Flats or Elixir rounds for fretless?

moopants · #1 03-08-2007, 06:24 PM

I have some flats on my fretless right now, and I love them to death. I some unused Elixirs, and I've heard good things about them on fretless basses? In your opinion, what is the better type of string to use for a fretless bass?

JimmyM · #2 03-08-2007, 07:05 PM

I prefer rounds myself. But I don't consider Elixirs rounds, even though they are. I'm not a big fan of Elixirs, so I'd say keep the flats on.

BillyB_from_LZ · #3 03-08-2007, 07:11 PM

When I had a fretless, I enjoyed the Elixirs... Eli swears by 'em on his Conklin Groove Tools 7 string fretless.

moopants · #4 03-08-2007, 07:15 PM

Should I swap them real quick to see if I prefer them more? Will it mess with my neck or anything?

BillyB_from_LZ · #5 03-08-2007, 07:52 PM

I have no idea of their tension relative to the strings you're presently using...that would be your only concern I suppose.

They will shed for a little while, don't worry, that's normal.

moopants · #6 03-08-2007, 07:58 PM

Hmmm. I guess I'm not one of the people who like them on a fretless. I left my other flats on to compare the sound, and I didn't like the tone of the string too much. I'll go with the flats on this bass, at least. Thanks for the help.

Paul K · #7 03-08-2007, 08:09 PM

Interested in the results of your Elixer experiment. I've been using ground wounds or half rounds on fretless for, uh, like, forever. I tried some nylon tape wounds, and liked them alot except the low e and high c strings were too light and floppy yet a thicker guage string wasn't available.

Peace
Paul K

moopants · #8 03-08-2007, 08:15 PM

I love the Curt Mangan flats I have on it right now. They're my favorite strings for rounds and flats.

eli · #9 03-09-2007, 10:56 AM

The Elixirs really are rounds (can't understand JimmyM's comment), and as such, they definitely lean toward the JacoTone^TM on fretless... so if you prefer the thumpy URB-y sound, don't bother with the Elixirs.

Most flats are higher tension than rounds... flats usually have a bigger core, and that's where the tension comes from. So I would expect if you swapped 'em with your flats, you'd wind up with a lower action as your neck would flex back a little, further driving the sound towards the Jaco growl.

4Mal · #10 03-09-2007, 02:29 PM

TI Jazz Flats would be my choice for fretless - those or D'Addario Chromes. They're both good. The Chromes are higher tension and a little more 'steely' sounding than the TI's. Personlly I've let setup decide which works best.

Tonally the Elixer's are really lacking. It's like you put on a new 'dead' set of strings... I've already had to have one fretless fingerboard planed due to rounds as well. I don't think I'll be revisiting rounds - coated or not on a fretless any time soon.

(Kinda of a hollow threat as I'm between fretless basses at the moment. Soon though ...)

eli · #11 03-09-2007, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4Mal

...Tonally the Elixer's are really lacking. It's like you put on a new 'dead' set of strings... I've already had to have one fretless fingerboard planed due to rounds as well. I don't think I'll be revisiting rounds - coated or not on a fretless any time soon...

Interesting. I somewhat dislike the brand-new-roundwounds metallic "sproing" on fretless, so the Elixirs, which are bright but missing that last metallic bit, are just my cup of tea. Proving once again that one man's trash is another man's treasure. TEHO, I guess...

Deacon_Blues · #12 03-09-2007, 04:39 PM

I must say I have used Elixir's ever since I put the first set on my bass. Saying they are really lacking tonally almost p***ed me off, because to me, they are as good as normal roundwoulds but they last at least 10 times longer without ever becoming too dull to play with. I have never tried a set of normal roundwounds that have lasted anywhere near as long as these do. DR claims their strings last longer than normally, but the one set I once bought was dead in two weeks. IMO, They didn't last longer than the cheapest strings. I was really dissappointed and haven't bought them again, they're very expensive, too.

Elixirs have also the fastest feel of all roundwounds I've ever tested.

If I would like to have roundwounds on a fretless, I would use Elixirs. They probably wouldn't eat the fretboard as much as normal roundwounds and would be easier to slide on due to the smoother feel.

