WHATS THE BEST STRINGS FOR FRETLESS BASS??

[Jon Moody]

My fretless (Warwick Corvette $$) currently has a custom shop set of GHS Contact Core Super Steels on it. The bass has a surprisingly dark sound and the brightness of the strings helps to compensate for that. I have another set of these that I'm going to put on before switching to the CS Pressurewound sets I have.

 

[Sabreplayer]

I was the proud owner of a Stingray Fretless with Pau Ferro fretboard. It used to be owned by John Patitucci. The neck was treated with some kind of very hard varnisch and although I played roundwounds for years there was never any wear whatsoever.

 

[Javebrown]

What's the best strings for fretless bass?
I'm using Status hot wires at the minute, they are half wounds
45's they are good but seem to lack Mmwaah and are not very good when trying to slide harmonics.
I've read somewhere that some nickel round wounds are ok to use for fretless, without damaging the finger board?

also, does anyone know what stings Pino Palladino used on. his Musicman to get his sound?

thanks.

I love trying/playing different sets of strings for different effect on my fretless,..im guessing Pino does the same.

DR Sunbeams are a wonderful general favorite for using roundwounds on my ebony fingerboard,..but LaBella steel flatwounds and Rotosound Tape wounds are equally wonderful for obtaining different tone/effects that you dont get with round wounds (and vice-versa). You'll get way more "mmwwaahh" with roundwounds,..i prefer nickle over stainless steel,.but thats just me.

On my old Pedulla Buzz bass,..the stainless steel strings had potential to be detrimental to the epoxy coating over the ebony "fret"-board,..so i generally avoid SS strings on my fretlesses.

The DR Sunbeams on my Fender Tony Franklin signature P-Bass (nickle roundwounds) dont at all have a detrimental effect,..and i sometimes play hard and aggressive. You'll love the Sunbeams.
Juststrings.com has an absolutely wonderful selection of most every string known to mankind available for purchase at reasonable prices

 

[FNHScar17s]

Sounds like he got a polyurethane treating in multiple layers to the fret board and then they relevel multiple times to make it perfect and mirror like. I had that done to my thumb 6 neck thru and it's amazing with rounds I can see some markings around but it is not really felt in the board it is just on the coating and not etched in

 

[west al]

D'Addario ETB92 Nylon Tapewounds play great on Fretless, and Fretted basses.

 

[MD]

My Takamine B10, EG512 and '67P have been wearing LaBella 760N tapes since well before this thread was started. Never felt a need/desire to look for anything different.

 

[Gabriel51]

If you play 5/6 nights professionally you are looking at 6 month with nickel rounds before the board needs dressing, Been so long since i played flats I don't remember.
The solution is to super glue the fretboard, it makes it hard as nails and you only get scuffing and no gouges... (commercial grade super glue)
I have all the radius blocks to do this sort of thing including dressing.
Finished neck;

After two years;

 

[Fenderchris]

Not sure Pino uses TI on his StingRay. He used to use very light Rotosound stainless rounds on that bass. All his classic fretless work (Paul Young, Henley, Gilmour, et. el.) was the rounds.

John

Ah, the Oxford comma!

 

[JTE]

Ah, the Oxford comma!

Yes, yes, and yes.