New to flatwounds - Are they more difficult?

[foq1978]

Hello

I've recently purchased a short scale bass and installed flatwounds strings on it. So far, I'm having some trouble with my left hand. I think finger positioning has become a bit harder, and my fingers tend to slip a bit over the frets.

Is that normal? Is there an adaptation period? Will I become a better bass player? Will I ever never be able to play flats properly?

Thanks!

[tomwilliams1983]

They'll always be abit more difficult to grip than roundwounds but like everything else practice makes perfect

[Number27]

i would guess that the change to short scale is more at fault here.. especially if you've been playing standard 34" for a while, you might find yourself over stretching and missing frets.

as for the flatwounds... i find them easier to play- or rather easier to play cleanly. but i mean short of a great difference in tension (like if you went from jamerson flats to dan electro rounds) there really shouldn't be much to get used to except the feel and sound.

[factoryguy]

I've been playing DR and D'Adario (more than one bass) Flatwounds for about three years. They sure make a three hour gig a lot easier on the fingers.

I like them because you don't get the squeal on slides, on the downside you really have to crank the treble and volume to slap and pop (if that's your thing) but for slow and even jump blues they can't be beat.

[chjohnst]

My chromes come in this week, first time with flatwounds for me. Hopefully this is the sound I am looking for on my bass.

[pasta4lnch]

I had an issue w/ flats being hard to play too... I dug the sound, but they felt sticky - to the point of hindering my playing.

I had an important gig coming up so in a panic I ripped them off. I do want to give them another shot though...

[chjohnst]

Sticky?

[pasta4lnch]

yeah sticky . . . I posted a thread or two on this a while back. I guess I'm a minority in this - but it was really bad. right hand especially.

I do want to give them another shot - I used to play flats on my guitars for years and it never bothered me. but I only have 2 basses (4 and 5) which I use a lot...just waiting for a slow time to try them out again

[Taxt]

Originally Posted by pasta4lnch

yeah sticky . . . I posted a thread or two on this a while back. I guess I'm a minority in this - but it was really bad. right hand especially.

I do want to give them another shot - I used to play flats on my guitars for years and it never bothered me. but I only have 2 basses (4 and 5) which I use a lot...just waiting for a slow time to try them out again

I know what you mean. One of the big resons why I dont play flats is that sticky feeling. i love the sound of them though, some of the songs my band has would sound better ewth flats but i dont ike that sticky feel.

[Double Agent]

I think the most important thing with flats is to give them a proper chance to break in. I don't know if I adjusted to them or they "broke in", but my Chromes started sounding much better after they were on my bass for 2-3 weeks than when I first installed them. I thought they felt slippery at first, but not at all anymore. Like I said, I don't know if that is because I got used to it and adjusted my technique or if the slippery feeling wears off after playing them for a while, but they don't feel slippery to me at all now, they feel great.

BTW, I've got Chromes on my Fender P/J and I doubt I'll ever use anything else on that bass for a long time. If it is vintage thump you are after, flats are what will get you there.

[Brick Top]

Once in awhile my flats may seem a bit sticky. I just spray them down with string cleaner and wipe it all down. Everything slides just fine after that. There are lots of string conditioning products out there. I think Fast fret is really popular.

In a pinch....just eat something greasy without utensils....stickyness is no more!

Cheers,
BT

[pasta4lnch]

so I actually stopped by a local Sam Ash today to see about maybe getting a set of half rounds. but as usual the guy had a giant question mark on his face when he finally stopped talking with another employee long enough to ask me if I needed help. . .and as usual they didn't have the product I went there for.

some times I wonder why I bother . . .

[beyondat]

I feel your pain! They told me that DR Nickel Loriders were a figment of my imagination and that Sunbeams is what I was really looking for,and they had to be special ordered!

[Anonymatt]

I just got back into flats with a set of Rotosounds. I miss the zing. The tone doesn't seem to make a difference in my rock band, I mean, if anything, the low mids are sturdier. I play a fretless and find that flats make vibrato easier, but that's the main thing I like about them. I just can't afford to chew into my neck for much longer. That "stickiness" is really just something I detect on the right hand.

