do flats slow you down a bit?

[quadrogong]

i love the tone and feel..but it seems like my fingers sort of roll off of roundwounds,where with the flatwounds,my fingers sort of stick there a bit,it takes more of an effort to go quicker with flatwounds..

maybe i'm stating the obvious, but these chromes definitely slow me down a bit..it takes more of an effort to play quicker lines..

should i try another type of flatwound string?
or halfrounds?
or does it kind of come with the territory?

[JimmyM]

I think it comes with the territory, however, it's something that you can play through and get used to in a few days, and then you slow down less and less.

[Buskman]

I've found that as a set of flatwounds break in, the 'slowness' you mention tends to clear up as well.

Plus, as always mentioned, the older flats get, the better they sound...

Stick with it - the payoff is well worth it!

[lovemybasses]

on the contrary, in my case...my fingers slides on flats very easily ( as they are flat,right? ::))

[bthiemann80]

Give the flats some time. I've found that due to the flat surface, they increase the amount of control my right hand has. Its a different feel from rounds for sure, but give it time, you'll get more speed once you get used to the flats for sure.

[jmceachern36]

Originally Posted by quadrogong

i love the tone and feel..but it seems like my fingers sort of roll off of roundwounds,where with the flatwounds,my fingers sort of stick there a bit,it takes more of an effort to go quicker with flatwounds..

I feel the same way. I'd really like to be able to stick with them but the longest I've been able to use them was 2 months. My right hand actually starts to bother me when playing flats. Now I play old GHS Boomers. They have a nice mellow sound.

[Dave R]

Might be a 'which brand of strings' issue, but when I moved from rounds to flats (Fenders) about a year ago, I found it much easier to play faster. No friction going up the fretboard. No wear & tear on the fingertips. Less wear on the frets. What's not to like?

(Yah, I know, you can't get that Seinfeld sound, even though that wasn't a real bass.)

[hoosierdad]

Once I got used to Flats - I actually was able to play faster when needed. My fingers move around better on the flat surface of the strings.

[Bass Mule]

I'll repost here what I stated in a different thread about this:

I think what you might be experiencing (especially if you don't use flats normally) is increased friction, which is actually quite normal with flatwound strings. Think about a racecar with slicks (bald tires). There is more tire-to-pavement contact because of the lack of tread pattern on the tire, so there is more friction for better control, acceleration, deceleration (under certain circumstances, of course).
Think of the raised bumps on your roundwounds as the treads of a tire, or even better, think of them as a non-stick surface. If you've ever looked at a magnified picture of a non-stick pan, you'll notice a ton of tiny ridges, designed so there is less surface contact between food and pan. Without those ridges, there is more contact, creating more friction. Your flatwound strings don't really have ridges (or shouldn't, anyway), so there will be a high amount of flesh-to-string contact, creating more friction. When you slide up and down the string, it will require slightly more effort than you would feel playing round wounds.

Personally, I like half wounds. I do string my P with flats though.

[rbrown13]

I don't know if you know their music but, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden has used Rotosound flats forever, in fact he has his own signature set. I'm pretty they don't slow you down.

[rfclef]

I have flats on my Epi Viola, and rounds on my cheapo Chinese ZZ Ryder... I actually feel faster on my flats...

[ducatiman]

Originally Posted by Dave R

Might be a 'which brand of strings' issue, but when I moved from rounds to flats (Fenders) about a year ago, I found it much easier to play faster. No friction going up the fretboard. No wear & tear on the fingertips. Less wear on the frets. What's not to like?

(Yah, I know, you can't get that Seinfeld sound, even though that wasn't a real bass.)

dave r- the one and only negative (whats not to like?) i can think of on flats is SUSTAIN. lets face it, they're effin DEAD.

don't get me wrong, i love my fender 9050 flats or d'add chromes on my jazz, but certain songs , styles require the sustain of rounds (DR lo-riders, excellent). as a result, i've got 2 basses (1 5er) strung with rounds and the jazz with flats.

the differences are so extreme, i personally utilise a change in techniques, but thats another thread altogether.

IMHO..............duc

[DavePlaysBass]

Just keep practicing. Speed has more to do with being used to a given setup IMO. Sometimes I think lighter gauge strings are fast, sometimes I think thicker gauge are faster. Depends on the passage in question. I personally never noticed flats as being slower. TI flats on my Jazz bass are about the fastest I have for playing stuff that jumps around.

DAve

[Mark Moss]

My experience with Chromes is if you clean them with a good string cleaner before you start playing them you will get the polishing compound or what ever that grey stuff is off, which makes the strings sticky. Once clean Chromes play GREAT. I don't have the same issue with other flats, but the Chromes are sure a great sounding string once broke in.

[Nighthawk551]

Originally Posted by Mark Moss

My experience with Chromes is if you clean them with a good string cleaner before you start playing them you will get the polishing compound or what ever that grey stuff is off, which makes the strings sticky. Once clean Chromes play GREAT. I don't have the same issue with other flats, but the Chromes are sure a great sounding string once broke in.

Agreed. Flats usually have that gunk on them when they are new, but if you clean them off, they're smooth and easy to play.