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Post subject: Do roundwound strings kill fretless necks?
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:10 am
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No. I put Rotosounds on Bebe a few weeks ago and there isn't so much as a scratch.


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Post subject: Re: Do roundwound strings kill fretless necks?
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:51 am
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I think it depends on how soft the Rosewood is on any particular board. I have seen some fretless boards scared up in the past.

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Post subject: Re: Do roundwound strings kill fretless necks?
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 9:03 am
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Over a long period of time you find start to see a few marks, but rosewood is hard and durable, so it shouldn't really be a big deal.


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Post subject: Re: Do roundwound strings kill fretless necks?
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 1:05 pm
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I had rounds on my old fretless for a couple years, with no permanent marks on the fingerboard. The strings left tiny indentions that would poof right back out, with some applied oil.

Even so, I couldn't own a fretless Fender. Too nice a bass for me to be grinding away on. I always noticed the cheaper basswood bodies you find on Korean instruments(for example) respond much better to fretless necks, anyhow.


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Post subject: Re: Do roundwound strings kill fretless necks?
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 3:18 pm
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I've got to wonder just how some people play. I've never had and excessive wear on frets or fretboards. my instruments are all virtually perfect, the only blemishes are on the ones I bought used.


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Post subject: Re: Do roundwound strings kill fretless necks?
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:39 pm
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I think one of the biggest problems with rounds on a fretless happens when a guitarist plays it. Guitar vibrato often entails wiggling the string back and forth (the opposite of violin vibrato) and I think that's when a fretboard can get really messed up. Never let a guitarist play your fretless!!! :twisted:

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Post subject: Re: Do roundwound strings kill fretless necks?
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 5:09 pm
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hieronymous wrote:
I think one of the biggest problems with rounds on a fretless happens when a guitarist plays it. Guitar vibrato often entails wiggling the string back and forth (the opposite of violin vibrato) and I think that's when a fretboard can get really messed up. Never let a guitarist play your fretless!!! :twisted:

What if I'm a guitar player who is planning on buying a fretless bass--in order to play it?

(For the record I am aware of the difference in vibrato--and since I also do play some slide I know about motion in vibrato when the frets aren't a factor.

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Post subject: Re: Do roundwound strings kill fretless necks?
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 6:04 pm
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zontar wrote:
hieronymous wrote:
I think one of the biggest problems with rounds on a fretless happens when a guitarist plays it. Guitar vibrato often entails wiggling the string back and forth (the opposite of violin vibrato) and I think that's when a fretboard can get really messed up. Never let a guitarist play your fretless!!! :twisted:

What if I'm a guitar player who is planning on buying a fretless bass--in order to play it?

(For the record I am aware of the difference in vibrato--and since I also do play some slide I know about motion in vibrato when the frets aren't a factor.

Haha - good point! As long as you are aware of the issue you should be off the hook - just be careful! 8) I actually do that kind of vibrato sometimes on my fretted basses - I have to be mindful when I'm playing my fretlesses.

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Post subject: Re: Do roundwound strings kill fretless necks?
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:38 am
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It makes sense that a round wound string is going to be harder on a fret board, and frets, than a flat wound. Kind of like using a 30 grit sandpaper instead of a 360 grit. The string is just naturally rougher. It follows that, played equally, more wear would appear from the round wound. But how long does a fretless have to be played before either string produces signs of wear? No clue.

The finger board and frets on my 74P are in excellent shape after 40 years of flats. Probably not the best example since I know it was primarily cased by the previous two owners, but I have put quite a few hours on it and I see no signs of wear at all.

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