best strings for a fretless

[NHM]

Hi there

What are the best type of strings for a fretless? I've always assumed flats, but woke in a sweat the other night thinking I might be wrong.

 

[fleabag]

Depends what tone you''re after. With such little info, its impossible to suggest anything

[NHM]

I've always been happy with the sound of flats - as they make the bass sound like a double bass, which it fine for me. Just wondered though if flats were the norm, or whether there's the same range of types of string used on fretless as on fretted.

[Cato]

11 minutes ago, NHM said:

I've always been happy with the sound of flats - as they make the bass sound like a double bass, which it fine for me. Just wondered though if flats were the norm, or whether there's the same range of types of string used on fretless as on fretted.

The conventional wisdom is to use flats, as much because they do less damage to a fretless board than rounds.

That being said a lot of really famous fretless work from the likes of Jaco and Pino was all done with rounds.

Edited December 28, 2017 by Cato

[Mastodon2]

Roundwounds will mark the board a little bit, but shouldn't cause significant damage, it's even less of an issue on boards that have been treated with an epoxy resin coat or impregnation into the wood. I much prefer rounds for their brighter, more lively sound.

[NHM]

Thanks - I'll try some rounds, see how they compare.

[Delberthot]

If we're talking roundwounds then D'addario XL Nickels for me as they are bright and the smoothest roundwound strings I've ever used

I use them on all of my basses as I used flats for years but fell out of love with the sound but still like the feel

[ambient]

Mt two favourite fretless players are Steve Lawson and Michael Manring.

Steve Lawson uses flat wounds, Michael uses round wounds. Two very different tones. Check out their videos on YouTube.

I prefer flat wounds, for a darker sound, and they make for easier slides from one note to another, especially nice if you're using an ebow.

Edited December 28, 2017 by ambient

[TheGreek]

Status black tapewounds but they were out of stock when I last checked - 40 or 45 guage.

[TheGreek]

6 minutes ago, ambient said:

Mt two favourite fretless players are Steve Lawson and Michael Manring.

Steve Lawson uses flat wounds, Michael uses round wounds. Two very different tones. Check out their videos on YouTube.

I prefer flat wounds, for a darker sound, and they make for easier slides from one note to another, especially nice if you're using an ebow.

A guitarist friend of mine used to use one of those. Best priced one I found one on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ebow-EBOW-Plus-Electronic-Bow-for-Guitar-Picks/232390442251?epid=2255179010&hash=item361b8cbd0b:g:uRsAAOSwdmRZcoBV

[ambient]

1 minute ago, TheGreek said:

A guitarist friend of mine used to use one of those. Best priced one I found one on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ebow-EBOW-Plus-Electronic-Bow-for-Guitar-Picks/232390442251?epid=2255179010&hash=item361b8cbd0b:g:uRsAAOSwdmRZcoBV

I use one maybe 80% of the time.

[Mastodon2]

1 hour ago, ambient said:

Mt two favourite fretless players are Steve Lawson and Michael Manring.

Steve Lawson uses flat wounds, Michael uses round wounds. Two very different tones. Check out their videos on YouTube.

I prefer flat wounds, for a darker sound, and they make for easier slides from one note to another, especially nice if you're using an ebow.

Worth bearing in mind though that Manring's bass has a composite neck, phenowood board and an epoxy coating. I've only seen Streve playing his Elricks and they all had wooden necks and didn't look like they had the thick epoxy coat ala a Zon Hyperbass or Pedulla Buzz, which IMO is a big component in the process of getting that bright sound. In this comparison, rounds and flats are only part of the story as Manring's bass is so heavily geared towards a bright sound.

[ambient]

12 minutes ago, Mastodon2 said:

Worth bearing in mind though that Manring's bass has a composite neck, phenowood board and an epoxy coating. I've only seen Streve playing his Elricks and they all had wooden necks and didn't look like they had the thick epoxy coat ala a Zon Hyperbass or Pedulla Buzz, which IMO is a big component in the process of getting that bright sound. In this comparison, rounds and flats are only part of the story as Manring's bass is so heavily geared towards a bright sound.

Steve also uses a fretless Modulus Q6, which has been his main fretless for years. The Elrick is quite a new bass, only a month or so old. His fretless Q6 does have a chechen veneer fingerboard, though the neck is a composite. 

Edited December 28, 2017 by ambient

[Hellzero]

Nickel roundwounds for me and except if your fretboard is made out of soft wood like non treated maple (and you bend like a guitarist) there will be only slight marks that won't affect the sound. I own 6 fretlesses including 1 double bass and 1 EUB. They have quite always been fitted with roundwounds (I fit from time to time the Thomastik Infeld JF that are the best ones as they do sound right with enough harmonics, which is precesely what is missing to the others) except the 2 uprights that are fitted with real flatwounds of course. I hate the dull and poor sound of flatwounds (except TI's) that are better suited for fretted basses to me when you want that lovely Motown sound. For the brand, I always get back to D'Addario's even if Iove the Thomastik Infeld JR, but they are very light tension strings, too light, when you are used for over 30 years to the standard 45~105.

