Maybe A Dumb Question But...

[4-String Annihilation]

Does Steve use flatwound or roundwound strings on his fretless basses?

 

[Riryoku]

To me, his tone sounds a bit too bright to be flatwounds.

However, I don't know anything for sure.

 

[The_Human_Abstract]

I think i read somewhere that he uses roundwound stainless steel swing bass rotosounds, 35 to 120's.

 

[SanderThomas]

Rotosound swing bass 66. Gauge: 110-85-70-50-30

 

[4-String Annihilation]

Ya Sanders I saw that on his site but was not sure if those were flat or roundwound. So if he used roundwound he must of got his neck epoxied?

 

[vashts80]

The Swing bass line is only roundwounds, if I remember correctly. He may or may not have got his neck epoxied, because it doesn't matter. The "damage" that roundwounds cause to an unprotected fretless neck is purely cosmetic.

 

[4-String Annihilation]

Oh is that all? I thought it would affect sound. Because I was told if I wanted to use roundwounds on my fretless I had to epoxy the neck.

 

[vashts80]

Roundwounds will eventually cause some damage to the fretboard, no doubt about it, but it's very very minimal damage. Most of the time it's purely cosmetic, but sometimes (only after years and years and years of playing and slapping with them on an unprotected neck) it can actually go deep into the fretboard. The "damage" won't affect the sound at all, afaik. Rounds themselves will give a treblier tone, however.

You don't necessarily have to epoxy the neck, but if you don't want the cosmetic damage from rounds you can epoxy it.

I personally think rounds sound ugly on a fretless (no offense Steve, if you read this thread), but it's up to you.

 

[4-String Annihilation]

Yeah thanks man. I'm debating which way to go. I have roundwounds on now.I guess I always could slap some flats on and see if i like them.

 

[Disincarnate]

i think i read somewhere he uses flatwounds and not rounds

 

[SanderThomas]

The Rotosound website says that Swing strings are roundwounds..

 

[4-String Annihilation]

Hopefully Steve wil see this and respond and we can get a clear answer.

 

[The_Human_Abstract]

If you look at the live pictures of Steve the wraps on the strings are red, showing that they are the stainless steel rotosounds and not the nickle ones, but both are roundwound anyway

 

[vashts80]

Which end of the string? I know my Steve Harris (flatwound Monel) sigs had a red wrapping at the bridge and a blue wrapping at the headstock

 

[HippieOfDoom]

I use Rotosound RS66LD but I add an additional high string to put on my 5stringers which I get separately. So it goes 35 45 65 80 105. When I string up the 5stringers for the baritone songs it's almost the same gauge but RS665LD, 45 65 80 105 130. They are always roundwound. I can't stand the sound or moreover the feel of flatwounds. I learned on flats in orchestra class on double bass (standup bass, upright bass, acoustic bass whatever), and I hated them then too. The rounds on a fretless neck take so long to make damages that it's almost not worth worrying about. Every fretless neck I have is ebony wood and it's hard enough to take the rounds. I've never taken out any frets to convert over, the one bass that I did put together I bought a fretless neck from Fender, so I have no experience with removing frets. I started on that homemade Fender wannabe, then got a Carvin for a while, which I still use often, but then got a nice assorment of ESPs...not LTD fretless.
*For the record...Human was recorded with my old Black Rickenbacker 4001 (fretted) and Individual Thought Patterns with that homemade Fender wannbe 4string (fretless).
I like the songs on the new Sadus album that I recorded with the fretted ESP so much that I've been writing more and more for the fretted one again. I'll always try to use either one that gives me the best sound for the song, but now that I have the double neck it's getting more interesting to switch between frets and fretless within the same song! It's a monster, but if properly weilded it can make it a lot more convenient switching between the different sounds between the two different kinds of neck.
Any more string/bass questions...? Think I covered it all. But if not...fire away...!
SDG

 

[NicholasDWolfwood]

What tunings do you usually keep your double-necks in? I was pondering this, and I assumed one of them was BEADG or some variant on one neck and EADGC or some variant on the other neck.

Also, how do rounds feel against your fingers? It's a weird question, but I've been using flats basically since I got my first bass, because I never really got accustomed to the feel of rounds, and I never really got accustomed to having to actually lift my fingers off the strings to avoid that ugly sounding "slide" noise.

I've been using rounds on my 4 string fretted, but since I don't use it that often (only when my fretless 5 is in a non-standard tuning) I don't really know what rounds feel like anymore.

 

[4-String Annihilation]

Thanks Steve!