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Need a recommendation for flats

#101
I’ve played mostly flatwounds since I began playing electric bass at fifteen, I turned 64 October 30th. Cake or death?
Cake.
The best FWs are Pyramids
from Germany! They are expensive, usually $70-75 a Set.
I have them currently on my Höfner Club Bass, and my 68
Gibson EB3 Plus! It’s hotrodded,
kinda a short scale Alembic, a far cry from a Mud-bucker!
Flats, I love em!
✌❤️
 
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#102
I’ve played JBL D140s with a Silverface Bassman, 2 horned port
cabs with Cerwin-Vega 15s that I custom designed with a SVT, and
a custom designed Karlson folded
horn cab with a 15” Electrovoice, powered by a BGW power amp, also
powered one of my CV cabs with
a Sunn 200s. I’ve used Ampeg
8/10 cabs for showcases...and I
prefer the sound of fifteens.
Fifteens, driven by tubes with flats
on a short scale bass! Punchy and warm with zero distortion!
Old school.
✌❤️
 
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#103
h2otorched said:
I’ve played mostly flatwounds since I began playing electric bass at fifteen, I turned 64 October 30th. Cake or death?
Cake.
The best FWs are Pyramids
from Germany! They are expensive, usually $70-75 a Set.
I have them currently on my Höfner Club Bass, and my 68
Gibson EB3 Plus! It’s hotrodded,
kinda a short scale Alembic, a far cry from a Mud-bucker!
Flats, I love em!
✌❤️
Click to expand...

Cake here too, please!
 
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#105
One option is using rounds that are worn in. It will give you articulation, clarity, and growl when you need it, and punchy thump when you need it too. All in the fingers. Flats have a feel that rounds can't do, and they have that almost double bass sustain because of their stiffness and tension. But worn in rounds that lost it's brightness can get sounds that flats can't do, and they get pretty close to flats especially with a split coil P bass.
 
#106
Son of Wobble said:
Cake here too, please!
Click to expand...

Well, we're outta cake! We only had three bits and we didn't expect a such a rush!! :mad: :D

British stand-up comedy aside… :whistle:

While I haven't tried every type of flats out there, especially the really expensive sets, I've sampled a few and have gravitated towards two, main choices…D'Addario Chromes and Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. (Personally, I prefer .100-gauge sets, but that's just me.)

If I want something a bit more aggressive or perhaps a sound that is neither fully "rounds" nor "flats", I go with the Cobalts. (They have a very unique sound.) They're quite flexible, but the tactile experience takes a little getting used to due to microscopic spaces between the wraps. After a bit of adaptation, though, I hardly notice them.

If I want more "thump" than "growl", or I really want to cut down on the finger-noise, I go with Chromes. Obviously, they're not as flexible as Cobalts, but I can still get a wee bit o' "growl" out of them by digging in a bit more, so they're not too rigid. Funny thing, though…I recently put a new set of Chromes on an MIJ Jazz bass and I'll be damned if it didn't sound a bit louder than before, if that's even possible. o_O

I gave a set of DR Legends a try, but they weren't right for my tastes. Deep and fat, but no possibility of getting any "growl" out of them, which may work for some people, just not for me. Maybe someday I'll try more flats, but I still have a bunch of different rounds laying around my place I still need to sample.
 
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#114
buldog5151bass said:
Put the La Bella's on my '51 P build tonight. Less tension than the Roto, which I like, but very mid/upper mid heavy. Not as much meat as I had hoped. Will give it few days, and maybe try the GHSs.
Click to expand...

One thing about flats is you need to give them time to settle before they start showing their true character. A few days won't do it; they need at least 1-2 mths, even longer in some cases.
 
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#116
Preference differs from player to player. I like lower tension but not as low as TI's.

My top pick would be Fender flats at the moment. I like the tension and tone and they are relatively cheap. I have Dunlops on a P bass which are great and used Chromes a lot before the Fenders which are also great.

For short scale, I really like LaBella's and I have a set of the Jameson LaBella's on a P bass.

For what it's worth, I really like DR flats too. They are the flats that converted me!
 
#118
buldog5151bass said:
Put the La Bella's on my '51 P build tonight. Less tension than the Roto, which I like, but very mid/upper mid heavy. Not as much meat as I had hoped. Will give it few days, and maybe try the GHSs.
Click to expand...

Look like you want Instant Old School Vibe from new flatwound string.
Here the solution ~ Lebella LTF4A , just play for few day and you will happy with it.
String stiffness is similiar to Fender 7250L 40-100.

Hopehelp.
 

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