Fretless Bass String Comparison: Which Ones are the Best for You?

[@LouisCiarlo]

A very informative video. I'm just restarting my fretless journey and I think I like the sound of the roundwound strings the best. Flatwounds feel nice, but they lack that pop and accentuated "mwha" sound. I plan to go with a set of D'Addario EXL220 40-95. I normally play a medium gauge of 45-105, but I read somewhere that light strings will make it a little easier for me when trying to develop my technique.

[@DavePorterBand]

Thanks for watching and for your comment. I agree, flats feel the best for fretless but round wounds really sound the best and I'm not sure half rounds really worked for me. Those lights should be easier to play and I think you'll be able to lower your action a bit more with those too. Good luck!

[@StephenWhite55]

With all steel-core strings*, the diameter of the string's central 'core' wire (that the string is wound around) is the main factor determining the amount of tension a string produces. this means that you can have different strings with the same outer diameter (the same 'gauge'), which nonetheless have very different amounts of tension. For example, GHS strings typically have relatively thick (larger gauge) core-wires, whereas Thomastik-Infeld 'Jazz' series have have extremely thin core-wires - these strings couldn't be more different, in both sound and feel. *There are a small number of strings that do not have a single steel core wire - these strings use either 'rope core' construction (with a group of extremely fine steel wires collectively taking the tension of tuning the string up to pitch), or with a synthetic 'plastic' group of threads, which take the string's tension. These are mostly guitar strings, but a very few bass strings are made this way - Thomastik-infeld acoustic bass guitar strings are one example of this type of construction.

[@DavePorterBand]

Hey Stephen, thank for watching and for the great info about string gauges, much appreciated!🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@byMRTNjournals]

Stainless steel flats sound as punchy as rounds but with that swell

[@hepphepps8356]

Flats sounds the most apropriate and tasteful and blenda the best with the music. Rounds almost sounds like a Trombone player with a wah-mute. It is simply too expressive and demands too much space and attention. Good for Jaco, but all around Jacoing is usually not a good strategy.

[@boblove2912]

GHS Pressure wounds and D'Addario Black Nylon on a fretless P bass and Ernie Ball 40-95 Cobalt round wounds on a fretless Stingray.

[@Boethius4748]

Also Fender’s nylon wrapped sound pretty sweet if you’re ok with the very low tension. I ended up liking it but it feels a little weird at first

[@garyslavinsky4201]

Thanks for this video. Ive been playing bass since 1963 but I just bought my first fretless (not counting double bass). While waiting for its arrival in 2 days, I've been wondering about the best strings for it. This is a huge help.

[@DavePorterBand]

Awesome, I'm glad it was helpful! Enjoy your electric fretless journey and thanks for watching.

[@annode]

Before I forget I stopped the vid to write this : At the start of this vid you say you've always used flat wound, then on the 'Sledgehammer' (round wound) you say 'It's just what I'm used to, (referring to the round's smoother pluck) 'I guess I'm not used to the flat wounds' . What's up with that? ...and what I learned as a piano tech is that the string mass is proportional with the string tension brought to pitch. That would mean the round string is heavier then the flat.

[@DavePorterBand]

Yeah, that's what I get for going off script! 😎 I think what I meant was 95% of the time, I'm playing round wounds on a fretted bass... so that's what I'm used to. But when I do have an opportunity to play fretless in the studio, it's almost always with flats. Thanks for watching!

[@YTRopp]

The flatwounds give the best thump-attack, which I like. I've used many years roundwounds on my fretless, but the last 10 years I went back to the roundwounds (after flattening the fretboard to get rid of the roundwound-damage). Just like the thump and the silkyness of sound and feel.

[@WowIndescribable]

This is excellent. Thank you.

[@DavePorterBand]

Thanks for watching!

[@paulraphael]

Tape wounds deserve consideration too. They might be my favorite. Would be very interesting to see in a side-by-side like this (we don't usually get this kind of controlled comparison, so thank you). Also worth considering that there are some flats that defy these generalizations. I use Thomastik Infeld jazz flats on both a fretted and fretless bass. They are amazing and quite unlike other flats. I might even prefer them on the fretted.

[@DavePorterBand]

I totally agree and should have included tape wounds. I have plans to do an updated version that includes tapes and maybe I can include the Thomastik flats too. Thanks!

[@andreynovikov6380]

About Pino: those were Rotosound RS66LC 40-95 rounds on his all but not signature fretless Stingray which he bought occasionally. There is a thread on TB or BS about it.

