@@uhuhuhuhuhuh3537 Only after a LONG time or if you're playing it for hours every day. If you're concerned about it, you can put a few coats of Epoxy on the fingerboard - changes the tone a little but it'll protect the bass's look much better. It'll still eat away at the coating so check it every so often, but overall it helps a lot.
Ebonol is paper layered with resin. It has the feel, look, and hardness of Ebony while being more environmentally friendly since the paper can be made from any tree. It also doesn't move with temperature changes. For my money it's worth a lot more than rosewood because it is very resistant to string wear.
I had a fretless Ibanez Roadstar II during the 80’s that had an ebonol fingerboard. I gigged the heck out of that bass with nickel rounds and never wore it out.
Just watched Norman's Rare Guitars Guitar of the Day 1980 Kramer DMZ-5000B vid and that has an ebonol fretboard. Mark Agnesi said it's similar to the stuff bowling balls are made from. Love the look of that Stagg
I agree, my first bass was the fretted version of that bass, it sounds surprisingly good and I'm planning on converting it to a fretless soon since I've got nicer basses and I want to turn that into a project bass
There are some tones that only come from rounds. Flats can surprise you though in that some kinds can be livelier than you might expect. Me, I prefer rounds on my fretless basses. I learned that, at some stage in his career, Jaco would fit flats on for practise and then change to his rounds for the gig/recording, just to protect his fingerboard. An old friend of mine who also gave me a few lessons, a real pro, he used to get his fingerboards skimmed flat once they had worn too much (can take a good few years though). Then finished with a light matt or satin lacquer. You weren't allowed to bend if you had a go on that bass, slides only. He also developed a very light playing style and turned the amp up to compensate. I tried that strategy but I'm much more sloppy in my technique than him so it sounded messy when I did it.
Just bought my 3rd fretless bass, Carvin kit bass, 5er, w/DiMarzio jazz pups, Hipshot bridge, unlined Ebony fingerboard, Mahogany body, Mahogany neck. Person I bought it from did a fantastic job of assembly and setup. Also, have a Godin Ultra A5 fl and Ibby Portamento 5 fretless. The Carvin just kills the fretless tone for my tastes. Plays lovely as well.
From Wikipedia: "Ebonol is a high-pressure laminate made from layers of black paper and phenolic resin." Never heard of this stuff before today and then it's been in 2 videos in the past 4 hours! Synchronicity anyone?
Because of Juan Alderete, I really love the sound of a fretless bass. I have considered getting a fretless electric but I haven't seen one that fits what I want. In terms of the basses in the video, I really liked the Squier for the money and actually thought the Stingray didn't seem that great really. The Fender Jazz is great as well.
Apart from round wounds, Jaco layered his fingerboard with an epoxy resin, so if you want the closest to that then it's the Squier vintage modified.... in fact try finding a fretless with a resin board, not easy.
I've tried flatwounds and roundwounds strings and I've discovered that I get more of the mwah effect on my bass with roundwounds. if they eat up my fretboard I'll just get another one
Much as I am a big fan of Weather report / Jaco, for me the king of fretless bass is Percy Jones, who also used roundwounds btw, as did Mick Khan. I've been playing fretless with roundwounds for over 35 years, after a while the wear gets to the point where it buzzes as you slide over the worn areas. Then it's time to get a luthier to sand the fretboard down and your good to go again for another few years. The wear shouldn't put you off if that's the sound you're after. Tip, if you only play fretless with rounds occasionally but mostly play fretted, don't do vibrato across the fretboard like you would on a fretted bass, that will kill the fretboard, as will slapping. Learn to do vibrato like you would on a violin etc where you roll the finger tip along the fretboard. ;-)
I do feel like the video could have been a "little" more researched. For example the Squier is meant to look like Jaco's bass of doom. Roundwounds are just as common fretlesses. Plenty of guys playing rock/metal on a Fretless and the bite helps cut through.
I like half rounds on my fretless bass. They are brighter and have more sustain than flat wounds. But they don't wear grooves in the fretboard like round wounds do over time. Flat wounds sound more muffled, and I think they don't "bwow" like half rounds.
I wish for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the Andertons Crew, and we thank you the all episodes in this year. See soon in the next year, in 2018. Cheers!
