Help! Fretless dilemma!

[BongoPeg]

Here is the scoop. I would like to get a fretless bongo. I currently own a fretted bongo 6 HS. I have heard many good things about fretless + piezo. I also love my 6 string. But I can't have a fretless 6 with a piezo.

So what do I do?

Get a 5 string fretless with piezo or get a 6 string fretless without piezo?

Opinions please. This is not a 5 > 6 or vice versa thread.

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[bdgotoh]

I'd say try a piezo MM bass first if you can. I read a lot of positive things about the piezo before I got one and yet when I bought a Bongo with piezo I didn't end up liking it at all. The additional complexity to the controls, the extra noises, the overall tone of the piezos just didn't fit my style at all. I think it can be a wonderful thing if it fits your style.

 

[rutgart]

Great advise bdgotoh !

 

[lefenton]

I'd agree, I have a non EBMM bass with a piezo and the piezo never gets used. It can come across pretty harsh most of the time. I will admit the EBMM piezo is smoother, but it still is a piezo and can be a little tinny for some people's tastes. I would see about demoing one first.

 

[adouglas]

The character of the fretless really comes out on the high strings more than the low.

So get a Bongo 5 with piezo and string it E-C.

I love the piezo. Horses for courses..... if everyone liked the same things we'd all be playing Jazz basses.

 

[Uncledeuce]

Have you checked out an upright or are you set on the fretless electric bass sound?

 

[Golem]

I'd agree, I have a non EBMM bass with a piezo and the piezo
never gets used. It can come across pretty harsh most of the
time. I will admit the EBMM piezo is smoother, but it still is a
piezo and can be a little tinny for some people's tastes.
I would see about demoing one first.

Sure, some piezo basses may reproduce more fret/finger noise
than a non-piezo ... piezos being bassically acoustic PU's, but
the OP specifies a FRETLESS bass. That right there makes only
all the difference in the world ! ! !

That said, much as I looooove my piezo FLs, I had some noisy,
negative experiences with non-EBMM fretted piezo basses, and
when GC listed a used SR4 Hp with fretted neck at a give-away
price, my intention in buying it was only to convert it to FL. So,
imagine my sooprize when I found it to be not only noise-free
[despite my sloppy fretting habits], but also one of the really
most musical sounding fretted basses I've ever encountered

On that basis [above] I gotta say you can't apply generic [i.e.
non-EBMM] piezo experiences when predicting what an EBMM
piezo bass will sound like. Full disclosure: I do NOT have RWs
on this ax [likewise nearly all my basses] and I spoze playing
RWs might add some noise ... if you're a fretting slob like me :-\

OTOH, those other [non-EBMM] fretted piezo basses ALSO had
my favored flats on them, and I made some serious fret noise
on some of them ... so it's really the EBMM system in particular
that reduces or eliminates noise, for ME anywho YMMV, but
I seriously doubt it, cuz I'm THE fretting slob.

 

[BongoPeg]

I have spent some time with an upright but that's not what I'm looking for.

I would LOVE to try an EBMM bass that has a piezo but there aren't any in any of the stores in my city (that I know of). I keep good tabs on what kinda of things are coming in my local music stores Being able to play one would make my decision a lot easier but I have no way of comparing atm which is why I asked you grand sirs.

I would do 5 and do E-C but I'm not sure how I'll feel about missing that low B. I'll have to think on that one but thanks.

I guess what I really need to do is get ultra famous and rich and then maybe I'll get a shot at the best of both worlds

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