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Advice for first Flats

#61
One thing to be aware of with flats is…. You may be one of the folks (there are more of us out here than you think) that just can’t get along with them.

I can listen to folks that sound great playing them all day, but put a bass with flats in my hand, and I’ll never be happy. I’ll literally sprain my plucking fingers trying to dig a tone that I like out of them. I’m not kidding, I speak from experience.

Finding gear that works for you is part of the fun. Learning what doesn’t (although less fun) is also part of the process.
 
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#62
I use Daddario Chromes and love them. They are a little too bright when fresh but after a few days of playing they mellow and will last forever. I have sets over 20yrs old that still feel/sound fresh. They are tighter but that means I can lower the action...I should mention I play fretless
 
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#63
etoncrow said:
James Jamerson (Motown) & Donald "Duck" Dunn (Volt/Stax), arguably two of the most early influencers of bass players, used these on their Fender Precisions. They also would not change strings until one broke. Then they would change the set. One rarely broke.
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All you need to know: Jamerson and the Duck played LaBellas. :)
 
#64
Peter - Oregon said:
I am certainly open to tape wounds, don't know much about them. My interest in flats comes primarily from what I have heard about differences in tone and feel between rounds and flats. I will readily admit that I don't know what I don't know.
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In my experience, Flatwounds are the more mellow thumpy sound we all have heard and love. Tapewounds are (compared to rounds) a more mellow.... muted? no that's not right. Smooth version of rounds. Hard to explain. Tapes to me have this extra detail in their sound when compared to flats. I think it's because they have the tendency to be much more flexible, so the pickup senses different vibrations. One of my favorite sounds is a BTB with La Bella black tapes. Mellow yet defined.

Before spending a bunch of money, Check out LowendLobster on youtube. He plays a lot of different basses, and sometimes different strings. He does a rounds vs. la bella black nylon tape on an AFR video. His most recent video with the LOG is wearing my favorite flats the La Bella Low tension flats.

The lobster can simultaneously save you money and make you want to spend it. Great channel to help make informed decisions. I believe his "mold smoothie" Stingray is wearing La Bella 760FS (I believe). Also a great sound.
 
#65
Hey Peter,

I’m not an expert on flats, but I’ve tried several kinds, so here’s a summary.

Fender flats - First flats I ever tried. Stiff, thumpy, almost no high end even when new. I wouldn’t recommend them as a first ever flatwound string, but you might like them once you get into the flats world.

Ernie Ball (not Cobalt Slinkys) - Stiff, thumpy, not much high end, but a little more than the Fenders. The set I had was a heavy gauge, so they were definitely stiff & high tension. Would not recommend for a first set of flats.

D’Adderio Chromes - In a light gauge, these are not too stiff and are somewhat flexible. They have significant high end when new, but it starts to mellow out fairly quickly (a few weeks if played regularly). When the high end is gone, they have sort of a “clank” that a lot of players don’t like, but I like it with the tone knob rolled off. I also like them on fretless. I’ve had several different sets of these in different gauges. I’d recommend a light gauge of Chromes, .040-.095”.

Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinky - This is the flat that sounds most like a round wound to me. Very bright for a flat wound, something like 3/4 as bright as a round wound. I know you are looking for a string to go on a Pbass, but EB Cobalt flats seem to be made for a Stingray. I’d recommend the lighter gauge in these.

Thomastik / Infeld Jazz flats (TIJF or TI’s) - you will never see a thread about flats without these coming up. They are very flexible and low tension for a flat wound, but with the right neck relief, they feel fairly normal. I like the feel of these better than most flats, but they aren’t my favorite for tone. I like the tone, but not as well as EB Cobalts. TI’s have a better traditional tone without being as dead sounding as some flats. Some say they have a lot of high end, but EB Cobalts have triple the high end to me. The TI’s have a lot of high mids & took me a while to EQ how I wanted to hear them. I have two sets so far. There’s only one gauge I know of, and they are pretty light. I’m neutral on recommending them to a 1st time flats user, especially if that player doesn’t do their own instrument setup.

good luck.
 
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#67
Isaac_James said:
+1 to all of this, it's an excellent summary.

One other thing to keep in mind is that flats, like any other type of string, will experience changes in tonal characteristics over time. New flatwounds actually do have some top-end sparkle to them, though not quite the "zing" of fresh roundwounds. When you think of Steve Harris' tone, what you're hearing are very fresh flatwounds, because he (or more likely his bass tech) changes strings for every show he plays. For most of us who aren't sponsored by a string manufacturer and aren't members of one of the top heavy metal bands of all time, this is not really feasible from a financial or effort standpoint.

That said - a lot of folks use flats because they like the way they sound once they age in a bit. While roundwounds go "dead" after a few months, flatwounds age quite nicely, though they will mellow out and lose some definition. You can adjust for that to a certain extent with EQ settings, but they're still going to sound like old flatwounds.

The point here is that if you pick a set and install it, and they don't produce the sound you were hoping for... be patient. Resist the temptation to second-guess your purchase. Plenty of flatwound players keep theirs on for years at a time, or only change if a string breaks. The initial cost of a set of flats is quickly offset by the fact that you won't be buying new strings every few months; it's like having a laser printer instead of an inkjet.
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micguy said:
One thing to be aware of with flats is…. You may be one of the folks (there are more of us out here than you think) that just can’t get along with them. Great info, thank you Tim!

