Members ssimontis Posted September 21, 2006 Members Share Posted September 21, 2006 I got home today and a nice big package was waiting for me. I have been happily playing my Fender Jazz fretless, with the exception of the strings. I think they are the original flatwounds based on the quality. They have very poor sustain, even for flatwounds. Can anyone recommend a good set of flatwound strings? I'll be going to GC this weekend and would like to pick some up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jonathan_matos5 Posted September 21, 2006 Members Share Posted September 21, 2006 Originally posted by ssimontis I got home today and a nice big package was waiting for me. I have been happily playing my Fender Jazz fretless, with the exception of the strings. I think they are the original flatwounds based on the quality. They have very poor sustain, even for flatwounds. Can anyone recommend a good set of flatwound strings? I'll be going to GC this weekend and would like to pick some up. if your gc is like mine they will only have one brand and they will try to talk you into not buying flats whats you pricerange for strings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lownote Posted September 21, 2006 Members Share Posted September 21, 2006 the coated Fenders are more for an old school urb tone than a more modern mwah tone. for a more modern tone with mwah, nickel rounds are nice but chew up a rosewood board. nickel 1/2 rounds sound pretty much like nickel rounds, mwah & all, but they are gentler on the board than rounds. 1/2 rounds take a little breaking in & a little getting used to though. i like um' on my mim Fender fretess . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ssimontis Posted September 21, 2006 Author Members Share Posted September 21, 2006 I wanted flats so that I don't wear down the fretboard on my bass. If my local GC doesn't have them, I have some coupons for GC online for writing reviews, I should be able to find something. I'm open on price range, as long as I can get some good strings. I would prefer to keep it under thirty though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thunderbroom Posted September 21, 2006 Members Share Posted September 21, 2006 D'Addario Chromes (if you can get 'em) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sunburstbasser Posted September 21, 2006 Members Share Posted September 21, 2006 Chromes are quite popular. Thomastik Infelds are great, but pricey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members willsellout Posted September 21, 2006 Members Share Posted September 21, 2006 TI Jazz flats. I love them. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bassopotamus Posted September 21, 2006 Members Share Posted September 21, 2006 I've got D'addario roundwounds on mine. The wear isn't that bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassman1956 Posted September 21, 2006 Members Share Posted September 21, 2006 I like brite flats, be it ground wounds or pressure wounds. Have D'Addario grounds on the Jerzy. Stock set is 45-65-80-100, ordered special set of 40-60-80-100 to match what was on there. But, have a stock set on the Ibanez, and the G and D are a bit mellower. So a stock set I think would be the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ssimontis Posted September 23, 2006 Author Members Share Posted September 23, 2006 I went out this morning and bought some D'addario chrome flats, medium gauge. It sounds awesome, thanks for all the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members beam Posted September 23, 2006 Members Share Posted September 23, 2006 *weighs in* Right now I've a set of the Labella Deep Talkin' flats on my fretless. They can be a bit "thuddy" but if you like that, they are fantastic. High tension, smooth-as-glass feel. The Fender 9050s are actually very good flats in their own right too. I had a set of those, but switched to the Labellas because I was getting a real lack of sustain on the higher frets with the G string. I've some samples of a few different flats in my sig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ssimontis Posted September 23, 2006 Author Members Share Posted September 23, 2006 Wow, no problems with sustain on these strings. I thought flats were supposed to have less sustain, but the sustain on upper notes beats the crap out of the rounds on my Curbow 5. Or maybe the factory rounds just suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thunderbroom Posted September 23, 2006 Members Share Posted September 23, 2006 I've got Chromes on most of my basses and each has sustain for days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members James Hart Posted September 23, 2006 Members Share Posted September 23, 2006 my fretless 6 wears DR Fat Beams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members T. Alan Smith Posted September 23, 2006 Members Share Posted September 23, 2006 I've got DR flats on my fretless now and they are very nice. I like the Thomastiks better, but plan on trying GHS Briteflats next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the_grouse_mouse Posted September 23, 2006 Members Share Posted September 23, 2006 Do you all think that flatwounds are easier on the fretless fingerboard? I've herard this claimed a lot, but was wondering if there's any truth in it. I've never used flatwounds, but am in the process of resurrecting my longrunning bass de-fret conversion project. So answer