Talk me out of....

Ryder

Well maybe...

Bedroom player...about a year into it. Really enjoy jamming along to a drum track on my jazz bass.

Really don't need an upgrade but wouldn't mind adding a precision to the collection. Have been looking at the sandberg electra vs4

Then got to thinking (dangerous) why not get something totally different a get a fretless. Warwick rockbass and the MM P7 fall into my price range.

Easy answer is to get both but I think this will be the last bass addition for a while. Madness to get a fretless? Frustratingly difficult to play? Any advice welcome

Whistler

I play a J bass and get closest to a P bass sound by using the neck pickup with the tone on 10 and then blending in just a smidgen of the bridge pickup, around 2, according to what my ears tell me. Sure, it is not a true P bass but you might want to experiement (for free) before spending however much on a real P bass.

If you get a fretless that has the same scale length as the bass you play all the time then your muscle memory should get you most of the way there. Playing all notes perfectly in tune is just a matter of listening to what you play. At least that was my experience - like you, I thought it would be difficult and so was pleasantly surprised to find it just fell into place.

Teetonetal

Do you really like the sound of a fretless and have a use for it, otherwise I'm not sure what the attraction is?

Funkfingers

Fretless bass guitar is more demanding to play in tune accurately but, once you learn to do that, there is plenty of musical expression to be extracted from knowing how and when to play it ever so slightly inaccurately.

There is an argument for purchasing no new instrument(s) at all. Instead, expand the tonal options of the Jazz Bass by installing better pickups and/or active EQ circuitry.

If that seems scary, consider adding active EQ to your signal chain in the form of a pedal. Something with a shiftable frequency midrange band should help to enhance the basic J sounds.

ICBM

I love my fretless - I didn't always, the first couple of times I owned them I didn't really get on with them at all... because I tried to approach them as I would a fretted and found the intonation tricky. But then one day I just 'got it' - you play it differently, and use the ability to glide the pitch to make different sounds, and then it just fell into place and the intonation isn't too hard at all. I actually use mine even more differently than most fretless players - I'm not trying to play jazz or even 80s pop, I use it with a ton of effects, in some ways very 'synthy', in a sort of space-rock jam band context.

UnclePsychosis

I've not got one, but the guys at basschat think quite highly of these:

https://thebassgallery.com/collections/all/products/revelation-rpb-65-fretless

Ryder

Thanks. Solid advice

I definitely don't NEED a new guitar. Alway nice to get one though and I thought fretless would be an interesting challenge as well as sounding quiet cool.

The EQ pedal is another idea I hadn't thought of. I use a fender modelling amp so can get a good bit of tonal variation off of that. On my jazz I almost exclusively use the neck pup with full tone. Maybe if I get into actual jazz I might gravitate to the bridge.

I hadn't heard of the revelation bass but I took a lovely instrument and unlined. Most of the cheaper ones on thomann etc are lined. Cheap way of trying the whole thing out

dazzajl

I’d say go for a fretless. The P and J basses do offer a different sound but unless you’re recording or playing at drummer volumes, you’re not going to really bring out that P bass thump that the Jazz doesn’t really do. A fretless is a whole new world of sound and feel to explore and above all, it’s just really cool. Extra cool points given for a non lined fretboard of course. 

Teetonetal

Just in case it is helpful and you don't already own such things:

I think there is a lot more value and enjoyment to come out of other guitar related accessories, rather than buying a new bass. The two things that made a big difference to me were a drum machine and looper - though an audio interface and some DAW software is another good option.

These things enable you to expand your creativity, jam along with yourself, writes songs, riffs, explore harmony etc

Especially for bass - understanding relationships with drums is crucial IMO

Ryder

Thanks. Agree...im not a compulsive buyer (honestly)but the first purchase was the beat buddy mini. Just starting off a practice session identifying notes becomes fun making rhythms even if I never knew a scale etc. A necessity for bass playing/practice 

A month ago I got a presonus AI so I can make my own I Iv V etc backing tracks on guitar.

Thanks again for the advice