A poll for those using flats: Whats your age?

[jakusx]

I turned 30 this year ... ugh

Last year I switched my P-Bass to a set of flats and tuned the bass BEAD. I love it.
I've got an Ibanez Mikro that I just strung with D'Addario Chromes.
The weird thing is that I keep my 6-String Fretless strung with EB Rounds because I just really love the way it sounds with the rounds. With flats, it sounded, well, limp or something. There was absolutely no brightness to the bass at all and on a whim I swapped out the strings and it sounded amazing.

My only regret, when I'm playing with heavy distortion I can't do 34-inches worth of pick slide anymore.

 

[59jazz]

I'm 25 and I've played flats for the near four years playing bass.

I'm in a very aggressive indie band

Why do I use them - because flats have more of a midrange emphasis and they are "louder" to my ears in the 100hz to 500hz range. Which I find essential for cutting through the dense mix that we create in our three piece.

Also Motown grooves are starting to infect musicians - and popular musicians all over the place in all tiers of the biz. Producers and engineers flip for flats, IMHO grooves sound better on flats in a mix, and flats have an unbeatable thick pick tone. and they last longer if you are down with the sound.

I'll be honest - i do play flats for the economy of it as well. I don't have to change strings often - which is a huge plus.

I play chromes exclusively.

+1! As much as I like my DA XL-170's, the midrange push wasn't there during my gig last nite. Time to load the Chromes on today, and stop swap'n strings every 2-3 weeks.

 

[topcat2069]

I'm 56 and I use both Flats and RWs. Back in the Old Days ('78 to 83) I played a Music Man Sting Ray and used Gibson Observers which were flatwound. It was the only Bass I had so I was a FW exclusive. As I recall they were a bit bright for FWs (maybe it was the Sting Ray) and the tone lasted for months. I haven't seen them for years (decades ?). Now I use DA XL-170s and Dean Markley Flats... 45 to 100. The DMs seem very dead to me, but just compared to my memory (now, thats risky business !)

 

[Drifta]

20 years old. started playing bass @ 17, started playing flats at 17(changed nasty rounds out asap).

Playing my sweet reggae lines on my set of chromes for two years straight and have no intention of EVER switiching them... i think when i buy a new bass i'll keep some rounds on it... but these flats will never come off my jazz bass.

 

[Valerus]

19 hoes

 

[Pilgrim]

72% of respondants are between 19 and 45 at this point. That tends to dispel the notion that only the boomers like me (age 57) use them.

 

[Drifta]

one thing to consider is the average age of a talkbass bassist. Because that could skew the results, I could understand that many 'wiser' (aka older) bassists might not even use computers that much let alone browse forums.

 

[joelb79]

72% of respondants are between 19 and 45 at this point. That tends to dispel the notion that only the boomers like me (age 57) use them.

Well most of the guys on this forum are in my age group (19-25) so its probably not too abnormal to see that group have the highest response.

 

[Tom Howland]

To me, Flats are made for a P-Bass.

I use them on my fretted and fretless P-basses.

But, never liked them on my Jazz Bass?

 

[buzzbass]

All my basses except the 2 Warwicks have flats now. If someone made taperwound flats, the Warwicks would get them too.

 

[mellowgerman]

19. I've been using flats for about six years now. They're just the way to go
even my acoustic guitar has flats on it!

 

[mobis.fr]

23 - flats on my 30th stingray (fender 45er), rickenbacker 4001v63 (LaBella 760FL) and ibanez AFB200 (just finding the right ones... i'm going to try some black nylons)

 

[COOL AND DEADLY]

I play mostly reggae, so I use exclusively flats. I got a fretless Jazz online and figured I would leave the rounds on it, but when it came it too had flats. I left them on. I hate the fretting noise rounds make, even on a fretless. I have 5 basses now (too many) and they all have flats.

 

[bluesblaster]

I,ve discovered with my two jazz basses that the flats are more pleasing to the ear than the RW,s. My old jazz has TI flats and my newer one has Labella,s 760FL it sounds really fat with that S-1 switch in series mode. everything else sounds just fine with various roundwounds, something about jazz basses and flats does it for me. For the record I,m 49.

 

[Happynoj]

I'm 19, but I only use flats on my fretless.

 

[TrevorNorton]

I'm 15 years old. I love the sound of flatwound bass strings than anything else they are the best and have the tone I love on those old records. Advantages I see in them are (Fender Flatwound 9050L's) they are cheap, very very very long lasting (james jamerson said the dirt helps the funk so im a believer), and I play a lot of Marvin Gaye through Bob Marley and the Wailers. People at my school who play bass (maybe 4 or 5 people total) use roundwound nickels (eww!) but im an exception.

 

[TrevorNorton]

and preserves frets and fingerboards (for fretless) plus im after that upright tone with very high string action and sponge mute under the bridge

 

[bradjonesbass]

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

looks like it's those of us in the middle using them most.

 

[lonote]

I'm 58 and I now use exclusively flats, either Chromes or Fender 9050's. I'd have to say, though, that I used rounds for many years and only switched back to flats about 7 years ago.

 

[Thunder_Fingers]

Hah! 19 to 25 in the lead.

String manufactors:
Give a big thanks to Steve Harris, Phil Lynnot, Roger Waters and James Jamerson! (Considering the age group, I will blame Mr. Harris.)

Im 21 btw, and use flats on my p bass thanks to, you guessed it, Steve Harris and Phil Lynott