The general consensus I'm getting is that you guys liked the squire bass more than the more expensive basses. I've an American made jazz fretless and love the sound. Sometimes I can't put it down.
You guys rock! Late to the fretless party. But I watched and listened in awe as Jaco (and Weather Report) played the Playboy Jazz Festival in 1980-something. Any thoughts on flat vs. curved (radius cut) fretboard?
listening to this on a good set of monitors (Kali) and i liked the stagg the best hahahah i think it might be his playing though this guy can make anything sound good. Cheers!
If you didn't like the gloss finish on the Squier neck, then (as it's not an expensive instrument) you could easily just take the surface off the gloss with some OOO wire wool. Bingo.
Again ... awesome intro !I have the Squier fretless. It has roundwound and after 5 days of playinng, there was a lot of dent :(So now, it's flat on it. I have my Sire V7 5st for the roundwound ;)
Back again to say that round wounds are a lot slicker than flats. I haven't used flats since the mid 80's but back then I would have to use a product called "String ease" between sets or the strings would get real grabby..(is grabby a word?) you get it... I could go into detail but it is what it is.
@@nephilymbass1 I don't know how much of what Jaco says to believe though. He changed the tale of how the Bass of Doom got its frets removed several times.
I had a stagg fretless 15 years ago - good electronics and design - but much lighter wood and not nearly the craftsmanship of the stagg fretless I just bought - the new stagg fretless is a solid superb playing instrument- I put rotosound nylons and dammit it sounds nice
I moved to only fretless about 2 years ago - one with Rosewood and the other with Ebonol. I just love the sound of roundwounds way more than flats, so I only play rounds :) The two basses are pretty different sounds - Rosewood has way more tone control, but I feel like I get slightly better mwah on the ebonol neck.
I am a big fan of rounds on fretless. My fretless isn't my main bass anyways, so I'm not so concerned with wear. Also, my fretless has been a beater from the beginning, so I can always say it's my "Heavy Relic".
Never got super pleasing sound or versatility out of flatwounds. With round i can get super mwa or trad bass sounds from playing near or far from the fingerboard and switching pups
Great video fellas. You didn't mention that the Stagg has no lines on its neck though which is the only downside and a big mistake on an entry level fretless I would have thought.
The stagg still has the dot fret markers in top of the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 21st & 24th. It might take some getting used to, especially if you are used to fretted basses. But still there's some getting used to as well with the fret lines on the other models. Lines or no lines, you still have to work on the intonation on the fretless.
The squier sounded way better in the intro, unfortunately they intentionally turned the squier volume down compared to the fender. It really had a great sound, pitty the volume was low.
@pilummurialis6490 You betya. If you want to get as close as you can to Jaco, this Squier is it ! My super expensive Musicman fretless doesnt even get close to the Squier on Jaco. It is one of those rare instances when "cheap price" "excellent playability" and "authentic sound" all happened together. Squier built a monster with this.
The squire has rounds because it's obviously a "Jaco signature" type jazz bass, all the way to the color and no pick guard. Jeez! DISAPPOINTING you two not catching that immediately
Great video. So by the example of Jaco... I pulled the frets out of my Sterling Sub bass recently. I now have a Stingray style fretless with a maple finger board. Moved over to flatwound strings too... It's an acquired taste, but slowly warming to it...
Pino Palladino and Tony Levin use fretless Stingrays. Top players. Round sound strings all the way. I literally don’t know any fretless greats who use flat wounds. Jaco used round wound strings. They ate up his fingerboard so he used epoxy resin to strengthen his fingerboard.
Some nice Brit humour lads and good feedback on the basses from a price point and tech view point. Although I live in Australia its great the internet can inform me of your store and bass reviews. At the end of the day, we all have to do our own research. I liked the Music man because i can get the Music Man sound as well as tweak it back for fretless mwah or punch, I also believe a good investment in years to come as these are rare beasts. P.S. whatever happened to Wal Basses? :)
Is that Stingray an original from 50 years ago? If I’ve got anything remotely like a lock on the currency exchange between Great Britain and here in the USA, £2,000 is almost like the kind of price tag attached to some brand new Gibson models! (It almost sounds worth it when you get your Louis Johnson fix in.)
