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I'm looking to add a fretless to my stable, and I'm a cheapskate. Fender's modified Squier fretless 4-string Jazz would fit the bill if I didn't need the low B string so often; the price is great and the sound and quality of build are amazing for a well-under-$300 instrument.

Anyone know of other good buys?

Yamaha RBX5F 5 string fretless, ... slightly out of your budget, but a sound bass.

bloke wrote:This appears to be an Ibanez knockoff. The seller has lots of feedback and offers returns.

This appears to be a good bass. The tuners are 2+3 so there is enough space to turn them and there is enough space for the B string leader to not bind on the tuner post. The upper horn is longer to balance the bass better when standing. The pickups are a tad farther "south" than on a J-bass so that there is a better balance of fundamental and overtones needed to make the B string speak better, and Trev Wilkinson makes good pickups. It probably has Gotoh hardware, the standard for this price range, and functional. The rest is cosmetic preference.

If I was looking for a fretless 5-er, I'd consider this myself. But between having a Rick 4002 (yes, that's right: "2," not "1" or "3"), an Ibanez SRA305 for my 5-er (looks cosmetically almost idential to the picture bloke posted but in black), a custom fanned fret P-style bass, and a double bass for jazz band gigs, I'm not in the market.

Thanks for all the replies. I'm looking for this as a substitute for a double bass (and yes, I know there are enormous differences in sound and response) and as an instrument in its own right. I've played two shows lately that specify fretless, so I figure it's time to bite the bullet. I'll look into the one on eBay.