Flats Education

[Cheshirecat83uk]

Hey all,

Well, I've been tempted time and again to go and try some flats, but I can't say I know a lot about them to be honest. It's mostly curiosity that's leading me to have a shot and just see how they feel and such.

Any info on flats - what sort of music do they mostly suit, what sorta basses do they suit (in your opinion), can you get a good slap sound out of them or is slapping with flats a serious no no? All info is welcome, so feel free to let it flow!

Cheers all,

Chesh

PS - Perhaps it's somewhat off-topic (great start eh?), but if anyone can shed any light on what sorta strings the bassists from Jamiroquai used then that'd be pretty cool too! Zender, Fyffe, Taylor - I don't care. Just let me know - I'm greedy for knowledge!

[Scalestein]

I was in your position a while ago and then I picked up a set of D'Addario Chromes. In my opinion and experience they are a very laid back set of strings. Kind of dull, but not in a bad way. Very full and round sound without any high end 'edge'. They are not so hot for rock type stuff, more so for laid back funk/groove/jazz style stuff. You can slap with them, it is a different sound then rounds, but it has it's own ups and downs.

I recommend that you go grab a pair, it is pretty interesting to play them.

[Cheshirecat83uk]

Well, the Chromes are already in the post - should arrive tomorrow sometime I hope. It's good that they suit funk / groove / jazz stuff because I'm very much one of that clan I think I'll enjoy them - probably been what I've wanted all this time but just haven't known it.

Ooo, it's exciting!

Cheers for the feedback!

[Nakedfish]

Enjoy your Chromes! I have a P bass strung with them. They sound great playing funky old school stuff.

[Pilgrim]

Flats are a less "zingy" sound than rounds. Very nice for classic rock, blues, and any other music where you value tone more than a very crisp attack. My personal preference is Labella flats, which have a very 60's sound. I've also used GHS and Fender flats and like them just fine.

[BassMan250]

I find that flats work for any sort of music with me. I string my hotrod P-bass with Fender flats, and in conjunction with my effects box (Zoom B2) and various tone settings I can get anything from mellow reggae thump to aggressive rock growl. Plus they're easy on the fingers, last awhile and have low finger noise. If there's any downfall to flats that I've noticed, it's with funk- they just don't have the coarse bite that rounds do, and they're harder to slap also. But still, flats are awesome, whether picked or played pizzicato.

[Disc]

I just got my first set of flats. They are GHS precision flats. So far I like them but have one issue, the E string is really boomy and dissolves really fast, but all the other strings still have a really long sustain. Is this how all flats are, just this brand, or something I did wrong while putting them on?

[62bass]

Originally Posted by Disc

I just got my first set of flats. They are GHS precision flats. So far I like them but have one issue, the E string is really boomy and dissolves really fast, but all the other strings still have a really long sustain. Is this how all flats are, just this brand, or something I did wrong while putting them on?

That's been my compaint with some brands of flatwounds I've used. Sometimes adjusting (lowering) the E string side of the pickups helps and dialing out a little bit of bottom on the amp in some cases.

That's one of the reasons I like the Thomastic flats. Besides a great sound that lasts forever, they are very nicely balanced and don't suffer from E string boominess with any of the 6 basses I have them on. I'm a T.I. fanatic, by the way. and correctly labelled as one by others here.

They're not for everyone though. The price scares off guys who are used to having to change strings often. You don't need to do that with Thomastics and other flatwounds last a long time too. The super light feel of T.I.s turns some players off, and when I first used them I was a bit worried too. But, after a couple hours of playing my technique just naturally adapted to them and now I find all other strings, rounds or flats, way too stiff and too much work. They're a very dynamic string too and I can get that "thump" that many guys think flats are only capable of, as well as a nice full, musical bass sound with as much sustain as anyone would need. They also sit in the mix nicely and support the band, rather than overiding everything. You may need to adjust the action on your bass after putting them on but that's no big deal.

I've heard flats used successfully in all kinds of music. Maybe not for Marcus Miller jazz, or if you just have to have that zingy roundwound sound. But I don't care for that sound myself and never need to use it and wouldn't if anyone wanted me to. So they suit me just fine.

[Possu jam]

I think flats are at their best when played for a couple of weeks. In the beginning when you first put them on they might sound a bit zingy but they do mellow down. I like them.

[Disc]

Ok Ive been playing them some more and Im really not liking them. The boomyness is not a bad thing, its the fact that the strings are really uneven tone wise. $30 down the drain . Can someone recommend a pair of flats that keeps the boomy sound, but across all strings? Im looking into either Hi-Beam flats or the la bella deep talkin flats.

[FenderP]

20 year user of the Rotosound RS77LE set. Love those things.

[Ric Vice]

Well,
Since I've been playing for a few years and began on flats I'm very comfortable with them. I originally used Labella's an moved on to Tomastick flat's when they were first introduced. They are definitely more expensive than U.S. brands but they have a more distinctive "bark" than other strings. They are also very light gauge and lower tension.

Ric

[Matt in Jerzey]

I just strung up my Pbass with a set of Ernie Ball flats, sound great to me. Very even response.

[Juniorkimbrough]

Been using flats exclusively for about 2 years now and I love 'em!

I hate the "zing" and "clank" of roundwounds.

Flats can get downright funky!

[thebassclef]

Originally Posted by FenderP

20 year user of the Rotosound RS77LE set. Love those things.

+1

Been playing these strings for about 6 years now, and I'll never switch back to rounds.

[alfredpunkjazz]

Wow, seems like almost every brand of flats have a lot of love.

That's cool.

I have this chromes on a MIJ precision, they were before on my MIM jazz bass, and the E string was floppy and dead, but now, on the precision, it's actually, great... I don't know exactly what that means.

[Cheshirecat83uk]

Well I bought some Chromes and I'm liking the change in sound from roundwounds - I'm a recent convert.

Only problem is that the E is quite quiet compared to the rest of the strings. Does anyone know if this is a string problem or a set-up issue? I'm using an MIA Jazz with '62 pickups, if that's any help. I'm hearing a lot of people upping the P bass. Hmmm, gonna count my pennies up I think

Cheers!

Chesh

[the low one]

I asked this on another thread so sorry for that but it’s relevant here too.

Are flats quieter than rounds (steel and nickel)?

[bareass]

from what i've read the nylon on the flats make them quieter since the pickup only senses the core of the string. could be why a lot of companies have lower E string output. that being said i used set of half flats on my fretless P-Bass and I'm loving them. the give me a huge variety of sounds if i kill the tone it sounds like a mellow jazzy bass. with the tone up it sounds EXACTLY like the opening solo on Hey You. pretty cool.. oh and same output as any round string since they are nickle