What are the brightest flats??

bigcardinal · #1 03-18-2006, 12:17 AM

I know some of you might think this is an oxymoron, but its a serious question. The thumpy sound of flats is great, but they have to have SOME life in them! I would like to know which flats do the best job at accomplishing their classic sound while still keeping good definition in the mix? Am I dreaming or do these exist? Thanks

Showdown · #2 03-18-2006, 05:31 AM

TI Jazz flats. More mids and highs than traditional flats, but still thump like flats. And they sit in the mix very well IMO. And if I crank the treble on my EQ up they can almost sound like RW.

62bass · #3 03-18-2006, 06:05 AM

The TI Jazz flats last the longest in my experience. I have them on most of my basses and the ones on my P are over 6 years old and still have lots of life left in them. They sound as good as when they were broken in after a couple weeks of playing. No other flatwound I've used has been able to do that. The ones on my Dano, Carvin and Ibanez vary in age from 2 years to 5 years and they still sound good too.

Figjam · #4 03-18-2006, 09:34 AM

I have TI jazz flats on my fretless.

the low one · #5 03-21-2006, 04:49 PM

TI flats have that mid tone and do last but they are not bright IMHO. I've moved to Rotosound SM77 and they are much brighter. I've had them on for about a month now on my Fender Jazz fretless and they still sound great. It's the first time I've tried them so I can't say how long they'll last but so far so good.

I like the slightly higher tension of th 77's too.