|  | | 
07-27-2006, 11:27 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Canada | | | What String for FRETLESS!!??
Sign in to disble this ad
Nickel or Steel, Fatwounds, Rounds? any string suggestion for better sounding fretless and also safer for the board(neck) since it dont have frets
__________________
"Give me a gig" -Jaco Pastorius |
07-27-2006, 11:28 PM
| | | | I use stainless steel DR Lo-Riders. Any strings are going to slowly eat into the fingerboard, whether they're flats or rounds. |
07-27-2006, 11:44 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: South Africa | | | Flatwounds are your best bet for a fretless.
D'Adarrio Chromes are a pretty good bet. They are very bright for flatwounds and have a good tone and feel to them
__________________
What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. Blarg Honk
|
07-27-2006, 11:58 PM
| | | | I like the labellas taper-core.
Doesn't feel as tight and rather loose feeling like on my double bass. |
07-28-2006, 12:14 AM
|  | that video LIES | | Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Northern California | | | Whatcha want?
What's your aim? Electric, growling mwah? Upright-esque thump? What kind of bass? What's the fingerboard made of? Is it coated? My fretless has a coated mac ebony 'board & Ken Smith nickel rounds. I was after the complete opposite end of the tonal spectrum from upright, & this combination does it well. I may go full sacrilege mode stainless steel next time. 
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Albert  He who throws mud only loses ground. | |
07-28-2006, 06:57 AM
| | Pat's the best! | | Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Northern Virginia, USA | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by fourztringz Nickel or Steel, Fatwounds, Rounds? any string suggestion for better sounding fretless and also safer for the board(neck) since it dont have frets | I personally prefer nylon tapewounds on my fretless basses. You might hate them.  |
07-28-2006, 07:01 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: L.A., as in Lower Arkansas! | | | Thomastic Jazz Flats are a favorite around here, I'll wager. Very low tension that take some getting used to, but very classically "upright-sounding".
dcr
__________________
"...You can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself." --- Ricky Nelson
**************************************************
Roscoe / Nordy / Markbass / Epifani
|
07-28-2006, 07:02 AM
|  | prefers electric miles davis | | Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Los Angeles, CA | | | i use d'addario chromes flatwounds and recently have been using d'addario half-rounds on it. the half-rounds give it the growl of a roundwound string, with the smoothness of a flatwound, so it won't rip up your fretboard. |
07-28-2006, 08:14 AM
|  | No need to ask, he's a smooth... Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: West Midlands UK | | | Dean Markley fretmasters sound really good (but they're not cheap!). Rounds, but burnished over the fingerboard sections to make them slightly smoother. May help with wear, but I don't have a problem with that anyway; the damage rounds can do to your board is over estimated, imo, unless you use a lot of lateral vibrato.
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by SBassman | |
07-28-2006, 08:29 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Daytona Beach, Fl | | | I was TI Jazz Flats guy on my Fretless basses, still have them on my 4001FL. I wanted a more aggressive sound, put a set of Ken Smith Compressors and I love these things. I've tried Elixers, Nickel rounds, Carvin Flats, TI Jazz flats, Ken Smith Slicks, but these Compressors are the best of all worlds for me.
Bill |
07-28-2006, 08:34 AM
|  | (((o))) Moderator | | Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Antwerp, Belgium | | | What's your finish?
If it's epoxy, I'd go with Nickelwounds, damn, they rule!
Nice and punchy and still enough mwah with the right pup config and technique. |
07-28-2006, 08:41 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Alachua, Florida | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by markjazzbassist i use d'addario chromes flatwounds and recently have been using d'addario half-rounds on it. the half-rounds give it the growl of a roundwound string, with the smoothness of a flatwound, so it won't rip up your fretboard. | I haven't compared many different strings, but I like the half-rounds, they have a nice feel to them also (45-100s). |
07-29-2006, 09:13 AM
| | | 
I like these.
T I Flats- Even sound, low tension, well balanced.
Ken Smith Compressors- semi-smooth, brighter than flats, but nice low end.
GHS Flats- More tension than T I flats, but similar.
95-49 set.
DR Low Riders Nickel- great roundwound string 100-40. |
07-30-2006, 06:36 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Connecticut | | | rotosound, either jazz 77's or swing bass 66's pick one, 77=flat 66=round
__________________
SWR Fan Club Member #21
|
07-30-2006, 07:36 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: under your bed | | | Best sound? Stainless Rounds. Best for the life of the board? Tapewound flats.
__________________
Meh.
|
07-30-2006, 07:41 PM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Auburn, Washington | | | I put on some Ken Smith Rock Masters (I think) a few days ago, they sound nice.
For me strings are more about feel than tone. I really can't tell the difference between one string and another, but if it eats my fingers, I can't play it as well. |
07-30-2006, 08:02 PM
|  | Registered User
Owner and builder Clementbass | | Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Central Florida | | | The La bella Deep talkin flats and the TI flats are my favorite flats. I put the La Bella's on the basses I send out with flats on them.....t |
07-31-2006, 10:11 AM
|  | Fingers, pick, and a little bit of slap | | Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Terrapin country (Crofton, MD) | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Philbiker I personally prefer nylon tapewounds on my fretless basses. You might hate them. | Same here.
Haven't owned a fretless in awhile, but I love fretlesses strung with tapes. Heck, I just got some tapes (LaBella Deep Talkin') for my fretted basses! |
07-31-2006, 10:14 AM
| | Fingers, pick, and a little bit of slap | | Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Terrapin country (Crofton, MD) | | | P.S. Yeah, nylon tapes are safer for your board, and I personally love how they sound. That said: I strongly urge you to get whatever strings you think sound best, even if they're stainless steel rounds. Fretboard damage doesn't happen overnight, and even if it does, it can be repaired. Have fun! |
07-31-2006, 11:07 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: South of Boston | | | I love the Rotosound swing bass set... I like the D'addario stainless set as well. And I think I liked the set of Ken Smith Burners that I tried. The TI strings are amazing, loved them when I tried them, they feel and play amazing, but then went back to stainless steel rounds.
How can you not love roundwounds on a fretless?
__________________
Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself.
Miles Davis
| | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off | | | |
