The Sweet Charm of Fretless
If there is ever a phase when you are asked to play a fretless bass, don't hesitate to give it a try.
If you have played electric bass or double bass before, you will immediately appreciate the fun and beauty of the tone.
There are two important things to remember
Knowing the exact pitch of the notes
The fingerboard is fretted in order to easily produce the correct pitch.
Fretless fingerboards do not have frets, so it is essential to hold the fingerboard in the correct position to produce the correct pitch.
If a note is out of tune, simply slide it off the fretboard.
The important thing when playing fretless is to know when the pitch is correct/out of tune.
Fat and curious to play it.
This is the key. If you fall in love with the fretless sound, if you fall in love with the fretless fretboard, then ...... You are a fretless player.
How to hold it down
On a fretted bass, the pitch is taken on the frets closer to the bridge near the pressed fingerboard and pronounced with the exact pitch.
If the fretboard is not fretted and has a fret line, the exact pitch of the note is approximately on that line.
The pitch will rise or fall depending on how hard you press down on the fingerboard, so please get used to it. If there are no fret lines or position marks on the fingerboard, you can only rely on the pitch of the notes, so learn where the notes are located. If you are not in tune, slide the fretboard up and down. Once you are a little more comfortable, listen to all of the great fretless players and incorporate their techniques into your own playing.
Differences in Materials
Rosewood, Maple, and Ebony are often used for the fingerboard, but resinous materials such as fenwood are also available.
The sound quality differs depending on the hardness of the material, but the nuance is the same as that of a fretted bass neck, so please refer to that as well. Piezo pickups are also available, which make the sound from the vibrations of the pieces like a double bass.
Rosewood fingerboard
Fender Japan JB62-65FL
The sound is characterized by a hard but warm resonance, with an attack and high frequency range that does not grate on the ear. The sound of Jaco Pastorius is still talked about among the artists who loved to use the rose fingerboard, and in combination with the body material, the Fender '60s style sound of an alder body with a strong mid-low range is typical of the sound.
Maple fingerboard
FERNANDES BO-60 / FL
This instrument is characterized by its hard and clear attack. The combination with an alder body with strong mid-low range seen in the late Fender '50s and the combination with an ash body with less midrange in the Fender '70s are typical.
Ebony fingerboard
PGM JB-Type 5st / FL
The Ebony fingerboard is characterized by its hardness, resonance in the high range as well as the maple fingerboard, and balanced sound quality with resonance in the low range.
The sound of the string vibration is clear, and even the low B string can be heard with a beautiful graininess.
Fretless basses can also be used for electric basses as well as wood basses.
Some electric basses are equipped with piezo pickups that produce sound from the vibrations of the pieces, just like a double bass.
Godin LR Baggs Model Semi-Acoustic Fretless Bass
There is also a fretless bass like this one!
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Aria Pro II Super Twin ST1504FL |
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Rickenbacker 1980 4001 Fretless |
I wonder when the fretless bass was invented.
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1971 Precision Bass Fretless |
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AMPEG AUB-1 |
Fender Jaco Pastorius Model |
The AUB-1 presented by AMPEG at the 1966 NAMM show is probably the first known fretless version of an electric bass.
Around 1962, AMPEG had already commercialized the Baby bass, which is now commonly known as the upright bass.
In response to the needs of the times, Fender introduced the Precision Bass Fretless in the early 1970s.
The Fender Precisoin Bass Fretless, which was designed to be fretted to obtain accurate pitch, established the status of the new electric fretless bass.
It is well known that "Jaco Pastorius," the most well-known fretless bass player, also fretted out his own bass in the early 1970s and established the fretless style, which led to the spread of fretless basses in the following years. It is also well known that "Jaco Pastorius," one of the most well-known fretless bass players, also fretted his own bass in the early 1970s and established the fretless style.