Need a little more brightness...flats to pressure or ground wound?

[Diesel Kilgore]

Currently have my SS Jag strung with GHS P flats. I'm getting bored with the dead tone and want to change things up. But I don't want to go drastically different. Just need a bit more zing. I have tapes on another bass and think they wouldn't be bright enough. So now I am considering exploring pressure or half/ground wounds. GHS is my only option for SS Pressure wounds. GHS, D'Addarrio and LaBella for the halfs. Can you all give me an idea of what to expect with either type? Am I in the right ballpark in steps brighter then tapes and flats?

[PBnJBassist]

Rotosound also offers pressurewounds. Not sure if they are SS though. There's a TBer here that posted a video review of GHS PWs fresh and broken-in. Search Youtube or here and you will have a good idea of what they can sound like.

[drnknmstr]

Ken Smith Compressors (pressure wound) are bomb ass . Worth a shot plus they have cool custom gauges. I find them to be balanced better in feel.

Their Slick Rounds are great half-rounds, too. Highly recommend them.

[OzzyGreg]

.
D'Addario Chrome Flats are a brighter flatwound string.
One of my favourites.

[rodl2005]

Try tapewounds. I used/use flats & tapes give a lot of the thump & feel of flats, but are also able to give a good amount of "twang" if u play em to.
I love em & have em on a P & a jazz

[Thump_N_Bloom]

I just had the same issues, while using D'Addario chromes. I got a set of D'Addario Halfwounds. They have the zing I was looking for and are still comfortable to play.

[lmfreeman9]

Originally Posted by Thump_N_Bloom

I just had the same issues, while using D'Addario chromes. I got a set of D'Addario Halfwounds. They have the zing I was looking for and are still comfortable to play.

Ditto, except I did not get the zing I was looking for but instead got some nice high mids which I now prefer.

Also use and like both Ken Smith sets mentioned and would suggest the Slick Rounds.

[One Bad Monkey]

For grounds, you could always try the GHS Brite Flats since you're familiar with their others. The GHS Pressurewound Flats are nice, but tonally I'd put them closer to rounds in that regard.

Originally Posted by PBnJBassist

Rotosound also offers pressurewounds. Not sure if they are SS though. There's a TBer here that posted a video review of GHS PWs fresh and broken-in. Search Youtube or here and you will have a good idea of what they can sound like.

And that was me. Here's the demo with the A/B of new to broken in Pressurewounds.

GHS Pressurewound Flats Review

[Diesel Kilgore]

Great video OBM. Between yours and Dave Pomery with his on a precision I have a great idea of what these sound like.

If only I could find a video for Brite Flats. I saw one on the D'addario grounds and they are a bit more zingy than I would like.

[3234718]

Originally Posted by One Bad Monkey

For grounds, you could always try the GHS Brite Flats since you're familiar with their others. The GHS Pressurewound Flats are nice, but tonally I'd put them closer to rounds in that regard.



And that was me. Here's the demo with the A/B of new to broken in Pressurewounds.

GHS Pressurewound Flats Review

What's up with your strap in that video? One end is attached to the strap pin and the other is wrapped around the upper horn?

[One Bad Monkey]

Originally Posted by Diesel Kilgore

Great video OBM. Between yours and Dave Pomery with his on a precision I have a great idea of what these sound like.

If only I could find a video for Brite Flats. I saw one on the D'addario grounds and they are a bit more zingy than I would like.

I'm working with GHS to start making audio samples of most of their bass strings; brite flats are on the list. Going to do the same thing as in the video; make some sound samples in different musical styles with the fresh sound and the broken in sound.

Originally Posted by 3234718

What's up with your strap in that video? One end is attached to the strap pin and the other is wrapped around the upper horn?

It's the Gruv Gear Damian Erskine Duo Strap, which evenly distributes the weight of the bass (that Streamer tips the scale at around 12-14 lbs) across both shoulders. It's WELL WORTH the money for the leather strap, but for those that are a little surprised at it, they are coming out with a simpler, cheaper, neoprene option sometime in 2013.

[soulman969]

If you're looking for just a step or two up the brightness ladder but with more punch, clarity and tonal expression then look at the GHS Pressure Wounds which are an alloy string and pretty long lasting for one that's constructed more like a round wound and has more of those characteristics than a flat.

I play GHS PFlats on my PBass and the PWounds on my Jazz and you'll get a bit more of that piano like clarity from the PWounds but without the zing and the string noise. If I could choose just one type of string to play on any bass I owned the PWounds would be it. I think they're the most versatile string I've ever played.

Ken Smith Compressors are a similar string and made by GHS for Ken Smith. Either would probably get you were you're looking to go as far as climbing up a notch or two without going "drastically different".

[AdamR]

Rotosound flats have a good amount of zing to them too

[kingmacaw]

do you want the zing of a piano like sound or that of a bass? i prefer the bass sound & recommend TI jazz rounds or jazz flats. however, these TI's are for players who like low tension strings. i agree with adamr about the rotosound flat sound, but detest their high tension. many players like dr but personally couldn't stand the hi-beam ss or lo-rider nickels because of their too-much like plucking the strings of a piano like sound. (ps i play a fretted & fretless warwick & a fretted tobias. also, IMHO i prefer nickel wound to ss because they are more consistent in tone from the get go to the end than ss which are often too zingy initially. i've tried d'a halfwounds, and actually like the regular d'a xl's for a decent inexpensive string, but found the halfwounds unimpressive as either a flat or a roundwound. the halfs made me feel like a half-not either & caused me to question even more whether i wanted a flat or roundwound sound.)
whatever you decide, you know strings make an incredible difference in your sound. i keep trying to find reasonably priced strings that i really appreciate & find i've just become more stuck with the expensive 'initial' expense of TI's.

[Diesel Kilgore]

I like more tension. I've heard alot of good about the TIs. I want thump not piano ring. Sort of in the middle. I still haven't really decided. But i would like to try the new LaBella clear tapes. I really enjoy the black tapes on my Ibanez.

[kingmacaw]

hi diesel,
actually found the ernie ball custom guage flats an acceptable, 'in the middle' set if i need flats. nothing special but nothing wrong either. good tension but not too high tension, decent overall sound, not dark sounding w/ok highs & sounding closer to a bass than a piano. (to me the Doors keyboard sounds more like a bass than some bass guitar piano sounding strings.) i.o.w. good for different types of music.

[mccartneyman]

Also check out Sadowsky Black Label Flats-- a bit more tension than TIs and a snappier high end, plus a tapered core B. AND cheaper than Tis, too -- $5 for the 5-string set.