Now it's up to you to decide which one you like, but please guys stop saying that flatwounds are mandatory on fretless because of the fretboard. Ask any real luthier and he will laugh at you about this legend... 

[ambient]

1 minute ago, Hellzero said:

Nickel roundwounds for me and except if your fretboard is made out of soft wood like non treated maple (and you bend like a guitarist) there will be only slight marks that won't affect the sound. I own 6 fretlesses including 1 double bass and 1 EUB. They have quite always been fitted with roundwounds (I fit from time to time the Thomastik Infeld JF that are the best ones as they do sound right with enough harmonics, which is precesely what is missing to the others) except the 2 uprights that are fitted with real flatwounds of course. I hate the dull and poor sound of flatwounds (except TI's) that are better suited for fretted basses to me when you want that lovely Motown sound. For the brand, I always get back to D'Addario's even if Iove the Thomastik Infeld JR, but they are very light tension strings, too light, when you are used for over 30 years to the standard 45~105.

Now it's up to you to decide which one you like, but please guys stop saying that flatwounds are mandatory on fretless because of the fretboard. Ask any real luthier and he will laugh at you about this legend... 

I had round wounds on my last fretless, there wasn't a mark to be seen. I agree with your choice in flat wounds, TI flats are beautiful sounding strings.

[drTStingray]

I started off with roundwounds on my Fretless, gone via half wound to flatwounds and now have EB Cobalt Slinky Flatwounds on it. Gives a great balance between Fretless mwah, slap zing and finger style thump. Gives me the Pino sound I was after. And also theyre kind on the fretboard - the rounds which were on it when I acquired it actually created scuffs and swirls on the fretboard - the Cobalts don't. Nice tension as well (not too stiff - I don't like feeling like I'm arm wrestling - an effect some flatwounds have in my experience).

Ps it's a Stingray - I have TIs on my fretted Classic Ray for that Bernard Edwards sound. 

Edited December 29, 2017 by drTStingray

[kodiakblair]

2 Wishbasses arrived last week. 1 has roundwounds the other La Bella flats. I prefer the flats. Did think about fitting TI's but the La Bellas were first to fall out the cupboard 

[alyctes]

I've a Yamaha RBX200F I bought used.  It needs a new fretboard because a previous user has overdone it with the rounds.  Be wary.

(Also, if you have a neck which would fit, I may be in the market )

[NickA]

I've two fretless basses, that I've always used round wound strings on.  Both are over 20yrs old, both have round wound score marks on them but neither has needed the fingerboard more than lightly resanded.  So long as you don't use "side to side" vibrato or note bends (no need on a fretless) it's not a huge issue. The Wal (30 years old) actually has slight furrows under the strings .. which I read somewhere improve the sound a bit, so have never sanded out (plus Wal fingerboards are quite thin and very expensive to replace!).

If your fingerboard is NOT ebony (or this semi synthetic ebonum stuff) then probably use flats, get the board epoxied or put up with re-planing / sanding now and then.

Fingerboard wear aside I've always reckoned you can get a wider range of tones from rounds than flats, giving more scope for shaping a particular sound - and in particular lots of mid tones that accentuate the way the tonal content changes through the note (aka Mwwaaahhh)

HOWEVER,  only today, I acquired a set of EB Cobalt Flats and put them on my franken-bass (a self designed jazz bass) and am knocked away by the lovely rich tone .. and they feel nice under the fingers too; spookily silent shifting!  They are not (as the blurb says) flats that sound like rounds; more a mid-way between the two.  Such a long long way from the tonally indistinct and thuddy Rotosound "Jazz Bass 99s" I learned on and which put me off flats forever.  It's made such an improvement to the franken bass (which previously had rotosould "swing 66" rounds on) I'm wondering if I should try them on the Wal (currently running D'Addario NYXT rounds and with more punch and fretless Mwahh than anyone needs).

Mind, the new strings OUGHT to be good at the price!!  £40 from Bass Direct.

[NickA]

PS: What I love about basschat ... never heard Michael Manring or Steve Lawson before; now lying in bed with my headphones on!!  Thanks for the recommendation.  Quite totally different sounds achieving a similar kind of music!  Don't think even COBALT flats will get us Manring's tone!

[Hellzero]

Try Dean Peer, another great fretless player, you'll hear another side of the fretless too.

[Hellzero]

Here is the link to his website : http://www.deanpeerbass.com

 

[chris_b]

Rob Allen supplies his fretless basses with La Bella black tapewounds. I played one for a few months and they felt very good.

[matski]

I’m a fence sitter - I have half ground strings on my fretless pbass 

[Shaggy]

I used rounds for years and years (DR Hi-beams for choice whenever I was flush) , but I'm a recent convert to La Bella 750T White nylon tape wounds, mainly as they've such a nice playing feel.  (Mini review: https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/review-la-bella-white-nylon-tapewound-bass-strings  )