Which fretless? Fender Am Pro II Jazz or Fender Tony Franklin?

Thom Fioriglio

Thom Fioriglio

Oct 24, 2019
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#1
Hi all, I am looking to add a fretless to my collection. I am torn between a Fender Am Pro II Fretless Jazz and a Fender Tony Franklin. If you have tried both, I would love to hear your thoughts. I have an Am Pro II Precision bass and love everything about it. I have tried an Am Pro II Jazz at my local Guitar Center, and it is a superb instrument. But I haven't been able to try a fretless one.

I owned a Tony Franklin for a few weeks but sold it. I loved the P/J pickup combo and the clean ebony fretboard. However, it was very heavy, and compared to my Am Pro II P bass, I missed the rounded fretboard and sculpted neck heel.

For the Am Pro II Fretless Jazz, I get the graphite reinforced neck, however it is rosewood, not ebony, and it has the fret lines, which I really don't mind, but prefer the clean look of an unlined board. I also get a modern vintage bridge and lighter weight tuners. I am not crazy about single coil Jazz pickups.

So both basses have their advantages and disadvantages. If you've tried one or both, please reply and let me know what you think. Thanks!
 
#3
Normally I'd say TF no questions asked BUT since you already owned it and sold it...

Maybe order this little guy

www.guitarcenter.com

Used Fender American PROFESSINAL II Jazz Bass Fretless Electric Bass Guitar DARK KNIGHT | Guitar Center

For greater savings check out our Used Fender American PROFESSINAL II Jazz Bass Fretless Electric Bass Guitar and get a great deal today!
www.guitarcenter.com www.guitarcenter.com

Try it for a month and see if it becomes your new best friend. If not, you're only eating the shipping cost which is not all that bad.

I have no idea whether it's a good price, BTW, I have zero clue what newer Fender stuff goes for...

Good luck.
 
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#5
Dr. Cheese said:
I am a Tony Franklin fan and the new ones have him free bridge pickups, but you already had a TF. What would make you want to try one again.
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I have some sellers remorse with the TF. I had an unexpected car repair bill that had to be paid so I sold it. I’ve been thinking about it ever since. A used one just came up today at GC at a good price so I nabbed it. A few bucks more than the fretless Am Pro II Jazz someone just posted. 45 days to check it out again to see if it’s a fit.
 
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#6
I had the TF and sold it a few years ago. Beautiful bass..... I didn't really bond with it at all. It was easy to let go. Then I got a Pro II fretless and was totally confused by the pickups. I mean it was drop dead gorgeous, great weight, balance but it didn't sound like a jazz or a fretless. It was something else and I was confused... then I put a set of Fralin pups in there and this thing came to life. Its a beast. Love it. But out of the box it wasn't great for me. Now I could be full of "it" and maybe it'll sound better thru your amp. But I thought the original tone was only mediocre. Everything else about a Pro II fretless I thought was outstanding .... its just "those" pups can be better..... much better.
 
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#7
Thom Fioriglio said:
I have some sellers remorse with the TF. I had an unexpected car repair bill that had to be paid so I sold it. I’ve been thinking about it ever since. A used one just came up today at GC at a good price so I nabbed it. A few bucks more than the fretless Am Pro II Jazz someone just posted. 45 days to check it out again to see if it’s a fit.
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I hope you like it!👍🏿
 
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#9
I had a Tony Franklin Bass set up and strung with D'Addarrio Chromes and absolutely loved it. I was able to get all the tones I wanted by using the selector switch. I ran it through a Rumble Stage 800 and it totally rocked! Unfortunately my 74 year old neck and back could not handle the weight and I reluctantly sold it. You need to give yours a chance and if the weight is a problem then try a Slinger Strap harness which may help. I have played J basses in the past and the necks were too skinny for my big hands. Good luck.;)
 
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#10
Thom Fioriglio said:
was very heavy
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What's heavy to you? 10lbs?

If you like the "PJ" the Tony Franklins are generally excellent build quality, and the ebony fingerboard is "superior". (although, I've owned rosewood fretlesses for decades...)
TF offers versatility in tones, but it won't do what a Jazz bass will do. And, of course, modern P neck vs a Jazz neck.

