Unsilked strings?

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Apart from DR strings (my current favourite brand), which other brands make unsilked strings?
I'm currently looking for a set of flats but I'm interested also in rounds.
Thanks.

Elixir strings are not silked.

 

[NortyFiner]

Sometimes the silk gets in the way. I recently put a Fender high mass bridge and a new set of D'Addario Chromes on my Squier Jaguar SS. Due to the extra length added by the bridge change, I had to remove about 1/4 inch of silk from the Chromes to get the strings to seat properly in the nut.

 

[RocknRay]

No silk on D’Addario Or Fender nickel (plated) roundwounds

 

[Nephilymbass]

Apart from DR strings (my current favourite brand), which other brands make unsilked strings?
I'm currently looking for a set of flats but I'm interested also in rounds.
Thanks.

Warwick strings, Dingwall strings, DR, Ernie ball...

 

[jeff62]

SIT Silencers are one of my favorite strings. Nickel, ground wound... just enough of the round wound growl, but without the top end zing, but also provide a great flats tone when you roll back the tone knob just a tad.

 

[2112]

Fraying silk can be quickly cleaned up with a cigarette lighter. I just wave the flame and we're all tidy again.

Emphasis added for "just wave the flame", lest someone end up having to post a follow-up NBD... I mean... we *are* a bunch of musicians...

 

[S-Bigbottom]

because the powder generated from the worn of the silk goes literaly everywhere and need to be cleaned constantly.

it keeps going on and after a while the powder goes everywhere (tuners, bridge, pickups).

What the heck is this "Powder" you speak of?
Never seen or heard of this until now.

 

[Doner Designs]

I love flats and despise silks. It’s a dilemma.

 

[Claymore]

Fraying silk can be quickly cleaned up with a cigarette lighter. I just wave the flame and we're all tidy again.

Not to derail this thread but how far can we take this idea?... Can I burn all of the silk completely off? If not, I would love to figure out a way other than spending an hour with a razor blade. Not feeling the red silks on a particular bass.

 

[J.D.B.]

Not to derail this thread but how far can we take this idea?... Can I burn all of the silk completely off? If not, I would love to figure out a way other than spending an hour with a razor blade. Not feeling the red silks on a particular bass.

Yeah, just don't make the wire glow. Burn a little, scrub, burn a little, scrub.

 

[gitfiddl]

If fraying is the issue, brush them lightly with clear nail polish.

 

[Aidenn7]

Take the Safety off Lighter. Use lighter near string frays.. Candle wax can seal of silks.. If you need to shorten the frays super glue to seal it..

 

[La Faro]

I put a drop if superglue on the start of the wrap to help. I may give a light coat of PVA next time.

Mine tend to fray from cleaning around the stings over time. with my last set on for 6 years.

 

[Hypercaffium]

Fraying silk can be quickly cleaned up with a cigarette lighter. I just wave the flame and we're all tidy again.

It works for a while, but once the fray begins it doesn't stop. Some strings are better than others, It depends on the silk material.

Never an issue

Happy to hear that. You've been just lucky. The "problem" exists and the number of people talking about this should tell you something.

What the heck is this "Powder" you speak of?
Never seen or heard of this until now.

Sorry, english is not my native language. Silk fray produces some kind of a powder (made of silk of course) that goes everywhere.

Anyway, instead of use a lighter, candles, glue and other stuff I'd simply avoid silk on strings and keep using strings that doesn't have it. With rounds it's easy, I already have them. With flats is maybe impossible?

 

[JKos]

What are you doing to the silks to have such an issue? What is rubbing or disturbing them so much? Maybe there is something you do or way you store your bass that is exacerbating the wear.

- John

 

[Manticore]

Over many decades of playing it never occurred to me to pay attention to whether the strings I'm using at any given moment had silk ends or not...

 

[Hypercaffium]

What are you doing to the silks to have such an issue? What is rubbing or disturbing them so much? Maybe there is something you do or way you store your bass that is exacerbating the wear.
- John

Again, I don't have any "issue" and I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm just asking advice about unsilked strings because I prefer those for a number of reasons I extensively explained in the thread.

 

[HaphAsSard]

I love flats and despise silks. It’s a dilemma.

Indeed most flatwounds are silked. Some come with no silk at one end (IIRC pre-2010 Fenders silk only at the bridge, La Bella and GHS only at the tuners), and I've also read, here, of flats with no silk at all (Curt Mangan; maybe Webstrings Detroit Bass flats too?).

Not to derail this thread but how far can we take this idea?... Can I burn all of the silk completely off? If not, I would love to figure out a way other than spending an hour with a razor blade. Not feeling the red silks on a particular bass.

I've often had to remove silks, for reasons. My method is a combination of cigarette lighter, lightly applied, and blade. doesn't take that long.

Yeah, just don't make the wire glow. Burn a little, scrub, burn a little, scrub.

 

[La Faro]

I doubt silks are silk, but polyester.

 

[Hypercaffium]

Whatever it is, it can be really annoying.