Another flatwound thread: Dunlop flats or Rotosound 77's

[MojaveVox]

Hi all,
I am continuing my search for the perfect "modern" flatwound string (for me that is). My criteria is fairly simple, I'm looking for sustain, clarity/punch, and a reasonable tension as I'm not a big fan of the bridge cable-like stiffness of some heavy gage traditional flats. I've narrowed my choices down to the dunlops and rotosounds, after having tried TI's and EB cobalts and determining that both sets are just too floppy for me. I'm aware that the R77's tend to be characteristically "bright" out of the package but how long does that brightness and clarity remain? How do they compare to the dunlops? For the life of me I'm unable to find an adequate demo of the Dunlops to where I can really hear their unique characteristics. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[michael_t]

My criteria is fairly simple, I'm looking for sustain, clarity/punch, and a reasonable tension as I'm not a big fan of the bridge cable-like stiffness of some heavy gage traditional flats. I've narrowed my choices down to the dunlops and rotosounds, after having tried TI's and EB cobalts and determining that both sets are just too floppy for me.

If TIs and EB Cobalt Flats are "too floppy" and you don't want the "bridge cable-like stiffness", I would suggest the Dunlop 45-105 or the Roto 40-100.

If I were you, I'd start with the Dunlop 45-105.

 

[Timmah]

I just put a set of Dunlop flats on my P Bass about a week ago. They were surprisingly bright out of the package, but that’s starting to fade a bit. They still have some bark, though, and that’s more what I’m after than high-end brightness. I’ve probably put 10 hours on them so far, including tuning to Eb and back to standard a couple times. I have a rehearsal tonight so I’ll voice memo you a little sample if you like.

I had a set of Roto 77s a long time ago on a different, much darker bass. I don’t remember much about them but I do remember them having quite a lot of tension- considerably more than Dunlops, Chromes, or Fenders.

 

[MojaveVox]

If TIs and EB Cobalt Flats are "too floppy" and you don't want the "bridge cable-like stiffness", I would suggest the Dunlop 45-105 or the Roto 40-100.

If I were you, I'd start with the Dunlop 45-105.

How would you characterize the sound of the Dunlops? do you think they're comparable at all to the Cobalts? I was really pleased with the sound of the EB's, it's just the feel that wasn't doing it for me.

 

[MojaveVox]

I just put a set of Dunlop flats on my P Bass about a week ago. They were surprisingly bright out of the package, but that’s starting to fade a bit. They still have some bark, though, and that’s more what I’m after than high-end brightness. I’ve probably put 10 hours on them so far, including tuning to Eb and back to standard a couple times. I have a rehearsal tonight so I’ll voice memo you a little sample if you like.

I had a set of Roto 77s a long time ago on a different, much darker bass. I don’t remember much about them but I do remember them having quite a lot of tension- considerably more than Dunlops, Chromes, or Fenders.

How do you think their sustain matches up with a round? I'm also not particularly after the roundwound grit, moreso just the presence and sustain of one. and a demo would be lovely if you're able!

 

[michael_t]

How would you characterize the sound of the Dunlops? do you think they're comparable at all to the Cobalts? I was really pleased with the sound of the EB's, it's just the feel that wasn't doing it for me.

If you want the tone to be close to the EB Cobalts, then go with the Roto 77. They're closer in brightness than the Dunlop.

 

[bigbottomend]

There's a certain tone that you can only get from Roto 77s, I've never heard the same anywhere else and i love mine.

 

[Aidil]

Hi all,
I am continuing my search for the perfect "modern" flatwound string (for me that is). My criteria is fairly simple, I'm looking for sustain, clarity/punch, and a reasonable tension as I'm not a big fan of the bridge cable-like stiffness of some heavy gage traditional flats. I've narrowed my choices down to the dunlops and rotosounds, after having tried TI's and EB cobalts and determining that both sets are just too floppy for me. I'm aware that the R77's tend to be characteristically "bright" out of the package but how long does that brightness and clarity remain? How do they compare to the dunlops? For the life of me I'm unable to find an adequate demo of the Dunlops to where I can really hear their unique characteristics. Any advice would be appreciated.

