Yes, you can rawk/rock out on a Smith Bass...

[John Tompson]

I purposely went for a personal challenge at this gig: it was in an unfamiliar room (never played there before) and I didn't know how it would sound on stage, and I knew the amp would not be the most articulate sounding amp and I sing backup vocals, too. A lot of songs we play allow for that playing at the end of the fingerboard and you get that fat fretless sound, and because this SVT had so much mids to it, getting growly was really easy. I can't express myself on my other fretless basses the way I can on my Smith.

(My singing is 10 years behind my playing...)