Sunbeams vs. Nickel LoRiders for fretless

OldogNewTrick · #1 04-30-2010, 03:41 AM

still looking for the "perfect" string for my fretless...

bass: 34" 5 string walnut/maple/walnut body, NT maple neck, ebony fingerboard, Delano Xtender pickup

tried so far: DAddario XL & Half Rounds, Elixir Nano - greatly prefer tapered B strings

which string should I try next? Sunbeams or Nickel LoRiders? Is the B-string tapered ?

thx all

Jaco who? · #2 04-30-2010, 05:23 AM

I voted for Sunbeams. If you prefer higher tension, you might want to consider D'addario chrome flats though. Still bright, and the ability to do totally noiseless unison octave/fifth slides up or down the fretboard without any noise at all is kinda' cool. The TI jazz flats on fretless were extremely boring sounding to me.

jebmd · #3 04-30-2010, 05:26 AM

+1 for the Chrome flats. I love them for fretted and fretless.

PSPookie · #4 04-30-2010, 06:54 AM

I like all three of the choices and would have to say it depends on the particular instrument and your personal tastes.

Some strings just get along better with a particular bass. There's no real way to figure otu which one is the "right" string without trying them. This is one of the reasons I tend to hang on to old strings.

Oh, and don't forget about tapewounds.

hasbeen · #5 04-30-2010, 01:34 PM

huge Sunbeam fan here. All my fretlessessess have them.

Lowest End · #6 04-30-2010, 01:39 PM

I wandered through the wilderness of strings for my fretless until I discovered the Sunbeams... and haven't looked back.

I've used the lo-riders on my fretted Warwick and found them to be a bit too clicky for the band I was playing with.

Gintaras · #7 04-30-2010, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hasbeen

huge Sunbeam fan here. All my fretlessessess have them.

I am a believer that each bass has the perfect set of strings for it. But the Sunbeams always seem to sound great on fretless. I presently have a modded Corvette and they have all the tone, mwah and growl that I could want.

SquierBender · #8 04-30-2010, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jebmd

+1 for the Chrome flats. I love them for fretted and fretless.

#1

OldogNewTrick · #9 05-01-2010, 01:37 AM

interesting.... thanks for taking the time to respond.

at this point the poll stands at
4 - Sunbeams
2 - NLoRiders
1 - TI Jazz flats

opinions expressed by posters
5 - Sunbeams
0 - NLoRiders
0 - TI Jazz flats
3 - D'Ad Chrome flats

Questions:
- do Sunbeams have a taperwound B-string ?
- has anybody played both the Nickel LoRiders and the Sunbeams, what is their tonal difference ?
- Is the tension of the hexcore LoRiders significantly higher than the roundcore Sunbeams ?

The TI flats option was an afterthought, as I wanted to explore DR's next... there are umpteen threads where they receive lots of love for fretless, yet here 3 posters rave about the Chromes.... I am intrigued - any sound sample, player reference, maybe a youtube clip you can point me to ?

More opinions please !

hoopskidoodle · #10 05-01-2010, 02:06 AM

I'm new to bass, but I've been a Thomastik-Infeld guy for years.

nemo · #11 05-01-2010, 02:13 AM

Didn't try the LoRiders, but Sunbeams for me all the way!
(to answer - they do not have taper on the B)

TI flats did not do it for me on fretless - not enough mwah.

Give Sunbeams a try, for couple of bucks you might find your favourites.
If by any chance you don't like them on fretless, they are great for jazz bass as well.

SteveD · #12 05-03-2010, 12:29 AM

Interesting that there seems to substantial agreement here. I have an old fretted Jazz and a MIM fretless. Favorite strings for both are Sunbeams. I need the low tension on the old Jazz, helps the neck.

Second fav on the fretless are the Chromes, might try those again now that I have used the 'beams for a while.

Arvin · #13 05-03-2010, 08:27 AM

After having tried several different sets of strings on my fretless, I finally settled on GHS Pressure Wounds, and it sounds outstanding.

