Roundwounds on a fretless?

theworldismad · #1 01-03-2010, 11:08 AM

Recently i have decided to buy a cheap fretless. its a Schecter Deluxe 4 with a Rosewood fretboard. I strung it up with roundwounds because i love their sound, but i am aware of how they are infamous for chewing up fretless fretboards... and i put in 2-4 hours of playing time a day on my basses. I just wanted to know from any experienced fretless players how serious this issue is. Will the fretboard eventually be completely unplayable, or will it just be more of a cosmetic issue?

BassClef 2010 · #2 01-03-2010, 11:56 AM

I would say it would just be a cosmetic issue. My fretless has an ebonal fingerboard I play it 2-6 hours a day. If you like the sound, it shouldn't matter about the scratches.

JTE · #3 01-03-2010, 01:15 PM

While it's not just a cosmetic issue, I think way too much is made of it. My original fretless had a rosewood board and used roundwounds (D'Addario XL nickles and XLS stainless) for about eight years before I decided to replace the board. Now part of that wear wad exacerbated by me buffing out the board too often and too aggresively. I used asanding block, three grades of sandpaper, and two grades of steel wool. I replaced that board with an ebony board around '97. Now I buff the oard with 0000 steel wool about once a year to remove surface marks.

Bottom line is use what sounds rioght to you, and accept the wear.

John

Kael · #4 01-03-2010, 01:35 PM

Play it till the grooves in the board start to bug you. It will take a long time to get there even at a couple hours playtime a day. When you are there, epoxy the sucker. That'll get you another decade or so of use. If you get over ten plus years outta that neck, you got your money out of it.

fretlessguy · #5 01-04-2010, 04:12 PM

Yes, roundwounds will eat your fingerboard over a given time, which the rate of devourment will depend on how much you play and how hard you play. Nickel strings tend to do less damage than steel. You can get the board coated to prevent wear and extend its life.
I have fretlesses with both rounds and flats and enjoy both.

Hoover · #6 01-05-2010, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theworldismad

Will the fretboard eventually be completely unplayable, or will it just be more of a cosmetic issue?

Depends on your definition of "eventually". In the geologic sense yes, eventually your fingerboard will become completely unplayable due to the gouges worn in from 2-4 hours/day of roundwound string use.

Of course, you'll be long dead by the time that happens, so this presupposes that your children & grandchildren inherit your bass and your disciplined practice routine.