Fretless versus Fretted

[funkyjazzjunky]

With most basses, a fretless bass gives the player subtle tonal advantages.  The notes seem to blossom more on a fretless.  Is this true with Alembic fretless bass as well?  
 
I ask because fretted Alembics sound wonderful.  Does the fretless Alembic have an advantage?

[olieoliver]

I used to strictly play nothing but fretless and still do some. While I personaly don't own an Alembic fretless (yet)I have played Waynes Fretless S-2 and it is without a doubt the most awesome fretless I've ever played.  
 
Great fretless tone and smooth note transitions but so much more clear that most fretless basses.  
 
Olie

[white_cloud]

I used to play fretless a lot as well but became fed up after my sound usually disapeared in the mix live!
 
One of the very best fretless sounds that I have heard live was from one of our very own members - Jacko and his fretless rogue!
 
A simply great sounding fretless bass that punched its way through the mix with (apparent) ease!
 
If that is a common example of what fretless Alembics sound like (and Im sure it is) then I would imagine that there isnt much else available that would be superior.
 
John.

[keith_h]

I'm very happy with my fretless Orion. It turned out better than I had hoped. It has plenty of MWAH and growl. With the Q-switch on I can even get a fairly decent slapping sound out it.  
 
Keith

[dadabass2001]

I'm sure there's at least one cut on James Taylor's October Road CD where Jimmy Johnson plays fretless.
I have been playing my fretless Epic the majority of the time for the last year at least, and while I'm not great at it, I'm good enough to know it's the real thing for tone. I'm still getting new insights into how to play it effectively. My Epic is stock bass / treble controls, and I echo Keith's statement. MWAH and growl are both in there, also a very nice upright kind of sound.
Mike

[keurosix]

Yes!
I love my Epic 5 string fretless. I added the filter & 3 pos Q swith mod, and it really smiles!
I think the set neck has a real warm tone and actually adds a great deal to the sound. When I change guitars from my fretted 6 string Europa to the Epic, the sound is uniform, almost the same, except for the obvious fretless quality.
I do EQ differently, and add delay/chorus, but can expect the same excellent tonality and familiarity to my signature Alembic sound.
Kris

[jacko]

Thanks for the words John. I've been playing fretless off and on since I started playing and the rogue is easily the best i've ever had. Plays like silk (as you'll find out in April) and with the 'Q' and filter has as much or as little punch as I want. With big tuna, I'm not using her in a traditional fretless way e.g. pino palladino, as the music is quite agressive but she still has that fretless feel. I think Alembic basses whether fretless or fretted are pretty unique and wil always stand out from the crowd, no matter what music is being played.
 
graeme

[keurosix]

I can add some more input here. Compared to my Dean Edge 6 string fretless, my Epic is so much more alive. The Dean is a bolt on maple neck with walnut pinstripe laminates, and ebony fingerboard. The body is bass wood or something similar. Not a special sound. You have to fight to get a special tone out of it. The Epic however, has a maple set neck with ebony finger board and a mahogany body with Wenge top. There is a superior sound that emanates from the Epic, and quite a noticible acoustic vibe that comes right off the front of the body. It can be felt as well as heard. Obviously due to the superior build quality. But then when you add the Alembic electronics, it will bury other guitars. I did own the John Judge double neck years back, and that was a Series 2 body build with Series 1+ electronics. While some might argue Series electronics are best, I feel the neck-thru design had such a clean sound, it may have been too clean for fretless. I really prefer the beefy midrange sound of the Epic set neck to the Series neck thru for fretless. It's sound character mimicks an upright bass, but without the tremendous acoustic chamber to drag around.
Kris

[slawie]

I play my fretless at all the gigs I have had or will have. There was a time where I had auditioned and the band members had some concern at the beginning asking whether the primary instrument would be the fretless. By the time the audition was over I had the job and they had the learnt a lesson in tonal dynamics. Intonation is most important and when it is done right it is hard for the punters to pick the difference between fretted and fretless. Below is a picture of my primary instrument.
Slawie

[David Houck]

Beautiful bass!  I like the non-standard position of the selector switch.

[olieoliver]

That is a very nice Bass Slawie.  
 
I would play my 78 Musicman fretless more often but it needs some dire fretboard work (years of roundwound strings took it's toll).  
It was my sole axe from 1978 until the early 90's. Durung that time I played everything from Heavy Metal, Country, Funk, Jazz....and never had a complaint about sound or intonation.  
 
OO

[rolty]

I play fretless only and until  recently have been using a stingray for quite a while...
Moving to an Alembic has been a REVELATION! The clarity and ability of the notes to cut through a mix even at a lower volume than before is hard to believe... the other band members are constantly commenting on how tight and clear the bass sounds now, the low notes are so articulate and the high end just sings, there is NO way I am going back from my S2 now...(anybody wanna nice fretless Stingray?)
Of course fretless instruments demand some input to learn to get the intonation just right, but its so worth it in the long run, the limitations of the instrument are just raised so much, you can be more accurate without frets as they are only an approximation at the end of the day, and you can compensate for slight changes in tuning etc on the fly... I would say its completely worth the effort if you're up for it!

[bsee]

Alright, not too get too far off track in this love-fest, but I have to disagree with the initial premise.  A fretless does not inherently and objectively have any tonal advantage over a fretted bass.  There are clearly tonal and playability differences between the two, but they only become advantages or disadvantages when compared to the player's skills and sonic goal.  
 
As far as the Alembic fretless vs the garden variety, I have played only very few and for short  periods of time.  The Alembic pickups and electronics package provide an advantage over everything else on the planet if clarity and accuracy are the sonic goals.  The wood and construction selections seem also to be important considerations.  Neck-through Alembics are built for great sustain, and often with dense woods to enhance that further.  If that's not an appealing characteristic in your fretless tone, you may need to go with a set-neck model and/or select the woods accordingly.  Flats on a fretless with an ebony nut and bridge saddles create a unique and powerful tone.
 
Other than Alembic, I have really liked Zon and Pedulla for fretless tones.  I'd still pick the Alembic first by a significant margin.
 
-bob

[hb3]

I like Pedullas. The bass on Paul Simon's Graceland album is a good demo.

[mica]

With a fretless, if you can hear the right note, you can play the right note. Coming from years of piano, I really cringe at the tempered scale. You can pull up to a quarter tone on a fretted bass depending on how hard you fret and where your action is set, and really good players do this without even thinking about it.  
 
When I grow up someday, I will be a five-string fretless player. It's still going to be a while until that happens.