Your Favorite Strings--for FRETLESS!

[cassius987]

Naturally this discussion should be open not only to flats but to rounds as well... there've gotta be some folks out there using nickel rounds or half-rounds on their FLs. If this thread goes well, hopefully it can become a repository of detailed info for people new to string selection for fretless bass.

Basically I'd like it to somewhat follow this format:
"X Strings are my favorite. I have also used Y and Z Strings. Here is why I like X Strings over the others, or the trouble I may have run into with the others."

Also be sure to report gauges. D'Addario Chromes that are gauged 40-55-75-95 are a whole different animal from an 50-70-85-105 set even with the same construction method for each. The added tension and changes to the relief and action (if not entirely removed in a setup) can change the tone a lot.

Now since I started this, I'll chip in my part... and hope that the rest of you do as well.

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LaBella Deep Talkin' Flats gauged 43-60-82-104 are my absolute favorite strings for fretless to date. They have a little bit of extra stiffness in their feel and are extremely well balanced "out of the box". They have a bit of bright sizzle when you dig in and have a lot more "fretless growl" to them than other string sets I have played, which come off as plunky by comparison. They also sustain amazingly well. Certain places on my 4003FL that seemed like mild dead spots before don't even register now. And the tone they generate is very hi-fi, like unto Michael Manring to my ears. These strings are also the only flatwounds I have found that truly respond to a pick well, because they have some much growl in them.

I have also tried D'Addario Chromes (in this order: 45-65-80-100, 40-60-80-100, 45-60-80-105). I definitely appreciated many qualities of these strings such as their taut low-end response that the LaBellas also have... it allows one to create some very crisp-yet-warm sounding recordings. These were the first strings I tried on my 4003FL that caused me to think it could truly sound identical to an upright with the right setup and sound engineering. However I eventually grew tired of them because of how plunky they got over time, and because D'Addario did not offer the 45-60-80-105 set that I found so well balanced and stopped offering to sell me singles. These are definitely good strings, but I have moved on to LaBellas for now. I have noted that Jeff uses a 40-55-75-95 set and my calculations on it are that it is fairly well balanced as well, so if I ever go back to Chromes (doubtful but who knows) I may give that set a shot.

Lastly, the very first strings I used on my fretless were TI JF344s (gauges 43-56-70-100). They have a very high reputation so I figured I couldn't go wrong. I played and gigged with them for around 6 months, doing a lot of live shows, and truly they served me very well. However, when the time came to go back into the studio, I was really disappointed with their low-end response. I had not noticed it live so much, but the low strings came across muddy and fairly undefined. They did not have any crisp attack to distinguish the notes; one listener commented that one of my recordings had the bass sounding more like a trombone. But I don't mean to be overly negative. These strings are definitely great, I just wish they were another 5-10% better than they are for my needs at this time. If I had my way, TIs would be offered in a 43-56-75ish-105ish set. As it stands now, there is too much of a difference in tension between the two lowest and two highest strings for my liking.

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Okay... there's my 2 cents. Now I'd like to hear what the rest of RRF thinks...

[FretlessOnly]

I have the LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass 760FS set on three of my five FL electrics, and I love them! Where do you find the 43-60-82-104 gauges "straight out of the box?" My sets are 45-65-85-105. As for everything else you said, spot on. These are the best to my ears for most applications.

On my Ken Smith 6-string FL, I have TI Jazz flats (JF346: 33-43-56-70-100-136), as that was the only flat set for 6 strings I could find at the time. Pretty good, and since that bass has so much mid and growl it makes up for their otherwise "flat" sound. I slapped the RIC rounds that came with my 4003FL onto my Fender Jazz FL because the fingerboard can take it.

These are the only strings I've used on FL since I first got one in about 1997.

Note TI makes a mean upright string that is the standard in jazz playing (growl galore), but they are a train-wreck for arco work.

[cassius987]

I have the LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass 760FS set on three of my five FL electrics, and I love them! Where do you find the 43-60-82-104 gauges "straight out of the box?" My sets are 45-65-85-105. As for everything else you said, spot on. These are the best to my ears for most applications.

http://www.juststrings.com/lab-760fl.html

These are the only strings I've used on FL since I first got one in about 1997.

I'm surprised you haven't tried Chromes; in truth I wondered what you might say about them. I'm also curious to hear some details about Pyramids, or Tetrahedrons as some call them...

[FretlessOnly]

I bought a set of Chromes for my 4003FL, but I screwed up and bought medium scale. Nothing like 2 inches of silk on the wrong side of the nut!

So, I offered them up in "The Others" and Kira claimed them for her Hofner. I then put the LaBellas on, and I'm glad I did.

[rickenbrother]

D’Addario Nickel round wound and Half Round strings were the first string sets that I had experience with on a fretless. That’s with my fretless Gibson Victory Artist. Most of the time, it has had the D’Addario Half Round string set on it, before and after the 5 string mod. There are very minor string marks in it's fingerboard, nothing yet to be alarmed about to have to switch to flatwound strings.