Fenders are good for jazzy stuff, but if you're into Pino Palladino, Mick Karn, Percy Jones, than unless you want to sell your house and kids to get a Wal, look into StingRay, Ibanez, Yamaha.
Geesh - 7 minutes to debate the difference in price between flat wounds and round wounds? Has that ever really been an issue?\ I really don't care who uses what - but flat wounds give a more upright bottom sound.
Hello you guys make great videos. I want to get a Fretless bass and I dont know anything about them. Is there anything you can't do on a fretless bass that you can fretted Bass? Is there anything you can do on a fretless that you can't do on a fretted? I know you can slide seamlessly from fret to fret and it sounds amazing but other then that I don't know thanks for the videos and for any knowledge about the Fretless bass.
I'm a little late to this conversation but I'd say which in a way the lads were try to convey & say is buy a fretless that best suits you at that particular point in time... There's no point in shelling out over £1200.00 upwards on a high end fretless bass if your just starting out as you may find it's not for you in large doses & they should've addressed that very simple question of sell " What's The Difference " when talking about the low to high end bass guitar's & it's simple, the quality of the products your going to have that's being used to make that particular bass guitar... Like what type of wood is used to make the body/neck/fretboard as each wood has a plus & negative & will undoubtedly be heard once you've trained your ears to hear & pick this up naturally... Certain woods have a sharper or fatter sound when building the body out of it & again it's all the little incremental things that definitely add up to what you'll get as a sound consistently through the years that you play it... Its down to individual taste & even though i rarely play the fretless bass anymore I'd rather buy one that I know will best serve me... The low to mid end basses are good value for money but (especially) with fretless you want good parts that'll help keep it in tune & many a budget bass has cheaper low grade tuning pegs/bridge etc & it won't give you that high end stability when it comes to putting any bass through its paces as you continue to use it as a practice or professional instrument... I've had top end basses & budget to mid bass guitars & some times you really have to ask yourself if your happy paying £1500 or more on a fretless or any instrument that you hardly use & for me it's a definite Yes... I'd usually have a low end budget bass as my go to practice bass which will usually fight me a bit but that helps me for when I play on a more higher end bass & it feels like night & day between the low & high end bass guitars... The low end bass guitars whether they are fretted or fretless are great for playing & recording in the house but as a gigging or touring bass it'll eventually fall apart on you... Have a look at the photographs of Pino Palladino's MusicMan Stingray Fretless once he went on to use fretted bass guitars/or Sting's Ibanez Musician Fretless & you can see they've been well used & been put through the ringer but still playable in session or sideman work & you won't get that on low budget instruments... If that's what happens to a bass that's about £2K then you can be sure a budget bass isn't going to cut it & again it's little things like that that are huge decisions to make which the lads didn't really say with regards to it being just a practice or play at the weekend bass guitar or one that's going to keep you in work for long periods of time as there really is no substitute for quality... Yes the high end price of any instrument will knock you for 6 at first but it's the same as just choosing a good runner car for going to work & back... Yes youll want reliability in the way you would with anything you but you'd be wasting money on high end VW (for example) just to get to work unless that's what you've always really wanted & again it comes down to preference/what you need it for overall & also can you afford it & be happy paying a lot of money for something you may or may not use alot of the time... I've played all types of electric lead & bass guitars & yes budget to mid range are good for the money but you can't beat quality & although you might think your just buying & paying for a Brand Name, which in part is true, your also paying for tried & tested high end overall parts that'll become a particular instrument that's a musicians go to instrument... Take all the ancillary parts that you'll need to make a long lasting bass or lead guitar like the tuners/pick ups et al & believe me when I say that in the long run a more expensive instrument whether it's fretted or fretless will serve you better than a budget fretless... Again it depends on how much you use it & if it'll be used alot in your band or just practicing & are you ok with paying high end money if it just sits gathering dust... I've become part player & part collector & have had low/mid to high end bass guitars & you will feel & hear the difference between each one... Yes budget instruments have gotten a lot better overall in build & sound quality & it's down to each individual as to what they'll be happy paying & shelling out their money for... One more thing, even if you know the bass you want & your local guitar store has it, don't just buy it without having hands on first as I've had 3 to 4 identical bass guitars in front of me which were the same brand & spec but it's not until you try them all at hands on level & how they all feel that you will know which one to buy... I've known fellow musician friends that I've went with to the local guitar stores & they've tried out 5 of the exact same brand & spec of guitar but it didn't feel right to them & they would not buy any of those one's until another batch of the exact same guitars comes in & then they'll buy it once it feels right & I know why they do this as although you can pick each one up & play the exact piece of music on them all but you'll know once you've had hands on experience if that guitar is for you... Enjoy... .....
