Any Bass Players? Strings for Fretless?

[R22]

I'm not a bass player per se, but I very much enjoy playing mine when recording. I have a MIM fretless Jazz Bass. I bought it used around '06. I replaced the stock pu's with some Bartolini's that came highly recommended by some forum guru. I really can't remember what forum that was, but I like them. I also strung it with Thomastik Infeld Jazz flats. Also recommended by said forum guru. I have to say, that guru knew what she (that's right) was talking about because it has been a great bass for my purposes. It gets played for recordings maybe 6 times a year. That's it.

So, now it's 2024, and I have the same set of TI's on it. I think it still sounds fine, but I'm wondering if a new set of TI's would be a big improvement. I've been researching. La Bella tape wounds keep coming up. They are almost exactly half the price of the TI's, that are now around $100 a set. Regardless, I'm leaning towards the TI Jazz flats, but I really know next to nothing about bass strings.

I do know that I like a focused, fundamental tone. I feel like I'm losing that a bit, hence the post. Any and all advice welcome.

[Steve DeRosa]

Picked up electric bass in 1977 after 15 years playing guitar (I had played upright bass in high school), has been my main instrument on several occasions over the last 45+ years...

FWIW I own (among others) a fretted '90 Pedulla with OEM Bartolini P/J pickups, strung with LaBella 0760M "1954 Original" 52-110 flatwounds (the "James Jamerson" set) that I installed sometime in the early 2010's and show absolutely no signs of quitting - still have that "focused, fundamental tone" you're after, with just enough metallic "ring" to give things clarity without sounding like roundwounds. Although they're less than half the price of the TI's the caveat here is that they're very heavy - I learned guitar as a kid on a Harmony archtop strung with the old bridge-cable Black Diamonds (the death of many a guitar neck) and played upright bass in HS (an early-50's Kay with gut strings and impossible action) so it's no issue for me, but you'll definitely want to consult your tech before fitting them to a MIM J-Bass (more lightly-built than the USA versions IME). The good news is that you'll be able to set the action even lower than with the 43-100 TI's, since the extra tension creates a "tighter" vibrating envelope that minimizes buzzing and/or poor intonation...

BTW I also used tapewounds on the Pedulla when I had an acoustic group in the '90s - alternated between LaBella and Rotosound - and while they gave it a nice quasi-acoustic "thump," I've found the D'Addario tapewounds provide a more defined tone and stronger signal to the pickup. Since discovering them I've used them exclusively on my Ibanez 5-string, and if you've never tried them on a fretless they're a natural match: former bandbud had them on a fretless J-Bass, and they gave it a unique tone - the "mwah" and growl you want from a fretless but with cleaner articulation than either traditional tapewounds or flats, great if you like to solo with a lot of glissandos and/or side-to-side (violin-style) vibrato...

Incidentally I've also heard of guys using half-round/ground-round strings on fretless, but given my experiences on both an '80s Ibanez RB650 P/J and a "Chas Chandler" '67 Epiphone Rivoli semi-hollow I wouldn't recommend them for fretless - my fingers had a tendency to hang up and stick when moving up and down the length of the neck - and if you value your fingerboard roundwounds are a big no-no...

All the best...

[R22]

Thank you Steve. This is just the kind of info I need.

The D'addario's sound like a good experiment. I don't do any soloing. Mostly just playing the downbeat along with the BD. Simple stuff.

Btw, what the heck is mwah? I've come across this term during my research. Is it pronounced like the French "moi?"

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by R22

...BTW, what the heck is mwah? I've come across this term during my research. Is it pronounced like the French "moi?"

Your pronunciation is correct, and it refers to the sonic "bloom" - a subtle perceived (but not actual) crescendo when single legato notes are played on a fretless bass (pronounce the word slowly and you'll get the idea). Perhaps the best example I can think of right now is the bass line to the opening theme of Law & Order: SVU, played on what sounds like a fretless 5-string (BTW you'll want to listen through a good set of headphones to get the full impact) - that low-B string is unmistakable, and you can hear the subtle swell in the single notes. FWIW there have been several re-recordings over the years (as required by A.F. of M. contract TMK), with minor differences in the mix, and you may have to pick through a few to find the one that does it for you as I just pulled this one at random:

[R22]

Ok, I get it now. Jaco got that in spades. One of the reasons I have a love for Weather Report is that thing he did. Very cool. Thanks Steve.

[PapaLobo]

I've used DR Black beauty's on both of my fretless' for years

[Rudy4]

I love LaBella Black Tapes on my fretless (and fretted) bass.

[LFL Steve]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

I love LaBella Black Tapes on my fretless (and fretted) bass.