Chromes were pretty good on it, but they were a little too thumpy for what I wanted on that bass. I tried several different sets of rounds, but they were all too zingy and bright. The Pressure Wounds sit right in between, tonally.

FWIW, the next ones I was going to try were Sunbeams, but once I put the Pressure Wounds on it, I stopped fiddling with it, smiled, and played the heck out of it.

The bass in question is a fretless P-clone with a Duncan Quarter Pounder (SPB-3) in it.

FromTheBassMent · #14 05-03-2010, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pseudocat

After having tried several different sets of strings on my fretless, I finally settled on GHS Pressure Wounds, and it sounds outstanding.

Chromes were pretty good on it, but they were a little too thumpy for what I wanted on that bass. I tried several different sets of rounds, but they were all too zingy and bright. The Pressure Wounds sit right in between, tonally.

FWIW, the next ones I was going to try were Sunbeams, but once I put the Pressure Wounds on it, I stopped fiddling with it, smiled, and played the heck out of it.

The bass in question is a fretless P-clone with a Duncan Quarter Pounder (SPB-3) in it.

THIS^^^^ I actually think that GHS Pressurewounds are just as zingy and give me just as much mwah on my SR5 fretless as Sunbeams did, but they are considerably kinder to my fingerboard.

CapnSev · #15 05-03-2010, 09:38 AM

There's no tapered Bs on either the Sunbeams or the Lo-Riders. The only tapered DR strings are the Longnecks.

Webtroll · #16 05-03-2010, 09:50 AM

Partial to the DR coated strings for my fretless

COOL AND DEADLY · #17 05-03-2010, 09:57 AM

Nice timing! I scored a free set of SunBeams and have been thinking about putting them on the fretless. I'm going to do that based on the talk here.

kesslari · #18 05-03-2010, 10:15 AM

I like Sunbeams on most of my fretless.
They do not have a tapered B.

On one of my fretless, I use Ken Smith Compressors (also great strings). The DO have a low B, but it's .125.

The non-tapered .130 on the Sunbeams kills the .125 tapered Ken Smith.
I'd love to find a tapered .130 nickel string to try with the KS's, but have not yet found one.

Mastermold · #19 05-03-2010, 12:09 PM

I voted for Sunbeams, they are what I use now for fretless. I tried TI flats on my fretless and didn't care for them as much as I thought I would. I love TI flats but they didn't growl like I wanted. Sunbeams do, and they are more flexible than Lo-Riders which I also prefer for fretless.

OldogNewTrick · #20 05-03-2010, 02:49 PM

thank you for the useful advise.

at this point the poll stands at
8 - Sunbeams
4 - NLoRiders
3 - TI Jazz flats

opinions expressed by posters
9 - Sunbeams
0 - NLoRiders
1 - TI Jazz flats
3 - D'Ad Chrome flats
2 - GHS Pressure wounds
1 - DR Coated

Questions:
GHS Pressurewounds - AFAIK they are only available as 4-string set, that that would rule them out....
Nobody has any 1st hand experience with the the Nickel LoRiders ?

How do you find the B string of the Sunbeams?
Do you prefer 40-60-80-100-120 or 45-65-85-105-125 or should I use the 130 and why?

Of the sets I've tried, the D'Addario ENR Nickel Half Round 45-65-80-100-130(T) had the best B-string note definition, intonation and clarity - outstanding. The other strings were pretty okay, but I didn't like the grabby feeling on my left hand and the were a pain to tune as the windings were grabby in the nut. But the B-string was the best I played on fretted and fretless, remarkable.

The timber choices of my bass, with the NT neck make it very different from a Fender(ish) Bolt-on. Also the Delano Xtender pickup is much more in your face than your average soapbar. Plenty of mids with strong bass and extended treble. My Human Base Daily front, body and back.

My current favourite fretless tone is Kai Eckhardt with McLaughlin and Gurtu on Live at the Royal Festival Hall.

Your advise is appreciated - keep them coming.