[@thebutton7932]

Thanks dude, when he started there on the rounds, I thought it was much more Pino punch.

[@WyattLite-n-inn]

Great playing , great comparison .

[@DavePorterBand]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@kuslers]

I use either Ernie Ball Cobalt flats if I want the round wound brightness.But for my fretless jazz I use in worship praise and church I use the LaBella Gold Flatwounds for that smooth slides and transitions I go for there.I have though about half wounds.I do not wanna tear up my fingerboard and i like my frets to last on my other 3 basses.

[@DavePorterBand]

Hey Jonathon, thanks for watching. I'll have to try out the Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats, thanks!

[@jdpatel7575]

​@@DavePorterBandt😊aUu3uíi3❤ii4oi4i3ii😊

[@thomasfioriglio]

Really great demo of the different strings. In my own experience, I currently used roundwounds on my fretless. The DR Sunbeams, which is what Tony Franklin uses. I had used Ernie Ball Cobalt flats for while. Switching to roundwounds, I noticed I can move more fluidly. They have less tension than the flats, and I had less friction on the strings to do slides or glissandos. I found with the flats, my fingers would stick to the strings a little more. Thanks for sharing! Great stuff.

[@DavePorterBand]

Hey Thomas, thanks for your comment. Yes, I've had the same experience with flats feeling sticky.

[@georgebowling842]

Nice really thorough review 👍 I have Elite grounds on my fretless P bass they sound mwah 🙂

[@DavePorterBand]

Good choice!

[@chinatosinthiti3076]

I am going to convert my first bass (Yamaha RBX170) into a fretless and start learning fretless from it. So far I'm pretty sure I'm going to start with flatwounds, your video also confirmed this. Although this was the first time hearing halfwounds, I will come back for them. BTW my fretless hero right now is Dominic Forest Lapointe of the metal band First Fragment

[@DavePorterBand]

Cool, I'll check out First Fragment. Thanks for watching!

[@Karthik_Hari]

Dominic Lapointe (had the opportunity to meet him in India couple of years ago!) and Steve DiGiorgio are my heroes for fretless playing. I'm considering de-fretting my Ibanez GSR 205WNF. How was your experience playing with flatwounds for Tech-Death / metal? Would love to hear from you!

[@altriplett9099]

Parrick O’hearn was/is everything Jaco was, and more! Check out his work with Frank Zappa’s mid-late ‘70’s lineup. None of Patrick’s work was done on a fretted ax… listen to “Zoot Allures”. I bet you would never think this music features fretless bass, unless Pat wanted the listener to hear the “mwah”…

[@DavePorterBand]

I love Patrick's bass playing, truly a legend.

[@michaelblaney4461]

I think I like the Rounds better , ive used GHS pressure wound a lot on fretless .

[@kandem01]

Came her to see if anyone uses pressure wounds on a fretless. Any marks on the board?

[@michaelblaney4461]

@@kandem01 There are always marks left on the fingerboard but less then roundwounds .

[@inkeye1]

Hey Dave - I think flats or half-rounds work well for those slides. Excellent production, dude.

[@DavePorterBand]

Thanks, Billy! I really appreciate your support.

[@This_Fretless_Guy]

Awesome video, thx.🙂 My personal heroes are Jaco, Percy Jones, Alain Caron, Tony Franklin, Steve Bailey, Mick Karn, Gary Willis, Mark Egan and Michael Manring. In terms of metal there are Jeroen Paul Thesseling, Sean Malone and Dominic Lapointe which are absolutely mindblowing.🤯 They all have their own personal style and a unmistakable voice on the instrument.

[@DavePorterBand]

Hey Nobel, thanks for the comment. We share many of the same fretless influences! I need to listen to the metal players you mentioned. Any suggested albums?

[@This_Fretless_Guy]

@@DavePorterBand Cynic with Focus(Sean Malone), Obscura with Cosmogenesis/a Valediction(Jeroen Thesseling), Beyond Creation with the Aura/ First Fragment with Dasein(Dominic Lapointe)

[@DavePorterBand]

Awesome, thank you!

[@ansaransar-wg8sb]

​ 🎉🎉😮😅😅🎉

[@ColonelAngus2023]

I put LaBella White Nylons on my fretless bass. They are fantastic.

[@DavePorterBand]

Thanks, I'll have to give those a try.

[@HuwFoster]

Thanks for the vid - really useful! Can I just ask what lapel mic you're using?

[@DavePorterBand]

Thanks for watching! It's a Hollyland Lark wireless lav.

