Anyone just hate flatwounds?

**Mark Wilson** · #1 10-20-2005, 01:41 PM

I've got a fretless, and I really hate flatwounds. They feel wrong, and just sound wrong to me. I'm just wondering if anyone else prefers rounds.

fretlessrock · #2 10-20-2005, 02:13 PM

Since roundwounds outsell flatwounds by about 100-1, I'd say "yes" a lot of players prefer rounds.

BTW, it is so great to have Geddy Lee here on TB. I mean.. I saw you in 1977 on the Hemispheres tour and it changed my life.

deezle4 · #3 10-20-2005, 02:20 PM

I'm a half-rounds kinda guy myself.

KeithBMI · #4 10-20-2005, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fretlessrock

BTW, it is so great to have Geddy Lee here on TB. I mean.. I saw you in 1977 on the Hemispheres tour and it changed my life.

His profile says that he was born in '87

...So I doubt it's the real deal.

...Plus, under influences he put Geddy Lee. I don't think he'd be his own influence.

**cheezewiz** · #5 10-20-2005, 02:28 PM

Oh Man, I was gonna tell Geddy that I saw him on the Roll the Bones Tour. I thought may be he'd remember me.

**Chef** · #6 10-20-2005, 02:52 PM

Welllll....no...

I spent my entire career til just recetly playing rounds. Mostly Rotosounds, then SIT nickles. I had a bad experience with a Gibson EB2 and flats that really left a bad taste in my mouth for decades

But, about a year ago I moved to playing primarily upright. Now flats don't "feel wrong." And, I just got a Lakland Skyline hollowbody, and Laklands factory installed flats have sustain, and are actually acceptably bright...

So, I'm changing my mind...

**Mark Wilson** · #7 10-20-2005, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KeithBMI

His profile says that he was born in '87

...So I doubt it's the real deal.

...Plus, under influences he put Geddy Lee. I don't think he'd be his own influence.

Haha My quote is also "My name is Mark"

I'm not Geddy. Just a rush-a-holic.

glwanabe · #8 10-20-2005, 03:23 PM

I don't have ill feelings for rounds, but for most of what I hear for a bassline I prefer flats. I've used Fenders, Roto's, Chromes, and currently my favorite, LaBella's. The labella's have a nice even voice and really put the lowend out.

When I use rounds I have settled on GHS Boomers. I even like Fender strings. They tend to have a nice dark tone to them.

I've said it before, a Jazz, and flats are perfect in almost any situation. I'am listening to "The Lemon Song" right now as I type this. Man, What a tone! Flats all the way.

Folmeister · #9 10-20-2005, 04:15 PM

I don't hate them, but I have this weird idea that using flats is kind of cheating. What tells me that I am playing sufficiently are the calluses and ruts that rounds leave behind. I fear girly-hands if I use flats.

KSDbass · #10 10-20-2005, 06:16 PM

I've found that with my almost year of bass playing, I prefer to use dead roundwounds. right now I have factory installed strings, where I won my bass(!!!!!) at bass up, and who knows how old the strings are. but it gives a nice flatwound sound, but no girly hands. the only problem is that they mark up my fretboard, and make it ugly. then I take the strings of to sand it with steel wool, which does nothing, so I switch to like 1500 grain sandpaper, which just scratches it up even more, so I give up, put the strings back on, and end up with a scratched up fretboard, and a really loud buzz on my open E.

HotPoop621 · #11 10-20-2005, 10:47 PM

I personally love flatwounds. I play both upright and electric and out of the 5 years I've been playing, I've found advantages and disadvantages to both.

It seems these days that everybody equates flats with a dull thud sort of tone. I never have heard this problem in any of my electric bass playing. In fact, in both electric and upright i look for pretty bright sounding flatwounds. When I play fretless, it's usually because I'm playing something I should play on my upright in a place that my upright doesn't fit so I try to make my fretless sound like an upright.

In my opinion, flats give the original sound of a bass and always have this warm, supportive feeling to it. In order to get the full advantage of flats you have to find GREAT (not just good) flats. From my experience the best are TI Jazz flats, Rotosound RS77 Jazz Bass, and LaBella Deep Talking. Of course I wouldn't use nickel strings. steel (or monel) just brings out the brightness and cuts a lot more and has longer life. So give flats another chance. Remember that if it sounds bad, it could be many other things besides the strings such as the bass, the amp, or something wrong with your hands. To quote Rufus Reid, "Your left hand is the sound and your right hand is the sound producer."

And about the callouses, flats won't give you girly hands. You just get callouses from playing hard and practicing a lot. If you begin to lose callouses you probably aren't playing enough. Round vs Flat shouldn't be a consideration in developing callouses. There are barely any upright basses with roundwound strings (A&E for baroque strings I believe) but upright players always have thicker callouses than electric players. They definitely don't have girly hands.

Unchain · #12 10-20-2005, 11:09 PM

I like rounds, but I also like flats. Tapewounds rule.

ganga · #13 10-21-2005, 04:20 AM

I like them.. But I usually play with rounds.

eots · #14 10-22-2005, 02:59 PM

I like rounds on my Carvin lb70p but not flats that I tried on it. I don't listen to Iron Maiden but read the Steve Harris uses flats on his p bass so I tried them on mine and loved it. My other Carvin, a fretless 5'er, wears LaBella tapewounds after trying several rounds that I didn't like. Absolutely woke it up with the tapes.
I guess with the right bass/pickups/playing style/ and your own ears will determine what you like to put on your ax.

beam · #15 10-23-2005, 08:34 AM

I think it really depends on the bass, and the type of music you are playing

Certain basses and styles love flatwounds, others hate them.

I use both, myself

Jonki · #16 10-23-2005, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fretlessrock

BTW, it is so great to have Geddy Lee here on TB. I mean.. I saw you in 1977 on the Hemispheres tour and it changed my life.

LOLZOR!

Dirk Diggler · #17 10-23-2005, 08:25 PM

My answer is Yes.
Dirk

60hz · #18 10-23-2005, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geddy_Lee

I've got a fretless, and I really hate flatwounds. They feel wrong, and just sound wrong to me. I'm just wondering if anyone else prefers rounds.

To me, flats only really work with fretted basses. Just imho.

driver800 · #19 10-23-2005, 08:51 PM

i prefer flatwound
warm and smooth and long-lasting
tone and feel i like.

Alvaro Martín Gómez A. · #20 10-23-2005, 08:57 PM

I know that flats have been used lots of times with fretted basses, but I don't associate myself with that tone. I always have my fretted basses loaded with steel rounds, but I love flats for my fretless. Besides, that way I have the best of both worlds.