best strings for a fretless that will give me the mwah with little wear - Page 2

tabdog · #21 01-29-2012, 11:30 PM

I read this thread and elected to buy
GHS Pressurewound "Alloy 52" for
my de-fretted Washburn T14.

Any pros or cons?

Tabdog

**eddododo** · #22 02-02-2012, 06:02 PM

Got some discont. Fender 7120 tapewounds I could get rid of...

Koog · #23 02-02-2012, 06:13 PM

RotoSound RS 77 LD

Black Tape Wounds. D'Addario has a good set.

RBrownBass · #24 02-02-2012, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by th30nlyAket

I know I can u flats for no wear and dull tome and rounds for max sound but killer fretboard damage but is there a middle ground

Buy the strings you want to hear and accept that board maintenance is part of the cost of fretless instrument ownership. Your ears won't ever adjust to your budget once you know what you like.

Audiophage · #25 02-02-2012, 11:00 PM

Light gauge chromes.

Fretless55 · #26 02-02-2012, 11:16 PM

I'll second the vote for Fender 9120.

Its an odd but wonderful low tension black nylon wound roundwound. Don't know of any string quite like it.

deeptubes · #27 02-03-2012, 05:34 AM

I've got 9120s on my fretless. They sound great! Easy to play, easy on the fingers, and they last forever.

MikeBass · #28 02-03-2012, 05:44 AM

Thats crap...sure rounds will scuff the fingerboard. But kill it?? Hardly.
I played fretless exclusivly for a few years on one of the very first Warwick Thumb bolt-ons they made. Ebony fingerboard BTW.
I used D'Addario rounds on it too.
I sold it to a buddy of mine who plays the crap out of it to this day.
Fingerboard is scuffed, but not even close to tore up. And I may be buying it back from him very soon.

That being said, I do like the feel of Elixer's on a fretless. But not because of any concern for damage.
I'm yet to see a fretless with a tore up fingerboard from rounds. I'm sure they are out there, but the chances of you playing one long enough to do anything to it is pretty slim IMO.

**ronaldpdbrandt** · #29 02-03-2012, 05:54 AM

I wouldn't say that all flats are dull. My D'Addario Chromes are pretty bright and clanky, to my ears at least.

fivestringgecko · #30 02-03-2012, 10:18 AM

Subscribed, because I get the sneaking feeling my next bass might be another fretless...

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronaldpdbrandt

I wouldn't say that all flats are dull. My D'Addario Chromes are pretty bright and clanky, to my ears at least.

+1 ... I don't currently own a fretless, but recently put Chromes on my Pbass V and was surprised that I still needed to turn down the tone knob about 1/3 to get to the thumpy tone I was looking for. Sometimes I was turning it down maybe 70-80% with the D'Addario EXL's I favor.

I had a Fender Jazz fretless a while back with D'addario Prisms on it. (They're now called Pro Steels, so that'll tell you how long it's been. lol) Great tone and surprisingly little fretboard wear even for roundwound steels on a rosewood board. Rounds will be harder on a fretless board for sure, but IMO it also has a lot to do with technique. If you play like a mountain yeti tromping through the forest (no offense to my mountain yeti friends

) ... yeah, you're going to chew up the fretboard pretty quick. A lighter touch and your fretboard will last quite a bit longer. Personally, I wouldn't be too worried about putting rounds on a fretless because my touch has gotten even lighter over the last few years, but Chromes would still be where I start.

5sg.

autodidact · #31 02-03-2012, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by th30nlyAket

No local stores have those Grr lol

Bassstringsonline.com. awesome site, fast shipping, best customer service I've run into anywhere, and they carry GHS Pressure Wounds

Munjibunga · #32 02-04-2012, 11:29 PM

I am astonished that no one has mentioned Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats. They are the best-sounding flats made. Not full of thud - bright enough to really bring out the mwah while gentle on the fretboard.

Staccato · #33 02-04-2012, 11:37 PM

GHS Tapes.

Lots of mwah without unnecessary wear!

fivestringgecko · #34 02-04-2012, 11:38 PM

I've always wondered about those TI's, but at ~$90 for the 5-string set, I've never had the desire to throw down the cash just to see if I like them or not.

5sg.

NoFretsNoWorry · #35 02-05-2012, 12:06 AM

I have always been a roundwound-only fretless player (20+yrs). Just my personal preference.

Yet there seems to be quite a consensus here that flat or pressure wounds sound great too.....and that has me curious.

I tried flats years ago, didn't like them much then, yet I try to be open-minded. Perhaps it's time I re-evaluate.

I was hoping that some of the flatwound fretless users (here on TB) could name some artists or link a few examples of flatwound fretless sounds.

PEACE

gb_bassclef · #36 02-05-2012, 04:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

I am astonished that no one has mentioned Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats. They are the best-sounding flats made. Not full of thud - bright enough to really bring out the mwah while gentle on the fretboard.

I'm equally astonished no one's mentioned DR Black Beauties. I recently replaced a set of d'Addario XL Chromes by the BB's on my Roscoe LG, and it made me aware of how little mwah I was getting with the flats. At first the BB's are kind of "sticky", slowing down the action, but after a few hours of play they're quite fast.