Ebonol and Ivorol live together in perfect harmonol..... ;-)
Christian Boddum OMG THIS IS GENIUS
weol, surely?
HILARIOUSLY PRICELESS!!!!!!
Please explain
hahaha good one!
You 2 could do an album of bass duets & I would listen to it forever.
Jaco used rounds. Les Claypool uses rounds on his 6 string fretless. But if you wanna bring the old school thump, flats are the way to go.
Doesn't that cut up the fretboard?
@@uhuhuhuhuhuh3537 price you gotta pay i guess
@@uhuhuhuhuhuh3537 Only after a LONG time or if you're playing it for hours every day. If you're concerned about it, you can put a few coats of Epoxy on the fingerboard - changes the tone a little but it'll protect the bass's look much better. It'll still eat away at the coating so check it every so often, but overall it helps a lot.
@@ayyohwinning Thanks for the advice
Jaco used flats come one. He used rotosound flats
That has to be one of the best introductory jams I’ve heard on your series. Nice work!!
Ebonol is paper layered with resin. It has the feel, look, and hardness of Ebony while being more environmentally friendly since the paper can be made from any tree. It also doesn't move with temperature changes. For my money it's worth a lot more than rosewood because it is very resistant to string wear.
Ive seen too many scratches on ebonol fretboards to choose it.
@@briancherry8088 ive owned a vm squier p fretless for about two years now, and you cant even feel the scratches. its awesome material
i think ebonol is same material used in bowling ball
If its made with resin it usually is a environmental problem as it isn´t biodegradeable or recyclable. AFAIK
I had a fretless Ibanez Roadstar II during the 80’s that had an ebonol fingerboard. I gigged the heck out of that bass with nickel rounds and never wore it out.
You guys sound sooooo good together… it’s such a joy.
Jaco was the godfather of fretless but Pino Palladino was on more heard tracks and more inspirational for me.
Pino Palladino, Jaco, and Sting, the gods of fretless bass.
Micheal Manring, Alain Caron, Steve Bailey. I really don't think Sting is a God of fretless bass at all.
@@speakonianjny5004 Tony Franklin !!!
@@speakonianjny5004 Percy Jones !!!
No Jaco, no Pino
Just watched Norman's Rare Guitars Guitar of the Day 1980 Kramer DMZ-5000B vid and that has an ebonol fretboard. Mark Agnesi said it's similar to the stuff bowling balls are made from.
Love the look of that Stagg
That Stagg bass was pretty good
I agree, my first bass was the fretted version of that bass, it sounds surprisingly good and I'm planning on converting it to a fretless soon since I've got nicer basses and I want to turn that into a project bass
The squire is modeled after the bass of doom, and Jaco was famous for using roundwounds on fretless.
I liked the Stagg demo so much I went out and bought one....couldnt be happier...it really is a gem for such a low price!
No Sire Fretless in yet?
Happy holidays fellas. I have zero bass experience but enjoy your vids all the same. Will get into it one day ...
that Stagg really is sounding lovely.
There are some tones that only come from rounds.
Flats can surprise you though in that some kinds can be livelier than you might expect.
Me, I prefer rounds on my fretless basses.
I learned that, at some stage in his career, Jaco would fit flats on for practise and then change to his rounds for the gig/recording, just to protect his fingerboard.
An old friend of mine who also gave me a few lessons, a real pro, he used to get his fingerboards skimmed flat once they had worn too much (can take a good few years though). Then finished with a light matt or satin lacquer.
You weren't allowed to bend if you had a go on that bass, slides only.
