may i pick your brain for a sec?

[biff malibu]

i have always used fender nickel rounds on a deluxe active jazz. i am now selling it for a standard MIA jazz with maple board. id like to try flats, but here is the thing. i:

a- run through a DI to the board live
b-play electro dance music (synthy, kylie minogue meets falco type stuff) and need big clean fundamental and lows.

what flats would you recomend?

[WJGreer]

Originally Posted by biff malibu

i have always used fender nickel rounds on a deluxe active jazz. i am now selling it for a standard MIA jazz with maple board. id like to try flats, but here is the thing. i:

a- run through a DI to the board live
b-play electro dance music (synthy, kylie minogue meets falco type stuff) and need big clean fundamental and lows.

what flats would you recomend?

How about XL Half Rounds (like the banner ad above this as I type it). They are kind of the best of both worlds.

If you want to go all the way, people say the nicest things about Thomastik-Infield Jazz Flats. They are, however, rather expensive and have very high tension. Which you may or may not like, but there it is.

Best luck!

[biff malibu]

Originally Posted by WJGreer

How about XL Half Rounds (like the banner ad above this as I type it). They are kind of the best of both worlds.

If you want to go all the way, people say the nicest things about Thomastik-Infield Jazz Flats. They are, however, rather expensive and have very high tension. Which you may or may not like, but there it is.

Best luck!

i thought i heard that TI jazz flats have really floppy tension?

i dont want too floppy.

[WJGreer]

Originally Posted by biff malibu

i thought i heard that TI jazz flats have really floppy tension?

i dont want too floppy.

Somebody else check me on this - but in general flats have higher tension than rounds and TIs are no exception.

[One Drop]

Originally Posted by WJGreer

Somebody else check me on this - but in general flats have higher tension than rounds and TIs are no exception.

There's no real generalising-flats' tensions are all over the place from company to company and string model to model, and even sometimes per gauge you'll find a big variance.

I think flats generally do feel stiffer, though, because of the nature of the ribbon windings snugging up against themselves.

TI flats are low tension AND very flexible due to the silk wrap around the core and under the wrapping. They do feel a little 'floppy' to me.

[ishouldbeking]

TI's are the lowest tension you'll get within the flatwound realm. I don't find them floppy per se, but some might.

Flats in general feel stiffer and can be harder to fret at times depending on the tension, but they are also easier to play on in the sense that they feel much nicer (IMHO) on the fingers and allow for easier left hand sliding. They're really just... different than rounds, and can take some getting used to. I prefer them now.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by WJGreer

Somebody else check me on this - but in general flats have higher tension than rounds and TIs are no exception.

I had a set of TI Jazz Flats for a couple months, and they had about the same amount of tension as my D'addario XL rounds .045-.100. Which I consider pretty loose for flats. I ended up hating them. But the TI lovers are insanely in love with these strings. I can see why. If you want a set of flat strings that sound like mellowed out rounds and stay that way for a long time, TI's are the string to get. But give me Fenders or Labellas any day.

[SGT. Pepper]

D'Addario Chromes are good. Your probably better off sticking with a nickel roundwound and letting them age a bit for the stuff you are playing. You could always roll off that treble or tone knob, but with flats you could only add on so much, and too much treble with flatwounds makes them sound tinky.
Try Fender 7150's Pure Nickel Roundwounds.

[PocketGroove82]

I don't see why flats wouldn't work with your band, give'em a try.
Chromes or Ernie Ball Flats are quite punchy and not as mellow as some of the other flats. imo

[thumpbass1]

I really like D'Addario Chromes for flats. The Chromes
have a tension that feels like most sets of rounds. The
Chromes have imho a really nice warm fundamental like
a good set of flats should; plus there is a nice treble edge
that you can still slap with in an old school funk context.
I also think that Chromes are are affordable when compared
to other sets of flats offered by other string makers. This
is important if you should find you don't like flats at all and
you won't be out too much cash.
This board is loaded with threads dealing with a lot of good
info from TBer's who have tried out almost every set of flats
you can think of so at least you can read their opinions and
reviews to steer you in the right direction. Flats are fun and
I hope you find a set that works for you.

[biff malibu]

im using fender nickel rounds now, 45-100, have been for years. im thinking of either sticking with them or beefing them up to 50-105 set or getting a 50-105 set of chromes. in theory flats are more to my liking. but ive never had a problem with the way my 7 month old nickel rounds sound.

i dont slap, i dont bend, so big a** cables are ok with me. and i need the sound to just about "be there" right out of the bass, since im running direct, and typically i dont trust ol' otto the soundman too much...

[Jo6Pak]

D'A Chromes fan here...