Fretless Instruments

Jaen-Pierre-Dowling

Hey everyone...

I was wondering, is there an audible difference in tone between, say a fretless P-Bass compared to a fretted P-Bass, apart from the obvious smooth transition between frets (since there isn't any haha)?

arjunmenon

I would imagine that there would be quite a difference in the attack and sustain as well on a fretless bass/guitar.

DonovanB

There is a growl with a fretless bass that you don't get on a fretted instrument

Ray

Or like pizzicato on cello - just electric?

DonovanB

nah, when you play a not on a fretted instrument the rise is clearer. on a fretless it buzzes slightly before coming out round, kinda like an engine revving it sounds rough at first then smooth...

Renesongs

My fretless J bass has a warm slightly chorused sound even unplugged ! My P bass is crisp and snappy. There is a completely different approach I take to playing each instrument.

Attila

By the way fellows ... there is a "following" who convert their fretted electrics guitars to fretless for the very reason Donavan mentioned

Pros and Cons of the fretless guitar

First off, the humourous side....

Pros:

No one else you know has one.

No one can tell how good (or bad) you play it.

Regular guitarists will be jealous.

Cons:

You do have to play accurately, don't believe it is easy, but like any practice it will come in time.

Sustain - many fretless players will bemoan the lack of sustain, and this may lead you to false conclusions.

Tab notation doesn't cover unfretted playing.

Conclusions:

Because of the extra effort / concentration needed to get a listenable sound fretless guitarists are immediately recognisable - you know who is playing straight off.

This means you can be tracked down and hideously murdered for your contribution to music.

In some areas you will require a licence from the local council, for instance, in Winsford, UK.

Second base, the serious considerations....

As a disclaimer, we would like to say that we've been forced to add some serious stuff by real musicians. - Ed

Pros:

You are joining a varied and unique group of musicians all with very different musical tastes and skills.

Any guitar can be Unfretted, electric, acoustic, classical, 12 string.

The fingerboard material will radically alter your tone. It can be glass, metal, phenolic (type of plastic), or wood.

No two fretless players sound the same, there is such a direct contact between your soul and the instrument that it could never be so.

Cons:

Transferring to fretless is a steep learning curve, and many fall by the wayside. For the lucky few who embrace the fretless guitar it is almost as if the instrument found them.

You will have to develop your ear and your mind, its not so much watching what you play, but listening to the music you create.

Chords are difficult at first, some shapes are nigh impossible to play in tune, very quickly you pick up the shapes that work.

Tone and sustain are very artist dependant, its something you need to work very hard at, and many people will say the fretless guitar has very little sustain. The sustain should not be an issue if the guitar is set up correctly, and remember your techinique will determine the overall sustain.

Renesongs

Transferring to fretless is a steep learning curve, and many fall by the wayside. For the lucky few who embrace the fretless guitar it is almost as if the instrument found them.

Funny you should mention that: I was larking about on my brothers fretless bass many moons ago (never played any bass before). He says to me "that bass seems to like you why don't borrow it for a while" So the bass followed me home like an lost puppy and I grew to love her. After a couple of months I asked my brow how much do you want for her. He says " no it's yours now" Nice to have family like that even nicer to have a fretless bass

DonovanB

I love my fretless bass. There's nothing like it but I can only use it sparingly cos it sounds so unique and doesn't really suit rock playing

AlanRatcliffe

Renesongs wrote: My fretless J bass has a warm slightly chorused sound even unplugged ! My P bass is crisp and snappy.

+1. That nails it all IMO. The attack is slower and the tone is warmer which is why the inherently brighter Jazz bass is a popular choice for unfretted. How buzzy the notes are is down to the player.

There is a completely different approach I take to playing each instrument.

Yup - it's largely in the way it's played - some fretless bass players will play faster staccato stuff very close to the bridge (think Jaco Pastorius or Percy Jones), while others prefer longer, slower warmer stuff (Pino Palladino) some local guys pull of some great slap/pop stuff too (Bakhiti Khumalo).

Fretless guitar is a completely different animal. Unfortunately very few players approach it as such though - fretless bass players tend to be a lot more inventive. I like Adrian Belew, Bumblefoot and Tim Donahue's stuff (the electric harp/fretless guitar stuff he puts out in Japan, rather than the metal he does for the Western market). I posted a bunch of fretless guitar clips here: http://www.guitarforum.co.za/youtube-guitar-videos/fretless-foolishness/

bENDER

Thanks for the post!!! I think I am might get a 5 string fretless bass after reading this...hooo, maby a double bass ?

Seventhson

Les claypool plays one and is a damn fine player even though the bands he is in are the weirdest stuff out there imo.