Flatwounds - What type of music

[alxi]

Hi guys/gals

Been playing bass for about 4 years. I keep switching between round and flats all the time. I'm mostly playing/learning classic rock and funk ( finger style ) and the flats are great for that ( rounds too ) but i also record bass lines for a hiphop act ( mid 90's sounding band, kinda ) and flat don't seem to have the desired punch although they certainly have the desired mellow/dark sound i like. They also lack a bit in sustain.

I'm curious to know what kind of music are you guys using flats for ?

[RickenBoogie]

As you've already discovered, stainless steel roundwounds are "punchy", they "ring out", and sometimes they add to the overall noise level. Flatwounds have a deeper, more mellow sound. Use whichever you like, for whatever type of music you wish. No rules.

[BassBob1]

I've pretty much stuck with flats for over a year now. Be it different kinds of flats and the occasional day or two with rounds back on. As RickenBoogie said there are no rules. To through a wrench in it and potentially make your choice harder, different brands of flats have different sounds, some are brighter, some are more mid focused. You're just gunna have to try a bunch of strings (basically waste some money) and find the strings you really like. Or, keep what you have and just play, which is how I try to live/play. There is always those days were I want rounds for something. I really need an identical bass with rounds. Good luck.

[raal]

a fair portion of classic R&B material is executed using flats. this will apply any mid to late 70's fingerstyle disco or funk. Because they're more dense, flats have more punch and presence and may even be suitable for that vintage slap sound

[bassist4dalord]

I've used flats on a P for A LOT of stuff, including Contemporary praise and worship, classic rock, R&B, alternative rock, jazz, swing, pop, blues, etc.

The only flats I've used are D'Addario Chromes. They're my favorite bass string- very versatile, relatively affordable, and they only get better with time.

[AmadeusXeno]

I've used flats for everything including progressive rock, and even metal. I mostly use rounds for everything though.

[alxi]

Am i wrong to think that modern rnb/soul music would call for a J with roundwounds more then a P with flats ???

[snyderz]

Playing flats only for the past 10 years. Classic Rock/Blues.
Mostly J basses but also an SB-2 and L1000.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by alxi

Am i wrong to think that modern rnb/soul music would call for a J with roundwounds more then a P with flats ???

It might. It might not, too. I'm hearing a lot more big fat flatwound sounds in R&B than I used to.

[parsons]

You can use flats for anything you want! Ive used them in my band on my Precisions and EBMMs. We play loud ass metal/punk/rock. Flats thru a tube amp= awesomely versatile.

[soulman969]

It's less the music and more the bass I'm using. To me a Jazz Bass prefers rounds and a Precisions Bass likes flats. To me that's the nature of those beasts and that's what I've always done.

Although I play GHS Pressure Wounds on my Jazz which GHS refers to as a flat but they're really not. They're far more like a very mellow round and even playing finger style they articulate very well and I can get a lot varied tonality out of my Jazz.

Conversely I have a set of GHS Precision Flats which will go on a PBass when I find the right deal. In this case I'm looking for that true 60's sound. Bold and with a lot of thump which is what a PBass does best.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Flatwounds + pick + palm muting: Best recipe for Beatles sound (putting aside McCartney's fingers, of course).

[jmattbassplaya]

I use flats for just about everything. TI's are VERY versatile. I'm still not sure if I prefer them over Chromes on my P, but they sound good in just about every genre. The only time they don't work is when I need to slap or have a very grindy tone.

[alxi]

Originally Posted by soulman969

To me a Jazz Bass prefers rounds and a Precisions Bass likes flats

Makes a lot sens to me