# Less Than 24 Frets: Deal Breaker?



## KhzDonut (May 16, 2013)

If a bass has less than 24 frets, does that reduce the likelihood that you'd buy it?

How many is too few? 22? 20? 19?

How many is too many?

What type of music do you play on bass, and how does that inform your decision?

I find myself very rarely going above 15 or 16 on my bass. I honestly don't like how a bass sounds tonally in the really high registers (in MOST situations. It CAN sound really amazing, as many a brilliant solo-bassist has proven time and time again)

I notice most basses that are coming out have 24 frets, and I talked to a builder of boutique basses and he said people would compliment his basses, and then hang them up and say "if only it had 24 frets..." and then walk away without a second thought.

Is 24 frets really that big a deal on a bass?


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## muffinbutton (May 16, 2013)

I rarely use the 23rd and 24th frets on guitar or bass but as soon as I get something without them I know I'll want them.


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## Mordacain (May 16, 2013)

Not a deal breaker for me on either instrument. Honestly I can count the times I've missed having them on 1 hand. Half the time I go to use that high E , I'll just bend to it from D instinctively.


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## tedtan (May 16, 2013)

I don't need 24 frets on either guitar or bass. I'll use them if I have them, but don't miss them when I don't. If you need that E, you can always bend to it from D, play the harmonic, and on guitars you can often play it off of the neck pickup pole piece, though it doesn't always intonate properly (depends on the pickup, its height, etc.).


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## mniel8195 (May 16, 2013)

anything over 22 frets for me is a deal breaker. I like to have the neck pickup sound. A humbucker with 24 frets to me sound more like a middle pickup.


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## Konfyouzd (May 16, 2013)

22 = ehh... 21 = deal breaker!!!


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## cGoEcYk (May 16, 2013)

I cant honestly say I ever go that high in practical situations on my bass. i tend to prefer a 24 fret though.


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## TemjinStrife (May 16, 2013)

mniel8195 said:


> anything over 22 frets for me is a deal breaker. I like to have the neck pickup sound. A humbucker with 24 frets to me sound more like a middle pickup.



You realize you're in a bass thread, right? Very few basses have neck pickups right against the end of the fingerboard, even with 24 frets.


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## MaxOfMetal (May 16, 2013)

KhzDonut said:


> If a bass has less than 24 frets, does that reduce the likelihood that you'd buy it?



Maybe five or six years ago, but I've been on such a J-Bass kick.



> How many is too few? 22? 20? 19?
> 
> How many is too many?



It really depends on the bass itself and the context in which it will be used. There is no right or wrong answer. Great, compelling music has been made on basses with 20 frets, 24 frets, and 36 frets. 




Mordacain said:


> Not a deal breaker for me on either instrument. Honestly I can count the times I've missed having them on 1 hand. Half the time I go to use that high E , I'll just bend to it from D instinctively.



This.  



mniel8195 said:


> anything over 22 frets for me is a deal breaker. I like to have the neck pickup sound. A humbucker with 24 frets to me sound more like a middle pickup.



Isn't your main guitar a 24 fretter?


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## mniel8195 (May 17, 2013)

i realize this is a bass thread now...sorry


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## Dayn (May 17, 2013)

Yep. If there are limits, I'll push them. The 24th fret always gets plenty of use from me.

That, and there's just a sick sense of satisfaction having two full octaves on one string. I would spaz out if I had 23 frets. Just thinking about it makes me want to scream.


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## Veritech Zero (May 17, 2013)

If it has less than 22 frets it is a deal breaker. If it has 24, cool, I'll use it occasionally, but I hit that 22nd fret all the time, and usually bend up a whole step anyways, so if it had 21 and I had to bend a step and a half I would be upset, cause my fingers would not like me.


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## Radau (May 17, 2013)

I don't generally go up to 24 but I'd miss not having the option


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## InfinityCollision (May 17, 2013)

I'd be perfectly fine with 21 frets on both bass and guitar tbh


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## Origin (May 17, 2013)

I like having two complete octaves, more of a head thing than anything else. That and having better access to the low 20s


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## ESPImperium (May 17, 2013)

If i can play the For Whom The Bell Tolls into, its enough frets for me.


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## cwhitey2 (May 17, 2013)

Not a deal breaker, it could have 20 for all I care 

I not a super shredder anyways


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## iron blast (May 17, 2013)

I'm picky on guitar and bass a prefer 24+ frets on both


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## HaMMerHeD (May 17, 2013)

Probably not an automatic deal breaker...but I'm not sure why (on a bass at least, where those frets aren't likely to trample on established legacy pickup positions) I wouldn't want 24 if I could get it.


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## Mwoit (May 17, 2013)

Not at all. I play 6 string basses and I struggle to make good use of the high C, so 24th frets are like no go zone for me.


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## DavidLopezJr (May 17, 2013)

It depends on the what I play on doing with that specific bass.


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## TemjinStrife (May 17, 2013)

Dayn said:


> Yep. If there are limits, I'll push them. The 24th fret always gets plenty of use from me.
> 
> That, and there's just a sick sense of satisfaction having two full octaves on one string. I would spaz out if I had 23 frets. Just thinking about it makes me want to scream.



Don't ever buy one of these, then.

Although I guess it technically has 24 frets... it's just that one of them is behind the nut.


