Ibanez Portamento - Piezo fretless tones

The SRF705 Portamento with the Aero-Silk Piezo System: which allows this fretless bass to have the potential of sounding like an Upright Double Bass.
In this review I go over all of the tone configurations and control combinations. My personal favorite, as you will see, is the Piezo system all the way on with both the PU's. I believe this bass sounds the best when all of the equipment is being used to its full capacity.
I hope you all enjoy this review. Perhaps it'll help you decide whether or not the Portamento is the bass for you!
Link to bass guitar: amzn.to/32g4p9A
Thanks!

[@bobster110]

This is a well done and comprehensive review the SRF705. All the tonal options make it complex to demo. Great job!

[@deuxconsprod]

Thank you so much for being some comprehensive ! It's probably the best review I've ever seen for any instrument on the basis alone of you being so thorough and methodical

[@allanploth6031]

Thanks for taking the time to do a great overview of the bass's sonic range. Big help. 🤘

[@calchase]

This was super helpful to me. I just gelled with this bass today after owning it for a few months. I had to keep at it, and now it clicks. Sussing out the nobs by watching this vid was capital! Thanks!!

[@YevZakharov]

Glad that you were able to fine tune the sound. I just recently made a video with this same bass but with diff strings. Sounds a bit diff (better in my opinion) you should check it out. It might make playing the bass even better.

[@BrianPellerin]

Thank you for making this video comparing tones. These SRF70X basses are amazing and your video helps me understand mine.

[@fredsmooth4734]

I been thinking about getting this bass, thanks for the nice review !!

[@YevZakharov]

Hey, I'm glad I could help! I'd recommend this bass to anyone looking for a versatile fretless.

[@bak1386]

Gorgeous bass. I love the sound and look, I would really like to have 1 of these someday

[@YevZakharov]

You know, almost 5 years later, it is still an amazing bass. I feel like it sounds even better today than it did out of the box.

[@matdan7462]

Thanks for the review... I just bought this bass and so far I'm pretty happy with it...

[@YevZakharov]

That's awesome man! The bass is very versatile. You're guaranteed to get whatever sound you're looking for. Even more possibilities if you try different strings! Im about to put on some semi-flats. To see if I can find a happy median.

[@matdan7462]

+Yev Sakharov ... Well for now Im going get to know her...happy

[@patrickr12342]

Good presentation, honest and the sound is in the focus. Thumbs up ,brother. Keep the groove and god bless.

[@Saxoprane]

Well done, now i want one !

[@MysteriousCactus01]

Great review. And sound is top ❤

[@steveshadforth]

great review, helped me decide

[@charlesdriver2402]

After 4yrs, this review is still quite relevant. I'm close to pulling the trigger on the SRF6! I Appreciate the tonal variations. I would Love to see a vari-mid control for the humbuckers. IMO, the mids are so important on a fretless. I suppose I can depend on my outboard eq.... Thanks for the great demo!

[@SM-ym8ww]

Nicely done. Very informative. Thanks.

[@RVADrummer]

Great video brother!

[@snewonhoj]

Brother this is a great video thanks for your examples with the bass sounds i like. I have one in the layaway right now this video assured me I'm making the right decision. I'm naturally not an upright or fretless player but when I heard has sound of this bass, I became very excited to explore the tones it has in some of the music that I play

[@YevZakharov]

Thanks!

[@ErikHawk]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@enriquebreton2473]

Good video thank you I love this bass

[@phxphil1]

Great overview and some nice riffs. I also bought an SRF-705, and have tried it with flats, round wounds, and finally settled on nylon tape wounds. You are right about the dynamic range of this bass, not to mention the low B string, and long neck, add to the available tonal range.

[@acidlip]

How do the tape wounds sound? Are they flat or round wound? Thanks.

[@YevZakharov]

Paul, to answer your question, as far as I know; flat wounds, ribbon, and tape wounds all refer to the same type of string. In this particular video, I'm using flat wounds (ribbon wounds). IMO, however, rounds sounds a bit better. But that's a whole diff subject lol

[@pirrungon]

i tried it today at sam ash... man it was mind blowing. since the moment i got it in my hands i felt it melted like butter in my fingers and became part of myself. it gave me this tremendous feeling of freedom and ease. i guess some of that feeling probably comes from the fact that im not a regular fretless player, but still the feeling was amazing. afterwards i switched for the 5-string fender american jazz bass, which is an awesome bass that i love. i felt the fender jazz bass was so heavy, grumpy and somewhat tough (although one of my favorites) compared to the swiftness, sleekness and maneuverability of the portamento. the smooth feeling on the fretboard with flatwounds, the variety of the tones from the piezo system... this bass is a work of art in my opinion. i hope santa brings this one for me on xmas haha.