I've never had the need of switching PUs on the fly with a selector switch at the expense of being able to blend the 2 Pickups - and my least favorite setting on a PJ is both PU wide open.

I've had 2 Tony Franklins for several years now (both are right around 9lbs). Both updated with Fralins & VVT, but I find I'm playing them less frequently - I just tend to prefer a "traditional" P or J, and I have fretless version of each that I'm happy with.
 
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#11
Dana R Gregory said:
I had a Tony Franklin Bass set up and strung with D'Addarrio Chromes and absolutely loved it. I was able to get all the tones I wanted by using the selector switch. I ran it through a Rumble Stage 800 and it totally rocked! Unfortunately my 74 year old neck and back could not handle the weight and I reluctantly sold it. You need to give yours a chance and if the weight is a problem then try a Slinger Strap harness which may help. I have played J basses in the past and the necks were too skinny for my big hands. Good luck.;)
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Thank you. The first TF I had weighed about 9.11 lbs. Very heavy. It was also a 2009. The one I just ordered is a 2020 and based on what I’ve seen the newer ones are coming in lighter. So I am hoping that is the case. I also plan on taking off the D-tuner to save a little more weight. Like you I find the Jazz necks too slim. I play rock music and IMO the TF is more geared towards that. Also, like Tony himself I like to play fretless with a pick. I find the Jazz bass just doesn’t rock like a P. Thanks.
 
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#12
J-Bass RMR said:
What's heavy to you? 10lbs?

If you like the "PJ" the Tony Franklins are generally excellent build quality, and the ebony fingerboard is "superior". (although, I've owned rosewood fretlesses for decades...)
TF offers versatility in tones, but it won't do what a Jazz bass will do. And, of course, modern P neck vs a Jazz neck.

I've never had the need of switching PUs on the fly with a selector switch at the expense of being able to blend the 2 Pickups - and my least favorite setting on a PJ is both PU wide open.

I've had 2 Tony Franklins for several years now (both are right around 9lbs). Both updated with Fralins & VVT, but I find I'm playing them less frequently - I just tend to prefer a "traditional" P or J, and I have fretless version of each that I'm happy with.
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The TF I owned had been modified by the previous owner with a VVT. I didn’t care for it. I like the idea of one volume, one tone and then a quick switch for the pickups. Like you, I didn’t care for the sound of both pickups wide open. Also, the other mod by the previous owner was to replace the P pickup with a Seymour Duncan Antiquity II. So I am looking forward to trying one that is stock.
 
#13
I think it depends on ultimately on what you like. I think I'm mainly a Jazz bass guy. I recently got a mint condition TF from another member here.
I probably should have gone with a fretless Jazz Bass. I've considered converting it to VVT as I have never had much use for just the bridge pickup alone on a Jazz, meaning that I always have the bridge pickup wide open, but always have some neck pickup dialed-in for fullness. I think the TF sounds better than most with just the bridge, but still a bit on the thin side. So I'm considering either doing the VVT conversion, but it's more likely that I am going to just sell it.
 
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#15
I have a Tony Franklin and it's great. The TF is an idealized version of a hot-rodded 70s Precision. I have my quibbles with the design intent, but it is the perfect version of what it was meant to be. I had a fretted Am Pro II Jazz and didn't like it. I prefer the modern Precision neck profile and width, but more importantly, it just didn't do it for me sound-wise. I'm basically a Precision guy so no surprise there I guess.
 
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#19
atquinn said:
I have a Tony Franklin and it's great. The TF is an idealized version of a hot-rodded 70s Precision. I have my quibbles with the design intent, but it is the perfect version of what it was meant to be. I had a fretted Am Pro II Jazz and didn't like it. I prefer the modern Precision neck profile and width, but more importantly, it just didn't do it for me sound-wise. I'm basically a Precision guy so no surprise there I guess.
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I am a P guy as well. I love my Am Pro II Precision. It just feels so comfortable and right. I found the necks on the TF and the Am Pro II P to be identical in feel. Except of course for the rolled fretboard. The TF felt sharp to me on the edge. I wonder about taking a file to it and smoothing out the edge.
 
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