I like Fender flats on my fretless P because of the smooth feel. I’ve used D’Addario and DR rounds and liked the tone, but for me I enjoy being able to slide easily.
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Fretless string choices?
- Thread starter zionww
- Start date
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
DR Sunbeams. Really, any nickel round will be gentle enough to not cause problems. Stainless steel always caused more appreciable wear when I tried it on fretless boards. I used a set of RotoSound Swing Bass steel rounds on 2 different fretless basses and they caused visible wear in a very short time. Not so with my usual Sunbeams, or even GHS Boomers.
I find TI Jazz Flats are a good compromise! Great sound with a minimum of wear. I don’t slap, but I really dig in at times.
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I used Rotosound RS66LD rounds, arguably the most abrasive roundwound commonly used, on my fretless MIJ Fender Jazz with a rosewood board throughout the 1990s and after a lot of use gigging and recording, the board was worn enough that it required attention. To me, the cost after all those years was worth it to get the sound I wanted. Nowadays, I use nickel rounds or flats for fretless.
Nice bass, enjoy! I use Ernie Ball cobalt flats on my Ibanez fretless. Two years later they still have a brightness to them.
Been using GHS Groundwounds for years on fretless…. Perfect for me and I get the classic tones from Tony Levin etc … key is technique
I have a Tony Franklin Fretless Pbass strung with D'Addario Light Gauge Chromes. Works just fine. I can get a thumpy Jamerson sound or a bright mwah depending on technique and IQ. Good luck.
Howdy, Always a topic among the fretless crowd. I have tried a bunch of rounds and flats on a variety of fretless. Go with what works for you. My personal choice is Ti Jazz flats. Not quite a true flat like LaBella etc, but not exactly a round wound either. They last a very long time. YMMV. Depending on what you are rocking, if replacing the neck/fingerboard/whatever, if it is Fender sized, a neck is very easy to find, both new and used. ( I get a discount on commas, so like to use them, well, liberally)
Nickel rounds on my fretless. At first I tried flats for fear of fingerboard wear but swapped them back immediately because I preferred the rounds. There are definitely more marks on my fingerboard from the time I bought it lightly used in 2017, but I love the tone and it's worth it!
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A very nice sounding "compromise" would be rounds with a very fine gauge outer wrap - like TI Jazz Rounds or Newtone Platinum wind.
Only use rounds on I my fretless. They give the most mwah. Not tearing up the fingerboard on my bass.
What you need to do is avoid bending the strings. You can slide a little to achieve the same sound
Bending will wear grooves quickly, sliding won't..
Bending will wear grooves quickly, sliding won't..
Very nice Warwick!
I agree with those who have said rounds will likely not cause significant damage, but I also agree that individual experience will vary dependent on individual player technique.
My preference for all my fretless basses was either D'Addario or LaBella black tape wound strings. I liked them because I felt they sounded more organic, full on the lower end, and maintained great articulation with appropriate mid range response. Again, this was a personal preference based on the sound I was trying to achieve. It had nothing to do with fretboard wear and tear.
This thread will likely prove that preferences and opinion on this issue will vary widely. This said, my best advice is to try a few different sets, choose your preference(s) relative to what you're looking / listening for, and spend time in the 'shed.
Good luck and have great fun with the fretless.
Koog
I agree with those who have said rounds will likely not cause significant damage, but I also agree that individual experience will vary dependent on individual player technique.
My preference for all my fretless basses was either D'Addario or LaBella black tape wound strings. I liked them because I felt they sounded more organic, full on the lower end, and maintained great articulation with appropriate mid range response. Again, this was a personal preference based on the sound I was trying to achieve. It had nothing to do with fretboard wear and tear.
This thread will likely prove that preferences and opinion on this issue will vary widely. This said, my best advice is to try a few different sets, choose your preference(s) relative to what you're looking / listening for, and spend time in the 'shed.
Good luck and have great fun with the fretless.
Koog
EB Cobalt flats. Sounds like rounds, but feel like flats. Best of both worlds, if that’s what you’re after.
Rounds will give you more sustain and (mwah (not sure how that is spelled)) than flats. My 1995 SR5 fretless has seen only rounds and is still in good shape.
Yup, this. I have used rounds exclusively on fretless for years without any real issues (nothing that cannot be sanded out with 0000 steel wool during string changes). I prefer the tone on rounds myself. Flats work too...I recently installed TI flats on one of my fretless 6s, but I prefer the tone of rounds in general on fretless.
