I'm just getting back into playing more bass (guitar originally with some lousy bass playing every so often) and have been trying to get some time on every interesting style of bass I see. Recently I ran across a very used fretless Cort Curbow at a Guitar Center. I did like it, however the strings seemed very odd to me. They had hair or fur or something, maybe 1/4 inch long strands, sticking out between the wraps down their entire length. Did I just see something common but new to me, or did the previous owner like rubbing his cat on his strings?
It was so regular and uniform that it seemed like it was on purpose. I'd quickly concluded that the hair was there to dampen the tone a bit more, sort of like putting a felt mute on the string. They did sound dead as hell, but they could have been quite old too.
I'll chalk it up to some strangeness then. Thanks.