[@gorgoncorpsus1277]

You do realize that Mick Karn is the designer and engineered the concept of the frettless bass? He’d decided one day that the removal of the fretts would give him more of a branding and assist him in creating his own style and sound during his early years in the 70’s.

[@DavePorterBand]

Thanks for watching! Mick Karn is an awesome fretless bassist but he didn't invent the fretless electric bass... that credit is widely given to Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones who, in 1964, removed the frets in his bass to get rid of fret buzz. A year later, Ampeg started producing the AUB-1 fretless bass and Wyman endorsed the instrument. Thanks again for watching!

[@gorgoncorpsus1277]

@@DavePorterBand I’d watched an early interview with Mick Karn when he had mentioned removing his frets from his bass and, perhaps, didn’t hear the entire statement that he’d made in that I think he was, more, or, less, stating that he was doing this in effort to create an authentic sound of his own making and this was, indeed, during the early 70’s/late 60’s. He had been around for many years , but, had, sadly, passed away from cancer during his solo career. Some of my knowledge on his history is a bit scattered and iffy, but, for certain, he was one of the greatest frettless bass players in the world, as well as, one of the most obscure and unique. Thank, btw, on, indirectly, correcting me and on my spelling of the word “fret”. Google wasn’t translating it for me, haha!

[@DavePorterBand]

@@gorgoncorpsus1277 Karn is truly one of the greats! He and his band Japan had a huge influence on New Wave bands like Duran Duran and Visage.

[@susieroberts8175]

"Every time you go away, you take a piece of meat with you" 🎶

[@mariosangermano]

Round wound on fretless for me. I use Dunlop extra light 30, 40, 60, 80, 100.

[@gorgoncorpsus1277]

Mick Karn from Japan and Dalis Car is THEE BEST!❤❤❤

[@RumblinMan]

Subbed.

[@prestachuck2867]

You forgot about tapewounds! The brightness and flexibility of light nickel rounds with the softness, smoothness, and lack of fret and finger noise that you get from flats.

[@DavePorterBand]

I did forget about tape wounds and I’ve never played them… 🤦‍♂️ I see a new video in the future, thanks!

[@paulraphael]

@@DavePorterBand That would be great. If you do, please throw in a couple of these strings you've already demo'd, so we can compare.

[@MaliV.Williams]

Yea "Chromes" ARE the the Ish!!

[@rcimerman68]

Jaco 1st Pino 2nd

[@bmatchick]

Do you have a sealed fingerboard? If so, with what? Just curious (not sure who even does that work). My Lakland has ebony and I love mwah, but think I have plenty even though I've thought about looking into having it epoxied or whatever.

[@DavePorterBand]

The Sire bass in this video has either an acrylic or polyurethane coating but I also have a fretless with an ebony fretboard like your Lakland. Ebony is so hard, I don't think it really needs to be sealed but it's a personal choice. Thanks for watching!🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@bmatchick]

@@DavePorterBandThank you!

[@John-m5b6y]

Mick Karn

[@DavePorterBand]

Totally agree! His work with Japan started the New Wave movement (IMHO) but his solo work is even more impressive. Thanks for watching!

[@Nikosi9]

Why no tapewounds? Otherwise good video...

[@DavePorterBand]

Not including Tapewounds was certainly a mistake. I'll include them in the next comparison video, thanks!

[@BeesWaxMinder]

4:42 - are you sure the rounds have more tension than the flats?!🤯

[@DavePorterBand]

Good catch because that's not true... flats have a bit more tension than rounds so I'm wondering if the gauge was slightly higher? Thanks for watching!

[@JamesSibert-g1o]

Rounds on fretted or fretless sound superior

[@jeffreyandrews]

I prefer flats on my fretless

[@DavePorterBand]

Me too, thanks for watching!

[@NelsonMontana1234]

Roundwound grind up the fretboard. Flats produce a dull sound. Half Rounds are the worst of both world -- they have drag and no tone. The best string for fretless are the nickel compression series. They're oval shaped roundwounds that have clarity but aren't as abrasive.

[@Philomath9ether]

Tempted to try DR Pure Blues

[@gorgoncorpsus1277]

Wow! I’d never realized that there was a frettless bass in that Paul Young track “Every Time You Go Away”. I’d always hated that track. Very contrived and commercial. It doesn’t reflect the 80’s music scene very well.

[@zeusapollo8688]

Groundwounds are hideous

[@jonathanosborn4800]

I like them, a good compromise

[@BeesWaxMinder]

Each to their own👍

Halfs sounds spot on!