Rounds of flats on a fretless?

[davis1]

I've only had a chance to test both at a low volume in a store, couldn't really find much noticeable difference in the tone. I read that flats would give a fuller sound, but I couldn't hear it at the volume I was playing. I preferred the feel of the rounds over the flats.

Can y'all give me more insight on this?

[SoLongJake]

rounds will destroy your fretboard, unless its very well epoxied.

[kENNy k]

It depends on what style of music you are playing...I've always used Rotosounds because I love the growl. It is true they will eat up on your neck though.

kENNy

[rummy]

You couldn't find much difference? Hmm.

I prefer rounds. I prefer the sound I get out of rounds on a fretless. Have they "destroyed" my fretboard? Absolutely not.

[Panda Licker]

it will certainly 'wear' a fretboard, but unless its a really soft wood, it shouldnt give you a problem for a long time

Rounds on a rosewood board might get bad pretty quick

But rounds on an ebony will give you atleast a few years before you have to worry

[Tbirdbassist]

This thread =

[spade2you]

Originally Posted by SoLongJake

rounds will destroy your fretboard, unless its very well epoxied.

Possibly. Depends on how often and how hard you play that particular bass. Ebony, pao fero, and purpleheart hold up alright to rounds. I've only had it a couple weeks, but by Dymondwood fingerboard seems to be holding up extremely well to roundwound abuse.

If you can't tell the difference in tone......something with the amp must not be right, but if you can't tell, I'd go with the flats since it's easier on the fingerboard.

[Erick Lam]

I play rounds on a 22 year old bare ebony fingerboard. I played flats once... never again!

[Jazzdogg]

I have Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats on my fretless PBass (rosewood fingerboard). Compared to the black tapewounds I used before, the TIs are bright; I'm enjoying their tone immensely. No fingerboard damage since I defretted in about 1983.

[MrHarrison]

Originally Posted by davis1

couldn't really find much noticeable difference in the tone

The rounds on the store instruments were probably old and played out, so that's probably why you weren't able to here a difference.

The best way to figure out which you prefer is by putting some fresh strings on a fretless and going with what everyone else has been saying it shouldn't do too much to a fretboard just by trying it out.

[FrizzleFry]

I use Thomasik-Infeld Rounds on my Ebony Board, Wonderfull growly tone! No Boardwear either!

[Debased]

Rounds have much better articulation, sustain, growl, "muah," and nice clear harmonics. I think the majority of sonic attributes that make fretless bass desirable are wasted with thumpy, dead-sounding flats, though tape wounds are a half-decent compromise on a few acoustic/piezo basses like those from Rob Allen.

Rounds will not "destroy" a fingerboard unless it's made from inappropriate wood or you use lousy technique. I've played a fretless F-Bass with a plain ebony board regularly for the last seventeen years with rounds and it shows only superficial surface wear.

Nickel rounds are much less abrasive to fretless boards (and fingers!) than stainless, so if you're concerned with fingerboard wear, use a light touch, avoid guitar-style bends and vibrato (it's not necessary with a fretless) and stick with nickel.

[Jim Carr]

Originally Posted by FrizzleFry

I use Thomasik-Infeld Rounds on my Ebony Board, Wonderfull growly tone! No fretwear either!

+1

Same here.

[nemo]

Want upright like sound - get flats
Want mwah, Jaco style - get rounds

[Baryonyx]

It's got to be rounds a fretless for me. I just love the bright, warm tone!

[bass_fish]

Originally Posted by SoLongJake

rounds will destroy your fretboard, unless its very well epoxied.

so not true.... my board isn't epoxied, neither was my previous one and both are/where fine... little scratches(I still bent notes sometimes), but no dents or chipping or anything that you could consider "destroyed".

rounds give a little more "zing" and flats are a bit duller I guess, both sound great, just a matter of preference...

[Rumblin' Man]

I use flats on both fretted and fretless.

[spade2you]

Originally Posted by Erick Lam

I play rounds on a 22 year old bare ebony fingerboard. I played flats once... never again!

Surprising flats aren't getting much praise. I guess I figured it was a 60%/40% flats/roundwound preference on this forum.

Both rounds and flats cover some different, but equally cool, tonal ground. I tend to utilize my roundwounds for the bright spectrum of things and spec the basses out for brightness. I use the flats for the ultimate in deep warmth with my Rob Allen basses. Hard to beat the sound of a Mouse 30 with LaBella tapes on a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard.

[Philbiker]

The only way to find out what you like is to try stuff. Expensive, but that's the way it is. Personally I like nylon tapewound strings on a fretless.

[acleex38]

I'm a hardcore flatwound lover. Chromes when I'm being picky (the Birdsongs) and Fenders when I'm not (the beater that doesn't warrant $32 strings). First time I tried flats, I was like "why did I waste so much time putting rounds on this thing."

But then again, that's the sound I'm looking for - I don't go for "mwaah" all that often and I listened to SO MUCH JACO for SO MANY YEARS that I actively try my hardest to avoid sounding like him (mostly because I can't pull off his licks, so as long as I avoid his tone, I can avoid the unfavorable comparison).

When I get around to it, I'm putting flats back on my fretted bass too.