Fretless Vs. Fretted U-Bass

[@andrewblawson]

Love the fretless. Has a really cool upright sound in a small body.

[@stephencoxbass]

It's nice that it looks like a mini upright, too!

[@prestonh.4436]

JUST IN TIME! I’ve been looking at the fretless Gold Tone MicroBass.. it’s likes a Stratocaster sized U-bass...about 23".. perfect timing! P.S I think this is the best editing Ive ever seen you do! Great job!

[@stephencoxbass]

Thank you! I switched to a new computer recently and started using a different program. Good luck picking a fretless! I bet it will sound great!

[@garysloan9793]

Agreed, great editing

[@JoeMurphysGuitarlessons]

Good video Steve

[@stephencoxbass]

Thanks Joe!

[@skywipe1949]

Fretless one sounds pretty nice.

[@stephencoxbass]

It's not bad, I might start playing it more!

[@TooSlowTube]

@Brandon Guillermo Spam, promoting a scam. Reported - again.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

Great video man! I was thimking of getting one of these, and you have pushed me over the edge 😌 I have needed a ubass for years.

[@stephencoxbass]

Cool! Which model were you thinking about? Thanks for watching!

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

@@stephencoxbass I was looking at the Cala ubass-2fl, or something in that range. I’m certainly open to a recommendation of what you think as far as which has the best pick up in the price range.

[@michaelmeers8333]

@@ShawnBrockMusic I am in the same boat. @stephencoxbass makes it difficult with all the awesome videos for my indecisiveness to torture myself with. Currently weighting the Ebony Fretless with the Bamboo, Spalted Maple and Journeyman. I am curious of the models with the best electronics and upright sound.

[@3581tossit]

Kala Scout is a great recently introduced option. Your reviews are the best. Thanks!

[@stephencoxbass]

Thank you! I have a review video on the Fretless version of the Scout: Fretless Scout U-Bass Demo and Review kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5-soGmpqrOaY9k Thanks for watching!

[@DanielECulbertson]

I just gave in and ordered a fretless Aklot u-bass from Amazon. I read a lot of good reviews, so I'm hopeful it will arrive in playable condition. I'm completely new to playing the bass, but I have a pretty good ear, so I don't think I'll have a problem with it being fretless. Now I just have to wait for three days until it's delivered! Can't wait to get started! 😁

[@stephencoxbass]

Congratulations on the Aklot! How is it so far? I have a double neck from them that’s pretty cool. Thanks for watching!

[@DanielECulbertson]

@stephencoxbass The aklot is great! Well built, holds it's tuning, and the strings are much better than I expected (I expected them to feel "sticky" after reading a lot of reviews and comments, but that isn't the case). My only problem is that my job has been working me overtime for months now, and I don't really have quality time to practice playing it. I pretty much go from sleeping to working, then back to sleeping again. Hopefully I'll get more free time to devote to practicing soon, since it's a great instrument and lots of fun to play! 🙂

[@emericklamontagne3652]

Fretless, you gotta be directly spot on for a clean note. With frets, wherever your finger is between the metal frets you'll still have a clean note. Great tutorial. Aloha from Hawaii.

[@stephencoxbass]

Very true! Aloha! Thanks for watching!

[@Anthony-cw8bt]

It's easy to tell who is all about the bass. Great video

[@stephencoxbass]

😂 Thank you! Cheers!

[@crystalwaveable]

I have the Kala Fretted U-Bass with the rubber Road Toad Pahoehoe strings and it seems like a good mix (not that I've tried any other strings). Fretted but I find for me they slide really easily and smoothly over the frets giving a taste of fretless.

[@stephencoxbass]

I like those strings a lot too! I've only gotten to play on them a handful of times, but they have a very nice tone and not as much string noise as some of the other polyurethane alternatives. Thanks for watching!

[@smdias65]

Thanks, Stephen. I've never tried a fretless bass before; I've always wondered what it would be like.

[@stephencoxbass]

You’re welcome. They are fun if your ear can keep you in tune! Thanks for watching!

[@robbieferrero]

I love my kala fretless... one other note is that, mine at least, there seems to be more string/finger noise when compared to recordings I've heard from fretted versions. I changed my strings and that helped quite a bit

[@stephencoxbass]

I feel fretless has less noise...it might be the strings if that was the case.

[@robbieferrero]

@@stephencoxbass It most likely was, in part, due to the strings. They were the original pahoehoe road toad strings that came on the kala (which sound wonderful acoustically). I replaced it with thundergut reds and it helped with some of the specific noises I had before. It was really only when using the onboard electronics (it picked up the lightest touch of any finger to any string, left or right hand), when mic'd it wasn't nearly as noticeable.

[@stephencoxbass]

@@robbieferrero I feel like all of the U-Basses, fretted or fretless pick up all of the string noise. I turn the treble down on the pickup to help a bit with that. With the Shadow pickup it's a bit tougher to get rid of, but the controls on an amp can help. Cheers!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@UCOnQKMdXeLtaolWHpnHAbIA You know what, Round Wound or Flatwound Bass Uke Strings have a Nylon core so their tension is fairly low.