[@sfmag1]

Helpful.Good job.

[@paulklement4511]

ordered one yesturday;; cant wait to plug it to the amp; getting bored of my fretless jazzbass; nice review bro

[@PeneDuro69]

If you are looking for a real review this is it, this is exactly how it sounds, I even came back after getting the bass just to compare, great review helped a lot, don't lose more time and buy it!

[@YevZakharov]

Wow, thanks!

[@YevZakharov]

Randy Clere Yes, that bumpy honk sound can be achieved. I would imagine putting the bridge PU all the way up and blending in some piezo PU volume will do the trick.

[@josephconnell9675]

Thank you for this informative and helpful video. I just got a 5 string portamento & I love it! Your video saved me a lot of time trying to learn the settings. What is the name of the song you used to demonstrate the settings? It's a good practice recording and I'd like to get a copy.

[@AlessandroMeneghini89]

Looks great! Thanks for the review!

[@olymoon2008]

Thanks for the review, detailed and clear. Only one detail: the background could be a bit lower so we could listen better to the bass.

[@Belman5]

Best fretless bass for the money.......love the piezo, it really brings out that fretless mwah.

[@Gk2003m]

Not every one of these does the ‘mwah’. You can’t just order one online, you have to play them. There are two stores locally that have them. The 5-string Portamento in one store does not ‘mwah’ at all, while the 6-string Portamento in the other store does it effortlessly. More precisely, it used to be in the other store.... as of today, it’s in my music studio 😁

[@shugyoforyou211]

@@Gk2003m I had to order the 4 string online because the factory was shut down “due to Covid” and everything is on backorder 😭 (I hope it has the ‘mwah’)😂🤙

[@iamalpharius9483]

The Zon Hyperbass and some other models have pizos in the body wings, bridge and nut. Amazing.

[@FoolsChaos]

The interesting thing about this bass is that the body/neck it uses was first released as the SRT700DX. I own the SRT and it's a fantastic bass, love the body style and feel of it. The SRT was fretted and included Active EMG 40DC's rather than Bartolinis. It has a very punchy but not vintage sound, more a modern in your face sound, big difference from the fat and warm MK1's. I might have to pick up one of these to have a matching bass to my SRT700DX.

[@briangregus5225]

Video is serious problem for me. Was led here by way of looking for reviews on the SR370F after being unable to find one (actually any fretless basses) in stores. I think the 370 has CAP pickups... meh. After hopping through this and hearing you play the same thing consistently with the lower left visual of your exact settings I'm convinced this is possibly the best bass review on youTube. Oh and now I also have to consider a bass more than 2x the price of the one I was looking at ;-)

[@YevZakharov]

Thanks! Sometimes I wish I was paid by Ibanez... Haha This is the best fretless I've played. (I've played warwicks, sanbergs, and Fender)

[@briangregus5225]

+Yev Zakharov High praise! QQ - are you worried at all that the saddles are ABS plastic?

[@briangregus5225]

+Yev Zakharov I waited for Black Friday to see if I could get a discount. I'll have it in a week.

[@YevZakharov]

+Brian Gregus did you get a good deal?

[@briangregus5225]

It was a fair deal. The guitar is always listed "on sale" with every site for the past few months. There was no change there so I just called and asked sales if they had any wiggle room. It's possible if I had called all the online merchants I could have done better. For this guitar though being sub $1000 I didn't expect too much and was happy they could work with me on the price.

[@randyclere2330]

Great demonstration! Great playing…. does the back p/up have that Jazz bass honk or burp to it?

[@PEACEinYESHUA-oj7vc1pk7w]

This is the bass I’m after! I have been searching for a decent yet affordable 5 string fretless and one that’s a good bit lighter than my old Warwick it’s got a lovely balanced tone. I like the string buzz on a fretless fingerboard. It gives it that upright sound however it’s a very personal thing and of course you don’t want a huge rattle. I’m hooked on this fretless! It sounds truly awesome really sings on the high notes. I’m keen to know how it plays on the low B end of the scale. I’m assuming it’s good. I’m looking for that quality on the lowest notes as well.

[@YevZakharov]

The low-B string is responsive. The pickups and the piezo do a good job of providing plenty of low end response. It’s been many years now and I still love the bass!