me this - if flatwounds are elliptical in shape, how easy's it to put them on correctly - otherwise if the narrow "side" of the ellipse is on the fingerboard, they'd eat it out even more than roundwounds wouldn't they? This question may be very naive, but I've wanted to know for a long time. And for the record, are flatwounds under $30 USD? I bleive they're almost $100AUD - that's about $75USD! "middlemen:rolleyes: " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassman1956 Posted September 23, 2006 Members Share Posted September 23, 2006 The windings on flatwounds are truly flat. At least, as much so as you can see by eye, and as much as your fingerboard would care. The wire of the windings actually have a very rectangular cross-section to them. The feel is smooth down the string, since there are no ridges. Round-wounds are just that, a round wire used for the windings, with a circular cross-section. The feel is bumpy in comparison to flats. Pressure-wound are somewheres in between, with more of an an eliptical cross-section. Closer to a squashed circle, or rounded rectangle, not really a true elipse. The wide axis of the elipse is along the length of the string. So it's flatter than a round-wound, and rounder than a flat-wound. Ground-wounds are round-wounds that go through a grinding process once wrapped. The cross-section is like a circle but with the outside of the wrap ground flat, about 25% or so of the diameter. Flats are indeed easier on the fingerboard. There have been numerous discussions on flats vs. rounds, and whether or not the fingerboard would hold up or does it need epoxied or does it matter, etc. Do a search on this, and you'll find a couple threads per month pop up. If you're using a softer fingerboard, such as maple, redwood, or some of the exotics, chances are you need to epoxy it for fretless playing regardless of whether you use flats or rounds. As for using rounds, some feel you need to epoxy regardless of the wood, others feel if you're using a harder wood such as ebony or wenge, there's no need, even with rounds, as wear will be minimal, and take years to require a dresssiing even if you play a ton. I'm of the opinion that I prefer flats or semi-flats (D'Addario Half-Rounds or GHS Pressure Wounds, for example) on a hard board, such as ebony or rosewood, with no epoxy or other finish, save for an occasional oiling. As an example, my Jerzy Drozd fretless has a thick ebony slab for a fingerboard. It came with round-wound LaBelle Slappers on it, from the factory. Yes, they were leaving slight witness marks. Probably wouldn't have hurt a thing. After a few months, I swapped to D'Addario Half-Round ground-wounds, because I wanted more of a flatwound feel, but wanted to retain some of the briteness. It worked. BTW, $25 to $35 US per a set of 4 is common in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the_grouse_mouse Posted September 24, 2006 Members Share Posted September 24, 2006 thanks for a very informative post BM'56 - much appreciated! So, if I buy flatwounds, is it obvious when putting them on that I haven't put the small side on the fingerboard? Do they have to be slightly twisted when put on? Newbie questions I know. The "epoxy or not to epoxy" is what I'm currently dealing with. Very jealous about your cheap strings! "seethe" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassman1956 Posted September 24, 2006 Members Share Posted September 24, 2006 Originally posted by the_grouse_mouse So, if I buy flatwounds, is it obvious when putting them on that I haven't put the small side on the fingerboard? Do they have to be slightly twisted when put on? Noobs! Doesn't matter, there is no 'small side', as they are perfectly round as an entire string. Picture this: The string is not a single strand. It is at least 2 strands. There is a straight core wire which runs down the center. Then there is at least one outer wrap, a small diameter wire, wrapped around the core wire, in a helical fashion, like screw threads. On larger strings, there may be 2 or 3 helical layers. It is this outer-most wrap that has a cross-section that is either: rectangular, making a flat-wound string circular, making a round-wound string squished between rectangular and circular, making a pressure-wound string circular with a flat ground on it, making it a ground-wound string Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the_grouse_mouse Posted September 24, 2006 Members Share Posted September 24, 2006 Well I am a noob re: flatwounds/fretlesses So I just put them on normally and that's it? cheers for the reply. "squeak" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassman1956 Posted September 24, 2006 Members Share Posted September 24, 2006 Originally posted by the_grouse_mouse Well I am a noob re: flatwounds/fretlesses So I just put them on normally and that's it? cheers for the reply. "squeak" Yeup. Check the nut for fit, can't be tight on the strings. And check your setup after that. But that's with any string change. Nothing special. Enjoy! Going thru the same thing with my MK5 acoustic, going from light-weight bronze rounds to medium-gage monel flats. Have to file the nut slots, and set the truss rod. That's normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the_grouse_mouse Posted September 24, 2006 Members Share Posted September 24, 2006 cheers again mate. Good tip re: checking the nut for fit. "squeak" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.