[@monke-fs7di]

my left ear really enjoyed this

[@stephencoxbass]

Oh no, was this one of the videos I forgot to make stereo? Sorry for that if so. Thanks for watching!

[@haroldbeck4351]

I love my fretted U bass. My hand-joint issues are such that I have to play it with a pick (thin picks work well I think). Fretless U-Bass-type basses interest me. Any thoughts on how they might sound played with a pick? It's hard to find a store where I can try one out for myself. Thanks Stephen or anybody else who can offer good advice...

[@stephencoxbass]

I think they would sound fine with a pick as long as your left hand can hold the note down enough not to buzz. Not that that aspect is any harder on fretless than fretted, really. Thanks for watching!

[@brucifer2000]

Great job! I like what you told us newbies, lol!

[@stephencoxbass]

Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@TheWeekendYogurt]

Can you use strings like thunder reds on a Fretless without issue?

[@TooSlowTube]

Not wishing to seem picky, but the first 45 seconds is all only on the left channel. On my right ear only earpiece, which I normally use for KZbin, it was totally silent. I thought it was broken.

[@stephencoxbass]

Thanks for letting me know. Unfortunately it's too late for this one. When I switched to a different video editing software, it didn't convert the mono track to a stereo track automatically. I must have learned how to fix it after this one was made. I hope you were still able to enjoy it anyway. Thanks for watching!

[@TooSlowTube]

@@stephencoxbass I used different heaphones, once I figured it out. My ears don't match though - my left one has very little treble, but more bass response, so I've now watched it twice, once for each ear. I like the fretless. Ideally, I'd like a solid bodied electric fretless bass uke, but anything fretless is harder to find.

[@ichivan808]

I'm planning to use an epoxy coating for my fretless ubass, i hope that it would work with the kala roundwounds. One more problem is that my ubass has no trussrod 🙁

[@stephencoxbass]

That might work...I put flat wounds on the fretless on this video...it's a bit strange, but it still works. It also lacks a truss rod.

[@ichivan808]

@@stephencoxbass finally got the kala roundwounds, unfortunately my 70$ ubass can't handle the tension, the bodywood between the hole and the bridge sank a few degrees concavely. And tuning stability sucked, it keeps on getting flat, is this an issue with kala rounds even with better ubasses?

[@stephencoxbass]

@@ichivan808 This is not an issue with U-Basses with truss rods. I did have some of those issues when I put flats on my fretless that also lacks a truss rod. I think the tuning issue is related to the string tension curving the neck. I'm sorry to hear it didn't work well.

[@jaytc3218]

Studio engineers have a name for the fretless bass: the Guessing Stick.

[@stephencoxbass]

That makes sense if there are no fret markers 😂 Thanks for watching!

[@jaytc3218]

@@stephencoxbass I love the fretless bass. I just can’t play it well!

[@gregurythrower9815]

Great information. Thank you. What about fretting finger pressure? I've heard that fretless is a little easier on your fretting hand. True or false? (I have basal thumb arthritis.)

[@stephencoxbass]

With the polyurethane strings, it's really fairly similar. My guess would be if one was worse at all, it might be the fretless, but it's really hard to say. I think you will be fine either way.

[@gregurythrower9815]

@@stephencoxbass Thanks for the reply!

[@SethIzenzon]

Great Video on the differences. I couldn't really hear a difference in this video but that could just be me. So I guess because of the lack of a truss rod, you are going to keep the Gut string on it? Did you also figure out what the XLR output was for? Just curious. See you for Thursdays's live stream.

[@stephencoxbass]

Thank you! As far as the XLR, I think it's just another output that might send a stronger signal. I still have yet to use it, come to think of it...I might still try putting the flat wounds on it eventually, but I'm prepared for the worst, so I may leave the Thunderguts for a good while first. The only real difference between the two instruments is that the slides on the frets have a little more bite to them while the slides are smoother and more continuous on the fretted models. See you on Thursday! Cheers.

[@OttosTheName]

Typically XLR outputs are balanced. Instead of a signal and a ground you have a signal, an inverted signal and the ground. The benefit of that is that you can use super long cables but the cable doesn't pick up noise at all, bc it's cancelled out by the 2 'mirrored' signal wires. If that makes sense. That's why mics, DI's and mixers often use balanced signals, sometimes using TRS jacks, but typically using XLR jacks.

[@skraegorn7317]

Fretless one would probably also benefit from flat wound strings. I just wish flatwound U-bass strings weren’t so dang hard to find

[@stephencoxbass]

I agree! Without the truss rod on mine, I'm not sure if it can handle that extra tension, but if I get a fretless Kala, I plan on having flat wounds on it. Cheers!

[@materiagrezza9331]

@@stephencoxbass Harley Benton makes affordable Fretless U-Basses.

[@UnderfedShmuck]

I was so confused for a minute, only had my right headphone on and the silence had me very confused

[@stephencoxbass]

There are just a few videos on this channel I forgot to double the audio for stereo playback when editing...I guess this was one of them. Sorry for the confusion. Thanks for watching!

[@jimcummings4712]

Which do you like better?

