First time fretless - where's the MWAH?

[Rimshot]

I recently picked up a Sire Marcus Miller V7 2nd Generation 4-string Fretless Bass. I'm not sure what the strings are that came on it from Sweetwater.

It has a hard maple neck and fingerboard. I'm looking to get much more 'mwah' from it that I seem to be able to now.

I've been advised to get DR Sunbeams. Does that sound right?

 

[ardgedee]

Mwah comes from the interaction of the strings and fingerboard. This is a function of your bass's setup and your playing technique. The lower the string's angle from where your finger is stopping the string, the more mwah you get. The closer your picking hand is to the middle of the string, the more mwah you get.

So before buying anything, set up the bass with low action and check your technique.

 

[LowWay]

But when you do buy new strings, I find more flexible strings give you more mwah than stiff. And this can mean using lighter gauge as well.

I use these and really like them: 750C Copper White Nylon Tape, Light 50-105

 

[tindrum]

Those ship with D’Addario Chromes, which are flats….not good for mwahhh really. Rounds with low action should give it in spades. Sunbeams are a good choice. I like Dunlop Super Brights on fretless as they are low tension and have the perfect midrange to bring the mwahhh big time.

 

[Michedelic]

You have to make it evil…

 

[Rimshot]

Mwah comes from the interaction of the strings and fingerboard. This is a function of your bass's setup and your playing technique. The lower the string's angle from where your finger is stopping the string, the more mwah you get. The closer your picking hand is to the middle of the string, the more mwah you get.

So before buying anything, set up the bass with low action and check your technique.

Thanks for your reply and the information. Step one: "check [my] technique". Got it!

 

[ardgedee]

Those ship with D’Addario Chromes, which are flats….not good for mwahhh really.

Brighter strings help by emphasizing the upper frequencies that bloom after the note is plucked, but they don't have any special sauce that makes more mwah.

I've gotten mwah with various brands of flats, including Chromes. They don't make me sound like Jaco or Pino, but that doesn't mean they're bad, especially if I don't intend to sound like Jaco or Pino. If I did, I would use rounds, maybe Cobalt Flats.

 

[MonetBass]

Thanks for your reply and the information. Step one: "check [my] technique". Got it!

Also, setup makes a huge difference. Get the neck as flat as possible, with maybe a little relief. Then lower the action on each string to the point where they're not buzzing. Bingo! Mwah.

 

[sawzalot]

Roundwounds = mwah. Nickel rounds = warm mwah. Stainless rounds = crispy mwah. The bass makes a huge difference also, some basses really "sing" and some just don't. You obviously want one that sings.

 

[JazznFunk]

It's all about setup. Strings make minute differences, but setup and your touch are key. Mwah killers are heavy gauge strings with string height too high, and too much relief in the neck.

 

[JamesGrant]

Word of warning, roundwounds can chew up the finger board pretty quickly. I have flats on my fretless - I know the fingerboard isn’t the hardest wood out there.

Lower action = more mwah.

 

[BassBrass]

I recently picked up a Sire Marcus Miller V7 2nd Generation 4-string Fretless Bass. I'm not sure what the strings are that came on it from Sweetwater.

It has a hard maple neck and fingerboard. I'm looking to get much more 'mwah' from it that I seem to be able to now.

I've been advised to get DR Sunbeams. Does that sound right?

I just got a V6 5 fretless and it came with LaBalla DTF strings (I wrote and asked Sire, Sweetwater rep didn't know). The only virtue to them is they don't mark the surface... I put on EB Cobalt Flats, just the right mwah (or no mwah if I want and use no vibrato)

 

[ColinR]

Setup is huge. Needs to be low, and your right hand attack and position is important. Towards the middle, where your string moves the most, is optimal.
Type of string does not matter. I get loads of mwah of of NYXL rounds. In fact, in 30 years of fretless playing I have never used flats for more than a a day or so. Not my thing.

 

[JRA]

Mwah comes from the interaction of the strings and fingerboard. This is a function of your bass's setup and your playing technique. The lower the string's angle from where your finger is stopping the string, the more mwah you get. The closer your picking hand is to the middle of the string, the more mwah you get. So before buying anything, set up the bass with low action and check your technique.

....roundwounds can chew up the finger board pretty quickly.

that might be true of players whose "technique" really sucks!

 

[EBlovesCharvel]

It seems counterintuitive but rounds will mwah more than any flatwounds can. Not sure about brighter tapewounds like Gold Tapes but I doubt those would give as much mwah either, though it could be a good compromise (comp-wuah-mise?)

 

[MonetBass]

Word of warning, roundwounds can chew up the finger board pretty quickly. I have flats on my fretless - I know the fingerboard isn’t the hardest wood out there.

Lower action = more mwah.

As many, many threads have stated, this is not true on the whole. It depends on your technique and the hardness of the fingerboard in question. Rosewood and ebony will last a long time (in some cases, decades) before the fingerboard needs attention. I've been playing my fretless with an ebony board for a couple of years with only roundwounds on it, and you can barely see any marks on it.

 

[Lo-E]

In order of importance:
Technique
Setup
Strings
Pickups/electronics

Put your energy into the top two first and foremost.

 

[JazznFunk]

Word of warning, roundwounds can chew up the finger board pretty quickly. I have flats on my fretless - I know the fingerboard isn’t the hardest wood out there.

Lower action = more mwah.

Not 100% accurate, and subject to a few different factors. My fretless basses wear nickel rounds and while they do have some marks on them, none are remotely close to what I would consider 'damage', and they do not affect play or tone. My Lakland 5 string fretless is 23 years old. Premature wear from rounds is usually caused by inappropriately heavy left hand technique and 'bending' the string across the fingerboard, making the string dig into the wood. All of that being said, you CAN introduce excessive wear if you throw on a very heavy set of known abrasive stainless steel rounds (RotoSound, etc) and continue with the heavy left hand technique. In short, if you WANT to make it happen, you can.... but it's easily avoided.

 

[groovaholic]

I recently picked up a Sire Marcus Miller V7 2nd Generation 4-string Fretless.... I'm looking to get much more 'mwah' from it that I seem to be able to now...I've been advised to get DR Sunbeams. Does that sound right?

Sunbeams were my fretless go-to for a long time; great strings!
But the most recent time I bought a fretless, it came with D'Addario XT coated roundwounds.

I removed them to install a set of Sunbeams and actually found that I preferred the D'Addarios, so I put them back on.

As others have said, low action and minimal relief are the keys to "mwah".

The more prominent mids and (to a lesser extent) highs in roundwound strings are another key to that vocal "mwah" tone.
Yes, roundwound strings will leave visible marks on the fingerboard - but generally, those marks are only cosmetic, not actual damage.

The biggest technique difference affecting damage/no-damage is how you do your vibrato:
On a fretted bass, your vibrato comes from moving your fretting hand parallel to the fret.
On a fretless, that vibrato should come from moving your fretting hand parallel to the string.

 

[Romain909]

- Roundwounds,
- Flatter neck than usual
- Low action,
- Very important : attack near the neck
- have a different attack : Not too hard/harsh but very ample

Also, I would recommend to use your bridge neck pickup, tame the highs and give back some low end (or close the tones a little bit).