Sunset over Block Island Sound near the Montauk Inlet sea buoy, as seen from the deck of the Catamaran Mon Tiki

zic in reply to Wardsmith says:

@wardsmith Does your friend already play? If so, go with them to a (good) music store, and let him/her try them; what feels right in one person’s hands won’t feel right in another. If not, it depends on what you mean by bass guitar; electric bass, I’d go for a high-end student model Fender. The bass David’s talking about is another thing altogether — fretless means it’s more like an upright bass to play, steeper learning curve. Acoustic, it’s got a body like a regular guitar, and the resonance of the instrument matters a great deal. Anything but a high-end professional instrument may pose challenges here, they’re not made by hand, they’re milled with CNC equipment, and some lower end instruments can be amazing, but many don’t resonant well, and it takes a really good ear to tell the beauties from the beasts. (As these instruments are played and age, their voices develop, like wine, only a few age well.) I’d probably start with looking at Ibanez, but a lot of musicians don’t like the backs. I’ve a friend that plays a Washburn, and it’s a lovely instrument, but he probably payed over $2k for it.

David, that’s beautiful. And anyone who’s got the chops to play a fretless bass is worthy of honor. Without frets, I’d be playing microtonal music on a chalk board.Report