ALL BASS PLAYERS USE FLATS!!!

[Newbie-Doo]

I like the sound of flats, but I like to bend notes and the flats are not very cooperative.

 

[funkybass]

I use a stingray with flats for about 1/3 of our set list. I also have a SR5 with rounds I use for the rest. I use what sounds best for the song.

 

[maturanesa]

If all bassist use flats the market would collapse... flats last many years..

 

[Kenzy]

I've also noticed that a bunch of posters on talkbass like to talk about their flats...

I strung my old Soundgear with flats but I'm really more a roundwound guy. Super Bright D'Addario ProSteels are just too awesome... I may have to change them constantly to keep them fresh but I guess that's the price you have to pay for amazing bright, punchy, metallic tone.

 

[ggvicviper]

I used to like Ernie Ball Nickel Roundwounds as they are bright, but eventually I got into D'Addario as a brand, and when my fingers were ready, Chromes Flatwounds. Most of my favorite players played flats for their classic sound, but the reason I like Chromes is because they're really versatile due to the winding and core. They're pretty thumpy fingerstyle, but they can get very bright on certain basses or if played with a pick.

EDIT: Ehhhhh... I go back and forth. Nickels are awesome too.

 

[awamori]

I'm a diehard DR Strings fan for rounds but flats I'll use whatever the guys at the shop are carrying in .50-.110 gauge sets.

 

[RaginRog]

If all bassist use flats the market would collapse... flats last many years..

Lol... Recession all over again.

 

[edfriedland]

Of course we all have our preferences, but I think to be fully equipped for any musical situation, you need both rounds and flats.

 

[Kilometers]

Flats feel amazing and sound great but I can't ever abandon rounds. That growly, brutal, primal tone is just too perfect. I just went from d'addario nylon tapes to eb cobalts and it really made me realize how much strings affect your tone. Every musician should explore their options regardless of how they think they want their tone. If you dislike a certain combination of tone factors then you've narrowed down your personal style that much more.

 

[mccartneyman]

I like the sound of flats, but I like to bend notes and the flats are not very cooperative.

You need lighter gauge flats. I bend notes on mine with no problem.

 

[rockscott]

Of course we all have our preferences, but I think to be fully equipped for any musical situation, you need both rounds and flats.

well said! I love the rounds on my jaguar and my thunderbird, but my hollowbody artcore sounds awful with rounds and devine with flats!

 

[billgwx]

I like the sound of flats, but I like to bend notes and the flats are not very cooperative.

Then you would love nylon tapewound strings. They are super-bendable, with much less fingerboard friction than with flats or rounds.

 

[bkbirge]

There is no substitute for flats. Just rolling the tone knob off on a set of rounds does not get you to flat territory. But that doesn't make them better than rounds, just different. I use both.

 

[guitardefector]

Is this another "I know what you are but what am I?" threads??

 

[petrus61]

I don't think of strings in terms of 'flat' or 'round', I think of them in terms of sounds 'good' or 'bad' to my ears. To me, TI's beat any and all strings out there, flat or round, so TI's are my preference. When they make a string that can do better for me than what TI's can, I will use it whether its a flat or a round. Until then, I play what I play.

 

[Zoomie]

Chromes on a Fender 62 AVRI P/Rosewood = Pure goodness.

Rounds on a Fender FSR P/Maple with Fralins = Pure goodness.

Tapewounds ? I was told at a very early age that if I ever touched a set of tapewounds I would surely develop the overwhelming desire to collect Cher records.

Just say no to Tapes.

If TB has taught me anything, it's that in the end, the best choice for gear/strings/cab/head is typically the one that I like most. Might be 10.00. Might be 3000.00. Might be the populalr choice. Might be the worst possible choice.

In the end, if I yank on the strings and people wag their butts, then it sounds great and works for me.

Bear in mind that this is coming from a guy that plays a purple sparkle Jazz. You're mileage may vary.

 

[boynamedsuse]

I'm madly in love with the sound of my J with rounds on it. However, I play in a band with three guitars and a keyboard. I can hear myself better when I play a P with flats in this band.

. . . .

This is the reason I use a P with flats. I also have 3 guitars and keys to deal with. Other bass/string combinations seem to get lost from time to time during the set unless I participate in volume wars.

Practicing out of a band context is a different story.

 

[emblymouse]

I'm about to revisit TI Flats again after years of rounds and half rounds. Now I'm playing a 5 string and my mindset has changed a bit. I can't wait to hear what it does with the low B. I get annoyed by all the harmonic overtones down there. I'm thinkin' these ought to focus on the good stuff surrounding the fundamental.

 

[jon5252]

I'm about to revisit TI Flats again after years of rounds and half rounds. Now I'm playing a 5 string and my mindset has changed a bit. I can't wait to hear what it does with the low B. I get annoyed by all the harmonic overtones down there. I'm thinkin' these ought to focus on the good stuff surrounding the fundamental.

Tom,
I have a new Pentabuzz, and have a set ordered for it. Are you planning on trying the flats on your Bongo. I think they are a really good string.

 

[CapnSev]

I'm about to revisit TI Flats again after years of rounds and half rounds. Now I'm playing a 5 string and my mindset has changed a bit. I can't wait to hear what it does with the low B. I get annoyed by all the harmonic overtones down there. I'm thinkin' these ought to focus on the good stuff surrounding the fundamental.

The TI low B is gloriously massive sounding. There's no other way to describe it really.