He also developed a very light playing style and turned the amp up to compensate.
I tried that strategy but I'm much more sloppy in my technique than him so it sounded messy when I did it.
People should try out DR's Nickels. They are great rounds for both fretless bass and your fingers.
Just bought my 3rd fretless bass, Carvin kit bass, 5er, w/DiMarzio jazz pups, Hipshot bridge, unlined Ebony fingerboard, Mahogany body, Mahogany neck. Person I bought it from did a fantastic job of assembly and setup. Also, have a Godin Ultra A5 fl and Ibby Portamento 5 fretless. The Carvin just kills the fretless tone for my tastes. Plays lovely as well.
I prefer to have that bright tone of roundwounds
Even if my fret(less)board is gonna be scratched
From Wikipedia: "Ebonol is a high-pressure laminate made from layers of black paper and phenolic resin." Never heard of this stuff before today and then it's been in 2 videos in the past 4 hours! Synchronicity anyone?
AKA Formica.
not the best police album imo. Ghost was better!
Because of Juan Alderete, I really love the sound of a fretless bass. I have considered getting a fretless electric but I haven't seen one that fits what I want.
In terms of the basses in the video, I really liked the Squier for the money and actually thought the Stingray didn't seem that great really. The Fender Jazz is great as well.
The Mars Volta, Primus and Blood Incantation are the only three reasons I've needed to gas for one!
ebonol is also sturdied than ebony from what i know and thats probably the reason they put roundwounds on that specific bass :)
I've used stainless roundwounds on my fretlesses for over 20 years; just recently switched to flats, just for tone. Kinda digging it.....
Apart from round wounds, Jaco layered his fingerboard with an epoxy resin, so if you want the closest to that then it's the Squier vintage modified.... in fact try finding a fretless with a resin board, not easy.
You guys make me want a fretless
Great intro! One of the most beatiful fretless bass piece i have ever heard
I've tried flatwounds and roundwounds strings and I've discovered that I get more of the mwah effect on my bass with roundwounds. if they eat up my fretboard I'll just get another one
if your fretboard is lacquered, you dont need to worry. Its made for rounds
Jaco brought to life the fretless bass, and he used roundwound Rotosounds.
Much as I am a big fan of Weather report / Jaco, for me the king of fretless bass is Percy Jones, who also used roundwounds btw, as did Mick Khan. I've been playing fretless with roundwounds for over 35 years, after a while the wear gets to the point where it buzzes as you slide over the worn areas. Then it's time to get a luthier to sand the fretboard down and your good to go again for another few years. The wear shouldn't put you off if that's the sound you're after.
Tip, if you only play fretless with rounds occasionally but mostly play fretted, don't do vibrato across the fretboard like you would on a fretted bass, that will kill the fretboard, as will slapping. Learn to do vibrato like you would on a violin etc where you roll the finger tip along the fretboard. ;-)
Who's the new guy? He's freaking amazing!
?
Soham Bhattacharya ?
nathan king... mark kings brother of level 42
More of Bass Lee :) good episode!
Great video. I believe Jaco plays drums also on Teen Town.
Yes and also good at piano and steel drums.
I do feel like the video could have been a "little" more researched. For example the Squier is meant to look like Jaco's bass of doom. Roundwounds are just as common fretlesses. Plenty of guys playing rock/metal on a Fretless and the bite helps cut through.
that was a nice jam, bros! made me smile.
I love the sound of fretless bass, not that I could ever play one.
do you have two hands?
If you are going to troll, then at least invest some effort.
Do it! They're affordable and free lessons everywhere nowadays!
@@svenjansen2134 I cannot play with scale lengths that long (25.5 inches is my maximum, which may reduce as I age).
Thank you guys for such great videos! Merry Christmas and keep up the awesome comparison vids!
I like half rounds on my fretless bass. They are brighter and have more sustain than flat wounds. But they don't wear grooves in the fretboard like round wounds do over time. Flat wounds sound more muffled, and I think they don't "bwow" like half rounds.
Music man Stingray is the solid professional choice. Tonal quality and ease of play. Also, very sturdy.
I wish for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the Andertons Crew, and we thank you the all episodes in this year. See soon in the next year, in 2018. Cheers!
