Are flat wounds better for pick that fingers?

NickInMesa · #1 05-18-2009, 11:10 AM

I know it sounds bizarre, but I tried flat wounds for the first time yesterday and I am having a bit of a hard time playing playing with them. They seem to stick a bit more to my fingers than round wounds.

Is this normal? My fingers are a bit oily when they sweat, if i use a glass cup, I always end up leaving all sorts of finger marks, so I guess it may be contributing to the issue.

It also seems that flat wounds need to be attacked differently. And yes, I play finger, but am also practicing pick playing, and I am under the impression that flats are better for pick playing.

Thanks!

JustDavid · #2 05-18-2009, 11:15 AM

Fingers nearly always on mine; by choice, always but there are some songs I need a pick on. D'Addario Chromes & TIJFs.

This might be technique. Do you pluck gently or hard? The very tips of the fingers or further down the finger? Bridge or neck?

scottbass · #3 05-18-2009, 11:16 AM

Flats and rounds are just different. Neither one is "better" for playing with picks or fingers, just different. NOTE: Some flatwounds (like Thomastik-Infeld Jazz flats) come with a sticky/tacky coating that can somewhat impair your left and right hand actions. This coating will wear off after a few days, depending on how much you play them.

sevenyearsdown · #4 05-18-2009, 11:17 AM

There are likely a lot of variables at play here but....I find flats easier to play than rounds, and I play about 95% with my fingers. I think that tone suffers with flats when they are played with a pick, so IMO fingers are better than picks with flats.

They shouldn't be sticky, but they could be higher tensioned as compared to what you were playing before. If you have to pull harder - maybe it feels like they are sticking?

Sounds to me like you just need to get used to what you are playing now.

NickInMesa · #5 05-18-2009, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sevenyearsdown

There are likely a lot of variables at play here but....I find flats easier to play than rounds, and I play about 95% with my fingers. I think that tone suffers with flats when they are played with a pick, so IMO fingers are better than picks with flats.

They shouldn't be sticky, but they could be higher tensioned as compared to what you were playing before. If you have to pull harder - maybe it feels like they are sticking?

Sounds to me like you just need to get used to what you are playing now.

That is part of it. They are higher tension and when I turned the peg to get them to tune the first time, I was afraid they might break (I have broken strings when turning the peg too fast the first time).

I may just stretch them for a few minutes tonight and see if I can get a bit more slack.

Surly · #6 05-18-2009, 11:27 AM

I use pick playing for my music, and even though I like flats, I just can't get the tone I like with them, so I stick with rounds.

PaulMacCnj · #7 05-18-2009, 11:33 AM

Flats do feel "sticky" if there's any amount of moisture on your fingers (sweat). You'll feel this with your fretting fingers, too, especially on slides.

Jared Lash · #8 05-18-2009, 11:35 AM

Interesting. I've heard other people say they had issues with flats sticking to their fingers but my experience is more like sevenyearsdown, I find flats much easier and faster to play on than rounds, especially compared to SS rounds.

I've got DR flats on one of my basses and IME it makes it easier for both my right and left hands. But my hands are probably drier than most.

Caca de Kick · #9 05-18-2009, 11:53 AM

Give them time to break-in and the surface if the string to smooth down.
Yes, they're going to feel stickier because you now have more contact surface of your finger on the string. Think about it, 100% contact surface with flats vs about 60% contact surface of rounds.
Also depending on what brand of flats you got, I noticed the surface of many have a bit of a "grain" to it from the way the outer wrap material was ground. After quite a bit of playing time this surface wears to a nice smoother surface.

sevenyearsdown · #10 05-18-2009, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickInMesa

That is part of it. They are higher tension and when I turned the peg to get them to tune the first time, I was afraid they might break (I have broken strings when turning the peg too fast the first time).

I may just stretch them for a few minutes tonight and see if I can get a bit more slack.

I suspect that maybe you just have to get used to 'em.

Also - they shouldn't feel all that different when you are tuning them. The tension would normally affect mostly the picking fingers.

...and one last thing - sometimes higher tension strings require you to do a setup, as they can pull the neck up a little.

kjs · #11 05-18-2009, 12:52 PM

More surface area = more friction. Is that what you mean? When i play flats i have a hard time sliding my left hand because of this, i don't feel my right hand (picking) hand being slowed down much though.

Edit: Yeah...Caca de Kick beat me to it...

mccartneyman · #12 05-18-2009, 08:29 PM

Not all flats "stick." Try TI Jazz flats -- very smooth. As for pick or fingers, your choice. Many of the hits of the '60s that Joe Osborn played on -- Association, Carpenters, etc. were flats played with a pick, although Jamerson and the Muscle Shoals guys certainly sounded great with fingers.

**lowendfriend** · #13 05-18-2009, 08:38 PM

Its funny that you bring that up about seeming to "stick" to your fingers. I was tripping all over the roundwounds I got on my Corvette and just wrote it off to getting used to 5 strings and the big wide humbucker pickups where I park my thumb on the $$.

Yesterday I put on flatwounds as I'm used to playing and my total "misses" on the 1st string are just gone. I was going to ask a similar question but in the opposite sense.

NickInMesa · #14 05-18-2009, 11:29 PM

I am using D'Addario strings, and I am actually starting to get used to them now.

They probably needed to be broken it. Starting to sound good.

My teacher also uses D'Addario Half Rounds, I also like his sound.

I am actually delighted by the absence of the squeeks.

Like an annoying live-in friend who one day leaves the house.

Mr. Mig · #15 05-20-2009, 08:54 AM

I like the sharper tone of the Roundwound, but love the loss of finger noise, and the bass thump that you get with Flatwounds. I think thesound you get with a pick on flatwounds depends on the strings and bass itself.

**Engine207** · #16 05-21-2009, 07:50 PM

Nick, I had a similar problem getting used to my Chromes, but I eventually did. It usually takes me about a half hour of scales and such after playing the rounds on my other basses to get used to the different tension and feel.

Still, I love the difference in the tone of my P-Bass and fretless J with flats. I think they're a little easier on my fingers, too...

GKevinK · #17 05-25-2009, 06:09 PM

I've had my Cirrus 5 strung with LaBella flats for many years now, and what I notice is that (in addition to other reasons that my fingers might be moist) the degree of stickiness changes based on the relative humidity. For example - I'm much more likely to have subtle timing issues when we play outside and the humidity is up.