Side dot placement on fretless - make sense to you?

#41
I currently have a Squier VM Jazz fretless with lines and don't have a problem switching back and forth from a fretted to this bass - I just find myself playing closer to the lines on the fretted when I do. I bought it so my son can play a fretless easily should he want to borrow my bass and I bought it rather inexpensively.
However, I've also owned and played unlined fretless basses in the past and tbh, I don't remember if the side dots matched up with the notes as I didn't really look down or use them for reference.
 
#42
n1as said:
Unlined fretless has the side dots aligned with the note position.

Lined fretless puts the side dots between the note positions which are marked by the lines.

The Ibanez Portamento puts both lines and dots on the side with the dots between the lines. Again, the lines mark the note position, the dots are to help you remember you where you are on the neck.

All of this makes perfect sense to me but I hear that others think differently. What are your thoughs?
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Makes perfect sense to me. That's probably why it's generally the standard.

My unlined Wendler has a variation of that. Dots at all fret positions but the dots at 3, 5, etc are bigger.
 
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#44
Root 5 said:
In my opinion, the dot or line should always be directly over the note/fret. Too distracting otherwise. The Ibanez SRF700 fretless and Ric 4003FL come to mind.
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So if there are both dots and lines should the dots be on top of the lines at the 5, 7, 9, 12 etc. fret position? Do you know of an example that does it that way?
 
#46
lokikallas said:
Less is more. I like an unlined with side dots ON the major positions only.
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Indeed. The worst I've come across — my Vantage has a small upper horn, and the bridge is a fair distance away from the end of the body. As a result, there's a lot of neck sticking out to my left when strapped on. And the unlined board came stock with 24 identical dots. :confused: Less than useful, let me tell you. (I blacked out the unneeded ones. All is good now. :thumbsup:)
 
#47
I hear people saying , play with your ears and I agree 100%, however when I play fretless I realize very quickly that many times the sound mix is not very favorable and it makes playing in tune a real challenge. That is why I prefer lined fretless.
I think that most important id to spend a lot of time practicing with the same bass, because even with the lined fretless I have to adjust my fingering slightly throughout the neck to get the notes in tune. So I feel that I really need to know my bass. And if I pick someone else's fretless it's not a given that i'll play in tune. I hope to be close though... ;)
 
#49
I only play lined fretlesses, and I hate when the dots are placed between the lines. They are of literally no use there, and can actually be a detriment. I have all my fretlesses either custom made or modded to have the dots directly below the lines at the actual point of intonation:
583EF73B-742E-4C81-9E9C-525AA0AFA1D7.jpeg
 
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#50
n1as said:
So if there are both dots and lines should the dots be on top of the lines at the 5, 7, 9, 12 etc. fret position? Do you know of an example that does it that way?
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IMO, if a company wanted to do it right, they'd put the dots at the note location.
And, since starting this post, Bryan Tyler has posted a pic of exactly how it should be done.
Again, IMO
 
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#52
As a long-time fretless player, i find that a position marker needs to.be at the note its marking. If there are lines, with or without dots, the lines should be at the notes. if there are dots with no lines, the dots should shift toward the bridge to land on the notes. I recently ordered a custom fretless with block inlays and LED side markers. Since there are no lines, the blocks and LEDs will be centered on the notes, instead of between notes. results for others may vary; this is what works best for me. (Edgar Meyer's marks land on the note too, btw)
 
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#56
I noticed that with a lined fretless, if you play with your finger on the lines intonation is off and the saddles can barely be moved far enough to correct the intonation. On a lined fretless the lines should ideally be shifted to special fretless-dedicated positions, however manufcturers put the lines where the frets would be for convenience, so you need to place your finger just nutwards of the line, probably because the actual average contact point between string and board is not centred under your finger but is at the saddle-side edge of your finger.

I guess many have noticed this?
 
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#57
Bijoux said:
I played an unlined fretless with side dots exclusively for 6 years when I was young. I thought I had pretty good intonation. later on I got a lined fretless Fender jazz bass than I noticed that on the unlined bass I was using a lot of vibrato as a means to get the right notes. On the other hand I have played the lined fretless and in studio sessions people didn't notice I was playing a fretless bass because the intonation was dead on without vibrato.
I personally prefer lined fretless because I feel that I use vibrato when I see fit rather than depending on it to play in tune.
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I have never used vibrato to mask bad intonation.
I use it because it sounds appropriate in certain spots.
To accentuate the "Mwah"
 
#58
Mojo-Man said:
The original Fender style, dot where the note should be. ( 3-5-7-9-12-15-17-19 ).......Play with your ears, not your eyes.
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You can do that if you're playing something slow.
You have time to hear and correct the intonation.
But if you are playing something faster,you don't have time to "hear"
You need to look.
Especially with a big interval leap.

For instance,when I play the solo to Pat Metheny's "Jaco"
I need to be at the right note on the spot.
If I make a mistake,too late!Gotta go on!
I gotta look.
 
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#59
gebass6 said:
You can do that if you're playing something slow.
You have time to hear and correct the intonation.
But if you are playing something faster,you don't have time to "hear"
You need to look.
Especially with a big interval leap.
Click to expand...

Agreed - also, for those of us whom play and sing, a quick visual reference can be invaluable...
 
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#60
ixlramp said:
I noticed that with a lined fretless, if you play with your finger on the lines intonation is off and the saddles can barely be moved far enough to correct the intonation. On a lined fretless the lines should ideally be shifted to special fretless-dedicated positions, however manufcturers put the lines where the frets would be for convenience, so you need to place your finger just nutwards of the line, probably because the actual average contact point between string and board is not centred under your finger but is at the saddle-side edge of your finger.

I guess many have noticed this?
Click to expand...

Yah, but that's where you put your finger on a fretted, too, on the nut-side of the fret. I play pretty much on the dots, my intonation is okay.
 
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