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## Curt (May 17, 2013)

Never looked at a bass or a guitar and said, "Gee, It looks nice... But it just doesn't have enough frets." So, no deal breakers I guess. lol


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## Origin (May 17, 2013)

Ggggggod, thank you for that porn. That bass is gorgeous.


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## pentecost (May 18, 2013)

what in the... ?!?!
mad style points, but i'd hate playing it.


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## DrAleksi (May 18, 2013)

Factor bass made by Phil Kubicki for those that are interested. He died in March though, so I don't know if there's going to be any new ones around...


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## TemjinStrife (May 18, 2013)

DrAleksi said:


> Factor bass made by Phil Kubicki for those that are interested. He died in March though, so I don't know if there's going to be any new ones around...



The ones he made post-Fender are rare as hen's teeth and freakishly expensive. It's better to buy a used one (pre- or post-Fender) for $1.2-2.5k depending on condition and type of preamp.

Mine was on the lower end of the spectrum, but it's been seriously played and has a lot of dings and finish chips. It is, hands down, the best-playing bass I own. The Dingwall and Ashdown sound a little better and are more versatile, but the playability of the Kubicki means that it's pretty much my #1 bass at the moment.

But yes, it only has 23 frets past the nut. So that guy would apparently go crazy if he tried to play it 

/end thread hijack.


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## Symb0lic (May 18, 2013)

TemjinStrife said:


> Don't ever buy one of these, then.
> 
> Although I guess it technically has 24 frets... it's just that one of them is behind the nut.



That is stunning. 

I remember seeing Stu Hamm play one of these, that's what first made me want a headless bass.


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## 7stg (May 18, 2013)

I like 24 or more frets. I play a more ERB jazz style and would miss them.


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## keithhagel (May 18, 2013)

Well, my main bass is a Fender Highway One, so it only goes up to 20 frets anyway. Honestly on guitar I like to have 24, but for the stuff I do on bass I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've gone above 15-16. Then again I play mostly straight ahead rock/metalish stuff. I throw some bass solos in there, but I can get to where I need to without two full octaves.


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## Datura (May 18, 2013)

I got my first bass when I was 14-15, I made sure it had 24 frets so I could play 10,000 days. These days I'd be fine with any amount.


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## TemjinStrife (May 19, 2013)

Datura said:


> I got my first bass when I was 14-15, I made sure it had 24 frets so I could play 10,000 days. These days I'd be fine with any amount.



Wow I feel old


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## GRUNTKOR (May 20, 2013)

I'm fine with 20 on a bass though my main now has 21


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## yingmin (May 20, 2013)

Why would there be frets on a bass?


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## DrAleksi (May 21, 2013)

yingmin said:


> Why would there be frets on a bass?



Ok, for people like us I shall use my insane skills to translate. How much fretlessness does it take to make the deal? 1 octave? 1.5 octaves? 2 octaves? Or like Yves, 3 octaves?


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## Murmel (May 22, 2013)

90% of the time I'm going to be playing pop, soul or motown. Rarely do I go above 15th fret.

Something that is a deal breaker for me however, is the look of the bass. It's extremely important to me. If it isn't a classic shape, I probably won't play it, regardless of how well it plays.
This is a problem sometimes, because Ibanez basses play very well, but they don't have the classic sound or look I'm after.

I'm usually content with my 21 fret Precision.


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## ArtDecade (May 22, 2013)

For me, more than 22 is a deal breaker - well, on a guitar at least.


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## hairychris (May 22, 2013)

I GAS for a Stingray so nope. Play a 24 fret Ibby at the moment.

I tend not to go above 19 on guitar either, I think that I use 22nd once in one tune in my band's entire playlist.


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## combustion (Jun 8, 2013)

For me it partially depends on how much money I'm spending. If I'm only going to have one bass that's $3,000+ I'd rather it have the extra frets even if I'm not using them. This way down the line if I choose to use them I have the extra frets at my disposal.


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## SnowfaLL (Jun 8, 2013)

For guitar, Depends on how many strings for me; I dont mind 22 frets on a strat or tele type 6 string, but for 7 strings it has to be 24+

For bass, Ive been fine with 22 frets on a 5 string, so theres no big issues.


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## Yo_Wattup (Jun 8, 2013)

Well, I'm bassist for my band and I use 24th and 23rd frets in like two or three songs...so yeah, less than 24 would be a deal breaker. Pretty simple for me.


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## NickS (Jun 8, 2013)

On a bass I would say less than 24 frets is okay with me. I'm not really interested in (mostly because I can't play it) Dying Fetus type bass playing. My next bass will be a Carvin XB75 (long scale and 22 frets).


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## Andromalia (Jun 10, 2013)

I honestly don't know just right away how many frets my bass has. I tried it in a shop; liked it, bought it, end of story. On a curious note, I have one bass I've used for years and been completely satisfied with, while I've gone through dozens of guitars. 
The fun fact ? I'm primarily a bass player. You can't guess that by my NGDs 

Besides, God uses something like 16 frets, top.

Edit: went to check, it actually has 24, it's a LTD F404.


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## Herrick (Jun 12, 2013)

I like how bass sounds on those upper frets but I don't play there much myself. So it doesn't matter to me if the bass has 24 frets or less.


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## patata (Jun 15, 2013)

With guitars too.
I rarely even make it up to the 19th fret,but if it has 22 frets,patata aint interested.


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