Are there any flatwounds that sound like roundwounds yall can suggest? I played a fretless J-bass in GC recently which had roundwounds on it. LOVED the sound and want to get one but don't want the scratching on the neck like the one in GC.
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Need flatwounds like sound like roundwounds...if they exist
- Thread starter homeslice1479
- Start date
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
yup. and just get a higher quality bass, so your fretboard wont get chewed up.
my Clifford Roi fretless 6 is about 10 years old, and the extent of the fretboard damage is just slight discoloration- no chewed up grooves. and that bass has only had S.I.T. steel strings on it, its whole life.
or you can epoxy your fretboard, but that creates a really unique tone, that you may not care for.
I use DR sunbeams (nickel roundwounds) on my lowly MIM jazz fretless, and they're soft and gentle enough to use on pretty much any fretless fingerboard. If you really use your imagination though, D'addario chrome flats can cop a semi decent roundwound tone.
If your bass puts out a decent amount of top end, then D'addario Chromes will do the job. Half Rounds will be a shade brighter and will save your fretboard also.
Rotosound Steve Harris Bright Flats. I have a set of .110s that may fit your bass (used only a few moments) and you can have them if I can find them.
the most roundwound sounding flats i've used are ti jazz flats. chromes will sound like rounds for a short while but they will start sounding more like flats after a short break in period. i think d'addario half rounds, while not quite as smooth as flats, will get you closest to the mark while not scratching your fingerboard.
otoh, i used rounds on a fretless bass i had with an unfinished maple neck and it never got scratched. just a slight grooving in a couple areas at first, but never anything past that.
otoh, i used rounds on a fretless bass i had with an unfinished maple neck and it never got scratched. just a slight grooving in a couple areas at first, but never anything past that.
The super long 36" TI Jazz flats sound 100% round but are flat, they are the weirdest strings but they sound nice and they are comfortable!
Nickel rounds will be easier on your fretboard...
otherwise TI jazz flats are the closest to a 'roundwound' sound
still not the same though
otherwise TI jazz flats are the closest to a 'roundwound' sound
still not the same though
TI Jazz Flats or Chromes would be your best bet for a set of flats with lots of mids however I would suggest a set of rounds that are very smooth instead. My suggestion would be TI Jazz Rounds but the downside for some would be the very low tension.
I've used the D'Addario Half Rounds before and they are a good mix of flat and roundwound tone.
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I've also tried the GHS Pressure Wounds before and liked them as well. Maybe a tad brighter than the D'Addario.
http://www.ghsstrings.com/products.php
Both of these are round wounds that get smoothed out during manufacturing, so they keep a lot of that round wound tone. They end up a bit warmer and much smoother to the touch. FYI, The D"Addario's come in an extra long scale length that works on a 35" scale bass nicely.
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I've also tried the GHS Pressure Wounds before and liked them as well. Maybe a tad brighter than the D'Addario.
http://www.ghsstrings.com/products.php
Both of these are round wounds that get smoothed out during manufacturing, so they keep a lot of that round wound tone. They end up a bit warmer and much smoother to the touch. FYI, The D"Addario's come in an extra long scale length that works on a 35" scale bass nicely.
I have D'Addario Half Rounds on my MIM fretless Jazz now. There are some marks on the fingerboard from them. I'm changing back to Fender 9050 Stainless Flatwounds (stock with the MIM Jazz, .055-.105), which were surprisingly bright. So much so I put them on my fretted P and ordered a lighter gauge set (.050-.100) for the fretless.
those fender stainless flats are very bright out of the package. i've got a recording somewhere of them where they sound just like rounds except for lack of finger noise. but you have to keep them changed because they lose that sound quickly.
I do love GHS strings. I feel more comfortable with than I do Fender strings; I hated the ones that came on my fretted Deluxe P-bass Special. Changed them out for standard Boomers: 10 times better. I think I'll try the Pressurewounds on my new fretless, whenever it enters my life. Thanks everyone for your input! Great help!
If it is a rosewood or ebony fingerboard, use the rounds and just get the marks off with mineral oil and 0000 steel wool.
I have found TI Jazz Flats to be the flat that sounds like a round. Another good one would be GHS Brite Flats, especially in the lighter gauge. I have recently got into GHS Pressurewounds, which are smooth enough to not eat your fretless boards but have the singing of a round. Fender 7150 Pure Nickels, while being rounds are really smooth as well and are not that abrasive to the fingerboard. They sound so cool as well.
Rotosound flatwounds would be my recommendation. They're a bit brighter than Chromes (IMO), but they also lose that sound VERY quickly, hence I'm using some GHS Pressurewounds right now. And the tension of the Rotos is a lot to handle... still might go back to them some day. 