[steelhead2]

i feel the flatties you had to pinch the fretts more acuratly,no coming in at an angle to make it(to the key) and sticking (to the string itself),,,as for stickyness i keep a rag with formby's in a plastic zip lock,quick wipe on it hanging on me on a sweltering 90F night and voila~!,stickyness gone,when it freezes this winter i'll prolly have `build-up' but we'll contend with that then(brrrr)

i want BASS,the bigger thud the better(for me)

i love flatties don't intend to go back,bigger yes,back,no!,nonono!(have fun)

[grey area]

i rehearse with roundwounds on a p bass and gig with flats on a jazz so the callouses(wot?) stay hard with the rounds and dont get sore at long gigs,a bit of fast fret stops the sticky feeling and if your out of fast fret a little body grease(from the side of ya nose,where it joins ya noggin)works a treat in emergencies,dont forget to give your strings a good clean after the gig.

[Impostor]

I'm new to flatwounds, too. Just having bought a sweet semi-acoustic bass, Yamaha BEX4, I decided to try some flats on it. I ran through the stores and found a set of D'Addario Chromes. Put 'em on 2 weeks ago, and here's my experience. I did encounter some problems with the left hand fingering, my fingers tending to slip a bit along the string. For the first time it was a big inconvenience for me. But each time I took up my Bex again, I felt more and more comfortable. I found myself adapting very quickly, and the third try was much more pleasant than the first one, even though right now I'm spending most of my playing time on a five-string fretless axe with nickel rounds because I'm curently gigging with it and rehearsing for these gigs, so I just do not have much time to play anything else. I do not play flats every day, but nevertheless they become easier to play each time I try'em.

But the other surprise with the Chromes I found that they are just too damn bright! I had never thought that I'd get more finger buzz and all the nasty metallic zing from a set of flats than from any roundwounds I'd ever played, no matter nickels or steels! That's what I really dislike. It is clearly heard when playing unplugged, so this is the real acoustic output of the strings themselves, and nothing else. I have to cut the trebles and high mids on my amp more than with the other basses, though while still with the stock roundwounds that had not been the issue. Soloing the neck pickup removes most of the zing (though not completely), but when I try to add in some piezo, the result is not so sweet as it has been with the stock rounds, just because all the zing and buzz, that's clearly heard unplugged, gets amplified. That's not to say I don't like the tone - in fact, I do, though for the first couple of times I had some nostalgia for the sound of the stock rounds (completely different from the flats, of course!), but the more I played, the more I liked the new sound - very clear and even throughout the frequency range, not unlike the Steve Swallow tone. If just not the zing....... Maybe in another couple of weeks of playing, when the strings get older, it goes away. More accurate playing should also help, I guess =) Or maybe I should try a flat set from another vendor, don't know. Though I have to admit that playing against a record (haven't had a chance to play my Bex in a band yet) was a really nice experience - all the zing just sank in the hi-mid wall of sound from the other instruments, while the low end was there, present and well articulated. Still, I'm in doubt... Any suggestions would be appreciated!

[Anonymatt]

Originally Posted by Impostor

But the other surprise with the Chromes I found that they are just too damn bright!

How many hours have you played? I've never played with Chromes, but I know Roto flats have some heavy clank that must have taken 10-15 hours to go away.

I know what you mean, though, flats kinda bum me out when I'm practicing alone, but it's all good when I'm playing with the band.

[Brick Top]

I have never tried the chromes...but I was thinking of getting a set for my P bass. I use Labella flats(deep talkin) on my jazz....and there is no zing or finger noises that I noticed right out of the package. And I'm not a very good player. Besides the wonderful tone from the Labella's...I love how much more silent my left hand is while sliding or moving around the neck than it was with DR Low Riders..

Cheers,
BT

[Codger]

I've really started to like the feel of LaBella nylon tapewounds on a fretless neck. I find I prefer it. No noise (finger) and a great feel.