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Modulus Mob

#5,141
Ballin'bass said:
From what everybody is saying I'm thinking these Ken smith's compression wounds should be perfect. Nickel plated, so they are a bit softer than ss and they are less ridged than rounds by a little bit. I'm thinking they might be just the ticket.

I'll definitely post the results once they arrive in the mail and they've been on it for a couple weeks and see how they wear in.

Can anyone comment on the lifespan of Ken smith strings? I've never used them before, I'm generally a DR guy.
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Not sure about the lifespan because I ended up taking them off early. I really wanted to try them as I usually play DR steel rounds on fretted basses and D'Addario nickel rounds on fretless. So I played them about 2 weeks on a fretted (pretty heavy use however) and they were still OK but starting to turn - probably another 2 weeks at that play rate at most. Nice strings. Feel is OK but not as smooth as I had hoped. Tone was even - very well made strings. They are not going to be as lively as DR's however.
 
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#5,142
Ballin'bass said:
And how about tapewound strings? Any opinions on those? Too weird? Never tried them.
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Tapes are a blast to play. Super slick feeling. They play very fast and feel effortless. I use LaBella Deep Talkin tapewounds when I use them. By far the best tapewounds IMO. They are going to be super warm and mellow but very responsive. Since you are using them on a Modulus you might actually like it because Mods tend to be very lively and trebly so they may not be too warm like they tended to be on my other axes. I haven't tried them on my Mod fretless yet but I just may have to do that now that you have inspired me;). Be sure to come back and share your findings!
 
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#5,144
carsbybigd said:
Before I sold my fret less , I really wanted to try a set of TI flats ..... Super smooth ..$70 a set though, but flats never go bad !
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they are worth every penny. The TI's on my P bass are five years old and going strong. When you break it down that is $14 a year. That is cheaper than one set of most common rounds. Additionally, TI flats hold their value really well. Routinely in the classifieds they sell for between $40-50 no problem.
 
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#5,146
I'm really attracted to the lifespan and fingerboard-kindness of flats but i just don't know if i could deal with the dark thuddy sound that they all inherently possess. i'm a huge fan of lo-riders on all my fretted basses, i'm all about bright punchy strings. i need good definition. i just want a string that will last a good while with regular play that will give me at least DECENT crispness/punch AND not chew my fingerboard.n I do generally hate the feeling of groundwound, and i think they would really scrape up the fingerboard with their edges, so i'm pretty sure those are out.
 
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#5,147
Ballin'bass said:
I'm really attracted to the lifespan and fingerboard-kindness of flats but i just don't know if i could deal with the dark thuddy sound that they all inherently possess. i'm a huge fan of lo-riders on all my fretted basses, i'm all about bright punchy strings. i need good definition. i just want a string that will last a good while with regular play that will give me at least decent crispness/punch AND not chew my fingerboard.n I do generally hate the feeling of groundwound, and i think they would really scrape up the fingerboard with their edges, so i'm pretty sure those are out.
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I would totally try TI's. They are bright for flats. Probably one of the brightest flats you will find are DR legends
 
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#5,150
Todd GT5 said:
To be honest with you, if I were in your situation I would just use my favorite round wound. When I worked at Modulus and did prep work on the phenolic fret boards the are very hard and resistant to wear. I doubt that you will get any significant wear. Just don't let the abrasive marks on the surface freak you out.

Todd
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oh wow, you worked for modulus? that's good to know! i take your words as a comfort then, thank you. I'm not super abusive to the fingerboard in any case, i like to "finesse" the fretless a lot more than a fretted. so, i suppose pressurewounds should be just fine on this thing then. hopefully they end up being a good compromise of all my needs.

I will say the string scuffing can scare a guy who's new to fretless!:eek: that guy is ME! lol

what should i keep an eye out for to make sure no serious wear starts happening? any tell-tale signs? And thanks everyone for your help here!
 
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#5,152
Fwiw: my Modulus is fretted, & I string it w stainless steel roundwounds. But on my (non-Modulus) fretless basses I have used both the Ken Smith Compressor Wound and the Ken Smith Slick Wound ...I pretty much *hate* the former, and the jury's still out but I think I'm liking the latter.

The Compressors sound a bit lifeless right out of the package, w no balls, no clarity, and no punch...and then as they age, those qualities get even worse !

The Slicks definitely do feel sticky at first, but they have a ton more punch.
 
#5,160
Does it look like this?
image.jpg
 

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