[@MrTommelton]

that's a bad ass sounding bass

[@jazzbrew68]

This video was incredibly helpful. I brought the 4 string version and I love it. Your break down of the tone knobs helped me dial in tones that I like. Do you have any tips to practicing fretless? I'm new to it and looking for any help I can get.

[@YevZakharov]

Yea man. Glad it helped you. First advice would be to focus on playing by hear. If you cannot tell that you're off the right note, it'll be a bit more tough. Also, when tuned correctly, the notes are located right behind the fret marker, not in the middle of them, which was what I used to think haha. You're actually suppose to land your finger right below the fret mark. (Below, I mean behind, towards the head of the neck). Also, I practiced scales on every key. Because the truth is, after a while, your left hand (note hand) will eventually get used to the positioning of the notes when you've had a decent amount of practice, this will allow you to land the correct notes easier while actually playing a song or whatever, almost like muscle memory. I probably could write a book on tips, I wouldn't want to waste your time too much, just let me know and I can reply more if you like Thanks man! And enjoy that beauty of a bass!

[@jazzbrew68]

Yevgeniy Zakharov - Thanks for sharing your thoughts on fretless! I was originally hesitant to play a fretless without full line markers but the Portamento markers work. In fact, I like the fact that the lines don't give you a hard/definite mark for correct pitch. It gives you a reference point and I'm forced to use my ears to get it exactly right. One thing I did not do is get it setup by a pro. Mine played pretty well out of the box but I'm wondering if there would be an advantage to getting it looked at it. I just need to find a good bass tech.

[@YevZakharov]

Eric Brewington I personally had to actually adjust my truss rod and bridge on my Portamento. Normally they're all decent out of the box, but obviously never perfect. If you feel like it needs adjusting, Id recommend using an expert for it, unless you have experience. Also, when I adjusted my truss rod, I recorded it on video just incase, making an instructional vid. If you want, I can upload it so you could try it yourself. I also go over why and when the bass needs adjusting. So let me know what you think!

[@jazzbrew68]

Yevgeniy Zakharov - I definitely would not mind seeing the video. I'm pretty new to bass. I've done some basic adjustments to my bass but not enough to feel entirely confident in what I'm doing. Any suggestions or guidance you have to share would be greatly appreciated!

[@YevZakharov]

Eric Brewington Ill post it as soon as I return, it'll be a while though :/

[@alol.p]

Am getting this bass in a couple of days! (The video really helped me zero in on it). Any idea what brand the stock flatwound strings are?

[@sbdreamin]

mine came with A'ddarios.

[@lorenzopascarelli]

Thanks man very good thought out review! I just played this in the shop and your review sounds almost exactly like what I figured in the shop on a Markbass combo... I just wonder how well this is gonna sound with some roundwounds! Any idea? Instant Jaco??

[@YevZakharov]

I saw that you found my other video. Thanks for watching! I hope it answered your questions.

[@paulmullen2620]

Excellent demonstration! Thanks for posting this. If you only use the piezo pickup, can you play without the battery?

[@YevZakharov]

Paul Mullen Good question. I actually don't know the answer for certain. I'll play around with it and find out.

[@MrMuppetbaby]

Thank you Yev, great review. Wondering if you have an update now here in 2021. Do you still like it and do you have anything more to add? Thinking about getting one but wish they were made in Japan instead of Indonesia, had some bad luck there.... Best Tod in Vegas.

[@YevZakharov]

Hey Tod. Thanks for asking. As of today I still love the bass. So far my favorite setup has been to continue using roundwound strings on it. Better yet, old ones. I’ve been using the same DR sunbeams for years and they keep sounding better. I was also kind of bummed that the Portamento wasn’t made in Japan. But to be honest, the build quality is better than any other Ibanez I’ve had my hands on that was made in Indonesia. I think the work shop basses will always be made in Indonesia, but their quality with far exceed the other bass models. It’s at the level of a Premium Ibanez, if not better. I’ve had absolutely zero issues with my bass to this day. Only thing I always add to it while playing is a good volume pedal since it doesn’t have a dedicated master volume knob. Also, if I had to guess, someday these Portamentos will go up in price as they are still probably Ibanez’s best fret less bass ever made.

[@sunshineravioli]

Very good review. Thank you for the very informative job. I think i'll get this bass soon !!! What is the name of the tune you are playing ? Is it something you composed ?

