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Fretless + Roundwounds ?

#2
ScubaSteve said:
http://www.rondomusic.net/sjb62ctfretless.html

How well do the fretboards on these SX basses hold up to a set of stainless rounds or nickel rounds? I don't mind a little modding, just wondering how they are right of the box.
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What is the fingerboard made of on the SX basses? A friend of mine has had great performance from the rosewood fingerboard on her 1975 Fender P using half rounds and I have (so far so good) not noticed excessive wear in the ebony board on my Ritter which has roundwound swordsteels. Half rounds might be a good way to go unless the fingerboard is ebony. From the link it looks like SX is rosewood. It would be nicer if they made one unlined. It's a great look on a Jazz.

My read is that SX is a kind of economy bass but very practical and probably also reasonably durable. I don't know how they've kept it to 9 pounds.:eyebrow: The solid Alder is either thin (might be a good thing..) or from a tree somewhat south of the one used to build my 12+ pound '72 Fender (sometimes extra weight is not a good thing). That SX is probably a very good value bass if you like a Fender Jazz. You'll probably upgrade your equipment before the fingerboard is toasted in any case. And replaning a fretless board is cheaper than a refretting job.
 
#4
I have always used roundwound on Pedulla fretless basses. They use a diamondkote finish on the fingerboard that is 80% as hard as glass. I have had no issues with mine.
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#6
I just picked up a G&L L-1505 with an ebony fingerboard, and i just switched to D'Addario half rounds today. I know that round wounds will not wear ebony quickly, but half rounds sound just as good to my ears, and it makes sense to me to minimize wear on a great bass under all circumstances as long as it gets the sound I want.
 
#7
Dr. Cheese said:
I just picked up a G&L L-1505 with an ebony fingerboard, and i just switched to D'Addario half rounds today. I know that round wounds will not wear ebony quickly, but half rounds sound just as good to my ears, and it makes sense to me to minimize wear on a great bass under all circumstances as long as it gets the sound I want.
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Great looking bass Doc!!!!
 
#8
I'd bee inclined to use nickles just to be on the safe side. Both of the fretlesses I've had were ebony and I had no wear problems. Rosewood, dunno. That said, the SX is cheap. String it, play it, if you gouge the board, you can either have the board replaned, or for about the same price, just get a new one :)
 
#10
I had one for a few months, and those fretboards are pretty good. Get a radiused sanding block from stewmac.com and some sand paper, and you can smooth your fretless fingerboard any time you need to. It's pretty easy and fun. But they hold better than what you think.

I have had a cheap Yamaha fretless with rounds for 7 years, and just recently did the sanding myself. Very nice, and easy, and fun.

In any case, if you happen to have no skills to even do a sanding, just burn that SX in the winter time and get another one. For those prices, might as well.

They sound pretty good out of the box. The only thing that bothered me was that the pickups' screws will strip even with the lightest adjustment, and the pickups happened to be pretty hot, so I wanted to lower them -- and I couldn't. It would be a good idea to get new screws.

And it was a bit too heavy (not too bad, but maybe a little over 9 lbs). Other than that, great fretless.


BTW, I really like Sadowsky light-gauge flatwound strings on a fretless. They are very bright and the "mwah" like crazy, yet they give the nice thump and smoothness of a flat. Not cheap, but they will last a few years.
 

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