String type

jmondabass · Post by **jmondabass** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:33 pm

Hello Im new to the board. I just bought a Peavey Cirrus fretless (of course) I really dig the strings that it came with but Im not 100% sure what kind they are. They are flatwounds with purple wrapping at top and brass balls on the other end. Any ideas??? I dont see purple alot. Thought maybe that would ring a bell with someone.

Thanks

Jason · Post by **Jason** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:28 pm

Peavey have there own "cirrus" strings so maybe it's a set of those

jmondabass · Post by **jmondabass** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:16 pm

Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats JF-344 They are sweet....

McFook · Post by **McFook** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 6:00 pm

Hey-

I'm not looking to tear up my fretboard right away - rosewood - so am running flats. I seem to be using some kind of generic OEM (rumoured to be D'addarios) with black windings. They are really skinny, which is nice with the fretless. They sound nice, but could be brighter.

In the past on my P bass I have used GHS Brite flats and found them not bright and very rubbery sounding. I currently Use Ernie Ball Stage II medium flats and like them, they seem to be the closest to a round wound tone that I have come across. I suppose I could get a lighter gauge of these.

Anybody got any info on brite sounding flats? Looking for something with a little of that round wound sizzle.

Kind of a funny thing to ask as sound is subjective, and Thomastik's are like a bazillion bucks a set, so I wouldn't throw down w/out a test drive, etc, etc, but I appreciate suggestions.

Jason · Post by **Jason** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 8:14 pm

Yeah mcfook, you could try Rotosound Pressure wound, they work real well for fretless.

http://www.rotosound.com/bass.html

I think there are some sound samples too

Post by **FretlessBass.com** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 11:00 pm

I use Ernie Ball 2806 Flat Wound Group III Strings. They are smooth as silk and really solid. You can see them on our shopping page here:
http://www.fretlessbass.com/shopping-strings.html

I have tried many other but these, to me , are the smoothest and have really nice tone. They are not dull at all.

NickBass · Post by **NickBass** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 2:19 pm

Hello McFook, you could try DR strings, I found them to have a sound that's bright but when they've just been changed they sound clear without being too much metallic (which is a thing that I enjoy on the fretted bass)...

JV · Post by JV » Fri Apr 20, 2007 4:52 pm

Jason wrote:Yeah mcfook, you could try Rotosound Pressure wound, they work real well for fretless.

http://www.rotosound.com/bass.html

I think there are some sound samples too

I tried these and they put marks on the fingerboard of my MIM Jazz fretless very quickly. Straight back on flats and I'm very happy with Rotosound 77's.

electricmichael · Post by **electricmichael** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 4:18 pm

JV wrote: I tried these and they put marks on the fingerboard of my MIM Jazz fretless very quickly. Straight back on flats and I'm very happy with Rotosound 77's.

Totally agree. I just put a set of RS 77LD on and I can honestly say I'm quite impressed. Great tone from these!

NickBass · Post by **NickBass** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 3:48 am

The string choice is very important for a bass player to define the sound we have in mind, but in my opinion it's also a question of "how we feel the strings under our fingers", and finding the right strings by trial and error...
I see that a lot of you guys use Rotosound strings, unfortunately I never had occasion to try them but I will remedy...I had a bad experience with GHS progressive strings, I tried them time ago 'cause I'm a big Gary Willis fan, well after just a week they sounded really weak and sloppy, like they've lost all the tension!
LaBella strings are really nice, but they cost a little bit too much for my tastes, so I returned to my ususal DR Hi-Beams for fretless and D'Addario Xl for fretted...what's the cost of an average Rotosound pack of strings?
I'd like to try them one of these days...

Jason · Post by **Jason** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:10 am

I use these two online companies Nick, check them out to see if they ship to Italy

http://www.stringbusters.com/

http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/

Good luck,
Jase.

NickBass · Post by **NickBass** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:22 am

Ok, thanks man, I'll check 'em out and see what happens...

JV · Post by JV » Fri Apr 27, 2007 3:40 am

Jason wrote:I use these two online companies Nick, check them out to see if they ship to Italy

http://www.stringbusters.com/

http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/

Good luck,
Jase.

I've used both of these before, both very good.
I currently use Rotosound 77 flats on my MIM fretless Jazz and I like them but I'd like to know if anyone has tried D'Addario ENR Half Round strings. How much brighter are they than flats? Are they still smooth to the touch and will not damage the fretboard, but brighter? What damage will nickel do to my fretboard?

NickBass · Post by **NickBass** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:20 am

JV, I never tried ENR Half Round, all I can tell you it's that I started using D'Addario Xl Round Wound 7 years ago and I never regretted this choice!
Lately I've been using DR Hi-Beams on fretless, if you're looking for a "fat" sound, brightness and durability I suggest you to try them, they're great! (if you want to hear them check out Marcus Miller's fretless playing)
Returning to D'Addario, on the fretless I've used Xl Round Wound nickel-plated for a lot of time( I still use them ofn the fretted, also steel) and my luthier didn't notice of any damage, probably it depends also from the fingerboard...how's your bass fingerboard?

JV · Post by JV » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:38 am

HI Nickbass. My MIM fretless Jazz has a rosewood fingerboard. I tried Rotosound Solo preasure wound strings which are steel but they put lines on the fingerboard very quickly even though they advertise them as good for fretless. I've heard nickel are much softer and won't do this. Is that your experience?