Strings for Pino Fretless - looking for more low end

[WG Plum]

I dig the stock rounds on my Pino fretless Stingray, but I'd like to find a string with a similar feel but with more low end. Any suggestions?

Stockers are custom gauge EB Slinkys for reference.

Thanks!

 

[michael_t]

Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats (aka Slinky Flats) are very popular among Stingray players. Bright enough to almost sound like a roundwound but with more meat down low.

 

[WG Plum]

Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats (aka Slinky Flats) are very popular among Stingray players. Bright enough to almost mimic a roundwound but with more meat down low.

I used them for a few years, but they might be a little stiff for my current preferences and I want to stick to rounds.

 

[MonetBass]

DR Sunbeams are my go-to strings these days, on both my fretted and fretless basses.

 

[WG Plum]

Used those for years, might have to give them another try!

 

[Ggaa]

Fatbeams. Lot of tones, mwah for days.

 

[WG Plum]

Fatbeams. Lot of tones, mwah for days.

How stiff are they?

 

[Twice19]

strings on that Pino are so thin. .95 E string....

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Sadowsky Blue Label have good low end, are medium low tension and sound great overall. Also they are a smoother feeling round. Love them

 

[Swamp_Ronin]

didn't beato debunk the thicker strings/more bass thing?

 

[SteveCS]

didn't beato debunk the thicker strings/more bass thing?

I don't know about that, but I used to use 0.035" - 0.090" back when it was the fashionable thing to do (mid '80s) and my experience, tempered by 40+ years of fast-fading memories, is that they tended to have a more 'wirey' or 'springy' tone compared to the more traditional 0.045" - 0.100" or more. Probably there isn't really less bass, but more prominent and longer-lasting upper harmonics giving an impression of less bass. The stock Pino fretless strings are pretty slim (also 0.035" - 0.090"), so perhaps a bigger string might help?

 

[Ggaa]

How stiff are they?

Pretty flexible, not a stiff string. For me too flexible for fretted.

 

[Jogobass]

Why do people buy basses but then not like the sound of them? With a pickup in that position you can expect a more midrange focused sound. My Gary Willis has that as well, and I find it perfect for my style. But sometimes the room needs a bit more bass, which is what the active EQ is for.

 

[WG Plum]

Why do people buy basses but then not like the sound of them? With a pickup in that position you can expect a more midrange focused sound. My Gary Willis has that as well, and I find it perfect for my style. But sometimes the room needs a bit more bass, which is what the active EQ is for.

Well bless your heart. Talkbass always comes through.

I'm going to give the DR Fatbeams a shot.

 

[JazznFunk]

I never liked Slinkys on any bass. Go for some DR Sunbeams, or DR Pure Blues. I recently put Pure Blues on my Sadowsky fretless and like the subtle differences over the Sunbeams. Also.... turn up the bass knob on that 'Ray. My 'default' setting on any Ray usually means turning up the bass from 'center' by at least half or more. With no center detent on a 2-band, and going with the popular notion that the 2-band is not 'boost only', then you'd have to guesstimate that.

 

[WG Plum]

I never liked Slinkys on any bass. Go for some DR Sunbeams, or DR Pure Blues. I recently put Pure Blues on my Sadowsky fretless and like the subtle differences over the Sunbeams. Also.... turn up the bass knob on that 'Ray. My 'default' setting on any Ray usually means turning up the bass from 'center' by at least half or more. With no center detent on a 2-band, and going with the popular notion that the 2-band is not 'boost only', then you'd have to guesstimate that.

Oh, I have the pre where I like it, I just want to try some different strings. I'm very familiar with MM pres, I played a Stingray through much of the 90s and, while different, I also have a '79 Sabre fretless.

It's funny, a lot of threads on Talkbass suggest a string change as the first thing to try if you want to coax a tone change out of a bass... Anyhow, I love how my Pino sounds, I just want to see if I can get a little more low end out of it.

 

[WG Plum]

After a little more research I'm going to give the Pure Blues a shot. Fatbeams are stainless, and while I have pretty good technique and utilize violin vibrato when I wiggle, I'm going to stick with nickel.

 

[Nebadon2000]

Well bless your heart. Talkbass always comes through.

 

[JazznFunk]

Oh, I have the pre where I like it, I just want to try some different strings. I'm very familiar with MM pres, I played a Stingray through much of the 90s and, while different, I also have a '79 Sabre fretless.

It's funny, a lot of threads on Talkbass suggest a string change as the first thing to try if you want to coax a tone change out of a bass... Anyhow, I love how my Pino sounds, I just want to see if I can get a little more low end out of it.

Sunbeams and Pure Blues are notable for having a 'warmer' low-end in general, so they might do the trick. They're all I ever use on fretless basses.

For what it's worth, when I switched from Sunbeams to Pure Blues on the Sadowsky, I did not notice any 'bump' in the low end specifically from a string change alone.... but I did find that the overall tone of the bass across the board felt a bit 'bigger' and thicker even with all EQ settings and the Vintage Tone Control OFF. So.... truly 'flat' in every way. Stingrays always required a good bit of bass boost right out of the box to match the 'default' low end of some other basses in my stable, so I'm not afraid to bump it even more.

The Pure Blues feel just the slightest bit stiffer to me as well, but barely. They're still round core.

 

[WG Plum]

Sunbeams and Pure Blues are notable for having a 'warmer' low-end in general, so they might do the trick. They're all I ever use on fretless basses.

For what it's worth, when I switched from Sunbeams to Pure Blues on the Sadowsky, I did not notice any 'bump' in the low end specifically from a string change alone.... but I did find that the overall tone of the bass across the board felt a bit 'bigger' and thicker even with all EQ settings and the Vintage Tone Control OFF. So.... truly 'flat' in every way. Stingrays always required a good bit of bass boost right out of the box to match the 'default' low end of some other basses in my stable, so I'm not afraid to bump it even more.

The Pure Blues feel just the slightest bit stiffer to me as well, but barely. They're still round core.

A little stiffer will be okay, and a little 'bigger' sounds perfect! I won't have the new strings in time for this weekend's free improv session, but that's alright.