Author Topic: Roundwounds on a fretless (Read 352 times)

indybass · « **Reply #15 on:** September 01, 2006, 04:46:31 AM »

On my fretless, I've always used Elixir Nano Web Strings. They are easy on the neck and they have the sustain that I like on bass.

bkbass · « **Reply #16 on:** September 01, 2006, 06:51:24 AM »

Roto Sound had made certain string sets with what they called a Linea finish. Are these still made? I have three alembic fretless (4,5,6 strg)the oldest is 10 years old the most wear is on my 6strg which has been played at least two gigs a week plus.There has been very little wear.Besides,nothing is going to give you that mywah like stst on ebony.It's the price of admission into the house of tone. I've enjoyed the Pedulla fingerboards for years and that coating does have to be reapplied with use and time. The phrenolic plastic fingerboards on the Zon coupled with the graphite neck offer an excellent alternative to the coating but also wear again,the price of admission. Ibanez also has the phrenolic fingerboard. Possibly two alternatives exist: Moses grafite offers various necks etc. AND very thin sheets of graphite. I'm not sure but I believe these could be cut to fingerboard widths with either good quality scissors or scored with a sheet rock knife and applied with a water based glue for easy removal. The other more permanent solution is something I know works as I have used it myself on a rosewood board of my Bil Mitchell fretless acoustic bass. I wanted to have the warmth of rosewood with the hardness of ebony so we coated the fingerboard with 3 coats of Minwax wood hardner. I believe the product is nothing more than a mixture of epoxy held in suspension by acetone. It's kind of runny so mask the board off and use sparingly. The acetone penitrates the wood and evaporates leaving the epoxy to harden. I allowed a day for each coat to cure and restrung it(her) two days after that. All I can say is it works,it sounds wonderful and it wasn't all that messy or expensive. I used three of those $1.00 foam disposable brushes some masking tape(blue)and newspaper.Total cost was under twenty bucks. Just my 4 cents.

keurosix · « **Reply #17 on:** September 01, 2006, 05:41:14 PM »

I recently used Birchwood Kasey's Tru-oil gun-stock finishing oil on my Dean fretless rosewood board with great success. It goes on like linseed oil, dries almost hard in 2 hours, (don't wait longer!) and then gets buffed to a shine with 00 steel wool. I masked the pickups and body so the steel dust doesn't fly to the pickups. The finish is really durable and shiny. Rosewood becomes as tough as ebony. This oil imparts a really neat high end response equal to a finished board ala Pedulla Buzz basses. It won't harm the wood, seals it from moisture, and toughens it against wear. I got it at a sporting goods store where they sold hunting supplies. BassPlayer magazine mentions it in one of their technical articles, along with a host of other products.
Kris
2 more cents.

worldfamousandy · « **Reply #18 on:** September 02, 2006, 08:27:55 AM »

This is interesting. I sold my Jazz shortly after it became unplayable (I had a student who didn't mind the dead spots, and I basically gave it away). I am now looking at buying an Elan that had the frets pulled out. It's a beautiful bass, and I'd hate to make the same mistake twice. I understand the idea that stuff wears out naturally over time, but I would like to get 10 years out of a fingerboard. I will definitely try some different strings on that sucker, like Alembics.

Andy Calder
www.andycalderbass.com

worldfamousandy · « **Reply #19 on:** September 02, 2006, 08:33:02 AM »

By the way, I do have some background on upright, and I understand the vibrato thing. I have seen guys bend the string to get that effect on fretless, although it doesn't work very well, due to the direction of the woodgrain. That technique also makes quick work of a fingerboard.

Andy Calder
www.andycalderbass.com

811952 · « **Reply #20 on:** September 03, 2006, 05:07:01 PM »

I think one of the biggest issues with fingerboard life is how hard you stop the string. I have a natural tendency to really pull 'em down against the fingerboard, and have to consciously fight the urge to do that when I'm playing fretless. A lighter grip is easier on the body, too. Spend a bit of time with an instrument that has a scalloped fingerboard and it will show the brutality of your technique in a most out-of-tune way..

Of course, not stopping the string with enough force is damaging as well, as it lets the string grind away some of the fingerboard if you're not actually stopping it... Just some thoughts from someone who is as inclined to destroy the music as he is inclined to destroy the instrument..

John

hb3 · « **Reply #21 on:** September 03, 2006, 06:41:29 PM »

I play the hell out of my pedulla buzz bass but have never had to refinish the fingerboard....and I used the deadly improper vibrato technique for many years.

keurosix · « **Reply #22 on:** September 03, 2006, 07:47:17 PM »

Barry, I remember Rotosound's Linea finish. It is similar to the pressure-wound roundwound string by various manufacturers. However, I believe it was a core only type string over the bridge. This means you would have to raise your bridge very high, or have custom bridge saddles made for the core diameter only. The John Judge doubleneck was set up for this type of string. In fact, they made a special set for John, and when I bought the bass I also bought about 50 sets of strings. The 8 string octave bass sounded killer! Very bright and strong. The Linea finish was real smooth on the hands too.
Hugh, What type of round wound string did you use on your Buzzes? Were they stst or nickel? A roundwound nickel string won't mark the neck hardly at all. I agree, the Buzz has a very tough coating on the fingerboard, but I've seen some that were filed away from stst round wounds.

Also, as a follow up, I looked at the Birchwood Kasey's Tru-oil bottle, and it's made of Linseed oil and petroleum distillates. A thinned down Linseed. My old Luthier swore by Linseed oil. He also said don't use WD-40 or Fingerease or you will never be able to put a finish on the neck later if you wanted to. I think that would also go for re-fretting, and trying to glue in the frets. They might not stick.
Kris

hb3 · « **Reply #23 on:** September 03, 2006, 08:47:07 PM »

I've used steel roundwounds but I'm gonna give nickel a try -- DR Sunbeams. The steel strings have marked the neck right at the bottom of the fingerboard, but that's it.

ajdover · « **Reply #24 on:** September 03, 2006, 09:35:27 PM »

I have DR Hi Beams on my 99 Fender Jazz Bass Deluxe Fretless. It has a custom epoxy board, and I have no problems with it.

Alan

88persuader · « **Reply #25 on:** September 06, 2006, 02:53:00 AM »

I use Boomers or Swing bass Strings, round wound heavy gage on all my basses. I've had Ebony fretboards on different fretless's i've owned and never got more then superficial scratching. Currently my fretless is a Modulus Quantum 5 with a graphite neck and fretboard. I think I could take off the neck, use the neck as a bat to play soft ball with then put it back on the bass and it would be fine. The sound is a little different then a wooden neck but the way it wears is amazing. It never needs adjustment and the weather doesn't effect it. Personally I wish Alembic was still offering graphite necks. I love my Alembics but need to tweak the necks a few times a year. But I got off the subject a little. I think round wounds are the way to go fretted or fretless. A fretless with flat wounds sounds too dull for my taste. Of course this is just my opinion.