I don’t play fretless, but I can say that when I put La Bella tapewounds (how many people here had their autocorrect change tapewound to tapeworm?) on my Hofner hollowbody, it changed my universe. Deep rich full bass tone. I play neck pickup only; I don’t like a lot of clatter and high frequency in my tone. The tapewounds give me the deep thud that works so well in a live dance setting plus the warmth I like to hear. They’re pretty magical.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by LFL Steve

I don’t play fretless, but I can say that when I put La Bella tapewounds (how many people here had their autocorrect change tapewound to tapeworm?) on my Hofner hollowbody, it changed my universe. Deep rich full bass tone I play neck pickup only; I don’t like a lot of clatter and high frequency in my tone. The tapewounds give me the deep thud that works so well in a live dance setting plus the warmth I like to hear. They’re pretty magical.

I concur!

Bass strings in general are a bit pricier than what we get for our 6 string guitars so it's nice to find these earlier in our quest for an idealized tone and feel rather than after investing in a lot of experimentation. I can say I have had other players who pick up my bass decide immediately that they have found the string of their dreams!

The added benefit of LaBella Tapes is they last a LONG time. Unless someone plays with a hammer the first set pretty much become a permanent addition to an instrument.

The price of experimentation is far less than when I used to play upright, though. String cost is a hugely substantial factor there.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by R22

I'm not a bass player per se, but I very much enjoy playing mine when recording. I have a MIM fretless Jazz Bass. I bought it used around '06. I replaced the stock pu's with some Bartolini's that came highly recommended by some forum guru. I really can't remember what forum that was, but I like them. I also strung it with Thomastik Infeld Jazz flats. Also recommended by said forum guru. I have to say, that guru knew what she (that's right) was talking about because it has been a great bass for my purposes. It gets played for recordings maybe 6 times a year. That's it.

So, now it's 2024, and I have the same set of TI's on it. I think it still sounds fine, but I'm wondering if a new set of TI's would be a big improvement. I've been researching. La Bella tape wounds keep coming up. They are almost exactly half the price of the TI's, that are now around $100 a set. Regardless, I'm leaning towards the TI Jazz flats, but I really know next to nothing about bass strings.

I do know that I like a focused, fundamental tone. I feel like I'm losing that a bit, hence the post. Any and all advice welcome.

Your TI JFs should last decades, particularly given you play that bass infrequently. Keep playing what you already have.

[mike o]

Not for everyone. I was using round wounds on my Carvin LB75 fretless years ago. I had the bass made to order with an optional hard clear coat on the ebony fretboard to minimize string wearing the neck out. It did very well for the 4-5 years of gigging with it. The bass was also a tone monster.

[R22]

Thanks everyone for the advice, and sharing of your experiences with bass strings.

The last recording I did, was a very different style than normal. I'm now thinking that maybe a fretless bass with flatwounds was just the wrong bass to use. The song probably would have been better served with a P style bass with roundwounds. The JB is my only bass so that's what I used.

I wish it wasn't so expensive to experiment with bass strings. I'd love to try a set of tapewounds, but for now I'm holding tight with the TI's. I'll make the decision on my next recording.

Appreciate you guys.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by R22

Thanks everyone for the advice, and sharing of your experiences with bass strings.

The last recording I did, was a very different style than normal. I'm now thinking that maybe a fretless bass with flatwounds was just the wrong bass to use. The song probably would have been better served with a P style bass with roundwounds. The JB is my only bass so that's what I used.

I wish it wasn't so expensive to experiment with bass strings. I'd love to try a set of tapewounds, but for now I'm holding tight with the TI's. I'll make the decision on my next recording.

Appreciate you guys.

What kind of tone were you looking for in that recording?

These recordings (of improvised jams) were made with my old AV '62 Jazz Bass and TI Jazz Flats.

[R22]

I got pulled away after posting this, so am editing the text.

This is in response to Jeff's question about the tone I was going for. I was trying to get a more percussive, more articulate tone for this song. I did as much as I could to clear out the low end to allow room for the bass to come out a bit more. I also played the part with a pic. I normally play with my fingers. I played with eq between BD and bass also. This was the best I could do. It's fine, but it led me to questioning whether a string change would help.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by R22

I got pulled away after posting this, so am editing the text.

This is in response to Jeff's question about the tone I was going for. I was trying to get a more percussive, more articulate tone for this song. I did as much as I could to clear out the low end to allow room for the bass to come out a bit more. I also played the part with a pic. I normally play with my fingers. I played with eq between BD and bass also. This was the best I could do. It's fine, but it led me to questioning whether a string change would help.

The bass seems mostly buried in the mix. By BD do you mean a Sansamp BDDI or similar? My experience with them is they suck out the crucial midrange from a bass' tone along with a loss of the very bottom end, too. The high end of Sansamps are also brittle sounding to me. Have you tried just using a good, straight DI?