First timer with flats...do they ever go bad?

zippydog · #1 01-31-2009, 07:31 AM

Sorry if this has been posted before.
My search didn't bring it up.

I've been playing DR rounds on my Bongo 5'er and decided to "experiment" with flats (also DRs). WOW! To my surprise, I like the sound and feel of the flats a lot. They're also working well in my live application (a large-ish band) by finding their place in the mix.

Question is...do flats go "bad" over time (lose tone, etc.) in the same way rounds do? How do I know when that's happened?

I changed my DR Marcus Miller rounds about every 3 months, but my impression of flats is that they have a different/longer life span.

Thoughts/experiences?

Thanks!

kraigo · #2 01-31-2009, 08:31 AM

Not in my experience. People say that TI's get better after a certain amount of time playing them (after two years I'd never warmed up to them). I've had Lakland Joe Osborn's on my fretless for eight years and I only changed them because I decided I didn't like the gauge of some of the strings - the different set of JO's have been on there for a couple of years. I've had JO's on my P-Bass for a very long time. I'm thinking five years or so. The fretless and my P-Bass are my main basses.

At the very least you measure the lifespan in years, not months, weeks, days or hours. Maybe if you have acidic perspiration it will be an issue, but in my experience they never go bad, YMMV.

KO

6Steve6Harris6 · #3 01-31-2009, 08:33 AM

Depends.

Personally, I think that they get better with age. Others may not.

**pringlw** · #4 01-31-2009, 08:33 AM

They change their quality over time. My experience is that they get more "thumpy" with time. Since most people like that when they're going for flats, they're not going "bad" they're maturing.

Depends on your ear I guess.

BassmanAd · #5 01-31-2009, 08:33 AM

Flats get better with age

odin70 · #6 01-31-2009, 08:42 AM

The new popularity of flats must be the string producers worst nightmare.Not much money to make when bassplayers never need to change their strings. No wonder why you never see adds for flats...its only: bright bright bright thats the way to go.

JustDavid · #7 01-31-2009, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pringlw

My experience is that they get more "thumpy" with time. Since most people like that when they're going for flats, they're not going "bad" they're maturing.

I think you might have nailed the reason Flats never die tonally. For someone into a bright sound, Flats might be dead at their first note.

rarisgod · #8 01-31-2009, 10:01 AM

Didn't I read somewhere that James Jamerson never changed his flats on his P-bass? Like, NEVER?

I would think they don't have any reason to break if you're not playing them really hard either.

brachal · #9 01-31-2009, 10:25 AM

They can lose sustain. I got rushed on stage once after eating a plate of french fries ... the grease killed my E-string.

bassbully · #10 01-31-2009, 10:34 AM

Flats improve in most cases with age. There are alot of Tbers to back this with flats from 10+ years on their basses.

JustDavid · #11 01-31-2009, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassbully

Flats improve in most cases with age.

Though true in application, I think a deeper expression of that is that all metal strings dull with time. Not just Flats.

Those that like Flats like that direction. Those that buy Steels don't.

Bongolation · #12 01-31-2009, 01:26 PM

Yes, flats can and often do go bad, especially larger gauge ones.

I've had a set of 9050Ms go screwy on me and I deductively came to the conclusion that it was due to some inner winding shift. Many people have low opinions of the Fender flats, but they're cheap. Another set of 9050Ms I got at the same time and put on my '72 P are still good, though they've been used much, much less.

Lighter 9050*s seem more stable.

Jamerson's ancient flats were sounding pretty horrible by the end, but Jamerson -- a mentally-ill alcoholic -- could not be convinced to change them. They went unchanged not because it was a good idea, but because Jamerson apparently had some superstition about it. His decline is a very sad story.

etoncrow · #13 01-31-2009, 01:30 PM

There is always the exception to the rule but I agree that they get better with age...like a good whiskey, a stout cheese or a grizzled biker.

One Drop · #14 01-31-2009, 01:42 PM

Jamerson did change his flats over the years, but only when a string broke, apparently.

He of course did refuse to change to rounds and to try to get a more contemporary sound in the '70s; that was one of the reasons he got less work as the sound of bass at Motown changed and he (understandably) didn't.

I've heard after a certain time they can lose the ability to intonate properly as the metal fatigues, but the time span would usually be in years.

I love old flats; the sets of Labellas and Sadowskys i've been playing for years do seem to get better and better to my ears.

I like my rounds newish, though.

xgator4u · #15 01-31-2009, 02:21 PM

I personally use Rotosound Steve Harris series flats. new they are "bright" for flats, but they play in warm and mellow. I have noticed that when sustain diminishes you are about to have a string failure=breakage situation. usually good for 6-8 months, and I play a lot, and I play hard, really dig in. rounds, I have to change like every week... do the math

Deacon_Blues · #16 01-31-2009, 04:58 PM

The only thing that should really matter is whether you like the sound or not. When I was into rounds, I changed them rather quickly because I hated when they died so quickly. Now with flats, I've only been disappointed with the Rotosound Steve Harris flats after they've broken in. A few weeks back, I tested a friend's friend's bass equipped with ancient rounds, and liked that sound...

acleex38 · #17 01-31-2009, 05:56 PM

I find that I want to change my medium-gauge Chromes on my fretless after 6-7 months. They're still totally viable if all I want it thump, but on my fretless, I want a touch more brightness to be available. Fresh Chromes are perfect - old chromes are acceptable.

On my fretted, I've changed the Chromes as I tried out other strings, but I've put old used Chromes back on and been totally happy.

Bongolation · #18 01-31-2009, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by One Drop

I've heard after a certain time they can lose the ability to intonate properly as the metal fatigues, but the time span would usually be in years.

My 9050Ms did it in less than a year, particularly the E and to a lesser extent the A..

It has nothing to do with metal fatigue, though, but rather the core stretching and the windings shifting internally in relation to each other as a result.

They just get totally screwy in terms of how they intonate.