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played my first fretless this weekend.

flannel cat

flannel cat

Jan 25, 2020
1,226
5,928
high in the columbia rockies
#1
it was a fender squire ''precision'' and it had the cheat lines (which i am happy for) and some flatwound strings.. i have to say that it was so much fun to see what a fretless is all about, it was hard to put down, it was so smooth and silky i couldnt stop playing.
so i tip my hat to you fretless folks im starting to understand why you play them! cheers.:cool:
 
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#3
Enjoy Amigo. Some babies can really sing with no frets.
upload_2020-9-27_9-40-58.png


upload_2020-9-27_9-41-38.png


upload_2020-9-27_9-42-36.png
 
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#7
flannel cat said:
love your strings Eddie! never seen patterns on strings before. pretty cool.
Click to expand...
They are Purple Haze Tape Wounds from LaBella and a limited edition a few years back. I have one other set, left.
I think the White Tape Golds from them are the same string, without the silk wrap through the string it self.
upload_2020-9-27_9-49-21.png
 
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#8
Eddie LeBlanc said:
They are Purple Haze Tape Wounds from LaBella and a limited edition a few years back. I have one other set, left.
I think the White Tape Golds from them are the same string, without the silk wrap through the string it self.
View attachment 3998426
Click to expand...

They probably ought to make more of them. And advertise to LSU fans...... LOL.... Geaux Tigers.
 
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#10
Eddie LeBlanc said:
They are Purple Haze Tape Wounds from LaBella and a limited edition a few years back. I have one other set, left.
I think the White Tape Golds from them are the same string, without the silk wrap through the string it self.
View attachment 3998426
Click to expand...
so they wrap the silk through the string? whats the purpose of that? does it act like a dampner?
 
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#11
flannel cat said:
so they wrap the silk through the string? whats the purpose of that? does it act like a dampner?
Click to expand...

It has a dual wrap of one strand of the purple silk running under the white nylon tape wrap. Kinda makes a helix pattern. Can't really feel it when playing, as the white tape is slick.

I've played the regular White Tapes they have out, and I can't really tell a difference in sound quality or the sustain. So I have no idea. But they are cool looking.

I'd guess it was a screw up when they were making some strings, and just decided to market them as a special edition. But who knows.

Some companies do make upright bass strings containing a gut or a gut and silk core then flat wound. So could have just been some experimenting at LaBella.
 
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#12
Eddie LeBlanc said:
It has a dual wrap of one strand of the purple silk running under the white nylon tape wrap. Kinda makes a helix pattern. Can't really feel it when playing, as the white tape is slick.

I've played the regular White Tapes they have out, and I can't really tell a difference in sound quality or the sustain. So I have no idea. But they are cool looking.

I'd guess it was a screw up when they were making some strings, and just decided to market them as a special edition. But who knows.

Some companies do make upright bass strings containing a gut or a gut and silk core then flat wound. So could have just been some experimenting at LaBella.
Click to expand...
w29orxl2i85im6eaf08i.jpg
 
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#14
flannel cat said:
it was a fender squire ''precision'' and it had the cheat lines (which i am happy for) and some flatwound strings.. i have to say that it was so much fun to see what a fretless is all about, it was hard to put down, it was so smooth and silky i couldnt stop playing.
so i tip my hat to you fretless folks im starting to understand why you play them! cheers.:cool:
Click to expand...
Nice, I've been a fretless player for a total of 10 days and I'm totally smitten. Wonder if that'll last or if it's a honeymoon period. Also my first time with flat wound strings, the entire process has been a revelation...why did I wait so long?!
 
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#16
Hummergeist said:
Nice, I've been a fretless player for a total of 10 days and I'm totally smitten. Wonder if that'll last or if it's a honeymoon period. Also my first time with flat wound strings, the entire process has been a revelation...why did I wait so long?!
Click to expand...
thats how i felt "smitten" i will also say i felt free running up and down the board without the fretted borders holding me in place, it was like you could push the limit further in the tones.
 
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#17
flannel cat said:
it was a fender squire ''precision'' and it had the cheat lines (which i am happy for) and some flatwound strings.. i have to say that it was so much fun to see what a fretless is all about, it was hard to put down, it was so smooth and silky i couldnt stop playing.
so i tip my hat to you fretless folks im starting to understand why you play them! cheers.:cool:
Click to expand...

I started on a Squier "Imprecision" as well. Well, started for the second time - I had flirted before. It's truly fun stuff. I still have it, though it now sports a MIM jazz neck and an Original 62 pickup. Played every day.
 
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#20
For a kick, try playing a fairly tough, fast song on your fretless a few times, and then immediately play it on a fretted bass. A WOW! moment ensues! You just might find some cool tricks that carry over. Try doing some note sliding vs bending; a dramatic difference in sound. The same with vibrato, and even hammer-ons.

If I feel rusty, I'll just grab the fretless and play something fast; makes it seem easy on the fretted. Edit: for a good humbling, I'll play Cream Crossroads (Wheels of Fire album) and try to hit all of JB's notes. A lot more fun than scales, IMHO.

Plus you'll soon find that swapping from one to the other becomes pretty automatic after you've done it for a while. I guess some folks are afraid that they will lose something, but I found that it helps both. I always take my fretless as a backup, knowing that I can finish a gig on it if necessary, but I'll be pretty worn out because you do have to pay more attention. Plus there's a few songs we do that it's just killer on.
 
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