MM SR4 Fretless

[AzWhoFan]

Just got this yesterday!

[Matt R.]

Just replied to your thread on talkbass. How do those tapewonds sound? I've never used them

[AzWhoFan]

well, I've only played it for a short while ...
The strings have lotsa mwah on the D and G strings, less so on the other 2.
But the jury is still out. It needs a neck adjustment - there's a slight bow - and I need to lower the action. You could drive a truck under the E string!

[Matt R.]

Hm I may need to try a set. Best o' luck with your adjustment

[AzWhoFan]

Ya know, I used to have a low opinion of tapewounds. Way back in the day all i could ever get out of them was undefined low end rumble. But this set has opened my eyes! There is tons of available treble. Now, I have no clue which brand they are, and neither does the previous owner.

Since I want to use this to get classic Pino tones, can anybody tell me what kind of flats he used in the early days?

And it looks like I'll have to buy an octaver device of some sort too ... sigh ... it just never ends does it?

[gravesbass]

Stunning Stingray, AzWhoFan. Love the older figured birdseye maple necks. the older ones are definitely better than the newer.

The tape wound strings are decent for some fretless basses (especially my Carvin acoustic I just sold) but try a set of DR Coated on the fretless. You will be more than happy. They slide very well and come in all colors and silver (clear coating). I have them on my fretless and feel great. The action on this bass sounds like it is probably way too high to get mwahhhh. Get the neck as straight as possible (pressure on first and last fret line with hardly any movement in center.. near flat) and lower the bridge saddles slightly until you get the mwahhh without the fingerboard buzz. The closer to the neck you get with the picking finger, the more whah... or have a luthier set it up for you. Those basses are great for fretless'.

Good luck!

[gravesbass]

The strings might be LaBella Tape Wounds. They are pretty standard for a lot of fretless basses. The LaBella's have dark purple wrap on the tuner ends.

http://www.juststrings.com/lab-760n-exl.html

[Basshappi]

Congrats on the new Ray!

Love that color.
I use Elixer nanowebs on my fretless, all the mwah and articulation of rounds with much less finger noise.