John Van Eps Posted September 27, 2002 Share Posted September 27, 2002 I play 5 string fretless, and have been using half round strings. I would like to play on flats, but the B strings I have tried are awful - has anybody out there found a good flat wound B string? Is it even possible with 34-35 inch scale length? Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fonz Posted September 28, 2002 Share Posted September 28, 2002 that is quite a quandry. if you don't like flatwounds i can't say you 'd find any you'ld like. one option would be puting an epoxy coat on the fingerboard. it'll protect the wood and it's very easy to maintain/repair. then you can put roundwounds on there . Eeeeeehhhhhhhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted September 28, 2002 Share Posted September 28, 2002 Are you looking for flats because you like the sound of flats or because you want to save your fingerboard some wear? (Or both, I guess.) I use D'Addario half rounds on my fretless 5 and really like them. They're smooth on the outside (my fingerboard likes that) and are brighter than flats. I used to use flats on my E-A-D-G and a roundwound on my B, which sounded pretty good, but also meant that the board under my B was going to wear more quickly than under the other strings. I am happy to have all half rounds now -- I like the sound better than flats and I can keep my board uncoated, which I prefer. If you're interested in flats to save your board some wear, but don't like the sound, you can stick with the half rounds you're using or follow Bastid's advice. spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fonz Posted September 28, 2002 Share Posted September 28, 2002 yesssssssssss follow my advice. trust in me, trussssssst in me (for all you fans of the jungle book out there). Eeeeeehhhhhhhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted September 28, 2002 Share Posted September 28, 2002 In the end it's about the sound you want from your fretless -- coated or uncoated board; flats, halfs, or rounds; pickup choices and eq settings; etc. It all interacts while you're creating the tone you want. Flats just might not be the answer... spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick_dont_fret Posted September 30, 2002 Share Posted September 30, 2002 I play rounds on my fretless. It causes a minimal amount of wear, but I coated the board with polyurethane to toughen it up a bit. Just like Jaco (well, he used epoxy). I do need to reapply some poly to it, though; maybe a little sanding. I think that if you want to, you can coat it, and still use rounds or whatever you like with minimal wear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted September 30, 2002 Share Posted September 30, 2002 How about using compound wound strings? First layer is flatwound steel, second layer (underneath the first) is a roundwound layer, then the string core. sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted October 1, 2002 Share Posted October 1, 2002 I like Lakland flats and TI Jazz flats. The B strings are 0.128 and 0.130, respectively, if I remember right. They will fit on most 35" scale basses as well as 34". Ed Friedland likes LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass flats, but I haven't tried those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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