[@YevZakharov]

Thanks for your comment! The tune is just something I came up with but is technically inspired by the song "Didulya Satinoveye Ostrava"

[@kingslaphappy1533]

Liked it. I dont play an upright so the fretless would be not so much for the "growl" but for the beauty in the slides.. the portamento if you will. It's just so nice without the fret noise on the slides. One thing I might have like to see was maybe adding chorus on the fretless. I always think Jaco,and then I think chorus. Last thing I'd like to hear is your vibrato at maybe half the speed. Maybe at the rate of eighths. Would be less frantic and more sensuous. great vid, really nice playing. M

[@DR-ed2lz]

There is a band called Zu its like Free Jazz/Hardcore Punk, do you think this bass can get the tone of the bass in the band I recommend listening to carbon and Obsidian by them

[@clementtytube]

Hey brother...I have a question. First of... Great playing and explanation. Just amazing. My question is that i have the same SRF bass but when I use the piezo system alone, the bass and treble pots doesn't work. The preamp works only with the magnetic pickups and not piezo. Is it the sane with your bass too? If yes, I guess the SRF doesn't feature a buffer circuit with a balance pot to run the piezo signal also onto the EQ preamp. Let me know whether I'm right and more importantly whether my bass is functioning as yours (as I had some problems with electronics on my bass and a friend of mine re did the wiring. So worried if something messed up during rewiring). But, I always thought, a piezo buffer would have been great add-on for the SRF for more EQ options. Thank u!!

[@YevZakharov]

yeah i think the Active EQ system only works with the magnetic bridge and neck PU's. But I'm usually able to adjust the Piezo tone knob enough to where im satisfied.

[@charliethompson8042]

Would have loved to hear all three PU's 100% with eq and piezo at 50%. Thanks anyway for your work/demo. I've had one on order locally for a few week

[@tommypreston8398]

The post about the Half Round strings..to my taste they are the perfect fretless bass string.....I have to do more research on the fretted bass w/ Half Rounds...for the slap and pop thing rounds really shine but the half rounds played finger style should put more Jamerson into the groove we'll see

[@danbrudarofficial]

Hi, is that tune your original composition?

[@Draigar22]

This video is very helpful! Thanks for posting it! I was wondering if you were familiar with Seru Giran, an Argentinian band from the 70's and 80's (I think). Do you think that this bass can reproduce the sound that their bassist Pedro Aznar had? Thanks in advance! Best. Serú Girán - Viernes 3am

[@YevZakharov]

I have never heard of them before. However, I went ahead and listened to Seru Giran on KZbin. Their fretless bass sounds very nice! And YES, the Portamento will get that amazing mwah growl just like the bass I heard from that group. Thanks!

[@Draigar22]

Great! Thank you for your quick reply! Now I'm really considering this bass! best

[@zeljkozuber6629]

Hi. Nice review!! How is your experience with neck stability? I've read a lot of people complain about neck being temperature sensitive. I had GWB35 ,realy nice sound but terrible neck, litteraly unplayable when temperature changes. Even a small change ....

[@YevZakharov]

I have not had a single issue with my bass neck. I normally keep the bass in the basement (no pun intended) and the temperature and relative humidity does fluctuate a lot, but the neck seems to be ok.

[@zeljkozuber6629]

@@YevZakharov Good. What is your string action? I keep my very low and than you can see those neck temp changes very easily. And going on a gig in winter was impossible with my gwb35. Once, after warming up neck went backwards in the middle of the gig, not a single note could come out !! Low action is the only true test of a neck quality 😏

[@YevZakharov]

My string action is very low. I keep it very low to obtain the vibration tone from the string against the fretboard. Almost like a growl. Perhaps the neck-thru design on the Portamento helps with stability?

[@zeljkozuber6629]

@@YevZakharov I'm not 100% sure but dont think so. Probably the neck design, thicknes... etc. I play Marleaux bolt on bases for last 30 years and necks were like a rock. As I said, probably diferent design and width than gwb35. How is Panga fretboard wear? Alegedly it is much softer than rosewood...."talkbass forum" info. I dont know , never had it.

[@uprightbassmatt]

Great video! Any idea about the stock flatwound strings manufacturer? Fender flats maybe?

[@YevZakharov]

They are D'Addario flatwounds. You can tell by the multi color ends. Thanks

[@uprightbassmatt]

Yev Zakharov Thanks buddy!

