Fretfully Fretless

[rickenbrother]

Now I just need to tweak the PU poles for the best tone. But playing over the edge of that treble PU, SWEET! Mid growl, where you been?

Glad you're finally found the tone you're looking for with your FL.
I've found a range of sweet tones on mine, playing in various positions. One of my favorite playing positions on an FL is right over the end of the fingerboard.

[FretlessOnly]

Actually, for years I played almost everything over the end of the fingerboard; the added benefit being that there's usually a nice rooting spot for the right thumb at the neck/body joint (I'm talking over the range of six different FL basses). What you lose is a significant amount of volume, so you have to be careful if you switch to a spot over the pickups, because the volume can double! But, the tone over the end of the fingerboard is a very warm, speaking tone, and that's part of what FL is all about.

This came about from years of upright playing, where you are taught to use the end of the fingerboard because it is close to the halfway point on the string, and the "side-finger" technique allows your fingers to drop onto the fingerboard to be close to the strings for the next note.

[cassius987]

They play fairly tight, but then I like something that fights back a bit. It reduces fingerboard clack and pick-up pop and allows my left hand to finger more like I'm used to on upright.

+1 , that's a big reason why I switched to D'A Chromes. The TIs flopped around too much and actually caused a lot of "clack" near the first few semitones of each string on my bass. The Chromes cut down on that somewhat, and I do like the sound a tenser string makes a lot more. Seems to be a fuller response.

[rickenbrother]

I prefer strings that have some resistance as well, not ones that feel like they are going to stay under my plucking finger.