Which flats for occasional growl

sir juice · #1 01-30-2008, 01:35 PM

I use Fender flats on one of my basses, and when I pluck right by the bridge really hard, I can get a little growl.

What flats would you recommend to enhance the effect?

atlnikko · #2 01-30-2008, 01:38 PM

Try the Rotosound flats, I just put them on my G&L 2K Tribby and I discovered you can get a growl with them.

joelb79 · #3 01-30-2008, 01:50 PM

I think chromes have a nice midrange complexity that works well for getting growl. However, TI Flats will sound much better for this and take less effort to get that sound.

Atoz · #4 01-30-2008, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelb79

I think chromes have a nice midrange complexity that works well for getting growl. However, TI Flats will sound much better for this and take less effort to get that sound.

Exactly what I was going to say

Bassist4Life · #5 01-30-2008, 08:25 PM

I think that lower tension strings like TI Jazz Flats will give you a growl.

Although, the growl may be more frequent than "occasional".

Joe

TimWinter · #6 01-31-2008, 12:08 AM

Another vote for TI.

dbcandle · #7 02-01-2008, 10:02 PM

+1 on TI, but "they ain't flats". I love 'em, but I just took off LaBella Deep Talkin' flats ("real" flats), and the TIs are QUITE different. On my 6-string, I find I need to play more on the lower strings, higher up the neck, to get the same flat-wound "thump".

I'd had TIs on before, I knew what they were (including "mushy" feeling). I like 'em; I'm just sayin'...

BigSwami · #8 02-01-2008, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbcandle

+1 on TI, but "they ain't flats". I love 'em, but I just took off LaBella Deep Talkin' flats ("real" flats), and the TIs are QUITE different. On my 6-string, I find I need to play more on the lower strings, higher up the neck, to get the same flat-wound "thump".

I'd had TIs on before, I knew what they were (including "mushy" feeling). I like 'em; I'm just sayin'...

It would be awesome if you did a quick review on the LaBella DT flats. I have some coming in the mail and I'm so hyped to try them out I can't even believe it.

dbcandle · #9 02-01-2008, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigSwami

It would be awesome if you did a quick review on the LaBella DT flats. I have some coming in the mail and I'm so hyped to try them out I can't even believe it.

Short Version:
You'll love 'em!

Long Version:
LaBella Deep Talkin' flats are, arguably, "the classic flats". I had the mediums (suitable for support cables in bridge construction), but LaBella also has the "Jamerson" set which is even heavier-gauge. Jamerson, of course, was the studio musician that played on many of the original Motown hits.

The LaBellas give a nice thump, but for flats, also intonate pretty well. I would characterize them as "clean and simple" flats.

By comparison, as I understand it, other flats include:

Rotosound - Much more "zingy" than classic flats, but still a "true" flat.
Pyramid - MASSIVE thud (and nothing else) - the ultimate "flats".
TI Jazz Flats - Not as much "thud" as real flats, but with mids that rival round-wounds (without the high-end zing). VERY mushy under the fingers, requiring a change in technique for many people, but allowing a lot of bends in your fretting and subtleties in your plucking that can be quite valuable.
D'Addario "Chromes" - Not "true flats", but I *believe*, "ground-wounds". They start life as round-wounds, and are then ground-down so that the outside is flat. Very good intonation (like round-wounds), but less "thump" than real flats.
Fender - Some of the original flats (perhaps *the* original flats), but I've not used them since the 70s (when they had TERRIBLE intonation). Note: I've been told that with technology improvements, all flats have better intonation these days.

There are other brands of flats too, but I was looking for the "classic" flats I had in the 70s, sans the intonation problem, and listed the brands above only to indicate what LaBellas are not. I found what I was looking for with LaBella. My only complaint about LaBella was the B string. On my 34" scale bass, I couldn't intonate the string (the only one in the set that was tapered). I'd need to get the saddle about 1/4" further from the nut to do so. I don't think the string was bad, though this point is arguable (as can be seen in the setup/repair forum).

Anyway, finding the right strings can make ALL the difference. I personally think the strings make more difference than the bass, followed closely by the pickups. Just go easy on the ol' truss-rod! Loosen the strings before adjustin' the rod, and don't keep "torquing it" if it doesn't want to keep turning!

ljazz · #10 02-02-2008, 04:02 AM

[quote=dbcandle;5248302
Anyway, finding the right strings can make ALL the difference. I personally think the strings make more difference than the bass, followed closely by the pickups. [/QUOTE]

I agree with this. I've been on a new quest for finding the right strings here lately, driven by the horrible amount of fret ware caused by my long beloved DR SS LowRiders.

The only flats I had used in the past were the Fenders. But man, those things are so stiff.... it's like playing with steel cables.

I tried the Chromes, and still have them on one of my basses, but I don't like the uneveness between the strings... the E string on this set sounds like @$$, their set to set consistancy is horrible, and the actual string gauges vary by several thousanths... in fact this is probably the last set of D'Addarios I'll ever buy (round, flat or otherwise).

