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A little advice for flats lovers...

#41
I love flats...for certain things. If you want a snarly aggressive tone, then no way in eitch ee double hockey sticks should you use flats. Rock/Metal and flats? Pass (Steve Harris excepted).

If you're playing old school music, then by all means use flats. I like them for jazz too. Funk can go either way IMO.
 
#43
paganjack said:
I love flats...for certain things. If you want a snarly aggressive tone, then no way in eitch ee double hockey sticks should you use flats. Rock/Metal and flats? Pass (Steve Harris excepted).

If you're playing old school music, then by all means use flats. I like them for jazz too. Funk can go either way IMO.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I picked a borrowed heavy ash '68 Tele bass with Fender nickel flats and it was the snarliest bass I ever played.
 
#44
I can appreciate one person's perception of 'fervor' over another's...
I am a FLATS player, so I tend to perk up and read 'flats-related' posts (which is how I came upon this one)...

I can honestly say that while many people share a form of enthusiasm, I have yet to see out and out demands for flat conversion or usage.

I can also honestly say that my experience here is of a somewhat balanced 'I like rounds', 'I like flats', 'you should try rounds', 'you should try flats', etc... type of suggestion set.

So, without further ado - I like flats and you all MUST put them on your bass' - now, or suffer the wrath of some roundwound beaten idiote'!!

Consider your brows beaten ;)
 
#45
I've never really jumped on the bandwagon.

I use flats on all my basses (after a brief stint with rounds), but I don't push them on other bassists.

If a bassist asks me how I get my sound, or if they are asking for advice on their sound, I may make a suggestion that they TRY flats, but just often suggested they try rounds.

It's just a string, people. Go learn a song.
 
#52
Unless the OP explicitly states "I hate flatwound strings do not under any circumstances mention them to me" you can hardly complain. All "What X should I use?" threads end with folks saying 'You should use what I like!" So the folks who like flats recommend them.

On an unrelated note, bought a used pair of Chromes for cheap off the Classifieds. My first flats!
 
#53
Edward G. said:
I agree with Jimmy. There seems to be an almost evangelical fervor around here among flats players. But if you've spent the bulk of your playing career playing rounds, it's a huge adjustment to make. In my case, I started out with flats many years ago and went with the tidal wave into rounds and didn't consider going back to flats until about five years ago. They have a lot of charm, but they still don't fit my ear 100%. I keep trying with them, though. Someday I hope they'll feel totally comfortable to me. They definitely sound big, which is much of their appeal.
Click to expand...

So sayeth our Lord Jamerson "Thou shalt rock the flats on the P bass" and "Thou shall only enter the kingdom of the fat groove through flats" :D
 
#58
thumpslap said:
All joking aside ive never had a pair of flats, where does one start, i play a p bass. Sounds a little tin like now.
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For Precision Bass, La Bella Deep Talkin' Flats. Don't tell JimmyM I recommended them, though. :cool:


PS: One important addition (I almost forgot). La Bella doesn't recommend that their flats be used with a string through the body bridge.
 

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