I can listen to folks that sound great playing them all day, but put a bass with flats in my hand, and I’ll never be happy. I’ll literally sprain my plucking fingers trying to dig a tone that I like out of them. I’m not kidding, I speak from experience.

Finding gear that works for you is part of the fun. Learning what doesn’t (although less fun) is also part of the process.
Click to expand...
micguy said:
One thing to be aware of with flats is…. You may be one of the folks (there are more of us out here than you think) that just can’t get along with them.

I can listen to folks that sound great playing them all day, but put a bass with flats in my hand, and I’ll never be happy. I’ll literally sprain my plucking fingers trying to dig a tone that I like out of them. I’m not kidding, I speak from experience.

Finding gear that works for you is part of the fun. Learning what doesn’t (although less fun) is also part of the process.
Click to expand...
Tim Skaggs said:
Hey Peter,

I’m not an expert on flats, but I’ve tried several kinds, so here’s a summary.

Fender flats - First flats I ever tried. Stiff, thumpy, almost no high end even when new. I wouldn’t recommend them as a first ever flatwound string, but you might like them once you get into the flats world.

Ernie Ball (not Cobalt Slinkys) - Stiff, thumpy, not much high end, but a little more than the Fenders. The set I had was a heavy gauge, so they were definitely stiff & high tension. Would not recommend for a first set of flats.

D’Adderio Chromes - In a light gauge, these are not too stiff and are somewhat flexible. They have significant high end when new, but it starts to mellow out fairly quickly (a few weeks if played regularly). When the high end is gone, they have sort of a “clank” that a lot of players don’t like, but I like it with the tone knob rolled off. I also like them on fretless. I’ve had several different sets of these in different gauges. I’d recommend a light gauge of Chromes, .040-.095”.

Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinky - This is the flat that sounds most like a round wound to me. Very bright for a flat wound, something like 3/4 as bright as a round wound. I know you are looking for a string to go on a Pbass, but EB Cobalt flats seem to be made for a Stingray. I’d recommend the lighter gauge in these.

Thomastik / Infeld Jazz flats (TIJF or TI’s) - you will never see a thread about flats without these coming up. They are very flexible and low tension for a flat wound, but with the right neck relief, they feel fairly normal. I like the feel of these better than most flats, but they aren’t my favorite for tone. I like the tone, but not as well as EB Cobalts. TI’s have a better traditional tone without being as dead sounding as some flats. Some say they have a lot of high end, but EB Cobalts have triple the high end to me. The TI’s have a lot of high mids & took me a while to EQ how I wanted to hear them. I have two sets so far. There’s only one gauge I know of, and they are pretty light. I’m neutral on recommending them to a 1st time flats user, especially if that player doesn’t do their own instrument setup.

good luck.
Click to expand...
 
#68
Peter - Oregon said:
I have been playing bass for about a year. I have an Ultra Jazz and a 2004 Stingray, both are strung with D'Addario Nickel Wound EXL170 regular light guage 45/100 long scale round wounds (those are what my brother, who sold me the Stingray, always uses). The only other strings I have played are the Fenders that have come on my guitars. I just received an American Professional II P for my 60th. As you can tell, I have limited knowledge about strings, but I would like to try flats on the new bass. Would love your opinions or links to threads on this topic. I am pretty much solely a classic rock player. Thanks ahead for your thoughts. Specifics on brands, gauges, lengths, etc would be great.
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Daddario Chromes all the way.
 
#70
Short story: Sadowsky SBF40 Blue Label Flatwound Bass Guitar Strings 40-100
SAC_STR_SBF_40_1024x1024@2x.jpg
 
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#72
Fender 9050Ls are my favorite strings. After close to 15 years of using Labella flats and then going back and for with all different flats, rounds, etc for the last decade I found them on a friends bass a couple years ago and they felt like home. Give em a shot.
 
#73
Strange advice, don't try TI flats as your 'first' flat. Try Rotosound first, maybe then the Labella's second, then get a set of TI jazz flats. Otherwise you might not try any of the others.
 
#76
I've been an almost flawound user for the last 17 years all my passive basses has flatwounds and i have gigged all over with a pbass or a jbass with flats, i call them my money making basses.

I would honestly start with chromes (lightest gauge as the tension is a tad high), it will take a while to tame the highs, but once they are settle you got a thumping sounding bass that will provide you with fundamental (not much overtones) that will cut through any mix.

If not defintely go on labella' DTF, plenty of used set to be had (as a matter of fact i just scored a lightly used set for my Squier TB Bass). Thumpy and deep as the packaging says, the low tension flats are worth the investment as they are friendly on the hands and they deliver just as its classic counter part.
 
#78
7dollarbologna said:
I’d go with a light set of whatever brand you choose- I think a great set for someone just getting into flats is the D’Addario Chromes set - they sound like rounds (for a while) -good luck!
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But they do have a higher tension that can be hard on your fingers until you get used to them.
I agree they sound bright for a while, but there's usually a tone knob somewhere.
 
#80
Hi Peter,

Another old guy from across the pond here

Save yourself the pain of endlessly seeking the holy grail and ask yourself one question.

Do you have a light touch or do you hammer the strings?

If you pound, thrash and pummel your way through a tune then I can’t help you.

If however, you have a more delicate touch and enjoy a more subtle approach then get yourself some Thomastik Jazz Flats and enjoy.

Welcome to the club.
 
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