Bought my first set of flats

[StrudelBass]

I bought some Rotosound Jazz 77's and I love them. They're so warm and smooth... I can't express how much I love flats over rounds.

[bluemonk]

Welcome to the smoooooth side...

[Squidfinger]

I quit rounds a long time ago and haven't looked back. The only thing I miss is the sustain. I highly suggest Thomastik-Infeld jazz flats as you're next set.

[phat5]

Up until 3 yrs. ago, I thought flats we usless and a cheaper quality of string ( yes I was stupid) now I can't go without them. That smooth, silky feel of a string that conjurs up full and buttery fundamental tones that punch thru the mix........I gots goose bumps! Welcome to the club! Now you'll have to re-think your eq settings; say good-bye to the smiley face.


H2

[Dkerwood]

What are the pros and cons regarding flat vs roundwound? Don't they also make halfrounds?

I use rounds right now. The first time I played flats, my fingers felt *stuck*, so I vaguely remember throwing a "compromised" set of strings on my first bass, because the rounds that I had on there were slicing through my guitar callouses.

Of course, I just went back and played an axe with flats on it, and it didn't feel bad. My sister loved the feel of flats when she played on them in a music store, and she's thinking about switching over.

Give me the rundown, will ya?

[Sippy]

I love my Fender flats!

[dave120]

Originally Posted by AerospaceGuy

I love my Fender flats!

+1
I got hooked on flats after playing a Fender Fretless Jazz and out some on my SX P bass. If my Rotosound nickel rounds didn't sound better for most of our rock songs I'd be using flats exclusively since they feel a lot nicer and last longer...

[f'nar f'nar]

I love flats too, but I rekon its all a matter of what your playing. I find that my warwick streamer doesn't sound all that special with flats, I find it looses some of the growl I love so much. HOWEVER on my Ibanez fretless I just cream myself every dang time, its so very very sexy.

[JimmyM]

FLATS
Pros:

Little or no finger noise
Fat tone with a lot of old-school thump
Higher tension
Easy on frets and fretless fingerboards
Can be used for years and they only sound better

Cons:

Don't cut through the mix as well as rounds
Not as much sustain (this is a pro to me but some consider it a con)
Higher tension

ROUNDS

Pros:

Piano-like tone with plenty of cutting action
Lower tension
More sustain
Preferred by most slappers (although this is changing)
Easier to find

Cons:

Rougher feel
Harder on frets and fretless fingerboards

I use rounds mostly, but I have a bass that has 6-year old flats on it that I love and find myself using more and more these days.

[seanm]

Originally Posted by Dkerwood

I use rounds right now. The first time I played flats, my fingers felt *stuck*, so I vaguely remember throwing a "compromised" set of strings on my first bass, because the rounds that I had on there were slicing through my guitar callouses.

Flats can feel sticky until you break them in. On my gigging bass, if you run your finger up from the neck to the bridge you can feel where I tend to pluck because it is noticeably smoother.

[Nkisi_Nkondi]

i want a good used pair of flats

[Staceman]

I first tried flats on a short scale bass I have. It was a quick-fix, I broke a string, and the local music store had no short scale strings at all, and the only normal set with an E string that would fit through the groove of the machine, was from a set of Fender flats. So, I got them and put the whole set on.

I fell in love with them fast, but over the months, I went back to rounds for a while, to make more of a comparison. I then got a long scale SX Jazz bass, that came with rounds, and I stuck with them, until yesterday. I was getting frustrated trying to get my speed and accuracy down when doing Iron Maiden songs with Steve Harris' "galloping" bass lines. I found out that he uses flats, so I decided to give them a go on the long scale, picking up a set of Rotosound 77LD's (I would have got the EL's if they had them in stock- I'll probably order them eventually) I felt an improvement immediately, which I attribute to there being less friction on my plucking fingers, allowing me to fly with the gallop more smoothly.

So, it's back to flats for me, and I'll probably stick with them this time. I hate twang anyway, but I will miss the little Geezer-esque growl I got from the rounds.

One thing I wanted to ask, is it usually neccessary to re-setup your bass when switching to flats, since there's more tension? Like, tightening the truss round some, to get rid of the extra relief from the extra tension?

[Staceman]

Originally Posted by Staceman

One thing I wanted to ask, is it usually neccessary to re-setup your bass when switching to flats, since there's more tension? Like, tightening the truss round some, to get rid of the extra relief from the extra tension?

Just wanted to bump this up, to see if anyone can answer my question.

[phat5]

If you're using different brand or type of string, yup, you need to set up your instrument.

[jbathehut]

Originally Posted by Staceman

Just wanted to bump this up, to see if anyone can answer my question.

Yes you will probably have to make some adjustment.

[narcopolo]

i think this is as good a place as any for me to ask someone to run down the differences in flatwounds - as in which brands or types produce what kinds of sounds.
hope that makes sense, it almost does in my head