Since installing a set of D’Addario Chromes ECB-80 on my Rickenbacker 4001FL, I’ve been very happy with the tone. I doubt I’ll use a different set of strings on it.

My 4003FL has always had the RIC roundwound strings on it. I might try a different set, not sure which one yet. Not even sure if they will be roundwound or flatwound. I'd install Chromes on it, but I don't want two FL's that will sound very much the same. The D'Addario Half Round set ENR71 .045 - .100 is a good possibility.

[jdogric12]

old nylon tape wound strings that have soaked up enough finger oils to be soft and cloth-feeling; i can't stand the new sticky plastic feel of most flats.

[rickenbrother]

I've tried that 4003FL on 3 different occasions that used to be Jdog's that Tony now owns. I really liked those black RIC tape wound strings that it had on it. I wouldn't mind putting a set of those on my 4003FL if I could find them.

[ajish4]

PERFECT TIMING for this thread!

You know Joey, I FOUND the original PACKAGE in the case for those strings! The "E" is a "111" gauge!?!?!?!?

It's a WEIRD set, but I LOVE that sound.

I've used TI's for a few years now, and like the low tension, ESPECIALLY on the older 4001's. My 71 and my old 74 has/had them. I have a set of JAZZ FLATS TI's on my Peavey T-40, which gives me a bit more ZING. Basic 45-105 set, but I WAS dying to try a set of CHROMES....but after reading Joshua's post, perhaps I'll try the LaBella's.

I would like a BIT more MAWAH or Michael Manring type tones, so I'm looking for a set of thinner strings for the T40.

I'll update this thread with the actual numbers when I dig out the old packages from ONE of these cases lying around here.

[rickenbrother]

Well if you want MWAH sound, it's in the fingers.
If you want more Mahwah, I can help. Here you go:
Mawah

[jdogric12]

Tony, what are the rest of the gauges? maybe someone here should get a dozen or so sets made up?

[byu]

I've always used Rotosound 45-105. It's been so long that I've been using them that I don't know what anything else sounds like. I use TI flats on my fretted '72 but every other Ric gets Rotos.

[woodyng]

my fretless experience is pretty minimal,(i tend to sound like sting playing fretless,so in other words why bother ).....but i tried a set of strings once on a fretted bass,and bet they would be excellent for fretless. they are fender brand,they are actually a black nylon-coated roundwound-core string,the set gauge was 40/60/80/100. i don't remember what name they were marketed as,but fender apparently also makes black tapewound strings,and this is a different set from those.

[cassius987]

(i tend to sound like sting playing fretless,so in other words why bother )

I don't think there's anything wrong with Sting and his sound. Ever heard "King of Pain"? Some really cool fretless at the beginning of that song. He is like Tony Franklin in that he is not always showing off the fretless-ness of his fretless basses... which can be a really good thing. It makes you sound like a really good fretted player because you don't have any of the buzz or technique artifacts you might if you were going for the same sound on a fretted bass.

Regarding those Fender tapes, I think they're pretty high tension right? The thing that scares me about tapes (-wounds, not -worms) is that I've heard the tape actually causes problems getting the string to sit in some bridges/nuts. Otherwise... nifty. I bet it reduces woody clack, which can be a plus or a minus... but definitely cool.

[teb]

You do sometimes have to do a little nut filing for tape-wound strings. I'm still trying to wear out a set of them on my old Frankenstein Gibson that have been on it since 1975. I think they were marketed by Guild at the time, but don't know who actually made them for Guild. They don't seem to play any different, or sound any different, than they did on day one. I don't generally play much clank and growl stuff, tending toward more smooth sound with a lot of slides, so I'm looking for crisp attack and a lot of low end on that bass. Sound Sample:
http://www.theshipmusic.com/audio_clips ... sample.mp3

My fretless Hofner 500/1 V63 has Roto tape wounds and seems to be about as close as I'm going to get to a string bass sound with it's fairly short sustain and a little more of a hollow woody sound than the Gibson. I did have to ream-out the nut for that one.
http://webpages.charter.net/tbradshaw/M ... sample.mp3

My Pedulla Buzz has black coated rounds on it. I'm not sure what the coating does other than look cool and maybe keep them clean a bit longer. The stuff looks like paint of some sort to me. Being an old traditionalist, I avoided the hot pink ones. It's got that typical Pedulla sound when desired.
http://webpages.charter.net/tbradshaw/M ... sample.mp3

but you can play and tweak it to sound like a pretty normal bass if you want.
http://webpages.charter.net/tbradshaw/M ... la%202.mp3

[woodyng]

joshua,don't get me wrong-sting is among my favorite bass players,but most of the times i have seen him playing fretless,the sound he was getting could be just as easily obtained from playing a fretted bass,with the tone control turned down......my own shortcomings on fretless are that if i am going to play one,i would rather do so in order to have a much different sound/approach to my playing,i.e.,more like say percy jones,jaco,mick karn,pino,etc....................and i just ....don't. and the fender set i was talking about were not tapewounds,and seemed to be a pretty low tension set.....i had them on an ibanez hollow body bass that i sold.