This is a topic that comes up often, so I figured I would weigh in here with my feelings about it.
The
topic should be as simple as "play whichever you like," but that's unfortunately not usually the case.
There are positives and negatives to both.
Here's my take on it.
If you
want to end up playing unlined fretless in the future, get an unlined now.
If you want to end up playing lined fretless
in the future, get a lined one now.
Either way will help avoid any transitional issues that may occur when switching,
and either will get you accustomed to the instrument you will end up on earlier on. One issue you hear constantly repeated
from people is the problem with transitioning to an instrument different than the one you are used to- switching from a 4-string
bass to a 5-string, from fretted to fretless, etc. You're going to be more familiar and comfortable with an instrument
the earlier you begin with it, so if you KNOW what you want to play in the end, it's better to get accustomed to it early
on. If someone wanted to play guitar, I wouldn't start them on a shaved-down neck with four strings and then make them
transition to a normal-sized six-string once they were comfortable playing on the small neck.
If you don't care
if you end up playing lined or unlined, you may want to err on the side of caution and get a lined one. Lines can aid you
when you can't hear yourself well, and if you know how to coordinate yourself, lines can help you learn good intonation
quicker than listening alone, as you'll be able to both listen AND look. Unlined basses have side dots as well, so it's
not as though they are without visual cues. Lined basses just have a bit more accuracy to those visual cues, particularly
when playing on the higher strings where you likely won't be looking at the side dots. Some people get a bit confused
with lined fretlesses- the lines distract them. If you're one of those, get an unlined.
Do not listen to any diatribe that using an unlined fretless will make you use your ears more. It's a false belief. The
degree to which you learn to use your ears to determine intonation has NOTHING to do with the bass you are playing. You can
use your ears just as much on a unlined bass with no side dots as you can on a bass with neon green lines that light up when
you touch them. It's all up to you in how much you use them. If you find yourself looking too much, then the issue is
you, not the bass. A bass is inanimate- it can't make you listen less or more. It is entirely the result of
how much study the player puts into it. That being said, if you find yourself looking too much at the lines, you may have
an easier time with an unlined fretless. Also, remember that it will be your fingers that make you play in tune. Not
your ears. Not your eyes. The notion that you play fretless "with your ears" is a bit of a fallacy as they
will only let you know if you hit the note right AFTER you've already played it. Your fingers are what will get
you to play in tune. With a lined board, you could technically play in tune just by looking at your hands without using
your ears at all if your bass is tuned and intonated properly. This isn't an ideal goal though. What you can
take from that though is that using your ears in conjunction with your eyes can help you develop proper finger placement faster.
The goal is to get your fingers in the right place the first time. Using just your ears or just your eyes to play a note to
then determine if you are in tune or not will just make you have to slide into the proper note each time. And if you didn't
hit it right the first time, you didn't hit it at all.
There are some players that prefer to first pluck
the note and then roll into the proper intonation spot with vibrato rather than trying to hit as close as possible to the
right spot the first time and then introduce the vibrato. This is perfectly fine if you want- it will give that more
wobbly tone that some fretless players have- but when speaking purely of accuracy, it will be better to get your fingers in
the right spot first.
A couple positive notes about unlined fretlesses: they are almost always MUCH cooler to look at.
It may seem trite, but sometimes a beautiful bass will inspire you to play it more. It's the reason my first fretless
was unlined. With an unlined board, you don't have to worry about the stability of the wood/plastic lines.
Probably the only "true" setback about a lined that I forgot about. Different woods move in different rates with
humidity/seasonal changes, so maple fretlines may pop out or recede in from an ebony fretboard. I've had some fretlesses
where this was an issue that required a very light planing once or twice a year, and other fretlesses where it never happened
(I've had my current fretless 6 for about 9 months now and it hasn't occurred yet). One other benefit is that
nearly all unlined basses have their side dots located right at the point of intonation- in other words, the side dots are
located directly below where the fret or fretline would be. Most lined fretless basses are built in the same way a fretted
bass is built, so side dots are usually placed in-between the points of intonation as they are on a fretted. This is
obviously going to be of no use to a player when he looks down on them. I had my basses made with the side dots place
directly under the lines, but be aware that most basses won't come that way, and it may be something you want to ask for
if having a bass custom-made for yourself.
Any comments that lines on a fretless are akin to training wheel or crutches
are simply ridiculous. When Jaco was just about the only fretless player around, how often do you think people approached
him and said, "you're great and all, but those lines are crutches"? Not at all, I'd imagine.
Looking at some of the other top fretless players who use lines- Gary Willis, Mark Egan, Marcus Miller, Jimmy Haslip, and
countless others- I doubt they do either. The goal is to make good music. You don't get extra points for playing
a more difficult instrument, and it won't sound any better to the listener. Choose whichever instrument you can
make the best music with.
