Hey.
I'm just curious. I want to know more about the usage of a fretless bass. I have a jazz bass. Can you play a fretless bass guitar in a jazz band? I know it's somewhat like an upright bass. I dunno. Any info? Because I'm thinking about getting one, since I will never be able to afford an upright. Cool, thanks!

Jaco Pastorius. Look him up.
I like fretless bass in a jazz band (like a stand up, right?) So I say go for it

I played a fretless bass in a blues band for a while. You can play it anywhere, with any type of music. Other than the acoustic big brother, I'd say that the fretless bass is the top on the charts.

i've got a fretless 5 string and it's my main bass for whatever i play. style generally varies all over the place so it's definitely not limited to jazz (although it's probably most popular in that genre). aside from the lack of frets the most noticable difference is the tone, it's a hell of a lot smoother than a standard bass, especially if you use flatwound strings. you also really need to pay attention to what you're playing with a fretless since it's really simple to go out of tune with the rest of the band you're playing with.

Oh man if the tone is much better on fretless bass guitar, then I should really get it. Tone in my jazz band is a bit of a problem because of the frets... I'm considering!

Thats awesome man,, Whatever you do, don't "Defret" the one you have now. In doing so, you'll have fret lines from where they were filled in, then you'll be drawn to playing where the frets used to be. With a fretless, it all about your ear, your intonation will never be perfect, but you'll have more luck get it right if you listen over depending on markings. Good Luck!

Ooh, I wouldn't defret my bass. No way. I'd just get a fretless. I think it would be cool to play by ear rather than use frets.