string choice: acoustic electric fretless...

[terrygils]

... michael kelly club custom 5 string fretless. i play acoustically mainly just to practice by myself and plug in when i play with others. i prefer flatwounds. recommendations? advantages & disadvantages of strings you recommend? thanks in advance.

[rekesbass]

right now I use TI acousticores(nylon core\bronze wrap)on my club4 fretless.They are not a flatwound but,are not as brittle sounding as regular acoustic(bronze)strings.they have lower tension than regular strings and are pretty soft to the touch(not too coarse)for a roundwound and they mellow to a nice warm sounding string over time....

I was actually looking to try a flatwound myself,thinking maybe a tapewound..Be careful with the flats,some are pretty high tension and some acoustic instruments don't like that.I hope some suggestions come as I'm curious as well.

[MD]

Holly Crap! Five string TI Acousticore prices aren't for the faint of heart.

I had TI's on my first ABG for several months, gigging it regularly. Very nice tone if you're plugging in. Unfortunately, they're not great if you're looking for max acoustic volume. You just can't dig in with the low tension design. If you can't get the strings moving, you won't produce volume. At the time, the bass was fretted, and fret notches on the D/G began showing up as well, and it was only a matter of time before one snapped. My experience of course.

These days, I'm running LaBella 760N black tapewounds on both ABG's. They're roundwound steel under a nylon wrap and offer the bright tone and sustain of a regular round, but with a smooth, silky feel under the fingers. No finger noise either, which is all too apparent on unplugged ABS's. See Carvin's site for best prices.

[fretlessguy]

I use GHS Prcision Flats in .40-.95 gauge. Good sound, low finger noise, and lower tension for those ABG tops. I have also used Fender and LaBella tapes with satisfaction, but prefer the flats.

[rekesbass]

thanx for the suggestions...I'm wondering about the tone of the tapes and flats when plugged in.Do they help with the harshness of the piezo pup? and how's the string to string balance?..the G on my TI's seems weak when amplified

[Gintaras]

I hav an Epiphone El Capitan and previous owner of Kelly fretless. I have tried different strings with both and presently use DR Rare Bronze. I finally gave up the string search and installed a K&K pickup and removed the piezo. What a difference in tone. It transmits the true tone of the bass. Also got the external K&K preamp. I also have tried the GHS Flatwounds and they had a good thumpy sound. Both strings sounded much better with the K&K.

I tried the GHS w/ both pickups and it did help with the harshness of the piezo.

[bertbassplayer]

When I had a Acoustic BG, I actually had Fender Flats on it... I had to shave down the bridge saddle a bit to get it perfect though. I could never use bronze strings because something about my skin chemistry causes the bronze strings to go dead within a week.