Flats & rounds @ the same time.... Anybody try this?

[Dave Muscato]

I just had a thought, and wondered if anyone had tried this and how it worked out for them.

Anybody ever put flats on the E & A (for thump) and rounds on the D & G (for when the bandleader points to you?)

Interested in opinions... thanks all.

[peaveyuser]

what would be cool is a 8 string (doubled) with flats and rounds

ie: Low E flat, High e round
Low A flat, High a round
etc.......

[Jeff Moote]

I've done it - TI Jazz Flats on E and A (detuner on E) and Jazz Rounds on D, G and high C.

The balance with these strings was very good - in a studio situation it would sound too different but live it is not noticeable enough not to choose this if it is serving you well otherwise. I found this combo had the right balance of thump and zing.

I still have these strings, if anyone wants to try them out for a low cost too.

[Dave Muscato]

Jeff, I would totally take you up on that, if I strung E-C instead of B-G... need my low Bs though.

One of these days, I will get a 6er and go B-E-A flats and D-G-C rounds. Glad to hear it worked out well. I wouldn't use that for recording (just use two basses), but live, I think it would be very interesting.

[20db pad]

Recent guitar defector T-Bone Wolk used to do the opposite - rounds on the E and A and flats on the D and G, with heavy gauges and high. action

He was doing this during the Hall + Oates days and it sounded like he continued stringing like that during Saturday Night Live.

[Mrdak]

Originally Posted by 20db pad

Recent guitar defector T-Bone Wolk used to do the opposite - rounds on the E and A and flats on the D and G, with heavy gauges and high. action

He was doing this during the Hall + Oates days and it sounded like he continued stringing like that during Saturday Night Live.

He's a guitarist now?
T-Bone Wolk..... damn, what a player...
Do you know what strings he was using? I'm guessing Labella flats on his D & G. Do you know?

[Col200]

I think the world explodes if you try to combine them

I've actually pondered the same think. I've been thinking about
E(flat), A(round), D(round), G(flat). I'm scared I might like it too much.

[Marcus Willett]

Originally Posted by 20db pad

Recent guitar defector T-Bone Wolk used to do the opposite - rounds on the E and A and flats on the D and G

I've tried variations on this with good results. I've tried brighter stainless strings on the low end (B, E, A) and half-round (or TI Jazz) on the D and G and find this yields a nice balance to the sound. EVERY bass I have EVER heard (go ahead and name your fav "boutique") suffers from the (IMO) balance problem where the tonal quality changes drastically from bottom to top, and using the mix technique helps this out quite a bit.

It's not uncommon for URB players to mix gut and steel strings to achieve the same thing...definition and clarity on the bottom strings that need it most, and warmth and roundness on the top end where it is harder to get.

[Asa Samuel]

sounds interesting but i think i'd just prefer to stick to one type of string, i wouldn't be able to pick which strings would be flats and which would be rounds!

[Dragonlord]

Originally Posted by Marcus Willett

I've tried variations on this with good results. I've tried brighter stainless strings on the low end (B, E, A) and half-round (or TI Jazz) on the D and G and find this yields a nice balance to the sound. EVERY bass I have EVER heard (go ahead and name your fav "boutique")

dingwall

[Marcus Willett]

Originally Posted by Dragonlord

dingwall

Better than most, I'll grant you but still not there.

[JimmyM]

I can't deal with string mixing. It sounds odd to me, like I'm playing two different basses. I tried string mixing on my upright, too (plain gut D-G, Eudoxa A-E), and I found that equally odd, but more because of the feel because sonically they matched pretty well.