Fretless - Yea or Nay?!!!

[Freuds_Cat]

my take is that fretless electric bass is not that 'special' tone wise to justify the effort. played without all the sliding and vibrato on the target note it sounds like an ordinary fretted bass, and you can get some of those sounds on a fretted one. i have owned several and never found them that hard to get around on but like i said not worth the time. if i wanted to play a fretless bass i would learn upright but as this point i'm just too lazy.   

as usual your opinions will most certainly vary. 

I dont really disagree with you on the surface of what your saying here. What I find though is that The fretless is faster and smoother for me to play. This in turn makes me play differently to the way I play a fretted instrument.
Weather I choose to slide more or not is simply another aspect that becomes available not so much a required thing to do. The fingerboard growl is the same. 

[Father Gino]

I think a great reason to play a fretless bass is to develop your ear. Play it in a band and it just forces you to really listen to every note being played. Like playing any bass, your technique, the setup and the bass itself have a lot to do with the tone.

[ilan]

Since this thread has started things have changed around here. Now I'm in a love affair with my fretless P and I play it 90% of the time. I think I even play less out of tune now.

[uwe]

The secret recipe for fretless playing is: just do it! Everything else will come.

[Highlander]

What did you have to do that for, Uwe... they'll all want to do it now... 

[Dave W]

Not I.

[Freuds_Cat]

I do it...... Do you?     (probably just an Australian ad, funny though).

[Highlander]

Bret... is it on the tube...?

Dave... in a Q&A department there is always the standard to uphold, which you ably do for us... 

[Freuds_Cat]

I did look Ken, with no luck. To be honest I cant actually remember what the product was

[SKATE RAT]

i'm still the only one who voted no.

[Freuds_Cat]

Heathen! 

[Highlander]

now, now, Bret... to each there own...