My first fretless- Cant find flat wound strings??

[Evanseveneleven]

Just order a set of Sadowsky flats from George at bassgeardirect.com.au

You'll pay less than any store in Aus or abroad, and you will have them within one or two days.

Do it

 

[TVBBass]

well thats a load of crap because unless you're really hard on your strings and break them all the time you should be able to play the same set of flats for at least 2 years, or even longer (as many have).

I'm I doing something wrong....you actually use the same strings for more than two years??? how often do you play.

My main point point was more that 6 years later, my finger board isn't damaged...Although if you change you strings regularly I still stand by my financial point

 

[BluesyRocker]

After only 2 days of playing, have already notice the rounds starting too scratch the fretboard. Not a big issue, I do like the sound im getting out of it. Going to rehearse with it with my band tomorrow night, see how it goes after a four hour session. Thanks for the order online tips this was my last option but looks like its the way to go.

 

[line6man]

well thats a load of crap because unless you're really hard on your strings and break them all the time you should be able to play the same set of flats for at least 2 years, or even longer (as many have).

I thought that a set of flatwounds would last 10 or 15 years if you took care of them?

 

[TVBBass]

I thought that a set of flatwounds would last 10 or 15 years if you took care of them?

Really??? no one ever told me this...don't they get really dirty and sweaty and sound horrible? I never kept mine on long enough to find out cause I just didn't like the tone of flats.

 

[TheMutt]

going to a guitar store to buy strings these days is like going to the news agent for the news. go online... and welcome to the 21st century.

Dude. You make it sound like I'm an old man. You're only a year younger than I am! I like going to the store because it's much faster than waiting a week or two for things to come in the mail.

I thought that a set of flatwounds would last 10 or 15 years if you took care of them?

That's very subjective. Some people like their flatwounds when they are newer and bright, others like them after they have broken in a little, and still others are Jamerson fans who keep the strings on until they fall apart. It also has to do with your playing habits, genetics (sweaty hands, oily hands, dry hands), and how often you clean the strings.

 

[Darkstrike]

Or just use flatwounds and save yourself the wear and trouble.

*If you like a dead tone.

+1 on what the previous poster stated. Roundwounds will tear up your board.

Fixed that for ya.

Actually, of my three fretless basses, the brightest sounding one has had flats on it, since I got it, two years ago, the same set of flats.

 

[Number27]

Really??? no one ever told me this...don't they get really dirty and sweaty and sound horrible? I never kept mine on long enough to find out cause I just didn't like the tone of flats.

well while i've never bothered to do this myself you can boil them, but it sounds to me like its an issue of personal taste in regards to the tone. i mean if you don't like the sound of flats then yea you're not gonna wanna stick with them for long.

I thought that a set of flatwounds would last 10 or 15 years if you took care of them?

well yea i guess, i wouldn't know personally, but i guess jamerson was famous for using the same set of strings for his whole life right?

 

[CrackerJackLee]

After playing round wound strings for years, on fretless, they wore ruts in the rosewood fingerboard. After the fingerboard was sanded smooth, I bought nylon electric bass strings, but they had a high tension at standard pitch, causing pain in my fingertips as I pressed down. So I strung it with heavy gauge flatwounds and enjoyed the warmer and deeper sounding bass tones - light and heavy gauge strings are different states of mind. They changed my playing and I've used them ever since. They sound mellow as they age, like a woody, thunking sound - hard to describe, but enjoyable to hear. But, roundwounds certainly have high definition and brightness and if they are light gauge, one tends to play more notes. However, I found that the roundwounds required more frequent replacement as they lost tone with age. You almost need two basses...

 

[richnota]

Even here in the US, it's sometimes hard to find strings. Took me forever to find some nylon flatwounds for my Carvin fretless 5'er. Only place I could find them readily available was juststrings. Guitard Center didn't carry them, and wouldn't order them for me either.

funny that as a Carvin owner you missed that Carvin sells nylon flatwounds (aka tapewound labellas) for a super discounted price. Of course if you wanted another brand you'd be out of luck.