[@uprightbassmatt]

Yev Zakharov Something still bothers me. I know GWB35 has strings like that (various colors), not flats though. Weird because for me (I'm daltonist) this Ibanez SR Portamento strings endings (both sides) looks blue. Couple days ago I played brand new 4-string SR Portamento version, and stock strings had a blue color on both endings. For instance I use great Thomastik flats on upright & electric bass, and they are red.

[@YevZakharov]

When I got my bass, it even had a D'Addario tag on it. Many Ibanez are equipped with their strings from factory. But, Perhaps they have changed that now. It's been well over a year since I've bought it. Either way, I quickly ended up changing them. I have a video doing the same tone review with round strings. (DR Sunbeams)

[@uprightbassmatt]

Again, big thanks for the answers. I saw a couple more of your videos, for instance with headphones test, and a few more. Good stuff!

[@1964danielito]

weight?

[@jamesbrock7282]

How well would this bass handle heavier tones, such as rock and metal genres? E.g. tool, Karnivool, Dream Theater, etc.

[@YevZakharov]

Well, it probably could handle those tones. The only thing is you need to find out if very low action can permit you to play that way. The Portamento has pretty low action, especially being fretless. So if you play harder on it, you will experience buzz and vibrations that honestly won't sound too good. You'd have to essentially raise the action, which would change the tone and sustain. I hope this helps you decide. However, I have recorded rock and those types of genres. But overall, this is just my opinion regarding the whole action deal.

[@joaoceitil]

Really well done review. I actually end up buying one of this. Unfortunately I have a question for you. I realised that you left the treble boost off in all setups. The first day I play my bass I try to explore different setups and when I raise the treble boost to its maximum a constant noise come up.It is not hum or buzz it is more like a static noise with a clear enhance pitch. It changes the frequency of noise if I move the bass in the room. I thought it could be some ground issues, but when I touch the strings or the body of the bass it didn't effect the noise. I went to the shop immediately and they told me its is perfectly normal noise and besides that, nobody play with the treble boost at full. Well I understand why they told me that, but it seems a bit conservative excuse and it doesn't make sense. Since you have that possibility; why not to do it?! My question is: Do you also experience some sort of irritating noise when you raise the treble boost? I also try to play with the piezo tone and I didn't felt any subtle change. I changed the battery and the problem still persists.

[@YevZakharov]

I think it is quite normal to hear a high frequency hum when you increase the Treble past the halfway point. You have to realize that at this point, your Active EQ is amplifying the Treble frequency, thus adding noise. When I play live, I usually have the treble at 25-50% and experience no issues. Depending on the amp/system you use, you will hear more or less Treble hum. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it. I personally feel that this bass has more Treble tone than I need, so I actually end up using less. On a side note, I have no idea why I kept the Treble at "off" when I was making this review. I think it may be time to make an updated video soon!

[@joaoceitil]

@@YevZakharov thank for your reply. Maybe I didn't explain well. The sound is quite prominent at full treble but you can still hear it at let say 25%. And there is some spots in the room where the sound get quieter or louder. I don't know. I have the feeling that something is wrong with the bass.

[@YevZakharov]

@@joaoceitil What are you using with the bass? Do you have an amp or a pre-amp/interface of some sort?

[@joaoceitil]

@@YevZakharov well I tried with preamp, amp and audio interface. All setups give me noise. I just want to have some sort of confirmation. but I can see that you don't have the same issue. Otherwise you would go straight to the point. Whe the treble boost it is at half position, which I believe is a sort of passive mode, if I raise the volume I can still hear it. They say it is normal. I don't believe that. So I think I am going to return the bass and maybe test it in other store.

[@YevZakharov]

@@joaoceitil I hate to say this, but returning it probably your best bet. Maybe you got the 1 out of a million Portamento's that came out bad. Let me know how it goes.

[@offensive_name6123]

I was wanting one of these to get a primus sound I don't know if the bass could do that

[@shugyoforyou211]

It does (more or Les)🤷🏻‍♂️

[@patrickr12342]

I think , if you want that Claypool sound , you need a Carl Thompson 6string fretles bass.( freakin expensive!!!) But, be sure, you got the skills,!!! And keep in mind, that this typical Primus bass sound is very 'clicky'. Les plays not beauty lines, he is full on spot,an aggressive, slap-popin beast. Most Player, love more the jacoish vibrato sound, with the bass. And Les said in an interview, that Jaco's style is not his favor. He was more in stanley Clark or larry graham stuff interested, when he was younger.