The general consensus I'm getting is that you guys liked the squire bass more than the more expensive basses. I've an American made jazz fretless and love the sound. Sometimes I can't put it down.
Fretless Covfefe
are we really still making covfefe jokes
Dmitri Blaskowitz not with that attitude
From what I understand Jaco used the prototype Hartke Aluminium speaker bass cab and the rest is history
Jaco used roundwounds! Toto swingbass 66's to be specific!
wasnt it rotos?
... yes, Rotosound.
Pino got a great sound out of a fretless stingray with rounds, maybe it needs the chorus or octave
Mick Karn’s fret less work on Bill Nelson’s Chimra EP released in the early 80s is brilliant and this episode was great!
❤️✌️👍👏👏👏
This jam is sick guys.
You guys rock! Late to the fretless party. But I watched and listened in awe as Jaco (and Weather Report) played the Playboy Jazz Festival in 1980-something. Any thoughts on flat vs. curved (radius cut) fretboard?
listening to this on a good set of monitors (Kali) and i liked the stagg the best hahahah i think it might be his playing though this guy can make anything sound good. Cheers!
If you didn't like the gloss finish on the Squier neck, then (as it's not an expensive instrument) you could easily just take the surface off the gloss with some OOO wire wool. Bingo.
Wow, that intro ripped!
Right. I just bought a fretless after playing some ordinary bass. Any one any advice re songs to start with?
Again ... awesome intro !I have the Squier fretless. It has roundwound and after 5 days of playinng, there was a lot of dent :(So now, it's flat on it. I have my Sire V7 5st for the roundwound ;)
IAmHalfPedro is your site 5 coated fiberboard?
Resistance is futile. I suppose it may be useless, as well. All the best. Love the sound of fretless basses.
Is there a name for the grove you guys were playing? If not I got one!
Back again to say that round wounds are a lot slicker than flats. I haven't used flats since the mid 80's but back then I would have to use a product called "String ease" between sets or the strings would get real grabby..(is grabby a word?) you get it...
I could go into detail but it is what it is.
I heard that Jaco used roundwound strings but just wouldn’t practice with the fretless
Augustus Crane yeah he said he never practiced on the fretless in a bass educational video once.
@@nephilymbass1 I don't know how much of what Jaco says to believe though. He changed the tale of how the Bass of Doom got its frets removed several times.
The Squier sound and easiness of play makes it the choice for me. Play off the back pickup and it Growls!!
12:25 what's that bassline? i keep hearing it everywhere
Played by Jaco in his Modern Electric Bass dvd. Called "Jam in E (Exercise 08)".
I had a stagg fretless 15 years ago - good electronics and design - but much lighter wood and not nearly the craftsmanship of the stagg fretless I just bought - the new stagg fretless is a solid superb playing instrument- I put rotosound nylons and dammit it sounds nice
Nice playing in the first part of the video :) Can you share that backing track, it's cool for jamming? Thanks!
Ebonol is just black phenolic. Some sort of fiber compressed with resin.
in my experience the cheapest and most expensive fretless bass in most music stores sounds the same (and if you are really lucky it exists)
I moved to only fretless about 2 years ago - one with Rosewood and the other with Ebonol. I just love the sound of roundwounds way more than flats, so I only play rounds :) The two basses are pretty different sounds - Rosewood has way more tone control, but I feel like I get slightly better mwah on the ebonol neck.
How do you get that double bass sound with these basses?
I have a question for Lee i just bought a ep booster and was wondering do you use the bright on or bass on or both cheers.love your sound Lee
I am a big fan of rounds on fretless. My fretless isn't my main bass anyways, so I'm not so concerned with wear. Also, my fretless has been a beater from the beginning, so I can always say it's my "Heavy Relic".
Nice. How about a video comparing the affordable signature basses?
What was that at the end, an attempt at Squarepusher?
Never got super pleasing sound or versatility out of flatwounds. With round i can get super mwa or trad bass sounds from playing near or far from the fingerboard and switching pups
Great video fellas. You didn't mention that the Stagg has no lines on its neck though which is the only downside and a big mistake on an entry level fretless I would have thought.