The Labellas are nice. The string to string balance is good, and they sound and feel great for drop tuned basses. I use them on a bass that stays tuned a whole step lower.

I ended up with TI Jazz Flats on my main player, and fell in love! They are a bit more expensive, and definitely require a different touch, but they are well worth the dough and little bit of extra practice. Like someone noted earlier, the midrange growl is very sweet. They felt funny when I first put them on, and sounded only "okay," but after about two weeks the sound completely changed! In fact, I had to turn down the input gain on my amp from where it was normally set, because I was all of a sudden clipping. It was a shock, as I thought something was wrong with my amp. When I plugged into another amp, it was the same thing. They had settled into this "sweet spot" that sounds absolutely killer on my basses.

I'm still searching for the perfect round..... since I like the TI's so much, I'll probably try the SuperAlloys next.

Ljazz

One Drop · #11 02-02-2008, 06:08 AM

To correct an otherwise excellent post above, Chromes are true flats. and are very thumpy when worn in, but their accentuated high mids give some more bite and edge than Labella DTs and fenders.

For a traditional style flat with more growl. nothing touches the Sadowskys IMO. They growl like crazy with a little digging in or playing closer to the bridge on my jazz, and they can smooth out as well if you want. Extremely versatile and musical in every way, these are an amazing set of strings that every flat lover should experience.

I always describe them as Labellas with attitude; same basic voice, but a bit more aggressive and a little less thumpy.

glwanabe · #12 02-02-2008, 07:48 AM

To add to the comment about the Fenders.

Fenders are very stiff when new. Give them a chance to really break in and they become much more workable. Almost like the Labella's. Tone wise the Fenders have a bit more of a mid bite to them as opposed to the Labella's.

sir juice · #13 02-02-2008, 08:58 AM

I reckon I'm just gonna go with a lighter gauge Fender (I'm currently on the heaviest there is, they're on my "hard to play" practice bass) for a little more of a brighter sound.

I LOVE the tension btw, what really make the bass hard to play is the ridiculous action, I've really got used to that tension, you can play so much faster becuase the strings just pop back into place as soon as you pluck them.

Good strings

EDIT: I just realised that I can even get a suprisingly "zingy" slap tone out of them with the HUGE gauge strings on a FRETLESS!

ogrossman · #14 02-02-2008, 09:11 AM

Give the D'Addario ENR71s a try... They are half rounds and they give you a bit more of an edge than flats. They're working for me and I'm playing everything from mellower classic rock (Allman bros. blues) to hard modern rock (Velvet Revolver).

ljazz · #15 02-02-2008, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glwanabe

To add to the comment about the Fenders.

Fenders are very stiff when new. Give them a chance to really break in and they become much more workable. Almost like the Labella's. Tone wise the Fenders have a bit more of a mid bite to them as opposed to the Labella's.

The Fenders I have here are 10yrs old, and they're still as stiff as a double shot of everclear.

dbcandle · #16 02-02-2008, 09:51 AM

Sorry about the bad info on the Chromes: http://www.daddario.com/DADProducts....D=3&CLASS=ACDA

They seem quite popular these days, but somehow I got the impression that they were groundwound/halfwound. I must be thinking of another string...

glwanabe · #17 02-02-2008, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljazz

The Fenders I have here are 10yrs old, and they're still as stiff as a double shot of everclear.

Love the quote!

I've got the ML gauge. They seem to be very playable, or I've just developed my playing style the point where I'm used to them.

I've never really liked a floppy string, and tend towards higher tension anyway.

mello_bedwetter · #18 02-02-2008, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigSwami

It would be awesome if you did a quick review on the LaBella DT flats. I have some coming in the mail and I'm so hyped to try them out I can't even believe it.

Do you happen to have any "sites" that I can order some La Bella's? Thanks.

BigSwami · #19 02-02-2008, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbcandle

Short Version:[*]Fender - Some of the original flats (perhaps *the* original flats), but I've not used them since the 70s (when they had TERRIBLE intonation). Note: I've been told that with technology improvements, all flats have better intonation these days.

Thanks for your informative post. I also tried Fender flats when I was a young'n just starting out in the mid-late 80s, and had exactly that same experience with them...impossible to intonate properly, uneven tone from string to string, and they unwound at the bridge at the drop of a hat. Seriously, they were awful, but they were cheap, and they have their loyalists.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mello_bedwetter

Do you happen to have any "sites" that I can order some La Bella's? Thanks.

Try www.juststrings.com.

glwanabe · #20 02-02-2008, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigSwami

Thanks for your informative post. I also tried Fender flats when I was a young'n just starting out in the mid-late 80s, and had exactly that same experience with them...impossible to intonate properly, uneven tone from string to string, and they unwound at the bridge at the drop of a hat. Seriously, they were awful, but they were cheap, and they have their loyalists.

Try www.juststrings.com.

Swami were those the older style 850's flats? The current 9050's are a very well made string. I've never had a problem with them and they intonate perfectly for me. Never had a problem with construction issues or, uneven tone. In fact they are the only string I've never had a bad set with.