Roundwounds on Ibanez Gwb105 fretless???

[MrSandman]

Finnaly i will buy gwb, my favourite fretless bass . thing that i'm concered on is fretboard damage becouse roundwounds. i like their sound so flats are no option. fingerboard material is ebony on this gwb. so, do you have any experiences with that, any advises???? epoxi tretman or something else???
Thanks and greetings from Croatia!

[kesslari]

Hello! I have that same bass. I use roundwounds. Nickle roundwounds are a bit softer and easier on the fingerboard than steel. I'm currently using DR Sunbeams on that bass, and they sound great!

Fingerboard wear happens. It happens with all strings. Even with roundwounds, the wear will take a long time, and you can periodically (every 5 years or so) get the fingerboard dressed by a luthier. You can get the fingerboard epoxied if you want - it will change the sound somewhat, but will slow the wear process.

But all in all, the wear is not that big a deal, and is the price that you pay for playing the instrument.

Think of it like oil in your car - if you drive the car, the oil gets dirty, and every 3000 miles or so you have to change it. If you never drive the car, you can keep the oil clean, but you have a car to drive it, so change the oil when needed and don't worry about it.

You have a bass to play music on it.
In fact, you have a wonderful bass. Enjoy it to the fullest!

[MrSandman]

Originally Posted by kesslari

Hello! I have that same bass. I use roundwounds. Nickle roundwounds are a bit softer and easier on the fingerboard than steel. I'm currently using DR Sunbeams on that bass, and they sound great!

Fingerboard wear happens. It happens with all strings. Even with roundwounds, the wear will take a long time, and you can periodically (every 5 years or so) get the fingerboard dressed by a luthier. You can get the fingerboard epoxied if you want - it will change the sound somewhat, but will slow the wear process.

But all in all, the wear is not that big a deal, and is the price that you pay for playing the instrument.

Think of it like oil in your car - if you drive the car, the oil gets dirty, and every 3000 miles or so you have to change it. If you never drive the car, you can keep the oil clean, but you have a car to drive it, so change the oil when needed and don't worry about it.

You have a bass to play music on it.
In fact, you have a wonderful bass. Enjoy it to the fullest!

thanx man! i am obviusly to affraid for nothing... Can you describe what kind of sound difference would epoxi make?
if i'm not wrong, it is possibile to change fingerboard after years of wearing and dressing?

[kesslari]

One testimonial on the HG Thor website (he who does impeccable epoxy finishes) says

"The effect epoxy produces in the sound ...is amazing: everything is brighter and all details come out clearer.

I haven't had it done (yet) so I can't speak from personal experience.

You can get several re-dressings (with or without epoxy) out of a single fingerboard - how many depends on the thickness of the fingerboard. And yes, fingerboards can eventually be replaced.

This was a concern for me initially, until I realized that by the time (given re-dressing) that this poses an issue for me, I'll be in my 70's... and that's if I only played the GWB exclusively for fretless. From a practical standpoint, it's not an issue.