[@stephencoxbass]

The Kala is better quality, but I love the way the other one looks. As far as fretless or fretted in general? Most of the time fretted works best, but fretless with flat wounds is fun.

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

So the Kala Bakithi UBass might be an easier one to learn fretless because of the lines? Is that correct?

[@stephencoxbass]

Most of the Kalas (maybe even all of them) have lines. The lines definitely make it easier.

[@anapaolaizquierdo]

Is that te Chinese fretless that buzzed? Could you finally fix it? Or is it another one? If it is the same one, here it sounds pretty cool.

[@stephencoxbass]

It's the same one. I fixed some of the buzz: a big part of it was the battery compartment rattling, so I lined it with tissue. I put a small piece of the packing material under the groove of the A string at the nut, and that helped as well. I think it's hit or miss with that kind of stuff...hopefully yours won't have those issues. Thanks for watching!

[@anapaolaizquierdo]

Thanks a lot for your answers. I’ll keep you posted as soon as it arrives :D

[@anapaolaizquierdo]

And if it comes with a buzz I’ll try what you did! Thanks.

[@stephencoxbass]

@@anapaolaizquierdo You're welcome! I hope you enjoy it!

[@TalvezLau]

If i want a fretless U-bass, but i can't really find one, can i Just convert a fretted to Fretless on a luthier?

[@stephencoxbass]

I know many bassists remove the frets on full scale basses and fill the gaps in with some sort of glue/putty...I'm sure it would work on a U-bass as well, but it takes lots of work.

[@TalvezLau]

@@stephencoxbass Thank you

[@A-Wa]

Damm now I can’t decide haha fretless sounds so good but I think I will be off all the time

[@stephencoxbass]

It definitely takes practice to stay in tune on fretless. Thanks for watching!

[@joshd1071]

God Christ Jesus bless you both, I pray you can have a wonderful relationship with Jesus my messiah :" ) love you both

[@Stick3x]

Which brand is your fretless on this demo?

[@stephencoxbass]

This was purchased from an Amazon shop that called it a "Musoo" or something like that. It is a Chinese brand, so I'm not entirely sure.

[@thewonkyembouchure]

My very similar-looking fretless Batking has a truss rod; previous iterations didn't (purchased Dec 2023). Batking is owned by Musoo.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@UCOnQKMdXeLtaolWHpnHAbIA The Fretted is a little bit easier to play because you can see where the notes are.

[@stephencoxbass]

Indeed, it takes a good ear to play a fretless in tune.

[@TheSpeenort]

I tried looking for those strings, no luck so far.

[@stephencoxbass]

Have you had more luck since then? I know there was a shortage for awhile. Thanks for watching!

[@TheSpeenort]

@@stephencoxbass Got'em

[@stephencoxbass]

@@TheSpeenort Great!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

The Fretless isn't as big in versatility as a Fretted Bass.

[@stephencoxbass]

I guess this is true in the sense that the fretted is used much more in popular music. There are a lot of really cool fretless melodies in songs, though.

[@pwhite102]

What was that first song? It sounds so familiar and would be fun to learn :)

[@stephencoxbass]

It's something I made up, but it's kind of similar to some other songs.

[@catvoncrimson666]

Fretless one sounds very upright like.

[@stephencoxbass]

I agree, and it looks slightly more similar to one, too!

[@GrowWithGuitar]

Interesting. Super hard to find a fretless electric bass and it costs a lot more haha.

[@stephencoxbass]

I ordered this one off of Amazon from China...it took forever to get here, but it was about $150. Cheers!

[@chivo2808]

@@stephencoxbass what brand is It???

[@stephencoxbass]

@@chivo2808 Musoo or something like that on Amazon. The sticker on the headstock said Jacques, though. It's kind of confusing.

[@tyrbjrn487]

What name brand and model is that fretless?

[@stephencoxbass]

I'm not exactly sure, it was on an Amazon store called "Musoo," but mine had a sticker on the headstock that said "Jacques." Most of the others I've seen just have a blank headstock. I hope that helps. Cheers!

[@mogaos5676]

ooo hi again....ive founded

[@stephencoxbass]

Hello again

[@mogaos5676]

@@stephencoxbass your play is good, have ever try to cover a song with a bass?

[@stephencoxbass]

I often have. If you go through videos on my channel from more than 3 years ago, I used electric bass and upright bass a lot more than recently. Cheers!

[@mogaos5676]

@@stephencoxbass good job bro, do you still live stream on saturday?

[@stephencoxbass]

@@mogaos5676 Thank you! My live streams are on Thursday nights now.

[@callmelebonbon5425]

i clicked on here only to tell you the thumbnail is infuriating keep up the good music tho

[@stephencoxbass]

I'm not even sure what you mean by infuriating. I wasn't aware that a thumbnail could inspire such anger. What would make it less infuriating?

[@callmelebonbon5425]

the words fretless and fretted are over their opposites its such a minor thing but it give me the anger

[@stephencoxbass]

Oh, ok...that's something I can fix. Thanks for letting me know. Cheers!

[@stephencoxbass]

Is that better?

[@criticaltheist3992]

@@callmelebonbon5425 lolololololol, at first I thought you meant the face he made on the thumbnail