Do flats last forever?

[GianGian]

I has watching some old Led Zeppelin videos yesterday and I had this idea of gettin a new bass, with a huge bottom and and put flats on it, to get a really deep, vintage style tone.
But as flats are vey expensive, I was thinking, how much do they last? I presume that there is not much difference on the tone after some playing time like it happens with rounds...also, I imagine they are less likely to break, since the double bass guys never seen to change their strings...

[Matt R.]

They do last a very long time. In fact, I remember a Bass Player mag article where there was a transcription of Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, and if I remember correctly, Stephen Stills to this day has the same set of flats on the same 60s Precision bass he used to record that bass track. I have heard numerous stories of people keeping the same set of flats on for years.

[jsingles]

are they really that much more expensive?

[fourstringdrums]

I believe Jamerson never changed his flats.

I'd say that if you like the sound of more broken in flats, unless they stop holding a tune, don't change them.

[JustOpenYourMind]

I read somewhere in an interview that the bassist for led zeppelin actually never used flats, it's a common misconception that he did.

And yes, flats last a long time, but a set of flatwound string sound way deader than a round set.

If your the kind of guy that needs to play his rounds for 6 months before you start liking the tone then, a flats may be for you.

People that keep their flats for 30 years like dead strings, keep that in mind.

[alexclaber]

Originally Posted by GianGian

I has watching some old Led Zeppelin videos yesterday...

JPJ only used flats in his pre-Zep session days. I remember him saying he preferred the sustain of roundwounds in the three piece line-up.

Alex

[Mushroo]

Hi GianGian,
Matt is correct, a good set of flats should last for many years. Assuming you like the sound of old flats, of course. The price is not that bad if you consider how long they last. I use the TI Jazz Flats myself.

[Caca de Kick]

No, Jamerson rarely changed his flats...only when one broke.

Well, flats do last a very very long time, but eventually they could start loosing their intonation, and not wanting to stay in tune.

But flats only cost about 5-10 bucks more than a set of rounds do.
The only way I'd consider that "very expensive" is if you are buying many different brands of flats trying to find which ones you prefer the sound of.

[kickupthejam]

I use flats on my P Bass (Classic combo, hey) and I am about to replace them, but only because I have been taking them off and on quite a bit while I customize it. Besides that, decade-old flats ftw!

[Spinal Tapper]

I put the Roto 77's on my Geddy a couple weeks ago, and I'm not looking back! Every time I pick her up, she feels better than the day before!

[GianGian]

He used rounds...well, for getting that tone they were probably like .120 or something. They were so tight. I can't imagine how he can get that sound with rounds.
By the way, is the pressure on flats a lot tighter than rounds or just a bit?
About the price issue, you must keep in mind that I live on the southern hemisphere. Every string here is an import, and the d'addario flats I found were like twice the price of the rounds. Flats are almost impossible to find on stores.

[JustOpenYourMind]

Flats do not have a tension that is way higher than rounds, it depends on the manufacturer. Just go to the website of D'addario strings, they have detailed tension chart for all their strings, you'll find out that there if you keep the same gauges, there is actually more difference in tension between the stainless steel rounds and the nickel rounds than between the nickels rounds and flats. So it's not a big deal at all.

As for the insane gauges, I don't think that he used incredibly heavy strings, sound his sound is probably more about his way of playing and his rig. There is a difference between heavy string and lighter strings but it's not night and day either.

[Stumbo]

check elderly instruments for very reasonable prices on La Bella Jamerson flats. Less than $30.

[GianGian]

Originally Posted by JustOpenYourMind

Flats do not have a tension that is way higher than rounds, it depends on the manufacturer. Just go to the website of D'addario strings, they have detailed tension chart for all their strings, you'll find out that there if you keep the same gauges, there is actually more difference in tension between the stainless steel rounds and the nickel rounds than between the nickels rounds and flats. So it's not a big deal at all.

As for the insane gauges, I don't think that he used incredibly heavy strings, sound his sound is probably more about his way of playing and his rig. There is a difference between heavy string and lighter strings but it's not night and day either.

Yeah, I checked it, no big deal at all, but I feel that I need a heavier gauge to get the big bottom end. I said that he must have a heavy gauge because they look so tight.

[AlphaMale]

Originally Posted by GianGian

I has watching some old Led Zeppelin videos yesterday and I had this idea of gettin a new bass, with a huge bottom and and put flats on it, to get a really deep, vintage style tone.
But as flats are vey expensive, I was thinking, how much do they last? I presume that there is not much difference on the tone after some playing time like it happens with rounds...also, I imagine they are less likely to break, since the double bass guys never seen to change their strings...

I have flats on the schools double bass that may need ot be chnged.

[GianGian]

Originally Posted by Stumbo

check elderly instruments for very reasonable prices on La Bella Jamerson flats. Less than $30.

Quite good price...the problem is the shipping and possible import taxes.

Originally Posted by AlphaMale

I have flats on the schools double bass that may need ot be chnged.

What's wrong with them?

[Pilgrim]

Flats are really about the same price as rounds if you shop around. I've always liked old flats - the ones on this bass were installed around 1972.

Incidentally, I do have a set of 8-year-old rounds on my jazz bass. They sound pretty darn decent.

[Mushroo]

Originally Posted by GianGian

Yeah, I checked it, no big deal at all, but I feel that I need a heavier gauge to get the big bottom end. I said that he must have a heavy gauge because they look so tight.

Actually, in my experience, tighter strings (heavier gauge) typically have a brighter sound, and looser strings (lighter gauge) have more bottom.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by GianGian

I has watching some old Led Zeppelin videos yesterday and I had this idea of gettin a new bass, with a huge bottom and and put flats on it, to get a really deep, vintage style tone.
But as flats are vey expensive, I was thinking, how much do they last? I presume that there is not much difference on the tone after some playing time like it happens with rounds...also, I imagine they are less likely to break, since the double bass guys never seen to change their strings...

I used a set of Thomastic flats on my P for over 8 years and just recently put on a new set. They finally, after a lot of heavy gigging and rehearsing, started to sound a little bit duller than I wanted them to. But they still tuned up just fine, and for someone who wanted a deader sound than myself, they could have stayed on until they broke--whenever that might be. I paid $60 Canadian when they were new for them, so at $7.50 per year I think that's pretty cheap for a great sounding string. I have them on all of my basses now.

Maybe I could have kept a set of roundwounds going for that long. I don't know. I never liked the sound of them enough to find out. I kept changing brands trying to find a good sound.

[EricF]

I've been using the same set of D'A Chromes on one of my P basses for over 3 years, and don't forsee a reason to change them except for breakage. Since I've never broken a bass string of any kind, I'm not expecting to be in the market for a new set of flats soon - maybe never. The initial cost may be higher than rounds, but when you spread the cost over their lifespan, it's pretty darn cheap.