So...I Think I Want Flats...

[CityEscape]

I went to GC today to play some basses, and I played a Jazz strung with flats, and 'nuff said, I want some flats now for my SX PJ. Can someone recommend me any? (Nothing expensive, I'm just a 16 year old with no job)

[mellowgerman]

fender stainless steel flats from sweetwater.com
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/073-9050-005/
excellent customer service, fast (and free) shipping, and they always send some candy with your order
i always get my strings from them.

[85vf500rr]

I just changed to D'Addario chromes on my Jazz and I like them quite a bit. Should run you about $30 for a set. Keep in mind that they'll last a LOOOOONG time, so that $30 spent will go for a while.

[kraigo]

In my case I hated those. Of what's generally readily available, D'Addario Chromes have been good to me.

KO

Originally Posted by mellowgerman

fender stainless steel flats from sweetwater.com
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/073-9050-005/
excellent customer service, fast (and free) shipping, and they always send some candy with your order
i always get my strings from them.

[Pilgrim]

Search for past threads - there is extensive discussion about flats and the preferred brands of many of the members here.

[FromBeyond]

Fender stainless flats are my first set of flatwounds, liking them pretty good, been on my bass for 4 months now. I'm going to look around a bit though.

[mellowgerman]

Originally Posted by kraigo

In my case I hated those. Of what's generally readily available, D'Addario Chromes have been good to me.

KO

I've found it's hit and miss with Fender flats. Some sets are killer, some are decent. I've never hated a set of them though. Bottom line is, $23 is a great deal, even if the set is only decent.

[jimmy rocket]

I've got these on my Jazz, and I love them. The fender 9050's feel high tension, so I've found I like the 9050Ls better than the 9050MLs

In other news I rock chromes on my P bass and on my Tele bass because I like the harmonic content that I hear on those two.

[Mr. Mig]

I like D'Addario Chromes also.

[bassman0221]

Just picked up some "Chromes" for my Pbass deluxe special (p/j pups) and love them....

[Droot]

Get TI jazz flats ... OMG , but really they are the sweetest. If you can't afford them then I would go with a set of Rotosound RS.
DAve R

[kraigo]

Originally Posted by mellowgerman

I've found it's hit and miss with Fender flats. Some sets are killer, some are decent. I've never hated a set of them though. Bottom line is, $23 is a great deal, even if the set is only decent.

It could be that the only two sets I bought were both "miss". I don't have a large pool of experience with the Chromes either (two for two "hits"). I usually use Lakland Joe Osborn's, which have been good to me.

D'Addario has a good rep for consistency. Even if they're more expensive, I'd think they're worth it.

KO

[billoetjen]

Hey, congratulations on discovering "real" bass! Keep it low!
If you are used to the tone of rounds, then Daddario Chromes might be a good trasition string for you. They last forever, the quality control is great, and they sound very good when they've broken-in. They served me well for several years until I went all the way down to LaBella DTB 760FS.
Have fun, and take your time exploring what you can do with them.
B

[MatticusMania]

Another post in favor of D'Addario Chromes!

[Staccato]

Another convert to the dark side...

Actually, the most popular that come to mind are posted here, already. Enjoy!

[snakesandarrows]

Originally Posted by CityEscape

I went to GC today to play some basses, and I played a Jazz strung with flats, and 'nuff said, I want some flats now for my SX PJ. Can someone recommend me any? (Nothing expensive, I'm just a 16 year old with no job)

Im also a 16 year old with a limited amount of money, I thought the same thing the first time i played with flats like "they're so smooth" and "they're so warm." You will see that after using these for any more than 1 month will drive you up a f***ing wall. I hate flats. Especially with tube amps. I played my Fender P Bass with flats out of my Ampeg SVT-VR. At the time my SVT was new, and the strings made the bass sound so muddy and unclear, that I thought my SVT was broken! I changed out my strings for some Ernie Ball standards and sure enough my P bass and SVT lit up. Do not get Flats! especially for Rock or Funk.

[mellowgerman]

Originally Posted by snakesandarrows

Im also a 16 year old with a limited amount of money, I thought the same thing the first time i played with flats like "they're so smooth" and "they're so warm." You will see that after using these for any more than 1 month will drive you up a f***ing wall. I hate flats. Especially with tube amps. I played my Fender P Bass with flats out of my Ampeg SVT-VR. At the time my SVT was new, and the strings made the bass sound so muddy and unclear, that I thought my SVT was broken! I changed out my strings for some Ernie Ball standards and sure enough my P bass and SVT lit up. Do not get Flats! especially for Rock or Funk.

Sounds like you got a really really bad set... What brand?
It's weird because your advice goes against pretty much everything anyone who has experience with flats will say. pbass+flats+SVT are a legendary rock combo.
if you're looking to play slap-funk, you're probably right and should stay away from flats... but big booty funk like old sly and the family stone... well, put some flats on your bass and crank the tubes.

CityEscape, get some flats and try them out for yourself. I think you'll dig them.

Lastly, I got my first set of flats when I was a 15 year old, short on cash... haven't looked back since (and saved a lot of money in doing so).

[debassr]

Medium Light Chromes on a Jazz FTW.

[Lester Verde]

http://www.webstrings.com/flatwound_bass_strings.html

[TeamTrejo]

Originally Posted by Lester Verde

http://www.webstrings.com/flatwound_bass_strings.html

+1

Very nice strings at a great price. Perfect if you're on a budget and just want to try some flats.