Can you use round wound strings on a fretless bass?

Why do bass strings have flat wounds?

Flatwound strings have reduced high end, giving them more emphasis on mids and lows. Bassists playing rock, punk, and pop styles often choose roundwounds for their enhanced presence in a busy mix. For reggae, R&B, and jazz, the smoother, warmer sound of flatwounds is often more appropriate.

Are flat wound strings any good?

Flatwound guitar strings usually have a warmer, mellower, and smoother tone compared to roundwound strings. They have less high-end and are more focused sounding than roundwounds. Depending on the guitar, they can sound somewhat muddy when used with distortion. Also, they usually don’t sustain as well as roundwounds.

How long do round wound bass strings last?

They do age though, so do need replacing. When they age they tend to stretch and become hard to keep in tune. If you don’t want to wait till this starts happening, you should look at changing them every 3 to 4 months.

What kind of strings did Jaco use?

For a lot of his career, he played his jazz bass with rotosound strings (and they don’t come in gauges lighter than 45-105) into an Acoustic 360 amp.

Can you slap Flatwounds?

Yes, flatwound strings, on the bass, that’s cool! Some of them are even suitable for slap bass! …

What strings does flea use?

Flea uses the tried and tru formula of the GHS Bass Boomers that the world has counted on for decades. GHS Bass Boomers are a Nickel Plated Steel wrap wire with a special combination of Stainless Steel and Nickel Plate on the low E string. The unique Boomer hex core gives this string added strength.

Can you slap bass with flatwound strings?

Some of them are even suitable for slap bass! …

Why do jazz guitarists use flatwound strings?

As you can see, this type of string is much smoother to the touch. The overtones ring out less than roundwound strings, hence the deader sound. However, when you’re playing harmonically complex jazz chords, this might be preferable. Historically, it’s been common practice to use flatwounds on archtop guitars.

Why do you boil bass strings?

Boiling Guitar Strings. When you boil a guitar string, it causes the string to expand, and thus allows the oil and dirt to be released from the string. While boiling your guitar strings will make your old, flat sounding strings sound much better, they will not make them sound as new.

What do dead bass strings sound like?

This can be especially troublesome when playing live! They sound dead. Many bass players describe the sound of dead bass strings as muffled or muddy. They look funky.

Do you use D’Addario nickel roundwounds on your fretless bass?

Personally, I use D’Addario Nickel roundwounds on all of my basses because I like the tone and feel. The only alternative to that is the occasional use of nylon wrapped flats. I don’t exclusively use them for my fretless, but I have been for the past year or so.

Which strings should I get for my bass?

Chancres are, the bass might need some work anyway after that many hours under the fingers. That said, here is a bit of a guide. Steels will be the brightest sounding strings and are also the hardest so they will likely chew up the fretboard the most.

What is the difference between coated strings and half rounds?

Generally, coated strings are a little mellower than steels and nickels tonally, and they also feel a bit slicker. They also tend to last longer. Half rounds are round wounds which are ground down a bit, so they are flatter. They live in between steels and flats sonically and wear the fretboard less.

Do roundwounds eat up the neck on a fretless?

I generally don’t worry too much about roundwounds eating up the neck on a fretless. True, it will chew up the wood faster than flats, but it really takes a lot of playing either way for it to get too bad. Chancres are, the bass might need some work anyway after that many hours under the fingers. That said, here is a bit of a guide.