With right technique that lets me play in an awkward position just to produce a well sounded "mwah?"
I'll stick to roundwounds. No need to discredit La Bella, Bella's are nice on my headless but not for a Fretless
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Advice on strings for fretless
- Thread starter davidjbass
- Start date
With right technique that lets me play in an awkward position just to produce a well sounded "mwah?"
I'll stick to roundwounds. No need to discredit La Bella, Bella's are nice on my headless but not for a Fretless
Currently using DR Pure Blues on my 5 string Fretless.
What I'm currently eager to try out before I switch out my month old Pure Blues strings are my Dean Markley NPS roundcore strings
What I'm currently eager to try out before I switch out my month old Pure Blues strings are my Dean Markley NPS roundcore strings
That's a beautiful bass. May you play it for a long time and make great music.
Many professional-level players feel that the DR Sunbeams are in their own class (they are nickel rounds with a round-core). They are truly a great string and are a kind of standard in my opinion. They really put out a slinky, juicy fretless growl. If you want a slam dunk great modern fretless sound, I would start there.
To cut to the chase: I realize you mentioned Egan and Pino, but if you are into the Jaco-derived tone, there is a very good chance that you will ONLY be satisfied with the Full Monty for fretless sound, and that means a poly/epoxy coated board with rounds. If you are a precocious player with a tone-fanatic mentality, don't listen to anyone who looks at you sideways when you tell them you want to have your board coated. On the other hand, if you experiment with Thomastik Jazz Flats, La Bella Tapewounds, Grounds, etc, you might find that when you actually start to create some solid fretless tones on the gig that something else beside the epoxy-thing will work just fine for you. You dig? Once you are actually laying it down; THAT is the true test for you and your tone search.
That being said, I have gotten some great tones from the La Bella tapewound series, but for a piezo-loaded bass there is definitely a "dead-zone" in the tonal spectrum (and a placky-ness) and after a while it gets on my nerves.
The Thomastik Flats are a great string, but when I got my 35" scale Veillette Paris I couldn't get them to focus. They worked just fine on my 34" scale model, but for me, not with the higher-tension of an extended-scale bass
Waaayyyy too much is made of fingerboard wear for fretless. If you have a solid chunk of ebony, you are going to do just fine for a long time. You can get a good ebony board dressed for years on end if you need to.
Many professional-level players feel that the DR Sunbeams are in their own class (they are nickel rounds with a round-core). They are truly a great string and are a kind of standard in my opinion. They really put out a slinky, juicy fretless growl. If you want a slam dunk great modern fretless sound, I would start there.
To cut to the chase: I realize you mentioned Egan and Pino, but if you are into the Jaco-derived tone, there is a very good chance that you will ONLY be satisfied with the Full Monty for fretless sound, and that means a poly/epoxy coated board with rounds. If you are a precocious player with a tone-fanatic mentality, don't listen to anyone who looks at you sideways when you tell them you want to have your board coated. On the other hand, if you experiment with Thomastik Jazz Flats, La Bella Tapewounds, Grounds, etc, you might find that when you actually start to create some solid fretless tones on the gig that something else beside the epoxy-thing will work just fine for you. You dig? Once you are actually laying it down; THAT is the true test for you and your tone search.
That being said, I have gotten some great tones from the La Bella tapewound series, but for a piezo-loaded bass there is definitely a "dead-zone" in the tonal spectrum (and a placky-ness) and after a while it gets on my nerves.
The Thomastik Flats are a great string, but when I got my 35" scale Veillette Paris I couldn't get them to focus. They worked just fine on my 34" scale model, but for me, not with the higher-tension of an extended-scale bass
Waaayyyy too much is made of fingerboard wear for fretless. If you have a solid chunk of ebony, you are going to do just fine for a long time. You can get a good ebony board dressed for years on end if you need to.
I would say stick to the round wounds if that is your sound.
I used to use Rotos on my fretless (rosewood board) and have had to dress the fretboard a couple of times in the last, oh, 30 years.
Now I use Ken Smith burners which are nickel. I haven't had to have the board looked at in years.
But really, your sound is more important than the fretboard. That's why you play.
Good luck,and what a great looking bass!
I used to use Rotos on my fretless (rosewood board) and have had to dress the fretboard a couple of times in the last, oh, 30 years.
Now I use Ken Smith burners which are nickel. I haven't had to have the board looked at in years.
But really, your sound is more important than the fretboard. That's why you play.
Good luck,and what a great looking bass!
Wow, what a beautiful bass you have. I have a 73 P bass neck, blonde fretless, no lines with a Tony Frankiln body with a P/J pick up design. Often I have used DADDARIO XL chromes. But of late, I have found the Fender flats (I think they have a green package) sounding nice and bright for a very crisp tone, but with the smooth feel of a flat wound.
+1 for elixir. zebra (above) said exactly what i was going to say - they're roundwound, so you don't have to give up that sound (like you would if you used flats, compressed or ground strings) plus the coating is gentle on your fingerboard. i use them on my pedullas (which are played and endorsed by mark egan). fantastic sound.
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^^^I agree with Bob wholeheartedly! I've tried using both flats and half-rounds on my fretless to save on fretboard wear and tear, but no more... just could not get the sound I wanted. Like Bob, I've not had to address any fretboard wear issues by using rounds, and I suspect it will be years before I have to do so.
Here you go smart guy. Pino replaces the fretboard on his musicman bass all the time due to the fact that it's a Rosewood board, so it get chewed up faster. Bass Player magazine interview, March 1992, Page 45.
Use the strings that give you the sound you like. A tech can fix your fretboard if it gets too worn (which will take years, not weeks). I can't imagine not using rounds on fretless; it is such an iconic sound!
This....and you can always get the board coated....
I use rounds on both of my electric fretless basses with no issues
Wow! Thank you all for all the input. I need a day or two to digest it. And thanks for the compliments on the Musicman.
GHS Pressurewounds...my favorite strings on the planet for fretless. Rotosound makes their Solo Bass which are also pressure wounds, but the GHS are about half the price with no discernible difference in sound quality.
Mark Egan is on record (somewhere) saying he uses (and has used since the late 1970s) D'Addario XL 170 nickel roundwound.
Well, it's all relative. Everybody has different tastes. That said, I've been very happy with the D'Addario Black Nylon Tapewounds on my fretless Jazz.
