Bought my first Flats

[Jepus]

So for 10 years I've been a roundwound guy, but after reading TB for the last month or so I've been looking to try out some flats.

So I've just ordered some Roto 77's, I would've liked some TI's but $60+ for something I'm not too sure if I'll even like seemed too much!

Ordered them from strings & beyond so hopefully I'll have them in a week or so and I can throw them on my VM Jazz.

Excited!

[nashman]

I did the same thing fairly recently. I put a set of Ernie Ball Group III flats on my P bass. Personally, I did not like them on my Stingray as I thought they detracted from the Stingray sound. I do like them on my P bass though.

Give them some time - both in terms of "feel" and sound. They are very different on both fronts.

From a feel perspective, flats almost seem like "cheating" - very smooth, fast and very little string noise compared to rounds. They almost feel slippery under my fretting fingers. I could see how someone used to flats might end up getting a bit "sloppy" with their technique over time - and have to adjust when using rounds due to string noise.

The tone takes a bit of getting used to also. The nice thing about flats is they last for a very long time, so you can always take them off and rotate them back in again when you feel like it.

[Jepus]

Originally Posted by nashman

I did the same thing fairly recently. I put a set of Ernie Ball Group III flats on my P bass. Personally, I did not like them on my Stingray as I thought they detracted from the Stingray sound. I do like them on my P bass though.

Give them some time - both in terms of "feel" and sound. They are very different on both fronts.

From a feel perspective, flats almost seem like "cheating" - very smooth, fast and very little string noise compared to rounds. They almost feel slippery under my fretting fingers. I could see how someone used to flats might end up getting a bit "sloppy" with their technique over time - and have to adjust when using rounds due to string noise.

The tone takes a bit of getting used to also. The nice thing about flats is they last for a very long time, so you can always take them off and rotate them back in again when you feel like it.

Yeah, I have a Stingray HH on order so I'm planning to try 'em on that as well!

[Bassman822]

Welcome to the thump side

[EricF]

I love LaBella flats on my Fender P basses, but my Fender J sounds best (IMO, YMMV) with SS rounds. My Reverend JJ and Chromes are a perfect match.

[AmadeusXeno]

I was using roto's on most of my basses but now only on my fretless. They are good strings. They don't fit my style which is why I switched back to rounds but I do still like them on my fretless a lot. They are much higher tension then rounds so be prepaired to have a setup done.

[chadhargis]

Flats sound great in a mix. If you give them a shot playing solo, then they may seem a little "thuddy", but in a mix they are fantastic.

I played with some guys a couple of weeks ago and grabbed by G&L L-2500 with TI Flats. We played some songs I felt may have been better served by my round wound strung bass, but both the drummer and guitar player complimented my tone. The guitar player's comment was "that bass sounds awesome man". Probably because I wasn't intruding on his sonic territory.

I've been invited to sit in with them again this weekend, so the flats must be the ticket.

[Jepus]

Ugh.

Got an email today from strings&beyond saying my Roto's are back-ordered. They won't be shipping for a week or so.

Would've been nice if they had told me this before my order...

[CLMSHQ]

Originally Posted by Jepus

Ugh.

Got an email today from strings&beyond saying my Roto's are back-ordered. They won't be shipping for a week or so.

Would've been nice if they had told me this before my order...

Just FYI...
Rotos were my first choice for trying flats....they were changed a few weeks later...I did not like them (that brand of flats) If you've never used flats, these may not be your best choice as far as playability...they are sticky so to speak. A couple of brands later I am playing Fender Flats. They are great and easy to use..don't feel like a rubber band that sticks to your fingers...if Rotos work, great! They sound great on a P-Bass!

[DTF]

I tried rotos as well and didnt like them, Id suggest to anyone who wants to try flats to buy them used in the classifieds , its cheaper so you can try different sets plus they are closer to broken in , rotos took a long time to break in for me

[Jepus]

So nearly two months later my flats finally arrive!

I like em so far. They're nowhere near being broken in but they sound pretty groovy. Loads of definition in them and I like the increased tension. Need to adjust to how they feel though, not as slidey as rounds.