Is Justin using a fretless?

[eni mann]

Does it sound like Justin is using a fretless bass for the bottom layer and then using another bass layer to get the harmonics on top of that? Or does he just have the tone set all the way down on his standard bass and is sliding and hitting the harmonics on the same track?

I can hear the pick action to start the slides, but no fret stepping usually associated with sliding up a fretted neck. And the harmonics and picking are at, what sound to be, higher tone settings. It wouldn't suprise me if Justin is now starting to introduce fretless into his "tool"box.

Hard to tell... what's your input?

[CaseLogic]

He uses a fretless for the whole album I think

[The Useful Idiot]

This is the only song where the fretless bass is very obvious.

[Jon08]

He uses a fretless for the whole album I think

No he doesn't

[Sanzen]

No he doesn't

Indeed he does not.

[Alistair_Carson]

I'm a bassist and play fretless as well. Although I don't know about any other tracks (not enough tale-tail signs), but it sure does sound to me like there's a fretless being played here. The most revealing trademarks of hearing a fretless are the very clean slides and the sound from playing along the A and D strings (it almost sounds like a semi "wah" pedal.

[Fit4Demolition]

i was hanging out with my friend who is a music major and bass player for the orchestra at Penn State and he says its a fretless. he was trying to play the part with somekind of pedal, i forget what it was but it sounded pretty good the way he did it. haha, it was so much more fun playing lateralus with my friend playing bass with me than me just playing the guitar part.

[tidewell]

Does it sound like Justin is using a fretless bass for the bottom layer and then using another bass layer to get the harmonics on top of that? Or does he just have the tone set all the way down on his standard bass and is sliding and hitting the harmonics on the same track?

I can hear the pick action to start the slides, but no fret stepping usually associated with sliding up a fretted neck. And the harmonics and picking are at, what sound to be, higher tone settings. It wouldn't suprise me if Justin is now starting to introduce fretless into his "tool"box.

Hard to tell... what's your input?

Justin does have a fretless bass, but does rarely play it. I know that he did in fact use on Lateralus for a moment or two during the recordings...

I'm not sure about him using it in the recording of this song though

[Jon08]

What's your avator? New Radiohead by chance?
just a picture i found on google of some random radiohead laser show. i liked the art.

[Snakedragon]

Justin does have a fretless bass, but does rarely play it. I know that he did in fact use on Lateralus for a moment or two during the recordings...

I'm not sure about him using it in the recording of this song though

he said that he wanted to use it a lot after lateralus- he only got one during the recording of lateralus, and quickly learnt a part to play in verse 2 of lateralus on the fretless, and said that he'd like to incorporate a fretless in his future recordings

[murph.vienna]

imho there are two possibilities:
1) when you listen close enough, from 1:48 on there is the fretted one again.
because of the heavy sustain and growling-sound I think he used a whammy pedal for the intro.
2) he really used a fretless. but the sound is overwhelming!
I am a bass player too, i've got 3 basses, one of them fretless, and I tried a lot to change my sound. basically the strings make a big difference, but any other than original, puristic flatwound strings will not have that growl.
on the other hand, the hi-mid's sound very much like nickelwound strings, but it's VERY difficult to get such an articulated sound.

I really think this was done with a whammy pedal.

[blair's man sausage]

He uses the fretless on Rosetta Stoned for sure as he mentions this in the newest issue of bass guitar magazine

I never would've known

[Nemo's Omen]

He uses the fretless on Rosetta Stoned for sure as he mentions this in the newest issue of bass guitar magazine

I never would've known

You can definitely hear the fretless throughout Rosetta Stoned. Listen to the repeated melodic fill during the "Then they looked right through me" section. It's apparent here.

It particularly stands out during the "Overwhelmed as one would be" section, and the whole solo section preceding it; starting with the bass & talkbox section. You can hear him slide up a half step at the end of that cool syncopated phrase.

Also listen to the slides at "But I forgot my pen" in that same section. I always hear that part because it sounds like the intonation of a few notes are slightly off. It bugs me a little bit. But his part still kicks ass.

[blair's man sausage]

ahhh i see now....sweet

[Bassmingo]

I really think this was done with a whammy pedal.

nah, its a fretless.

[justify_denials]

Justin does have a fretless bass, but does rarely play it. I know that he did in fact use on Lateralus for a moment or two during the recordings...

I'm not sure about him using it in the recording of this song though
Second verse only, track; Lateralus.

[æmoeba•°·.]

i think it's just a fast slide with bass distortion because in reality, you won't here the 'clank' of the frets while sliding on a bass after the final copy is done, if you are a good bassist, which we all know Justin is. Anyway, the sliding technique is simple with either a fretted bass or fretlesss, whichever. So you could just say he went back and overlapped the bass lines with the same bass.

[Jon08]

Second verse only, track; Lateralus.

are you talking about the climax of Lateralus? because if you are, he uses a whammy pedal, and just slides it down an octave.