Suggestions on fretless bass strings

**davidjbass** · #1 11-14-2009, 05:30 AM

I just got my new Big Al fretless. It has an ebony fingerboard on it and I am looking for suggestions on what kind of strings I can use to cut down on the wear and tear from round wounds. I go for the Pino and Mark Egan sound. So I do like the sounds of rounds. Are there any strings out there that will give me the growl of rounds but help save my fingerboard?
All suggestions would be most appreciated.

Philbiker · #2 11-14-2009, 07:17 AM

I love Fender nylon tapewound (not the nylon filament strings which I hate) strings on a fretless, they're only available in four string sets unfortunately. For my six string fretless I use LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass nylon tapes. They are nice, too!

Jaco who? · #3 11-14-2009, 09:45 AM

DR sunbeam nickel roundwounds. I've had them on my Fender fretless w/rosewood board for probably 4 years, just teensy weensy hash marks around the first 4 frets. Barely noticeable. Ebony is harder. Much less one dimensional sounding than any flatwounds, imho, of course.

kesslari · #4 11-14-2009, 09:47 AM

I like DR Sunbeams.
I also like Ken Smith Compressors - nickle and very easy on fingerboards, while still retaining that roundwound sound.
I use the Smiths on two of my fretless basses, the Sunbeams on one of them.

GKR1 · #5 11-14-2009, 10:05 AM

I think Ken Smith Compressors are same as the GHS pressuerwounds.

I've sunbeams on my fretless

fretlessguy · #6 11-14-2009, 12:13 PM

Here's what I've used over the years on my fretlesses. I stay away from stainless steel rounds for the reason you gave. And now my list of favorites:

Rounds:
Fender 7150s & 7250s
I currently have a set of 7150 light OEM strings with the additional B string on my Carvin 5. They have plenty of output and mwah. They are long lasting and inexpensive.
D'Addario XLs: A good sounding string set.

Compressed:
GHS Pressurewounds:
These are really good for fretlesses. They have plenty of mwah, and have that flatwound sound to them. A cross between flats and rounds. They are very smooth and are not too abrasive on fretless necks. Kind on frets as well.

Flats:
GHS Precisions: Good old school thumping sound. Last forever, and are smooth to the touch.
Thomastic-Enfield Jazz Flats: Brighter than the normal Flats and very low tension. They are really in a class of their own.
D'Addario Chromes: Kind of in the middle in tone when compared to the GHS and TI strings. A little on the twangy side, although they settle down with age. Probably some of the better feeling and finished strings.

Groundwounds
D'Addario Half Rounds: Good sounding, but were extremely high tensioned. They feel rough and require some playing time to break in and smooth out.
GHS Brite Flats: Similar to the D'Addarios but a little brighter sounding.

All the strings I use are light gauges, so these may not be to your liking in heavier gauges. They are some of the less abrasive strings for your neckboards, which is one of the factors I look for since I am not a fan of coated fretless necks. Good luck in your search.

hasbeen · #7 11-14-2009, 05:32 PM

DR SUNBEAM NICKEL
DR SUNBEAM NICKEL

I really don't like to use the word BEST for gear but, if you want that tone with great feel and VERY minimal wear, these are the BEST.

imho.

jenderfazz · #8 11-14-2009, 05:38 PM

dr sunbeams!!! for reasons stated above.

DavePlaysBass · #9 11-14-2009, 06:52 PM

I love Sadowsky Flats on my new fretless. Great definition with a great down low wallop.

Sharkman · #10 11-14-2009, 07:22 PM

Thomastik Flats.

I know there are other options, tried many over the years.
Now, I don't even think about strings anymore!

**davidjbass** · #11 11-16-2009, 10:11 AM

Thanks so far for all the advice. Does anyone know who carries the Thomastik Flats?

KPJ · #12 11-16-2009, 01:20 PM

Juststrings.com

El Tookay · #13 11-16-2009, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hasbeen

DR SUNBEAM NICKEL
DR SUNBEAM NICKEL

I really don't like to use the word BEST for gear but, if you want that tone with great feel and VERY minimal wear, these are the BEST.

.

....'nuff said.

Billnc · #14 11-16-2009, 08:22 PM

TIJF's for flats and DR Sunbeams for rounds. I was playin my fretless tonight (like every night) with TIJF's and just loving them. I've come to prefer flats all the way around but used Sunbeams for many years.

AN0INTD · #15 11-22-2009, 04:08 PM

I would like to suggest TI jazz rounds....
Try www.bassguitarstrings.us their prices are a bit less than juststrings.com (especially the JR strings).