The stagg still has the dot fret markers in top of the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 21st & 24th. It might take some getting used to, especially if you are used to fretted basses. But still there's some getting used to as well with the fret lines on the other models. Lines or no lines, you still have to work on the intonation on the fretless.
I love listening to you guys- so talented. Me thinks you need an album or sound cloud channel,. I think you should consider putting out something.
The squier sounded way better in the intro, unfortunately they intentionally turned the squier volume down compared to the fender. It really had a great sound, pitty the volume was low.
I got a squire fretless 60's vibe bass, it is by far the best jazz bass I purchased, perfect feeling neck and body
@pilummurialis6490
You betya. If you want to get as close as you can to Jaco, this Squier is it !
My super expensive Musicman fretless doesnt even get close to the Squier on Jaco.
It is one of those rare instances when "cheap price" "excellent playability" and "authentic sound" all happened together. Squier built a monster with this.
very goods reviews and by the way, i like soo much the great sense of humor of the middle aged red haired man :)
great stuff guys! awesome video really keep up the good stuff
Love the intro and both guys are great...but DAMN homeboy on the squier is a monster player
The squire has rounds because it's obviously a "Jaco signature" type jazz bass, all the way to the color and no pick guard. Jeez! DISAPPOINTING you two not catching that immediately
Great vid guys!
whats better, flatwound or tapewound?
Nathan's frown is so strong and permanent that his eye area doesn't tan
Thanks for sharing Guys✌👍👊
Have you ever demoed a fretless Alembic Spoiler, out of curiosity?
Great video.
So by the example of Jaco... I pulled the frets out of my Sterling Sub bass recently. I now have a Stingray style fretless with a maple finger board. Moved over to flatwound strings too...
It's an acquired taste, but slowly warming to it...
I have one of those squier basses, except mine is flame alder on the body somehow.
Boneless bass
Can I get uuuggghhh.....
Pino Palladino and Tony Levin use fretless Stingrays. Top players. Round sound strings all the way. I literally don’t know any fretless greats who use flat wounds. Jaco used round wound strings. They ate up his fingerboard so he used epoxy resin to strengthen his fingerboard.
There are half round wound strings available that give you a little bit of both worlds
Unreal jam
Jaco used a brand new set of Rotosound Swing Bass 66's for every gig
Some nice Brit humour lads and good feedback on the basses from a price point and tech view point. Although I live in Australia its great the internet can inform me of your store and bass reviews. At the end of the day, we all have to do our own research. I liked the Music man because i can get the Music Man sound as well as tweak it back for fretless mwah or punch, I also believe a good investment in years to come as these are rare beasts. P.S. whatever happened to Wal Basses? :)
Very nice, guys.
Is that Stingray an original from 50 years ago? If I’ve got anything remotely like a lock on the currency exchange between Great Britain and here in the USA, £2,000 is almost like the kind of price tag attached to some brand new Gibson models! (It almost sounds worth it when you get your Louis Johnson fix in.)
Fenders are good for jazzy stuff, but if you're into Pino Palladino, Mick Karn, Percy Jones, than unless you want to sell your house and kids to get a Wal, look into StingRay, Ibanez, Yamaha.
what kind of drumloop or machine are you using? great demo !
Geesh - 7 minutes to debate the difference in price between flat wounds and round wounds? Has that ever really been an issue?\
I really don't care who uses what - but flat wounds give a more upright bottom sound.
IS that the korg volca sample I hear in teh background?
Man that Ray sounded just about perfect to me, wish I had the 2 grand to drop on it
Hello you guys make great videos. I want to get a Fretless bass and I dont know anything about them. Is there anything you can't do on a fretless bass that you can fretted Bass? Is there anything you can do on a fretless that you can't do on a fretted? I know you can slide seamlessly from fret to fret and it sounds amazing but other then that I don't know thanks for the videos and for any knowledge about the Fretless bass.
Bend notes
Doing that on a fretless chews up the fretboard real good
Fretless got that 'mwaah'. Fretted is maybe easier.
Jaco used Rotosound swingbass round wounds.
Jacco Pastorius used roundwounds I believe
Luv U Guys!! Thanks for All of the Vids and Comparisons and Info... Priceless Mates! Peace from across tha way... \m/
Tell me more about the Stagg!