[@facedowngaming]

What kind of bass strings are you using? Also what are the best bass strings to use for this fretless?! I've owned a Squier fretless and it's not treating me very well to where Roundwounds is what's giving me somewhat of the sound that I want from the portamento to my Squier.

[@YevZakharov]

Here in the video I was using D'Addario flat wounds. But, just yesterday I changed them. My favorite fretless bass strings have been DR Sunbeams. For 4 years now. I had the chance to talk to Tony Franklin, and he was the one that recommended them. The Sunbeams are round wound nickels. They sound a lot better than flats IMO. If your bass cannot get that "growl" naturally then sometimes rounds help. But also sometimes the bass itself just isn't set up good enough.

[@facedowngaming]

After a good couple hours of fixing up my Squier Bass, I got it all adjusted and tuned up. Sounds better now than I described it to you earlier. I'll definitely try out the DR Sunbeams this upcoming week though. The sound of buying new strings always brightens my day, although personally saving up for the Portamento will be the tip of the iceberg!! Thank you again for the response ;)

[@YevZakharov]

Also very important!... For better mwah sound, use lighter gauge strings. I use Lights.

[@G53T1RM1N]

Aren't you concerned about round wound strings cutting into your soundboard?

[@willymoist5197]

Where did you get yours and how can I get it to ship to Canada?

[@YevZakharov]

I think I got mine from Musicians Friend. Which is basically Guitar Center now days.

[@YevZakharov]

Try to see if the link in the description works for you.

[@Smoothbassistthatsme]

Are you able to run the bass passive?

[@YevZakharov]

I'm not quite sure what exactly u mean by running it passive. If you mean w/o the 9V battery then I dont know. But like the passive setting on an amp, it doesn't make a diff. Passive setting will just be slightly louder. It's a +/- 15 db pad I think.

[@BeardedDanishViking]

Yevgeniy Zakharov If you pull the battery, the bass doesnt work.

[@YevZakharov]

Well, to be exact, the EQ won't work. But it'll still be able to play. It'll be a lot quieter and not sound as "full"

[@icecreamforcrowhurst]

Nice demo, thanks. But your vibrato in the left hand makes me feel nervous

[@YevZakharov]

Thanks. I've gotten a little better since then. :D

[@loren7570]

How were you recording this? Direct? Miced amp?

[@YevZakharov]

I used a direct input. No bass amp. Just a cable going into my audio interface (presonus) and a bit a bit of reverb in Logic X. My plan is to acquire a bass amp head someday to use as a DI. Looking at the Ampegs

[@loren7570]

Yevgeniy Zakharov Thanks! I will have to try that.

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

You played ... Roomba?? Oh, _Rhumba_ !! Sorry, slow processing here...

[@KirkDickinson]

They make a 6 string now. :)

[@tommypreston8398]

I am looking to buy another fretless and this is this is on the radar. I am also looking at Carvin. At the present this is in the lead...Good post my friend and very helpful. Run me down on here and leave a msg in my inbox , check out some of my bass postings and let's chat..I'd like to know what strings you are using on the portamento..I like Dadarrio Half Rounds personally....good show old boy good show.

[@YevZakharov]

Thanks for the comment! I actually have yet to try half-rounds. Seems like a nice balance between the slightly too bright rounds and slightly too mellow flats. I will check out your channel! Btw, the strings in this particular video were the D'Addario flatwounds. But, I later put on some DR Sunbeams, which are rounds. They were recommended to my by Tony Franklin, one of the few fretless gods.

[@tommypreston8398]

Thanks for the reply as well. I saw Tony live @ a clinic for SWR in Gainesville Ga. What a nice guy and awesome player. His good spirit and humility made him stand even taller.

[@gianlucabassi8853]

I love this Bass but I hate Active basses 😢

[@Nikosi9]

Backing track is too loud...

[@jazzman1954]

Nice sound man. But the issue with fretless is playing in tune without looking at your fingers. VERY VERY DIFFICULT. So impossible to read music or even look at the guys in the band or audience. In reality 90% of guys can’t play these in a pro situation. Nothing worse than a slightly out of tune bass. On this vid you are in tune but your eyes are locked onto your fingers as is always the case.

[@YevZakharov]

Over the years, I’ve gotten much better. Primarily because my hand has gotten used to the fretboard. I actually played in large live settings. But we use in-ear monitoring systems which allow me to hear myself quite well. With that said, if I were to play a completely new fretless, I’d probably have to recalibrate my brain/hand coordination. If you have a decent ear, you’ll eventually be able to play quite well after handling the bass long enough.