JTE · #16 11-22-2009, 04:39 PM

DR Sunbeams are a great string for fretless. I've also used DR Hi-Beams on my fretless for a long time and like the brightness.

But, based on your comments, the sound isn't what's important, right? My position is that the bass is supposed to make music, which is sound. Use the strings that give voice to your music, and chalk up any fingerboard wear to the cost of doing business. Especially because you have an ebony board! My fretless' ebony board gets dressed with a 3M hardware pad (like using 0000 steel wool, except it doesn't leave little bits of steel to cling to the pickups) about once a year or so. That ebony board is about 12 years old now, and is almost as clean as when I had it installed.

John

nysbob · #17 11-23-2009, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JTE

But, based on your comments, the sound isn't what's important, right? My position is that the bass is supposed to make music, which is sound. Use the strings that give voice to your music, and chalk up any fingerboard wear to the cost of doing business. Especially because you have an ebony board! .
John

My thoughts exactly. Your car will last forever if you don't drive it!

bassbenj · #18 11-23-2009, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fretlessguy

Rounds:
Fender 7150s & 7250s
I currently have a set of 7150 light OEM strings with the additional B string on my Carvin 5. They have plenty of output and mwah. They are long lasting and inexpensive.
D'Addario XLs: A good sounding string set.

Compressed:
GHS Pressurewounds:
These are really good for fretlesses. They have plenty of mwah, and have that flatwound sound to them. A cross between flats and rounds. They are very smooth and are not too abrasive on fretless necks. Kind on frets as well.

Flats:
GHS Precisions: Good old school thumping sound. Last forever, and are smooth to the touch.
Thomastic-Enfield Jazz Flats: Brighter than the normal Flats and very low tension. They are really in a class of their own.
D'Addario Chromes: Kind of in the middle in tone when compared to the GHS and TI strings. A little on the twangy side, although they settle down with age. Probably some of the better feeling and finished strings.

Groundwounds
D'Addario Half Rounds: Good sounding, but were extremely high tensioned. They feel rough and require some playing time to break in and smooth out.
GHS Brite Flats: Similar to the D'Addarios but a little brighter sounding.

Rounds. Two schools of thought: Use rounds. Love the tone. Get your fingerboard planed periodically as "cost of doing business". The other is use less chewy strings. Put up with loss of some brightness. Preserve the fingerboard on your favorite expensive bass. I am of the second school. When my Alembic started getting neck chews [ebony!] right after I bought it, I freaked! Ripped the rounds off it and never put them back on.

Compression wounds are much less chewy than rounds but still chew a bit. I don't use them on fretless but do use them on some of my fretted basses to reduce the zip-zip finger string noise. Note that some places CALL strings "compression wound" that are really rounds. It's just a marketing term meaning they are wound tight. REAL compression wounds like those from GHS are run through rollers and are actually Flattened on the outside.

Flats. Zero chews. But old school tone. I have some on a Fender clone for that reason. Great if you are going for that sound.

Ground wounds. These are on virtually all my fretless basses. As bright as you can get without chewing up the neck. ZERO neck chews. Rub strings down with 0000 steel wool before installing to eliminate that "sticky" feeling. Love em. For my taste I prefer D'addario over GHS but love and use them both.

Nylon wraps. My carvin AC50 fretless has these. They FEEL like a million to play. Have a sort of upright imitation sound. And are very lasting. The feel of these strings is so great you really need to try a set just to get your opinion on their tone. Order a set(s) from Carvin where they are much cheaper than string shops.

That's about what I know. You'll have to get someone from the "chew the neck" school to tell you which rounds are best for fretless if you want to go that way.

Beefbass · #19 11-23-2009, 06:39 PM

I just switched my 2002 MIM jazz with DiMarzio Model J's to Fender 7150XL pure nickels. The more they break in , the better they sound! They also seem to be easy on the board and the fingers. For me, it's the tone and the feel, and these strings IMHO deliver the goods.

JohnnyB53 · #20 11-24-2009, 11:55 PM

Black Diamond Black Coated. They're pure nickel roundwound, but coated. They have the warmth of nickel, the clarity of a roundwound, and the non-destructive surface of a coated string.

I use them on my ebony board G&L ASAT semihollow fretless and it's taken its tone and my playing to another level. I was using the TI Flats and liked them a lot, but I like the BDs even better. They have a more complex harmonic structure, have a very strong fundamental like flats, but with a big, focused, harmonious set of overtones. They are higher tension than the TI Flats and I find that that encourages good intonation and smoother, more accurate playing.

They're currently on sale at MF, and First Quality Music also has them at a better price than most places.