This is just a nerdy music update. A few months back I realized that I needed a second five-string bass. What if my existing one broke or was stolen? I needed to have something I could swap in and perform with. But it would also be nice if the B-bass brought something new and interesting to the table.
So I bought a fretless bass. The neck has lines and markers, but no frets. It’s also made by a manufacturer that’s pretty new to me. It’s an ESP LTD B-205SM to be exact. It’s got an ash body with a spalted maple top, a five-piece maple/jatoba neck, and a rosewood fingerboard. Pretty, isn’t it?
I’ve never played a fretless bass before. I’ve always been intimidated by them. Like, maybe I’d have to re-learn how to play on it. I’d pick it up on day one and be terrible. I’d have to laboriously climb my way out of the pit of suck that I created for myself.
But the truth is, it wasn’t that bad. I played it, and only it, for a few weeks. Then I did a whole set of music with it that was broadcast live and also recorded. It was totally fine. I did have to get to know it a little first. I’m pretty sure I intonated it wrong at the bridge. I just made it so that the right notes were right about where I would fret them on my fretted bass, touching but still mostly behind the line. But it works for me.
It reminds me also of a lot of music I have listened to that uses fretless bass. Lady In Red by Chris DeBurgh. Every Time You Go Away famously recorded by Paul Young but written by…Daryl Hall! In both of these cases the bass player was the incredible Pino Paladino. And also, some of the early Police records were recorded when Sting was using a fretless.
The bass isn’t perfect, mind you. But as a secondary backup bass I think it’s great. Sure, the battery compartment cover is screwed on and it does weigh almost 9.5 pounds, but it looks great, sounds great, and is a lot of fun to play.