Strings for a fretless

[Lo-E]

Stainless rounds will eat ebony

I used SS rounds on ebony (and rosewood) FL basses for years and never had a problem. That's not to say that flameworker is wrong - he's not. It just comes down to everybody's touch is different and he clearly digs in more than I do.

DR Sunbeams are immensely popular with FL players because of their innate warm tone. A lot of people also like tape wounds for a more 'acoustic-y' sound.
I've had really good luck with Ken Smith Compressors (made by GHS and almost identical to their Pressurewounds. Smoother than rounds, but more lively than flats or half-rounds.

When I started playing fretless I just used what I was used to on my fretted bass, and I suggest you do the same. You already know you like the Roto-Sounds, so go ahead and use them. That will give you a starting point and from there you can think about what, if anything, you might want to change. For the first fifteen years I played fretless I just used the same strings I used on fretless. It's only in the past few years I've switched it up a bit for different tones and most of my FL basses still sport the same strings I use on fretted; in my case, nickel rounds.

 

[carsbybigd]

Im going to go with the DR Sunbeams and a set of the Low riders for now.Next up will be D'Addario XL nickel. Thank you all for your input.

 

[maestrovert]

When I started playing fretless I just used what I was used to on my fretted bass, and I suggest you do the same. You already know you like the Roto-Sounds, so go ahead and use them. That will give you a starting point and from there you can think about what, if anything, you might want to change.

Great advice there !

 

[Jay2U]

It's a matter of taste whether your strings eat the fretboard. I was told that stainless steel rounds have ebony on their menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some well prepared flatwounds refuse to eat ebony, unless they aren't fed human skin.

 

[FretNoMore]

My current choice is La Bella white tapewound strings. Very smooth, almost slippery feel. Low-ish tension. Sound somewhere inbetween roundwounds and flatwounds, some say a bit like worn in nickels.

 

[fishdreams]

I am going to put Circle Ks on mine. Very good string for fingerstyle fretted or fretless.

I try to have the same strings on different basses as much as possible. Similar feels tensions and feels makes switching between them a lot smoother.

 

[itchyfingers]

I use D'Addario Chrome flatwounds on my fretless. My favorite tone out of all my basses, actually.

 

[WaldoNova]

I'm going through the same thing right now. I want a bright roundwound sound but I don't want to have my ebony board chewed up. I'm going to try out some DR dragon skins.