Відео

All of your "sustain" results are predominantly the age of your newer or particular strings

I have an acoustic ibanez fretless bass, trying to get more wah. It just has the undersaddle pickup, and i ordered some roundwounds. It has a lot of wah off the shelf, but it has flats, and it's more muffled. The action isnt super low but it's definitely lower than normal. Any more suggestions? I havent seen anything about getting mwah out of an acoustic fretless

Did not know about those tools. Thanks. After checking the neck is pretty straight (but lightly curved like you mentioned), I just use a 1.5 mm Allen key at the 12th 'fret' below each of the strings to measure+set the distance (via adjusting the saddles). So, ca 1.5 mm between fretboard and strings at the 12th fret. Then I check the tones along the neck to find out if the trussrod needs adjustment (which almost never is needed, unless other type of strings are used)

Its all in your fingers an mind! great! Thanks! Greetz from the Netherlands. Nick

This is the video i have been waiting for!

This mexican fretless sounds charming in your hands.

I learned a lot from this video! I love your technique and approach to the vibrato

Righty tighty lefty loosey. I'm afraid you are using the radius gauge incorrectly. If you put it on top of the strings you are not taking into consideration the fact that the strings are different thicknesses. You put it under the strings so they sit on top of it so the bottom of the strings match the fingerboard radius.

Fantastic tutorial! Thank you for that. I dream of buying fretless bass for a decade now. Gonna pull the trigger this time thanks to your tutorial.

Spot on advice. If you can, try a neck treated with superglue, it's different, needing more control, but the mwoar thing is more prominent.

Great bass and amazing tone! Do you still play 6 string? I remember getting your album dig it and loved it! Giant steps in 7 if I remember rightly? I used to play six string but had lots of hand problems and I’m happy with a four at the moment.

The difference in tone between that passive DI and your preamp's 10M ohm input was obvious even on tablet speakers. Those tiny speakers couldn't even hide the bass rolloff caused by connecting to the transformer.

This is some great advice. I've long been a proponent of 10M ohm for piezo pickups, particularly for bass, cello and guitar. With the latter two it may be less critical, and for violin, mandolin or similar instruments with no bass fundamentals a 1M ohm input is likely adequate, but there's no harm in using a higher impedance. As for the pickups themselves, the impedances are more complex than can be expressed with a single ohm value, use of which implies that the impedance is constant across the frequency range of the instrument as though the impedance is only made up of resistance. Piezo pickups present a series capacitive reactance, so the pickup total impedance rises as the frequency of the signal goes lower. Magnetic pickups, on the other hand, present a strong series inductive reactance, so their impedances rise with frequency. The solution, as you say, is not to match these complex impedances, but rather to bridge them with one much that's much higher. Technically this is because we're looking to get a flat response based on the voltage that a pickup produces, not maximize power transfer which is what matching provides. A too low impedance input becomes a filter, reducing the signal as the pickup impedance rises with lower (piezo) or higher (magnetic) frequencies. I'd be interested in trying a high quality passive direct box, not because that's likely a successful approach, but because I'm curious how much the other frequency anomalies you noted are due to the cheapest small signal transformer some indifferent corporation could wind, or to what extent those were due to the kinds of complex impedances that even a high quality transformer will present to a piezo pickup. For me, the take away here is that, in order to minimize problems interfacing with different sound systems that may be encountered out in the wild, one would do well to travel with an active direct box. That ought to feature a 10M ohm input impedance along with a high quality output transformer and a ground lift switch. It should also have its own power (and carry spare batteries!) so you don't need to rely on having either phantom power from the main sound system or an AC outlet on stage. That way, even if all else fails you can still provide the sound system operator with a high quality, balanced signal. Basically it puts the bass player in control of everything they can control.

Fretless bass plus a tube amp with a little vibrato with the fingertips

Thanks for very interesting video! I am not fretless. So long wou notes for me as houl a Basckerville dog at the night-very scary. For me long notes not below then violoncello.

Round or flat wound?

I don't understand how it's suspended and clicks up and down?lol I bought one it's just a plate with a single screw in the center. What is underneath? Thanks!