Jeez-have you guys heard of Gary Willis-he is the master of fretless and guess what HE USES ROUNDS! They are really the way to go on fretless
I'm a little late to this conversation but I'd say which in a way the lads were try to convey & say is buy a fretless that best suits you at that particular point in time...
There's no point in shelling out over £1200.00 upwards on a high end fretless bass if your just starting out as you may find it's not for you in large doses & they should've addressed that very simple question of sell " What's The Difference " when talking about the low to high end bass guitar's & it's simple, the quality of the products your going to have that's being used to make that particular bass guitar... Like what type of wood is used to make the body/neck/fretboard as each wood has a plus & negative & will undoubtedly be heard once you've trained your ears to hear & pick this up naturally...
Certain woods have a sharper or fatter sound when building the body out of it & again it's all the little incremental things that definitely add up to what you'll get as a sound consistently through the years that you play it...
Its down to individual taste & even though i rarely play the fretless bass anymore I'd rather buy one that I know will best serve me...
The low to mid end basses are good value for money but (especially) with fretless you want good parts that'll help keep it in tune & many a budget bass has cheaper low grade tuning pegs/bridge etc & it won't give you that high end stability when it comes to putting any bass through its paces as you continue to use it as a practice or professional instrument...
I've had top end basses & budget to mid bass guitars & some times you really have to ask yourself if your happy paying £1500 or more on a fretless or any instrument that you hardly use & for me it's a definite Yes...
I'd usually have a low end budget bass as my go to practice bass which will usually fight me a bit but that helps me for when I play on a more higher end bass & it feels like night & day between the low & high end bass guitars...
The low end bass guitars whether they are fretted or fretless are great for playing & recording in the house but as a gigging or touring bass it'll eventually fall apart on you...
Have a look at the photographs of Pino Palladino's MusicMan Stingray Fretless once he went on to use fretted bass guitars/or Sting's Ibanez Musician Fretless & you can see they've been well used & been put through the ringer but still playable in session or sideman work & you won't get that on low budget instruments...
If that's what happens to a bass that's about £2K then you can be sure a budget bass isn't going to cut it & again it's little things like that that are huge decisions to make which the lads didn't really say with regards to it being just a practice or play at the weekend bass guitar or one that's going to keep you in work for long periods of time as there really is no substitute for quality...
Yes the high end price of any instrument will knock you for 6 at first but it's the same as just choosing a good runner car for going to work & back...
Yes youll want reliability in the way you would with anything you but you'd be wasting money on high end VW (for example) just to get to work unless that's what you've always really wanted & again it comes down to preference/what you need it for overall & also can you afford it & be happy paying a lot of money for something you may or may not use alot of the time...
I've played all types of electric lead & bass guitars & yes budget to mid range are good for the money but you can't beat quality & although you might think your just buying & paying for a Brand Name, which in part is true, your also paying for tried & tested high end overall parts that'll become a particular instrument that's a musicians go to instrument...
Take all the ancillary parts that you'll need to make a long lasting bass or lead guitar like the tuners/pick ups et al & believe me when I say that in the long run a more expensive instrument whether it's fretted or fretless will serve you better than a budget fretless...
Again it depends on how much you use it & if it'll be used alot in your band or just practicing & are you ok with paying high end money if it just sits gathering dust...
I've become part player & part collector & have had low/mid to high end bass guitars & you will feel & hear the difference between each one...
Yes budget instruments have gotten a lot better overall in build & sound quality & it's down to each individual as to what they'll be happy paying & shelling out their money for...
One more thing, even if you know the bass you want & your local guitar store has it, don't just buy it without having hands on first as I've had 3 to 4 identical bass guitars in front of me which were the same brand & spec but it's not until you try them all at hands on level & how they all feel that you will know which one to buy...
I've known fellow musician friends that I've went with to the local guitar stores & they've tried out 5 of the exact same brand & spec of guitar but it didn't feel right to them & they would not buy any of those one's until another batch of the exact same guitars comes in & then they'll buy it once it feels right & I know why they do this as although you can pick each one up & play the exact piece of music on them all but you'll know once you've had hands on experience if that guitar is for you...
Enjoy...
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