fatback Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 I've never had a problem with strings gouging the rosewood neck on my old fretless yamaha BB, but I always used Elixir coated. I fancy a change, but i don't want to damage the board. Any ideas? I know steel is bad, and I'm not sure about the sound of flats for my current band. Thanks for your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 I've just put some half wound Status Hot Wires on my fretless, they're basically roundwound strings with the outside windings smoothed off to make them feel like flatwounds. (Some manufacturers call them "Groundwounds" I think) They're generally brighter than flatwounds but probably not as bright as normal roundwound strings so they still might not be to your taste. The Hot Wires seem to be a quality string and are the smoothest I've ever played, but they have a darker tone than some other makes with a strong fundamental tone and not many overtones. Sounds good on a graphite neck but maybe too dark on a wood neck. If you're not damaging your fingerboard then there's less reason for you to change if you're happy with your sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 i have always wondered what strings damage what fretless boards? I had been told to just use flatwounds on an ebony board, but what about ebonal, maple or rosewood? Or is it one of those things that is different on different basses depending on the grain of the wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Rosewood and maple will suffer the most if you use rounds. Rosewood will get 'worm trails' which will eventually make the board uneven. Maple will get mucky and unsightly. It depends on how much it bothers you, really. With rosewood you can always replace the board when the time comes. That said. I swapped the Rosewood neck on my P fretless for an ebony replacement, because I wanted to keep the original neck unmolested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 I have used Rotosound Solo Bass for over 24 years with no ill effects. They are groundwound (smoothed off roundwounds). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Use whatever string give the sound you want. If they cause wear on the board get it reshot or replaced when it's too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Nickel rounds (DR sunbeams are my favourite) will do less damage than steel...but will still cause damage fairly quickly. But the amount depends on two variables - the hardness of the rosewood (there are many woods called rosewood) and the way you play. The big thing really is the sound you want. "Jaco" is best achieved with rounds, but I like Thomastik flats - they last a long long time and only leave minor scratches. However, the floppy tension is an acquired taste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pentode Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 [quote name='BigRedX' post='814913' date='Apr 22 2010, 12:52 PM']Use whatever string give the sound you want. If they cause wear on the board get it reshot or replaced when it's too bad.[/quote] Couldn't agree more! It's not a major job cutting a board back or even replacing the whole thing. Andy Viccars has done a cracking job of replacing a board with, 'A nice bit of ebony I got under me bench somewhere....'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatback Posted April 22, 2010 Author Share Posted April 22, 2010 Thanks guys. Had the board refinished lately, so I guess I'm being overprotective. Think I'll give the groundwounds a whirl, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_B Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 [quote name='Bilbo' post='814818' date='Apr 22 2010, 11:44 AM']I have used Rotosound Solo Bass for over 24 years with no ill effects. They are groundwound (smoothed off roundwounds).[/quote] +1 I've tried others - recently some LaBellas - but Rotosounds just seem to sound the best to me. It is possible to get rid of light amounts of string wear on a board. I used some 000 wire wool and then went over the whole board with several coats of pure Tung oil. It's [i]very[/i] important that the Tung oil dries completely before you put the strings back on. This can take a while but it pays off in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 [quote name='Bilbo' post='814818' date='Apr 22 2010, 11:44 AM']I have used Rotosound Solo Bass for over 24 years with no ill effects. They are groundwound (smoothed off roundwounds).[/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 [quote name='BigRedX' post='814913' date='Apr 22 2010, 12:52 PM']Use whatever string give the sound you want. If they cause wear on the board get it reshot or replaced when it's too bad.[/quote] +1 to that as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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