Strings, epoxy and nut questions now..

[Faithless]

I'm thinking about, what strings should I put on my new fretless bass.

For clarity, that 'fretless' bass, that I'll be putting strings on to, is a 'convert' - luthier will rip out frets, and cover (rosewood) fingerboard with epoxy.


I know, that it's very popular to put flats on fretless, due to it's sound and playability, but, I've spotted, my tutor has nylon strings on his fretless, and it played and sounded very nice, so I thought, i would ask...:


What are the differences (and maybe, similarities,eh?) between flats and nylon strings?

I know, how flats feel, as I have them put on my EUB, but thats all I know..


Faith

Edited December 23, 2009 by Faithless

[Cat Burrito]

I think if you've heard both you'll have an idea. Personally I think generally nylons sound a little more upright like and flats sound more fretless like but I've heard examples where the opposite is true. I keep a bass strung with each. Why don't you try the nylons if you like your tutors sound? At least you can say you've tried them even if they don't work out for you in the longer term

[Doddy]

I always use roundwounds on my fretless.
They eat the board up a bit more but i don't seem to get that
great 'mwah' sound using flats.

[fretlessguy]

Both are similar, but the tapewounds will be a little smoother and sound more like an upright bass. I have used both and like both of them, and prefer the flats. Of course the sound you get will depend on the brand and gauges of strings you will use. Your nut may need to be widened for the tapes since they are usually larger gauges than flats as a general rule. Also, on fretlesses the nut is usually lower than on a fretted for easier action. You may consider having that done.
For flats I prefer TI Jazz Flats and GHS Precision flats. Fender and LaBella Tapes are popular here, and Rotosound makes a tape set I have yet to try but hear good things about.

[fatback]

I think you'll lose a lot of 'mwaah' with flats.

If you're worried about rounds eating the fretboard, try elixir coated. They don't chew up my rosewood board at all.

fatback

[Paul S]

I recently bought a Squire VMJ fretless and it came with steel flatwounds on it. Sounded great. But I had some Rotosound black nylons fitted to a p-bass that I didn't particularly like the sound or feel of so swapped them around. The VMJ now sounds totally awesome, loads of 'mwahh', buckets more than with the steel flats. It also doesn't feel quite as strange, for some reason (and the p-bass sounds better too). Not a huge range of experience but, for sure, a direct comparison between two sets - one steel flats, one black nylons.

[Faithless]

Does anybody know, if Richard Bona strings his fretless 4string Pensa with flats or nylons?

I'm gobsmacked by that bass sound..

Edited December 21, 2009 by Faithless

[J3ster]

Strange as some people find it - I use Roundwounds on my fretless.

I just think rounds sound so much more yummy.

Edited December 21, 2009 by J3ster

[BigRedX]

It's totally down to what sound you want, what the bass is and how you play which strings you need for a fretless.

I use 3 different types of strings (TI flats, Pedulla Nickels and LaBella hard Rocking Steels) on mine, each matched to the bass and what suits the sounds I want from that bass.

As with any string question, there only right answer is the one that gives you the tone and feel that you want.

Edited December 21, 2009 by BigRedX

[solo4652]

How about a halfway house? I use halfwounds (halfrounds?) on my fretless. Lots of classic richness, lovely smooth feel. Status HotWires. £15.

[Faithless]

[quote name='Faithless' post='690701' date='Dec 21 2009, 05:16 PM']Does anybody know, if Richard Bona strings his fretless 4string Pensa with flats or nylons?

I'm gobsmacked by that bass sound..[/quote]


Anyone?

I meant this bass, in this video:

Edited December 23, 2009 by Faithless

[Faithless]

Ah, I'll better ask it in the same thread..


So, is it 'a must' to cover fingerboard with epoxy if I'll be putting nylon strings on it?

As I know, epoxy is needed, if you're using rounds, which dig into fingerboard..


Aaaand, other question is about the nut..

At the moment, my bass is strung from B to G, but I'm planning to change it's tuning to E-C, so is it also 'a must' to change the nut? I've seen a guys changing their tunings like that and not messing with nuts - and they said they hadn't a single problem with it!..

So, what could I expect?


Yours sincerely,
Faith

Edited December 23, 2009 by Faithless

[henry norton]

[quote name='Faithless' post='692526' date='Dec 23 2009, 08:09 PM']Ah, I'll better ask it in the same thread..


So, is it 'a must' to cover fingerboard with epoxy if I'll be putting nylon strings on it?

As I know, epoxy is needed, if you're using rounds, which dig into fingerboard..


Aaaand, other question is about the nut..

At the moment, my bass is strung from B to G, but I'm planning to change it's tuning to E-C, so is it also 'a must' to change the nut? I've seen a guys changing their tunings like that and not messing with nuts - and they said they hadn't a single problem with it!..

So, what could I expect?


Yours sincerely,
Faith[/quote]
NOOOOOOO!!!!!! You don't NEED any coating on a rosewood board, especially if you're using nylon tape wound strings! They just don't scratch into the fingerboard like rounds do and even if you were using rounds, it takes allot of use before you'd need any repair work.

If your guitar tech is insisting they give your fingerboard an epoxy coating then I'd look elsewhere.

Nut wise just wait and see how the strings fit - you'll probably need to lower the slots a bit but you might not need to widen them. Good luck with it mate.

Edited December 27, 2009 by henry norton