A Bassist Pondering Over Fretless Basses During “Stay Home”

Hello.
I am Mieno, bassist of the Hammond organ instrumental trio BANANA NEEDLE.

The other day, I was organizing my equipment because I had a lot of time on my hands, and I found a fretless guitar that I bought 15 years ago.

I haven't changed the strings since I bought it, so the strings are also 15 years old.

I have been crazy busy practicing rhythm and songs… it’s not that I have been that busy, but I’m also not very good at it so it has been quietly tucked away in its case.

Recently, I have seen some people talking about fretless instruments on Twitter, so I tuned my guitar up and tried to play it....

I tuned it up with trepidation, and when I played it... it was fun!

I think I have heard that the fretless bass is said to be the sexiest instrument in the world.

Since it is such a mellow and sexy instrument, the guitar woos me when I play melodies.

The day I put some reverb on you, my love!

You completely intoxicate me and put me into a trance.

For bassists, I think playing melodies is a high hurdle for bassists.

In fact, I don’t even play melodies on stage.

Having said that, I think there are many people who are not motivated by just practicing bangin’ bass lines in their rooms.

Nowadays, we have to be careful about going into a studio and playing along with others.

It's times like this when it's easy to get carried away with your playing.

Ibanez / SRH500F NNF

Also, there are semi-hollow instruments, which have a partial hollow body.

They sound louder and more acoustic than regular instruments, so they are perfect for lazy bassists like me who don’t feel like plugging into an amp!

And, more importantly, I feel like I can get more into the zone without an amp.

I don't have to worry about fine pitch or anything like that.

I mean, they sell Sadowsky fretless basses!

SADOWSKY / Metroline Express Vintage JJ Bass Black Pearl High Polish

Acoustic bass is also good!

GRASS ROOTS / G-AC-BASS-FL Fretless Acoustic Bass

If you are going to put it through an amp or headphones, reverb and delay will make you completely enamored with this bass.

One Control / PRUSSIAN BLUE REVERB

Effects Bakery / French Bread Delay Guitar Effects Delay

When you are in your groove, you will want to practice more and more, so it’s sure to make your home time more enjoyable!

When you want to add a little something extra when you’re trying to get into the zone, I recommend adding a little distortion.

BOSS / BB-1X Bass Driver Bass Preamp

The BB-1X Bass Driver will extend the sustain and make it easier to play a slide that just easily glides on the fretless fretboard.

By the way, I also recommend a fretless bass for pop and rock ensembles because it allows for a mellow and sticky performance, as well as for regular bass lines.

Get used to it during lockdown, and surprise everyone when you go into the studio with them ^ ^.
Come back again soon!

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