Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Faulkner
Well, I like to maintain the integrity of my fingers and my fingerboard as much as possible. Rubbing something that could take the finish off my truck over my beautiful ebony fingerboard is not something I would enjoy doing.
I've found the slicks, and especially the compressors, are much easier on the fingerboard and my fingers while still retaining most of that round wound zing. The compressors are a little harder on the fingers than the slicks, but the gain in tone makes up for it.
The slicks are probably my favorite for pure feel. They make doing slides and deep vibrato on the fretless more comfortable, and also dramatically reduce finger scrape noises. The compressors aren't as comfortable and quiet as the slicks on slides and deep vibrato, but are much more comfortable than round wounds.
Ken shipped my fretless to me with taper core rounds on it. I played it for exactly 5 minutes before I saw the carnage they were releasing on my fingerboard (that 5 minutes was more wear on the fingerboard than the next 5.5 years with slicks) and then went straight to the store and bought the only pack of flats they had in stock. I then spent about 6 months testing different brands and types of flat and compromise strings before I settled on Smith slicks as the best feel and wear vs tone. I've recently started using the compressors and they're great, but I still like the slicks in general. I'm still kinda undecided on which type to stick with.
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Oh well, given the subjectivity of my question, I would expect varying responses on this one.
I personally will stick with the Taper Cores since they bring it all. I'm not concerned about fretboard wear with them; I don't think my playing style would lend itself to the type of abuse you reference. But again, that's why there are all types of flavors out there.
I would love to hear from others about this topic.
