Let's put it this way ... At the time I wanted to order a fretless Alembic to go along with the Epic, but funds were lacking. I've been playing mostly jazz these last few years, and unless you're Steve Swallow, I don't think fretted (let alone a pick) is an option. Those frets DO get in the way.
So I had the Epic defretted - and it was nice to notice that as much as the 'articulation' had changed, the 'tone of voice' was still much the same. - One thing that was always a problem was to lay down a great big fat blooming sustaining note on the E string, which after the defret job is no longer a problem - but of course the TI Jazz Flats might have a thing or two to do with that.
A year later, a pre-loved Spoiler came into view, so I'm happy to say I can pick fretted or fretless.
