Your Go-To Non-RIC Fretless?

[cassius987]

Just wondering if you had a gig to play and were asked to use a fretless bass, and couldn't bring a Ric or had a bass you liked better, what would that bass be?

I am currently working on my answer; some day I'll try to put my money where my mouth is and buy something. The strong contenders right now for me are the Tony Franklin fretless Precision Bass, and a fretless 2-band 'Ray. If I had more change to throw around, I have played a fretless at Bill Conklin's workshop that had a diamondwood fingerboard and a dragonwood hollow body that I would have loved to take home. Sounded a lot like my 4003FL when it had Toasters actually, but a little more "openness" to the sound.

[jps]

Just wondering if you had a gig to play and were asked to use a fretless bass, and couldn't bring a Ric or had a bass you liked better, what would that bass be?

I am currently working on my answer;

How about a ZON?

[winston]

I only have one fretless and it's an Aria Sinsonido AS 690B FL. I really like it because it is so portable and it sounds fantastic.

[FretlessOnly]

Hands down:

'97 CIJ Jazz FL w/ Audere JZ3 preamp. People rave about the tone.

[ajish4]

Currently, it's my customized Peavey T-40FL.

I'd love a fretless with an Ebony fingerboard...like an Alembic...but that's isn't happening.

Dreaming of a 4004Cii Fretless too.

My playing as of late has taken a more expressive tone if you would. I'm playing all over the fingerboard, and would love another fretless that compliments that.

I'm not a single pickup guy, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you folks have!

[jps]

I'm not a single pickup guy, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you folks have!

Good thing, too, otherwise we'd have to tell Janey.

[ajish4]

I'm not a single pickup guy, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you folks have!

Good thing, too, otherwise we'd have to tell Janey.

You are SUCH a rat!

[FretlessOnly]

I'd love a fretless with an Ebony fingerboard...like an Alembic...but that's isn't happening...

...I'm not a single pickup guy, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you folks have!

The ebony board on this one is like glass:

[ajish4]

I'd love a fretless with an Ebony fingerboard...like an Alembic...but that's isn't happening...

...I'm not a single pickup guy, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you folks have!

The ebony board on this one is like glass:

Ken Smith 001.jpg

Ken Smith 002.jpg

Ken Smith 003.jpg

Ken Smith 004.jpg

DOH! HOW DID I MISS THE KEN SMITH???!??!?!?!?!?

Beautiful John....very sweet!

[rickenbrother]

In the summer of '83, I had a terrible case of GAS for a fretless bass guitar. I REALLY wanted a Rick FL, but couldn't find one. Salesmen at music stores were horrible with their opinions of Rickenbacker fretless basses. Since I couldn't find a Rickenbacker FL, not even a used one at We Buy and Sell (the store is unfortunately long gone) on 48th St. in Manhattan, I settled for something else, but it's a purchase that I'm not sorry I made.
I tried out every fretless bass I could find. I thought I'd wind up with a G&L, until I spotted this Gibson Victory Artist in the window of Alex Music which also used to be one of the stores on 48th St. This one blew everything else away. The serial number decodes to '81. My only complaint about this bass is the finish, though looks very nice, is very brittle and fragile. I don't know if that has something to do with the fact that it was in the window exposed to sunlight or that's just the way this finish is. It has active electronics, but thankfully also has a passive mode. In '91 I used a Wilkinson 4+1 conversion kit (meant for F*nd*r style basses) to make it a 5 string. So it's actually the first 4 string bass converted into a 5'er by an RRF forumite. There is plenty of room on the neck, the string spacing is not tight at all.
I have not played it much since getting my 4001FL back in 2005. Besides, I really haven't had much use for a 5 string bass these past couple of years. I do really like this bass, but shame on those music store salesmen's negative comments about Rick FL basses!
The strings I've always used on this bass are D'Addario Half Rounds.
I've been considering re-installing the original bridge and making it a 4 string again.






The Gibson Victory series, which included guitars was aimed at winning over F*nd*er players. That didn't really go as they hoped. But in my humble opinion these were better than what F*nd*r was producing at the time.

[fluffy]

MIM F-word Jazz Bass. yeah it has lines.. it was also only $300.00 I added the tortoise shell guard and the chrome cos I'm a sucker for the classic look.it's a 60th anniversary (2006) so I thought I'd spice it up a bit.

[rickenbrother]

Tort pickguards look great on black and sunburst F*nd*r J-Bass, P-Basses and Strats. Much better than the stock white ones in my opinion.

[jps]

Try and convince Geddy of that.

[cassius987]

Geddy's got a new pickguard on his Jazz now, some kind of pearlescent white thing with a logo. You guys just reminded me of that.

[rickenbrother]

Try and convince Geddy of that.

I'd rather try to convince him to mainly play a Rick again!