Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2003 1:08 pm
I've had three fretlesses, I got my first in 1977, two Rics and one P bass, I agree with Jeff's method for fingering and also for setting them up. I have read that there are two methods for setting these up, slightly behind the where the fret would be and right on top, I like mine right on top, and I also don't like the fret lines, they might help a little in the beginning but will hold you back after a while because you will use your eyes instead of your ears to play. I actually liked the Pee bass method better until I got used to the Rics, it had dots only where the dots are on a regular bass, 3rd, 5th, etc except of course right on the note. When I got my first Ric fretless which had a dot for every fret I used whiteout on the "extra" dots until I got used to all those dots, I still would rather have no dots at all.
I got to the point where I used to sing lead with them (think it's hard to sing with a fretted bass?)I think the best method to learning and getting used to a fretless bass is to play, play, play, and play out with it also as much as you can.
Andy unless your 73 has had some type of epoxy or other new type of coating on the neck, I would be very careful using roundwounds on it, I used roundwounds for one night on my 81 4001FL and got buzzes all over the place.
Flatwounds sound great on fretless basses by the way, you might be surprised at the sound. They are much thinner sounding with round wounds.
You get the Ric growl with flats on a fretless more than with rounds.
And I would not recommend changing the finish on your neck like Jaco did, I did that to my 81 and ruined the sound, It sounded great with the roundwounds (for one night), it also sounded good with roto half rounds, but after putting two part epoxy on it, it sounded terrible (with the same strings (roto swing bass). I played another 4003FL with round wounds on it that had had a new neck finish done to it, and it too sounded terrible, whatever they put on the fretless necks sounds great just as it is, but it just ain't compatible with rounds.
I got to the point where I used to sing lead with them (think it's hard to sing with a fretted bass?)I think the best method to learning and getting used to a fretless bass is to play, play, play, and play out with it also as much as you can.
Andy unless your 73 has had some type of epoxy or other new type of coating on the neck, I would be very careful using roundwounds on it, I used roundwounds for one night on my 81 4001FL and got buzzes all over the place.
Flatwounds sound great on fretless basses by the way, you might be surprised at the sound. They are much thinner sounding with round wounds.
You get the Ric growl with flats on a fretless more than with rounds.
And I would not recommend changing the finish on your neck like Jaco did, I did that to my 81 and ruined the sound, It sounded great with the roundwounds (for one night), it also sounded good with roto half rounds, but after putting two part epoxy on it, it sounded terrible (with the same strings (roto swing bass). I played another 4003FL with round wounds on it that had had a new neck finish done to it, and it too sounded terrible, whatever they put on the fretless necks sounds great just as it is, but it just ain't compatible with rounds.
