Faux Fretless for $50? - Bass Flatter Review
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 кві 2023
- Flat earthers, move over. There's a new flat gang in town.
Check out the Bass Flatter here: guitarflatter.com/products/ba...
Screw Amazon! Support the channel by making a purchase on Reverb: reverb.grsm.io/fkwj4x207clt
I have merch if you want to support my channel and get something in return: amp-bass.creator-spring.com/a...
Support me on Patreon!
/ ampthebassplayer
F O L L O W
/ ampthebassplayer
/ ampthebassist
vm.tiktok.com/43LW3A/
andrewthebassplayer.wordpress...
Thank you for the demo! We are definitely working to broaden our range to 5 string bass as well… Cheers!!
Awesome! That’s great to hear!
And just a suggestion as mentioned in this video, make one for 20 frets...at least. I have two fretless basses (five and four strings) so no real need to do it for me but a lot of fretless players like to use the top 4 frets on a 20 fret bass for soloing.
You reeeeeeeally need a pbass version
Dude, this is so weird but so interesting??? The idea of adding something on top of my fretboard is weird enough, but my brain can't imagine what that material itself feels like lol
It's one of those things where I'm surprised no one had come up with it before now. The feel of the Flatter pretty similar to a pickguard, but obviously different material. Other than the lips on the side of the neck, you don't really feel it much when playing though.
DO IT
Neat! As a primarily fretless player I love anything that is going to get more people in to my instrument.
No way! I just got my hands on one of these yesterday!
All in all it’s a pretty fun gadget and worth it at the price, even as a novelty that I’ll probably never use at a gig. I get some fret buzz at the 12th feet on my D and G strings, but that could just be my set up. It also adds pretty considerable weight to the neck and makes my bass dive a little, but nothing too drastic.
I also get some buzz around that area, but I think it's something that could be mitigated with a bit more adjustment/setup. I don't think I'd use it at a gig either, but I also don't think I'd feel confident enough on a real fretless anyway lol
@@ampthebassplayer I took a fretless to gig once.... Need I say more?
I'm sure Harley Benton has a fretless jazz for like 37 euros.
yeah we dont want lead exposure KEK
good demo, thanks
Very cool indeed! I did pull the frets on one of my basses (of course one I kinda hated) and I found it surprisingly easy to get a decent result. That being said, I think I would have gone for this bass flatter thing had it been available then. And one more thing: what is that fretless Sire that Lobster sent you? Looks so dope! Did he mod it?
The Sire is beyond dope. Very nice playing bass and a filter preamp. Video all about it coming soon!
Thanks for the review! I'm with you . . .make it twenty frets long
They need to come out with 5 and 6 string versions. It sounds great in your video!
Wow. Very interesting! I wanna try one!
I will add this: I’ve pulled out the frets on around 15 basses of students. So if you wanna do THAT and make a video I’d be down lol.
The flatter is quite flattering 😊
Eyyyyy
Someone correct me if I am wrong but didn't Jaco use roundwound strings? Pretty sure he did.
yes he did.. that's why he coated the fretboard with epoxy, because the roundwound might dig into the fretboard.
But I'm pretty sure rosewood (fretboard material on most of Fender bass that time) is a pretty tough wood, so it might take little time before the fretboard gets damaged. I imagine that Jaco plays so much and that wears the fretboard...
i want a fretless sound purely to play that riff from Leverage when the con comes together
Thank you for the review . Did you raise your strings the thickness of the piece for the setup ? Looks interesting, take care .
The setup required a surprisingly small amount of adjustment given how much higher the strings end up off the fretboard, but how much adjustment yours will take will depend entirely on your preferences and how your instrument was set up before.
@@ampthebassplayer thank you
This is like the opposite of the Fiddle Fretter (which gives frets to a violin)
The grass is always greener lol
You're too precise, I would not be able to tell you're playing fretless if you weren't explicitly told us 🤣
Damm. I knew Flatwounds were higher tension than their roundwound counterparts but being able to go down to a B with only a 110 feels almost like cheating. They also sound tight and punchy and not floppy at all. Guess I'll have to throw in a set to try when time to restring comes.
Yeah, I was really surprised it worked as well as it did. Feels way better than expected.
I play fretless bass, both unlined and lined. Do you feel the frets under the flatter? Usually on a true fretless, you would play right on the fret (Or fret lines if it has them) to play in proper intonation, using your ears to further keep your playing in tune. Does this device require the same skill set/approach, or does it just simulate the sound of a fretless?
The only thing you feel is the smooth surface of the device. It’s not exactly the same feel as a real fretless, but you would use the same approach/technique.
Anyone have an idea if/when this will be created for P-bass necks?
I got the fretless itch a couple years ago and decided to scratch it by doing the fret pulling and epoxy filling conversion to an old bass I had. It was fun for a couple weeks but then I switched back to fretted and haven’t touched it since. I think it’s a hard instrument to play well and the tone doesn’t easily fit into a lot of the music styles that I like to play. I still think fretless is cool and respect those who play it but I just don’t think it’s an instrument for me.
But now you know! Sometimes trying stuff out for yourself is the only way.
Interesting. Would it work on short scale?
Probably not? But I would message them directly and see. As far as I can tell, these are designed very specifically to fit 34" scale basses with 1.5” wide nuts.
I ripped out the frets on three of my basses, and found it worked great. Just slap on a veneer and some lacquer, and Bob's your uncle...
Dude I have to try this. I've been looking at getting a fretless bass but this may give me a taste of fretless without getting a whole other bass. Edit: nevermind, I have a p bass with a 1.75in nut width...
Bummer! What you might look into is a Harley Benton fretless. They have a Reverb store so you could probably get one from there for pretty cheap.
@@ampthebassplayer thanks for the recommendation! I'll give it a look
A gimmick, but little more. Something you might give to your bassist friend for their birthday that you never see them play on stage.
So, if the round wound strings dug into the nut so deep the strings broke, it seems this device is made of VERY, VERY, VERY soft plastic, meaning it will wear quickly and badly.
CONS!! Only PARTIALLY covers neck, Without Flexibilty for Roundwounds, Also 5,6, Longer Fretboards...
Oh I thought it was gonna be a pedal :D
They do have a fretless pedal on the Zoom. I'm kicking myself now for not including it here!
Just bought a cheap fretless bass.
Or you could swell yer balls and pull the frets out of your five string Yamaha! Anybody who owns 5 or more basses should defret one JUST FOR THE AWFUL BUT ENLIGHTENING EXPERIENCE!
🤣🤘