h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

How many notable bass guitar players regularly use a fretless bass? Did Pastorius go fretless?

Jaco virtually invented the fretless (he pulled the frets out of a Fender Jazz and generally favoured the DIY approach). Jack Bruce (Cream) also liked to play fretless.
Sting was a big fan a for some years and sometimes even used an upright electric bass (fretless by its nature). My all time favourite bass is the Fichter Bass. Also an electric doble bass.

Jaco -- I thought so, although I didn't know he'd performed surgery on a regular fretboard. That rich sliding sound ...

And now that you mention it, I recollect that upright stick-shaped thing Sting used in the latter days of the Police.

Have you played or do you play fretless yourself? Is it more difficult?

There are quite a few known players who use a fretless regularly. In the early years of rock, you just didn't hear much because the bass player was generally ignored. I think Les Claypool (Primus) would have to be given credit for bringing the fretless into the spotlight. Other notables include Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel and countless others) Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam). You can also hear fretless basses turning up on all sorts of commercials and such, although it's hard to say who played them.

I myself have been playing a fretless for the last 6 years or so, and have made it my primary instrument. While there are still alot of things that work better with frets, I just love the smooth growl of a fretless.

I've also considered going fretless,there are times when you just need a smooth sweep up (or down) the neck.I have recently been checking out various fretless and like a couple with inlayed fret markers which help me keep track of my non too deft fingers

Oh crikey, I need the inlays even WITH frets, on classical guitar!

Classical guitar thats a whole new ball game(am I playing it wrong?)
I'm in the process of teaching myself a few chords etc but old dogs and new tricks its a slow process.

Baldy Bassman.

I bought a 12 string in order to learn a few chords to make it easier to Jam with a guitarist, the only problem is that you learn textbook style and they all play lazy guitarist style. The chord that he holds down bears little resemblence to the one that you've learned!! They're all egocentrical bastards anyway. You'll appreciate this. I used to play in a band with a guitarist who was a body builder. If I had a quid for every time I caught him looking at his reflection in the mirror behind the bar........

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I'm sure you're not. Ugly is as ugly does, to borrow from the great Forrest Gump.

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Budgar.

At least you're only ugly - I'm Fat and Ugly too!!

One of my fave pieces of fretless was on a song called '39 from Queen's A Night At The Opera, check it out.

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Another prominent fretless player (in the UK at least) was Pino Palladino - owner of everything an 80's pop bassist needed:

1:- a fretless bass

b:- a strap several inches too short for comfort (see also Mark King)

iii:- a collection of very shiny suits

four:- a Paul-Harcastle perm

E:- an 'exotic' name

And also Mark Egan.... lesser known master of the "slidy stick" who has done a lot of quality work with loads of latino types. Mark Egan used to work with an Alembic double-necked bass which combined a five-string bass with a fretless four-string. Add that to the RedHead (SWR?) combo that he used, and the effect was fantastic.

If I remember rightly he had a tendency to use arpeggios and chord shapes when playing the fretless and then used to slide them around on the fretboard. Sometimes you'd think there were two or three instruments harmonising. Really sweet.

If you come across any of the stuff he did check it out.

And he had hair that poodles wanted to mate with.

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Due to the overwhelming ammont of conversations that I subscribe to as an A.C.E. and active member of the Musician's Guild, I'm having to Unsubscribe to older unanswered messages (Currently running at about 130 messages!! . This doesn't mean I don't want to talk to you.

If you wish to contact me, go to my Space at U47285 and press the "Discuss This Entry" Button. Leave a message and I'll get back to you.

Thanks and 42.

Bassman

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There was a session Bassist on the Birmingham circuit a few years ago (occassionally popped up in Manchester too), top bloke, genuinely nice guy, name of Roger Innes, always smiling - plays (usually) 6-string fretted, or dual neck 5-string (one fretted, one fretless) and occassionally experimented with a trad.double bass...absolutley astounding, mostly kept to the jazz/blues circuit but he seemed to have dissappeared when I came back from Uni.
I used to delight in watching the band's and the audiences reactions when, near the end of a set if the people didn't know him they'd finally let him have a solo... you've never seen so many jaws on so many floors in your life - if anyone knows where he's ended up:

(a) Go See Him!

(b) Go Talk To Him (he'll talk to anyone, even me)!

(c) Tell me where he is, so I can come!

Cheers,

daSilva (Mr.)