A poll for those using flats: Whats your age?

[LilRay]

I'm 30 and use flats on my Precision. Gotta have the classic tone of flats. Dead rounds or half rounds still wont get that sound. IMO

 

[Easy8]

Simple poll. Trying to solve the mystery that flats are used by the older crowd more than the younger ones.

After 60+ responses you've a got an almost dead even standard bell curve distribution.

 

[Surly]

It's true; 3 out 4 denture wearers prefer flatwound strings.

 

[PikeoftheLake]

Man.... I just moved into the 26 - 34 crowd. I guess I'll have to go out, buy a mini van, become impotent and keep playing flatwounds.

 

[arthurzen]

Flats on my Precision, but I use Ken Smith Taper Core on my, well, Ken Smith

 

[unclekebm]

i've played flats through 4 of those age groups...

 

[ThunderLizard]

57!!
Currently have Flats on the P, the J and the Epi Viola. Roundwounds on everything else. But that's not set in stone.

 

[AmieLouHat]

23 here. I used to play strictly flats, but I just changed over to tapewounds on my fretless, though I can't say I'm digging the tone a whole bunch. I think it's way too aggressive for my tastes, not round enough. I still play flats on everything else, and will probably continue to do so for a while.

 

[Kitsapbass]

I'm 36...and I haven't used flats (except on a fretless that I had a while ago) - but I ordered a set of the TI flatwounds for my old Pilot 5 string. I'm hoping they sound good...

 

[Wootsticks]

I've had flats on my P bass since I was fourteen. I'm sixteen now.

 

[GreyBeard]

I switched to RotoSound back in the 80's and have never gone back to flats.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

24 with flats on the P. When I saw the thread title, I thought you were going to ask about how long you'd had that particular set on for! I've been playing flats on that bass for just over a year, and I think they're sounding better as time goes on. I get why Jamerson hated to change strings now - a new set won't sound that good for ages!

BTW, that should be '< 13' and '> 65'

 

[scary bill]

26

I put flats on 3 of my basses last Dec. I still have them on my Squier P and my ESP 5 string. They are great. I put DR BB on my fretless Warwick(flats weren't right for me on that one) and I will keep rounds on my VM jazz for now.

 

[LHbassist]

I'll be 56 next month- gettin' old ain't for sissies! I first heard a set of Rotosound Swing Bass strings on a 1959-60 stack knob Jazz bass in a basement in Queens in 1969, when I was 17. I was playing my Kent short scale violin bass with LaBella flats, and the sound that jazz bass made was astonishing. I had to have it. I never put them on my Kent, but did on later basses in my arsenal. I've been using roundwounds ever since. I love my roundwound equipped basses, but I still keep a lot of my basses strung with flats. I'm old enough to remember all those great recordings when I first heard them on the radio! I still LOVE Joe Osborn, James Jamerson, Bob Babbit, Tommy Cogbill, Joe Shermie (3 dog Night) and all those English guys like Karl Green (Herman's Hermits) Rick Huxtley (DC5) and Mr. McCartney...all used flatwounds, there weren't any roundwounds back then, circa 1964-68. I have a Warmoth p-j, strung with Rotosound heavy gauge jazz bass. Fender j bass cij, with Fender flats, Fender cij P-bass with DR flats, Danelectro Longhorn with LaBella flats, and a Dano shorthorn with Ernie Ball flats. The popularity of flats shows that a great sound is always that.

 

[Aussie Mark]

I'm 46 and have flats (several different brands) on all of my basses (10 at the moment, but I had flats on all of my basses even when I had 21 basses in the stable), and have been doing so for more than 20 years. Does that mean I answer "46-54" or "19-25"? For reference, I currently play in a tribute band who play hair band stuff such as Van Halen, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Bon Jovi, KISS and the Stones, but in the past 10 years I've played in Top 40, blues, and classic rock bands.

 

[mario222]

I'm 30 and switched to flats a couple of years ago. I never intend on putting anything else on my Fender P .

 

[lmfreeman9]

I'm 48 and deeply satisfied after putting EB flats on my last remaining bass with rounds.

I'd have thought that the flat crowd would be older. It just goes to show that the FLAT sound is a CLASSIC sound.

 

[grace & groove]

16, flats on all 6 basses.

 

[not_jason]

I'm not going to respond to the poll because my flatwound experience is limited to what, until recently, was my fretless bass. I recently changed the neck on it to a newer one with frets, and I'm currently experimenting with that combination. I'm not sure what to think. On the one hand, I really enjoy the tone I'm getting, but I'm just not sure if it's MY tone. It's an interesting deviation from the normal.

Consequently, the neck-donor bass recently became a fretless with roundwounds, which is a combination I haven't played on for years. Sounds kinda badass, but I still stand behind flat being the only logical choice for a fretless.

 

[jefkebass]

I'm 24 and sporting D'Addario Chromes flats on my Jag.