's (or any) Fender P bass with a solid body and a straight neck. I love the Tone you can get out of a vintage P bass. Then down the road slap a badass bridge and Seymour Duncan pickups.This is just my opinion. Oh and 2 more things, sorry I don't know anything about fretless and have never played one and most importain, never buy a Squier! It's a copy of a P bass and they are soooooooo heavy.....