- Deacon Blues, The Elixir-fan

eli · #13 03-09-2007, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

I must say I have used Elixir's ever since I put the first set on my bass. Saying they are really lacking tonally almost p***ed me off, because to me, they are as good as normal roundwoulds but they last at least 10 times longer without ever becoming too dull to play with. I have never tried a set of normal roundwounds that have lasted anywhere near as long as these do. DR claims their strings last longer than normally, but the one set I once bought was dead in two weeks. IMO, They didn't last longer than the cheapest strings. I was really dissappointed and haven't bought them again, they're very expensive, too.

Elixirs have also the fastest feel of all roundwounds I've ever tested.

If I would like to have roundwounds on a fretless, I would use Elixirs. They probably wouldn't eat the fretboard as much as normal roundwounds and would be easier to slide on due to the smoother feel.

- Deacon Blues, The Elixir-fan

...err, and everything he said. Except I wasn't p***ed off.

moopants · #14 03-09-2007, 08:45 PM

TI flats are probably great, but there's not way in the Lord's good name that I'm going to spend $70 on strings when I already have some of the most beautiful sounding flats for about $20.

JimmyM · #15 03-09-2007, 09:34 PM

Eli, what I meant is that Elixirs are rounds, but the coating makes them feel and sound like something other than rounds.

eli · #16 03-09-2007, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Eli, what I meant is that Elixirs are rounds, but the coating makes them feel and sound like something other than rounds.

That's what I... umm... thought I... understood you... er... meant to...

uhhh... yeah.

LoveThatBass · #17 03-09-2007, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4Mal

TI Jazz Flats would be my choice for fretless - those or D'Addario Chromes. They're both good. The Chromes are higher tension and a little more 'steely' sounding than the TI's. Personlly I've let setup decide which works best.

Tonally the Elixer's are really lacking. It's like you put on a new 'dead' set of strings... I've already had to have one fretless fingerboard planed due to rounds as well. I don't think I'll be revisiting rounds - coated or not on a fretless any time soon.

(Kinda of a hollow threat as I'm between fretless basses at the moment. Soon though ...)

I fully agree with all you said about the TI Jazz Flats, D'Addario Chromes and Elixers.

Tonally, I like the TI Jazz Flats the best, feel/tension wise I like the Chromes better. The Chromes are a close second to the TI in sound but the TI just has that smooth sound other strings do not have. Really would love it if they did two things:
A. Increased the tension of the strings slightly
B. Increased the diameter of the G string as there is too much disparity in tone change between the D and the G as compared to the others. Elixers sound dead on some basses and more alive on others which is probably due to the type pickup a particular bass has.

Brass Nut · #18 03-10-2007, 06:46 AM

Just a thought, but why not just change 1 string for comparison? Maybe the D string?
Reason for suggestion is that I find my fretless to be rather setup sensitive and would think a change in tension would not be a fair comparison unless a complete setup for string type was used. That seems like a lot of bother just for a comparison. Plus, the tones would be right there to check?
Just a dummies idea.

As a side note; I feel that $70 for TI's is money well spent. I like them that much. However, everyone has different taste, that's why the lord designed women with different hair colors.

DaveCustomMade · #19 03-16-2007, 09:25 AM

If I'm wanting to warm up my fretless (it has a Birdseye Maple body with a Maple/Pau Ferro neck, with the pickup nearer to the bridge). . . . what set of strings would you suggest? They would have to be a set that comes in 5 string.

Heck, as long as I'm on the subject, I'd also love to warm up the tone of my fretted bass but have been "afraid" to go with flats because I didn't want my bass to sound dead, or have that "Fender P bass thuddy sound".

eli · #20 03-16-2007, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveCustomMade

If I'm wanting to warm up my fretless (it has a Birdseye Maple body with a Maple/Pau Ferro neck, with the pickup nearer to the bridge). . . . what set of strings would you suggest? They would have to be a set that comes in 5 string.

Heck, as long as I'm on the subject, I'd also love to warm up the tone of my fretted bass but have been "afraid" to go with flats because I didn't want my bass to sound dead, or have that "Fender P bass thuddy sound".

"Warm up", you say... wazzat mean? What does it sound like now, and what strings are on it?