Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Lined fretless basses have always bugged me, even before I started playing fretless.
This 4001V63 modded fretless got me thinking.
I'm sure it's a really cool sounding/playing fretless if the mod was done well, but the lines on a fretless just kills the coolness factor for me. The fact that it was once owned by Doug Feiger from the band The Knack, might help keep the price up, otherwise I think it would have lost some value.
Bassists new to playing fretless won't play in better intonation with a lined fretless, in fact it can cause them to have poorer intonation if they aren't really listening and paying attention to their playing and they are just thinking they have it right. Not to mention they sound really bad to their fellow good musicians, especially good fretless players if they played off intonation with a lined fretless. People might tend to forgive an occasion poorly intonated note with with an unlined fretless.
I'm really glad that RIC never lined their FL bass fingerboards!

Joey, while I totally agree that unlined is the way to go, I do want to raise a couple of points for both sides.

On the one hand, if you follow those lines you are kind've screwed, because you can never get them all perfectly intonated (you can play with the intonation a bit depending on your style--see Gary Willis' method), whereas if you use your ear you'll have a much better chance of good intonation in the long run and will play much more naturally IMO.

On the other hand, while I'm glad RIC never installed lines on their fretless (there is practically no need thanks to the side dots), I can see how some people really feel like they need the lines to even TRY fretless and in some cases lines may be the way to go for those people. That may mean holding off on a fretless Ric, but that just means more for the rest of us. While I have no desire to own a lined fretless in future (I have owned a couple of lined Jazzes in that past that I've sold off), I don't want to put anyone down who does choose to use lines. Those who do may wise up eventually and realize they are better off not looking at them and using their ears.

I often get lots of compliments for my fretless intonation, but I really don't pay much attention to the fingerboard--if I do get lost the side dots are the way to go. It's funny, if you can stay intoned with just your ear even Ric-hating snobs can really take a shine to you. And like you Joey, I am 100% behind RIC not putting lines on their FL basses.

Now if they would just get rid of those silly dots on the front side. I have two unlined basses (Pedulla and Gibson) and a lined Hofner (the only way it came for the few that they made) and I find the lines are really distracting and tend to stifle creativity. You have to concentrate on ignoring them.
Lines? We don't need no stinkin' lines.
I have a similar reaction to some of the acoustics with all kinds of inlay all over their fretless fingerboards. There is something about a nice, uninterrupted slab of ebony or rosewood that says - here is your canvas, play me!

It might be hypocritical, but I find the dots quite pleasing to look at! Hmmm...

teb wrote:Now if they would just get rid of those silly dots on the front side.

There is something about a nice, uninterrupted slab of ebony or rosewood that says - here is your canvas, play me!

Well spoken on both points (but add maple to your list in consideration of my '76 P-bass FL). I have six fretless electrics and only the RIck has anything but a blank fingerboard.

To the point of how the lined boards affect intonation: they completely mess me up. After 30 years of bass playing, 18 of it of the fretless variety (upright and electric), I see those lines coupled with the side dots mid-"fret" and I just want to finger them like a fretted bass (in other words, anywhere but the right place). Strangely, the opposite is also a problem. When I (rarely) play my fretted bass (DCM 4003), I'm always trying to play on the frets which sounds rather horrible, don't you know. So, I've gotten to the point where fretless bass is considerably easier for me than fretted.

Whomever decided on finger spacing for humans did not have the fretless bass in mind. The middle and ring fingers need to be trained sorely.

Thanks to jps, I am now considering the purchase of a fretless guitar.

Speaking of unlined fingerboards:

You have a Wish bass?

Indeed. Very comfortable to play, neck like my upright, nice thick, growly mids. It's fitted with an after-production 5-tone selector switch that goes from P-bass to bright, crisp lead sound. My biggest criticism is that the intonation is not great, but I've learned to compensate for it, as I know where the problem spots are.

I got the manufacturer to send me a few non-corian nice wood replacement bridges and I fitted one on there and things improved somewhat. Sure the finish is non-existant (the fingerboard is quite nice, however), but for $300 I've got a bass that sounds like a speared walrus, and there's always an application for that, right?

And yes, I've seen the video, so don't bother. That's one of the most absurd things in the history of civilized society. In fact, it nearly brought an end to it.

BUT AT LEAST IT DOESN'T HAVE FRET LINES!

I don't mind the dot markers on the fingerboard. They don't distract me and it's a RIC feature that sets them apart from other fretless basses.
If they ever decided to do away with the dot markers on the fingerboard, I'd be surprised, but that would be fine as well. Though I'm really glad my '75 4001 has dot markers that look like this:

I prefer "Stealth Mode" - ebony boards, no face dots and black strings (tape-wound or black rounds) so that people can't tell what the heck I'm doing.

teb wrote:I prefer "Stealth Mode" - ebony boards, no face dots and black strings (tape-wound or black rounds) so that people can't tell what the heck I'm doing.

I've done that! I used to have LaBella tapewound strings on my Zon fretless. I even got comments about that.

teb wrote:I prefer "Stealth Mode" - ebony boards, no face dots and black strings (tape-wound or black rounds) so that people can't tell what the heck I'm doing.

It doesn't matter whether I've got dots, lines, frets, or whatever color of strings, people still wonder what the heck I'm doing...

Always keep 'em wondering...

Seriously though, I've wanted a fretless bass for years, and always thought I'd be lost without at least lines to know where the frets should be, and fingers should be placed. Even though I haven't had much of a chance to play it (too busy digging myself out of snow drifts and other deep holes I've suddenly found myself in ), now that I actually own a fretless bass, I'm somewhat amazed at how easy it is to hit the right notes! At least in the lower 7 frets range or so.

I suppose that 30 some years of playing fretted bass helps a bit, I find that if I think about putting my fingers just a bit forward of what feels right, it's just about perfect. Of course, there's still a bit of adjustment by ear from time to time, but I find that to be a snap as well. Probably due to starting my musical life at age 8 playing trombone. The concept of hitting a position and adjusting to perfect pitch is fairly well ingrained...