What string set do you put on Fretless bass

What's a chooner?

EPIC MOD

Very thanks for all your explains ! 🙂

Good job man 🎉🎉🎉cristal clear example

Sound beautiful I have the same bass in red color what strings you recomend to get more mua in my bass please thank you very much

What about pedals?

what's the name of this song?

You’re using round wounds?

This is the easily the best comparison video of three microphone pickup systems available to upright players - the reviewer's comments were very insightful and finely observed, concentrating on the quality of sound reproduction during use, and also any perceived disadvantages...highly recommended.

the tabs pls für the chords🙏🙏🙏

Is "mwah" exactly the same as "growl" ?

The first few notes at the beginning - where are they from?! I need to know cause it feels so good :)

Funny, I got this video recommended after commenting on a different video how it would be a good idea to use older flatwounds to avoid the undesireable «wah» or «growl». This is a great video from an excellent bassplayer!! Showing how to do exactly what you should avoid in the name of musicality and civility;-) The frettless growl does not fit in any arrangement, mix or musical genre unless doing a Jaco tribute album imo. That said: great explanation!

Excellent video! It has helped me a lot. Your sound is exactly what I am striving at. Thank you!

You playing at the beginning of the video was a good choice. Convinced me to listen on, cause you definitely know what you're talking about. Fantastic sound from the bass and (that's the lesson) you.

never knew that Ian MacKaye could also play bass P.S.: also got a Jaguar Mute on my P . . . love it . . . can't wait to put one on my Danelectro

There's a video on yt that shows Mick Karn getting his sound with an unbelievably high action, seems counterintuitive to what youre saying here (not that i disagree with you).

Frode, great video and a wonderful channel overall! I'm curious how often you use a microphone to blend with a pickup for your everyday small group (trio/quartet) jazz gigs; the kind of settings where there is no PA except for maybe a horn player and you are hearing your instrument entirely though your amp. Follow-up question; when you've used a mic in this setting, have you found a noticeable improvement in the sound (and is it practical through a bass amp)? Thanks.

Not a fucking mystery. Put round wounds on it.

Great sounding bass, and excellent video, Frode…👍

Great demonstration and awesome playing, thanks!

Thanks so much!👍

Mmwwwhaaahhhhh I dont know the language of origin of this but it’s the most beautiful word

didnt understand anything you said but that was some great tone! Love the playing at the end!

You’ve definitely got a lock on that affectation, Frode. I definitely respect everyone who has learned how it’s done. I also appreciate that you managed to get your hands on an economy bass that just happens to have a fretless fingerboard sans markers. I used to know someone here in the greater New York area with (what looks like) an identical J-bass. For my part, though I dig how people are actively (no pun intended) pursuing that affectation (partly out of admiration for Jaco Pastorius and also emulation of an upright timbre), I’ve tried approaching my own fretless “stylings” (on an instrument I came into just after you uploaded this video) differently. Even though everyone who plays an instrument is supposed to pursue something individualistic, I’ve attempted to draw on how Victor Wooten plays fretless when he’s holding one. He employs something of a wider vibrato (if no faster) and allows it to sing more than to growl.

As a new sudscriber to your channel, I thought I'd pipe in and let you know there are people out here who really enjoy your willingness to share your technical knowledge. Excellent follow-up to your incredibly informative previous video on maximizing amplified upright bass tone. I was looking for an affordable solution, and the fact that these are hand made in the US and I get to support a home business is a bonus. I just placed my order for a TH Audio Piezo Buffer and am anxiously awaiting the chance to try it out with my rig. Keep the good content coming.

Very important where Your right hand is also

The Bosd TU2 has an input buffer and an impedance of 1 M, according to their web page.

Roundwounded strings helps a lot too

I need to try this.I have 2 Fretless,a LTD and a Ibanez hollow body.I'm an experienced bassist and somewhat proficient on Fretless but I have trouble getting mawh.I know guys with cheap basses that get it in spades.

Cool, learned much, thank you

I think there are some mistakes people make. 1 is They are afraid of fretboard damage so they get Flatwounds. I personally like tapewounds better but nothing sounds better to my ears than broken in dr highbeams 45-100.