Fretless Electric Bass String Poll!

[packhowitzer]

I use these and they've never let me down:

 

[Danny O Danny]

Pressurewounds.

 

[Sam Evans]

D'addario Chromes, 40-55-75-95 for relatively balanced tension. I'll keep Chromes on for years. I like the tone I get from them for what I play, which is mostly traditional jazz, and increasingly blues and blues-adjacent styles.

 

[KenD]

Pressure wound; either GHS or Rotosound.

 

[maxschrek]

Duly acknowledged and noted. When I make a poll in the future, I may have to do a thread to poll folks as to what options need to be on the poll for accurate results. Sort of a pre-poll poll. I've been lucky with finding strings that I liked on the first go, so my experience with all of the various and sundry options is extraordinarily limited. Thank you.

Haha! In the past I've always used rounds but just recently (5--6 years or so) I came across pressure wounds and tried those out and really enjoyed them, so, I'm really no more versed in this than you! We're on the same page

 

[Jackcrow]

Roundwounds, almost strictly Sunbeams.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

I currently am using (or rotate) the following on various fretlss basses:
EB Cobalt Flats, EB Group II Flats, Chromes, Pressure wounds, Sunbeams, Hi Beams and Labella DTFs.
On the "to try" list are the Labella Tapes and the TI Rounds.

My favorite / most used string is Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. It's just the best of both worlds - for fretless and fretted.

Rounds or Flats on a fretless has little to do with my decision process. It's more about a combination of what I want out of that specific bass, and/or what suits that particular bass

 

[jamro217]

I'm not picky about the brand, I just like smooth nickel light gauge round wounds.

 

[Burwabit]

My only fretless has TI flats and it sounds great with Dimarzio Model J pickups. So, I voted flats but rounds are awesome too. Had a Roscoe with rounds and it sung.

 

[Nev375]

Elixirs are mwyh go to string.

 

[Stubbrnmule]

Sunbeams are great; recently tried a set of GHS Pressurewounds and really like them. Time will tell how they settle in.

Have nothing against flats at all- I have several sets of TI's that are always available, but I find that the Tony Franklin comes alive more with rounds. Variety is the spice of life!

 

[Aidil]

Had RotoSound Swing 66 stainless, literary the harshest round wound strings known to date, on my 1st fretless, then switched to D'Addario Half Rounds before finally settled down with Chromes.

2nd fretless bass, which is my "go to", came with D'Addario Chromes from the factory, but I like D'Addario Nylon Tapewound on it, as what I chose on the poll.

3rd fretles, which is a semi hollow-body bass, also came default with Chromes, switched to La Bella Copper White Nylon Tape Wound, but then settled with Dunlop Flatwound

 

[Bassman822]

TI Jazz Flats for me!!!

 

[ctmullins]

Tapewounds on one fretless. Compression wounds on another. Flatwounds on the upright.

Your poll needs to be multiple choice.

 

[fretlessman71]

My option is not listed. I use SIT Silencers - semi flats (or half-rounds, as the rest of the world knows them). I use the rubber end of a Dava Grip Tip Pick, and there's no winding-grinding tone with the half rounds. And the SITs are VERY bright - plenty of mwah!

 

[Rayjay]

I have 2 Warwick fretless corvettes.

The Bubinga 4 is dark sounding and it has TI flats. In the past GHS Precisions, which I loved but I changed for the sake of change. I got for a thumpy tone on that one.

The Ash 5 string has the same Elixer rounds (obviously) it had on when I bought it. They just won’t die, even with my hydrochloric acid like hand sweat. It does the note blossom thing pretty often and sounds like an exaggerated Jaco type tone. I have been using lately on a weekly dinner gig with an AG player. And I’ve been keeping my chorus pedal on all night. There’s no mistaking it’s a fretless with just one note.

TLDR- if that exaggerated fretless tone is what you’re going for, use rounds. You won’t wear the board out too much. Use nickels, not steel. I voted for rounds to encourage you to not worry about it.

TAPEWOUNDS are a great option too.

 

[2F/2F]

I have flats on one and black tapes on another.

 

[kesslari]

GHS Pressure wounds. They're closest to roundwounds so that's what I ticked in your poll.
Oh yeah. My travel bass (defretted Hohner B2-V) has rounds.
And my fretless ABG has tapes.

 

[crankypants]

Flawed poll is flawed.
No groundwound (aka half rounds) choice.

 

[walbassist]

La Bella white nylon flats for me. Perfect tone, tension, and all the sustain and mwah you could want when the bass is set up right.