What ARE flats?

[Bass_masta16]

Unless someone can redirect me to a post that answers this question, can someone please tell me what flats are?

I want to know why they make the sound that they do.
Do they feel any different from rounds? If so, how so?
How are they better then rounds for your fretboard?
And then just any additional information about them.


Thanks.

[frozilla]

Flatwounds are bass strings that are polished smooth for a even feel. They are more mellow than rounds because of their polishing. Rounds has a more open, brighter sound and are rougher on the fretboard than flats, but are more popular.

[Sathington W.]

Yeah, they're quite a bit different than roundwounds.
They make a tone more similar to an upright bass, and make virtually no scratching noise when sliding up and down the neck. They're supposedly better for a fretboard than rounds, especially in the case of fretless necks.
Good day, sir!

[Lazylion]

The strings are wound with a flat strip instead of a round wire. The surface of the string feels smoother to the touch, and they give a less high-endy sound. They cause less damage to the fingerboard and frets over time.

[stoo]

Originally Posted by frozilla

Flatwounds are bass strings that are polished smooth for a even feel. They are more mellow than rounds because of their polishing. Rounds has a more open, brighter sound and are rougher on the fretboard than flats, but are more popular.

Wouldn't those be half-rounds, or groundwounds? I thought that flats generally meant strings wound with tape... or are tapewounds different again?

[SuperDuck]

IME the "damage" caused by roundwounds is exaggerated. You have to play them a _long_ time before you start needing your frets worked on. Flatwounds do offset this effect, but that certainly shouldn't be a determining factor on which strings a person buys.

[SuperDuck]

Originally Posted by stoo

Wouldn't those be half-rounds, or groundwounds? I thought that flats generally meant strings wound with tape... or are tapewounds different again?

[EagleMoon]

Sometimes images are better than words.

[SuperDuck]

Ha!

[EagleMoon]

Wow SuperDuck..great minds....

[stingray56funk]

Someone owes someone else a Coke.

[frozilla]

Originally Posted by stoo

Wouldn't those be half-rounds, or groundwounds? I thought that flats generally meant strings wound with tape... or are tapewounds different again?

yes im sorry flats are wound around a flat core but tapes are rounds wrapped with nylon

[frozilla]

Originally Posted by frozilla

yes im sorry flats are wound around a flat core but tapes are rounds wrapped with nylon

oh **** i cant get my facts straight its a little late for me.
sorry to all!

[stoo]

Blimey - had never heard of bass strings wrapped with nylon before... interesting, ta

[Bass_masta16]

Would they maybe cause more or less buzzing? Or maybe no difference at all?

[SuperDuck]

What kind of buzzing? Single coil hum from a pickup? Shielding buzz? Buzzing as in strings rattling against the frets when you play?

[pendergasta]

I really like the sound of flats, but I've found that I tend to play them "slower" than rounds. It's hard to explain, but with roundwounds, there is a certain amount of my finger touching the surface of the string. With flats, there is more of my finger contacting the string, so the string almost tends to feel "sticky." I started using that guitarist's finger-lube spray when I play my flats.

[BigMac5]

Google is you friend

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strings_(music)

[Bass_masta16]

Strings rattling against the frets

[SuperDuck]

Originally Posted by Bass_masta16

Strings rattling against the frets

That has less to do with what types of strings you're playing and more to do with how your action/string height is set. Look up some threads in the Setup forum about adjusting your bass. You should be able to tweak some combination of the truss rod and your bridge that will keep the strings from rattling like that.