Is this the sound of flats?

b4nny · #1 12-30-2008, 01:23 AM

Can I get my jazz bass to sound similar to this by setting them up with flatwounds and digging in with my fingers?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJkutVcmXvM

And this may be a bit obvious, but is this generally what flats sound like?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8iSjU_FGYg

Thanks from a newbie who has never touched flatwound strings

marco1977 · #2 12-30-2008, 01:49 AM

... But I don't think these are flats...
First links sounds more played with a pick

To me typical flats sound like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLPVqlSw_l4

Deacon_Blues · #3 12-30-2008, 02:33 AM

Depends on the flats. I prefer brighter sounding flats, and with the Pyramid Gold flats I have on my Jazz now since 1½ months, I can get sounds that are rather close to those in the clips in the first post. (I got a sound yesterday that reminded of that soundgarden sound when I put on some tube overdrive using my new Art Tube PAC preamp/compressor).

That Jamerson line is definitely flats, but of a thumpier type (labella) and on a P bass.

Craig_S · #4 12-30-2008, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b4nny

Can I get my jazz bass to sound similar to this by setting them up with flatwounds and digging in with my fingers?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJkutVcmXvM

And this may be a bit obvious, but is this generally what flats sound like?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8iSjU_FGYg

Thanks from a newbie who has never touched flatwound strings

The Police tune sounds like relatively fresh Chromes with a pick and palm muting, to me. The Soundgarden could be flats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by marco1977

To me typical flats sound like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLPVqlSw_l4

This is the sound of flats with a string mute. To me, the sound in the Police track is more typical.

**pringlw** · #5 12-30-2008, 09:34 AM

I think those are rounds being played with a pick and muting the strings with the edge of the hand. At least that's how I would get that sound.

Craig_S · #6 12-30-2008, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pringlw

I think those are rounds being played with a pick and muting the strings with the edge of the hand. At least that's how I would get that sound.

You haven't heard my JV '57 reissue P with Chromes. It sounds really close, but better and without the string buzz.

Ooooh... niiiiice...

davecheng · #7 12-30-2008, 09:48 AM

Palm muted Chromes on a P, tone rolled off:

http://davecheng.com/stuff/chicken_g...bass-flats.mp3

Craig_S · #8 12-30-2008, 11:03 AM

bah! It's going to take me a bit to figure out how to save or export files with this Micro BR or I'd have a sample for you. I'll figure it out...

davecheng, that's a way cool clip! Nice groove! You can definitely tell the tone is rolled off. Got one with the tone full on?

standupright · #9 12-30-2008, 11:10 AM

sounds alot like a p bass strung with rounds played with a pic to me.

markdavid · #10 12-30-2008, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b4nny

Can I get my jazz bass to sound similar to this by setting them up with flatwounds and digging in with my fingers?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJkutVcmXvM

And this may be a bit obvious, but is this generally what flats sound like?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8iSjU_FGYg

Thanks from a newbie who has never touched flatwound strings

The police track is rounds with a bit of palm muting , the soundgarden track is flatwounds

Craig_S · #11 12-30-2008, 11:43 AM

If your P-bass sounds like that with rounds and a pick, you either have serious issues or extremely dead strings.

Here's my JV '57 reissue with Chromes, a pick and the tone full up:
Roxanne
Alan Parsons

Excuse me. I'm not very good with a pick, but you get the idea.

EDIT: This is the bass going flat into the Micro BR. No EQ or effect of any sort.

Ryan Mohr · #12 12-30-2008, 12:05 PM

Yeah Sting used Rotosound flats, maybe you think it sounds like rounds because he is using some overdrive, probably coming out of a tube amp.

GeneralElectric · #13 12-30-2008, 12:05 PM

Craig cops a very similar tone but the one in the first clip is most assuredly rounds. You can hear some of their grind on some of the notes.

Too lazy to record but my P with SS rounds played with a felt pick sounds extremely close to the first clip. The strings have lost their new 'zing' but are plenty bright sounding.

Did D'Addario Chromes even exist in 1978?

Craig_S · #14 12-30-2008, 12:43 PM

Okay, I'm hard headed, but I can admit when I'm wrong. I pulled out my other P-Bass with worn in SS Rounds and Duncan SPB-1 pickup, palm muted while I picked and this is what I got:
Roxanne

This is the sound I had in my big fat head:
The same P w/SS rounds, picked without muting

There was no change in EQ, effect or tone control for either clip.

9mmMike · #15 12-30-2008, 12:50 PM

My Sting-edition bass sounds kinda sorta like that first clip with the Rotosound RS77 flats it wears.

ibnzneksrul · #16 12-30-2008, 02:10 PM

Two good examples of flatwound tone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nz_D_V0KnE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahh7GVg9PZA

davecheng · #17 12-30-2008, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig_S

davecheng, that's a way cool clip! Nice groove! You can definitely tell the tone is rolled off. Got one with the tone full on?

Unfortunately, I can't take credit for making that one up... copped that line off Pino Palladino.

Don't have one with the tone wide open, though. I almost always play my P with the tone rolled off, muted, or at most about 25% up. Following Raphael Saadiq, Pino, and the Motown-revitalization sound in modern neo-soul r'n'b, I would have it no other way...!

One Drop · #18 12-31-2008, 07:25 AM

This is what nicely recorded flats can sound like. I defy anyone to get a similar mix of clean bottom, thump and similarly shaped note with rounds, whether old, muted or EQed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dpr-oXpiRQ