Flats just produce that really deep, rich sound. I’m sure this is why most people say fretlesses require flats. Pink Floyd’s “On The Turning Away” or Queensryche’s “Anybody Listening” are perfect examples, as some of the slow moving slides sound almost like humpback whales. Especially when heard under headphones. It’s a beautiful thing
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I always thought that rounds might damage a fretless fingerboard (since there’s no fret wires protecting it), so that would be the reason for using flats on fretless basses . . . 
Cheers
Joe
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I have thought the same, but ultimately it’s the user’s decision. If you’re potentially tearing something up, but are willing to accept the loss for sound differential, knock yourself out and have at it
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Yes, its part of the Dr Pepper 7-Up portfolio, as is Crush, although Pepsi bottles all the Crush for them, which is why Pepsi has no Orange soda of their own in the US, but has Miranda everywhere else in the world
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This debate is no different than socks with sandals or without.
The withouts cannot fathom wearing socks with sandals, the withs have no idea what the withouts are talking about.
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Now you’ve lost me… are you talking about cola or strings???
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This thread has gotten way off course.
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Perhaps, but I haven’t laughed this much in a long time! 
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Because it’s silly.
Just use the strings you like.
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Amen.
In some autobiographies of the old time blues players it has been said many times that they were just happy to be able to afford having all the strings on their guitars 
Granted times have changed, but not necessarily for the better.
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A FRIGGIN’ MEN!!!
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Good. Now that that’s settled we can get on to something that’s actually important…
Fret size
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It’s not the size, it’s the shape
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I don’t care what anyone else plays, i barely care what i play 
…but definitely coke though, and TP has to be over unless you have a cat/young children or you’re a sociopath 
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Yes, @John_E , he’s got a very interesting technique that goes along with them too. Steve Harris plays these monel wound gondola cables with super low action and with a very light touch with a downward pluck. When you listen to Maiden songs, you hear the plucks almost like individual string slaps (which is what they essentialy are, I guess). In the mix, his bass often sounds almost like a piano with hardened felt on the hammers. To me anyways.
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My NYXL’s are still sounding pretty new 2 months in.
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Due to my flacky skin, I use flat wounds. It gives me a bit more room to do slides and such. Alot of bottom end and a bit of valve overdrive is a perfect combo
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Yeah, this is the rumor that I have seen debunked, but still lives on with many bass players that think about fretless.
Thats the thing that is debunked. Rounds will do the same to any fretboard, fretted or not, same as flats. You don’t hear people saying “don’t play rounds on your fretted bass, it will tear it up”.
Only reason I ever brought it up was because of the thought that it will harm a fretless, and that is not necessarily true, beyond normal wear and tear. If you are gonna worry about a bass being “USED”, then hang it on the wall and play something different.
That comment is not directed at any one person, just saying.
I do both, depends on if it is cold out or not. I could care less what anyone thinks about me wearing them or not.
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One should not be pressing the strings so hard on a fretted bass that they ever touch the fretboard.
Rounds will definitely wear a frettless bass more than ground or flatwound strings, especially if you dont do your vibrato properly… but you just get it refinished a little more often. I love the ebanol FB on my bass, it would probably stop a bullet 
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Yeah but the Ebonel needs round wound to bring out its full potential. Mine came with flats and I couldn’t get it to sing once I switched wow! The inner Jaco came out, lol.
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