Flats comparisons with sound clips

[BillMason]

I've been considering trying flats out again - have never stuck with them, and have only ever tried Fender flats, which I hated the feel of. I really want to like flats, because I hear such great things from them on TB, and of course they are what you typically hear on P Bass recordings, but on recordings you never really know what type of flats they are, and I have been reasonably happy with the tone from my 7250s. Since flats are typically more expensive than rounds just to try and possibly throw away, I thought maybe a stickied thread would be helpful, where users can post sound clips of their favorite flats.

Some details along with the sound clips would also be helpful:
- Type of bass (i.e. Precision, Jazz, MM, etc.)
- string through or top load
- brand & gauge of flats
- EQ settings on amp and bass
- approximate age of the strings.

Hopefully we'll get lots of posts, and the mods will sticky it.

[RedsFan75]

Great Idea, I'd love to hear some of the clips. I don't have flats on any of my basses but am strongly considering them and would love the comparison.

[Drifta]

Heres a Clip i just made real quick. great idea btw.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...&content=music



here's my
MIM Fender Jazz FSR(ash wood, rosewood fretboard)
Top load
Ti Jazz Flats
this was direct into my soundcard via 1/4 to 1/8 stereo tone rolled all the way off,
strings 1 month old

1st song, neck and bridge 100% tone 0%
2nd song Neck 100% bridge 50%
3rd song neck 50% bridge 100% tone 25%

[BillMason]

Originally Posted by Drifta

Heres a Clip i just made real quick. great idea btw.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...&content=music



here's my
MIM Fender Jazz FSR(ash wood, rosewood fretboard)
Top load
Ti Jazz Flats
this was direct into my soundcard via 1/4 to 1/8 stereo tone rolled all the way off,
strings 1 month old

1st song, neck and bridge 100% tone 0%
2nd song Neck 100% bridge 50%
3rd song neck 50% bridge 100% tone 25%

Good job!! Thanks man.

[billbern]

55-01 w/MK1, TI Flats, Yamaha PB-1 Pre, Pick,Slap, Fingers
http://www.soundclick.com/util/getpl...d=2933144&q=hi
BTB 1005 fretless TI Flats Direct
http://www.soundclick.com/util/getpl...d=2483861&q=hi
PeavEy USA Millennium 5plus TI Flats Direct, Finger, Slap, Pick
http://www.soundclick.com/util/getpl...d=3452711&q=hi

[RedsFan75]

Anyone with clips of a Fender P with Fender flats?

[Davo-London]

I can't stand them either. It's the feel and lack of bite that I can't live with.

Davo

[KrispyJones]

Originally Posted by RedsFan75

Anyone with clips of a Fender P with Fender flats?

here (p bass with di marzio split p and fender flats L)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-RkGuRsWBQ

its direct plugged into the computer (recorded synchron with the video)

[lmfreeman9]

Keep in mind if you buy Flats (especially TI's) and don't like them, you can resell them on the classified page easily and for very little discount, if you don't cut them.

[RedsFan75]

Sounded great Krispy

[bthiemann80]

This clip can be found on my band's myspace page: www.myspace.com/tjbrownsound

The song is called Pictures Face Down, I used a precision bass w/ GHS Precision flats (45-105) about a month old, but played until pretty dead. The bridge is a standard fender top load, volume was 100% on bass, tone was backed off about a quarter turn, maybe less. I was running through a sans amp RBI DI set pretty flat, just a touch scooped and a touch of bass added with light compression.

The rest of the songs on the myspace page were recorded using a similar precision bass but with maple fingerboard instead of rosewood and ernie ball regular slinky round wound strings instead of the GHS flats. I was running through a Line 6 bass pod using the jazz setting w/ a slight mid scoop too.

[Relayer59]

Fender flats kept me away from all flats for many years and they really DO suck. I found that they have very little tone character and they actually hurt my fingers because they are so stiff. Discovered Labellas and now I love flats. The Jamersons are wonderfully deep and full of tone.

[ishouldbeking]

I know a lot of people don't bother experimenting with flats because the cost is inhibitive... my first set of flats was from webstrings, and while they're not as great as some others I tried afterwards (particularly Labella), for $15.99 they're a good way to start. They're very dead, very smooth, relatively high tension... definitely fall in the old-school type of flats, very different from TI's (which just don't suit me, though they're very high quality strings).

[Arpeggiator]

i have a question regarding flats, being primarily metal bass player i was wondering whether (in your opinions flats would work playing metal on a fretted bass) i love the feel but i am quite impressed with to tones i am hearing from the Ti jazzes.

[Dark Star]

i have a question regarding flats, being primarily metal bass player i was wondering whether (in your opinions flats would work playing metal on a fretted bass) i love the feel but i am quite impressed with to tones i am hearing from the Ti jazzes.

Try it. See what happens.
Typically, I've seen metal bassists favor rounds because of the bright, piercing sound, rather than the round sound that flats tend to give off.

[fish slapper]

Only flats for me = Thomastik.

I have them on my DB, Fretless, and my Dlx MIA J.

[wateroftyne]

I'm in!

Here's a clip of me from a Live DVD (YouTube).

1-year-old La Bella FL760's on a '73 maple-neck Precison, stock bridge. Signal is an immediate DI - no amp or effects in the chain.

It's a tone that makes me smile...!

And here's an mp3 of my fretless - a stock '71 Fretless Precision with a Rosewood neck. 18-month old La Bella FL760s on this, too.

This is 50/50 DI from an EBS Microbass II pre, mixed with a mic on my cab. The Microbass is set pretty much flat with just a little fatness dialled in.

[68Goldfish]

There's a lot of good bass playing/music in this thread!

[nickn]

Originally Posted by Dark Star

Try it. See what happens.
Typically, I've seen metal bassists favor rounds because of the bright, piercing sound, rather than the round sound that flats tend to give off.

Didn't Steve Harris use a P-bass with flats?

[mellowgerman]

if you still have your fenders laying around, try wiping them down with normal moisturizing lotion. it'll give them that amazing worn-in thumpy sound. you might like them then