Jazz Basses and Nylon Covered Flats

[ch willie]

Before I got my G&L, I was really happy with the sound of my fretless JB.

I didn't set out to compare them, but I did play one right after the other. The difference in tone was too obvious to miss and the G&L was unquestionably better sounding in every way.

I might need a pickup adjustment. or it might be the tape covered strings. They sound kind of dead to me now on the Fender. I have regular flats on my Ric and Höfner, and I like those.

What strings do you guys use on your fretless basses?

How do you feel about taped strings?

[Matt R.]

I use DR Sunbeams, but I also coated my fingerboard in epoxy

[gravesbass]

I also use DR Sunbeams on all my electric fretless basses. They rule and don't beat up the fingerboard. You will get slight grooves but it will never wear unless you play it every day for years (unless of course you epoxy coat it).
If you don't want grooves in the fingerboard get half woulds or flats but they don't sound as good IMO.
Great MID's with Sunbeams.

[bigevilrobot]

I find as long as you don't use really rough stainless still strings, you shouldn't have too much issue with round wounds. Any vintage nickel style round will be ok, and I didn't do a very thick coat of epoxy on my MIM jazz that was modded to be fretless. Just enough to smooth out where the frets were pulled.

I'd also give high marks to the new Mark Bass nickel strings, they feel and sound great.

[ch willie]

I plan to put a set of flats on it. I like the Labella Deep Talkin flats I have on the Ric and Höfner, so I'll probably stick with those.

[ezstep]

I could never bond with the tape wounds. I tried, but to no avail.

[ch willie]

Yeah, tape wounds look so cool but sound like rubber bands. I have a new set of tape Rotosounds. I'll keep them just for a catastrophic event that prevents me from getting other strings. Jeeburs Croup, tape wounds sound horrible. There, I said it, and Jeeburs did too.

[fivebass52]

Ernie Ball flats come highly recommended by a good friend of mine, who has played with Roger Daltry, David Lee Roth, and others over the years...

[ch willie]

I also use DR Sunbeams on all my electric fretless basses. They rule and don't beat up the fingerboard. You will get slight grooves but it will never wear unless you play it every day for years (unless of course you epoxy coat it).
If you don't want grooves in the fingerboard get half woulds or flats but they don't sound as good IMO.
Great MID's with Sunbeams.

I thought, what the hell and got a pack of Sunbeams. I doubt that I'll be gigging again, and that means that the Jazz will only see recording time, and only that when the song calls for it. Of course I play it for fun too, but I have a good little collection of basses that I can go to according to what I need. So I probably won't chew up the neck too bad with them.