Help with flats

jessicabass · #1 07-26-2010, 06:30 PM

I have been recently turned on to flats and I love them but am having a small issue with them.
First I tried Fender,Ernie Balls, and D'addarios and did not like them. I settled on ghs precision flats. I have used them for last 2 months and I enjoy them except for one thing.
The D and G strings are just too twangy for my taste, I have tried eq adjustments and pickup adjustments but to no avail.
Without spending time and money I was hoping for some help, is there another string with thump that carries over to the D and G strings?

Rimshot · #2 07-26-2010, 06:42 PM

time to mix-n-match sets

tdoody · #3 07-26-2010, 06:52 PM

i bought DR flats to see if i could get rid of the twang. they work great

Chrisk-K · #4 07-26-2010, 10:29 PM

Rub the strings with wax, clean them with a paper towel and they'll lose the twang. That's what I did when I used Chromes.

makkE · #5 07-27-2010, 03:43 AM

Rub them with wax? I could imagine them getting sticky or have more friction that way.

In my experience, flats need more than two months to break in and especially get more even in tone.
Had a similar issue on my chromes, but now after a year, they sound a lot more even.

Have some patience, or mix sets. Mixed sets can have weird diffrences in tension/feel though.

jasper383 · #6 07-27-2010, 04:46 AM

I noticed that with the GHS flats--- E and A really thumpy, D and G really tangy. They will even out over time. This is less of a problem on the heavy gauge set.

If you can't wait, I have found that Pyramid Flats and La Bella flats are more even sounding, and even out faster.

RNV · #7 07-27-2010, 05:09 AM

I use RotoSounds and haven't heard that issue. But I've used them since I switched and I love them.

lmfreeman9 · #8 07-27-2010, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasper383

I noticed that with the GHS flats--- E and A really thumpy, D and G really tangy. They will even out over time. This is less of a problem on the heavy gauge set.

If you can't wait, I have found that Pyramid Flats and La Bella flats are more even sounding, and even out faster.

+1 on the Pyramids and LaBellas especially the heavier gauges. I find some twang in the DR's and Sadowskys.

**lowendfriend** · #9 07-27-2010, 01:18 PM

More twang in Sadowsky medium gauge than heavy gauge Black Labels. It is dying down now after about 2 months.

Marton · #10 07-27-2010, 01:26 PM

I use GHS flats light gauge, and the lighter E A and the heavier D and G sounds pretty like a pretty balanced set to me.

Sundogue · #11 07-27-2010, 04:13 PM

Try adjusting your pick-ups to be lower on the D and G side. Or a combination of that along with lowering the E and A side.

Further away = more bass
Closer = more treble.

It's not a cure-all and it is not a huge change in sound but it does help. The amount of discernable difference is dependent on type of strings and pups.

jessicabass · #12 07-27-2010, 04:24 PM

[quote=Sundogue;9472844]Try adjusting your pick-ups to be lower on the D and G side. Or a combination of that along with lowering the E and A side.
Already tried that, lost too much volume and the sound thinned out too much also.

EricF · #13 07-27-2010, 04:28 PM

I haven't tried Pyramids, but I'm in love with fat LaBellas. Thumpiest flats straight out of the box I've used.

Sundogue · #14 07-27-2010, 04:34 PM

[quote=jessicabass;9472890]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundogue

Try adjusting your pick-ups to be lower on the D and G side. Or a combination of that along with lowering the E and A side.
Already tried that, lost too much volume and the sound thinned out too much also.

Since everything has to work together, any change to one thing in the chain might require some compensation in another. Perhaps it would work if you boosted the volume along with some lower mids to compensate for the loss due to the pickup adjustment.

Maybe you already did that. Just a suggestion.

jessicabass · #15 07-27-2010, 04:38 PM

[quote=Sundogue;9472927]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jessicabass

Since everything has to work together, any change to one thing in the chain might require some compensation in another. Perhaps it would work if you boosted the volume along with some lower mids to compensate for the loss due to the pickup adjustment.

Maybe you already did that. Just a suggestion.

When I boost the low mids it made it muddy, the volume helped a little but I had to use too much gain for my taste as I usually crank volume with a little gain.

Sundogue · #16 07-27-2010, 04:40 PM

[quote=jessicabass;9472942]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundogue

When I boost the low mids it made it muddy, the volume helped a little but I had to use too much gain for my taste as I usually crank volume with a little gain.

Try boosting at 500Hz and 800Hz if you have the ability to isolate those frequencies.

jessicabass · #17 07-27-2010, 04:45 PM

[quote=Sundogue;9472952]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jessicabass

Try boosting at 500Hz and 800Hz if you have the ability to isolate those frequencies.

On my randall head its a no go, on the sunn 300t it made it better but is still a little muddy on the lower neck notes

Sundogue · #18 07-27-2010, 04:49 PM

[quote=jessicabass;9472972]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundogue

On my randall head its a no go, on the sunn 300t it made it better but is still a little muddy on the lower neck notes

Well it was worth a shot.

I've used two different brands of strings on the D and G from what the E and A were, even going so far as Rounds on the E and A and flats on the D and G just to find better balance.

It's one of the reasons I went to all flats. The D and G of my Chromes sound huge. You might try using Tapewounds for the D and G strings (actually rounds wrapped in tape).

It's just a matter of experimenting I guess.

jessicabass · #19 07-27-2010, 04:52 PM

[quote=Sundogue;9472991]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jessicabass

Well it was worth a shot.

I've used two different brands of strings on the D and G from what the E and A were, even going so far as Rounds on the E and A and flats on the D and G just to find better balance.

It's one of the reasons I went to all flats. The D and G of my Chromes sound huge. You might try using Tapewounds for the D and G strings (actually rounds wrapped in tape).

It's just a matter of experimenting I guess.

Thank you sweetheart