Which cobalt flatwound gauge did you have? You can opt for cobalt flat heavier gauge, if you haven't.

 

[callofcthulhu]

I’ve no first hand experience with the Cobalts, but from listening to a lot of “shootout” style demos I don’t think anything else out there sounds like them. They are the only ones AFAIK that have actually delivered on the “flat that sounds like a round” promise - albeit a round with an idiosyncratic (somewhat “nasal” to my ears) midrange tonality.

What I do have first hand experience with are Roto 77s, Chromes, and Fender flats. Roto 77s sound very very close to rounds fresh out of the package, but they will lose that sound completely after very little playing time, at which point they become very stereotypical flats - no sustain, no presence, just dead thud.

I used Chromes for quite a few years. Definitely less stiff than the Rotos and if you keep them clean (e.g. AxeWipes and the like) they can hold onto their presence for a year or more, and even after the brightness finally gives up the ghost they never really lose sustain or get thuddy.

 

[MattZilla]

for sustain, clarity/punch, and a reasonable tension

in TB traditionne: GHS Precision flats.

now that I’ve got a month or so on mine and the zing has mellowed off and what seemed like a bent core causing dissonance on the E has disappeared, they’re surprisingly long sustaining, surprisingly clear and don’t have the upper-mid bell ding that chromes have on the attack, and have a distinct character to any place that you pluck from.

The D string is a little tight, but they’re all roughly the same tension as you’d expect from regular medium rounds.

I’ve used Rotos a few times. They’re 20-30 hour strings that I find only good for studio use.

 

[michael_t]

in TB traditionne: GHS Precision flats.

The OP likes the EB Cobalt Flats for the tone but not for the feel (= too flexible). GHS Precision Flats are the farthest from the EB Cobalts in tone.

 

[2F/2F]

Hi all,
I am continuing my search for the perfect "modern" flatwound string (for me that is). My criteria is fairly simple, I'm looking for sustain, clarity/punch, and a reasonable tension as I'm not a big fan of the bridge cable-like stiffness of some heavy gage traditional flats. I've narrowed my choices down to the dunlops and rotosounds, after having tried TI's and EB cobalts and determining that both sets are just too floppy for me. I'm aware that the R77's tend to be characteristically "bright" out of the package but how long does that brightness and clarity remain? How do they compare to the dunlops? For the life of me I'm unable to find an adequate demo of the Dunlops to where I can really hear their unique characteristics. Any advice would be appreciated.

Did you try the heaviest EBs? They have the EB tone with less flexibility than the lighter sets. I hate floppy strings. But I love these. And the next set down in thickness. My normal strings are the thickest LaBella DTBs. Second favorite are the heavier EB sets.

Also, try higher action.

 

[MojaveVox]

Which cobalt flatwound gauge did you have? You can opt for cobalt flat heavier gauge, if you haven't.

I went through several sets of both 45-105 and 45-100 sets. Tension-wise I preferred the heavier gauge set given their slightly higher tension. For the record I love the cobalts, I just don't much care for how they age that much, I'm hoping perhaps the Rotos maintain a greater consistency in sound with age.

 

[MojaveVox]

Did you try the heaviest EBs? They have the EB tone with less flexibility than the lighter sets. I hate floppy strings. But I love these. And the next set down in thickness. My normal strings are the thickest LaBella DTBs. Second favorite are the heavier EB sets.

Also, try higher action.

Yeah, i've tried out a couple gauge sets of EB flats, and if the dunlops or Rotos don't do it for me i'm probably sticking with them!

 

[michael_t]

GHS Precision flats.

The D string is a little tight, but they’re all roughly the same tension as you’d expect from regular medium rounds.

Precision Flats M3050 = 45-65-85-105.
Precision Flats CM3050 = 45-60-80-105.

CM3050 would be better-balanced in tension.

 

[Aidil]

I went through several sets of both 45-105 and 45-100 sets. Tension-wise I preferred the heavier gauge set given their slightly higher tension. For the record I love the cobalts, I just don't much care for how they age that much, I'm hoping perhaps the Rotos maintain a greater consistency in sound with age.

There are still a couple more gauges of the cobalt flats you can choose: 50-105 and 55-110.

I don't think Dunlop flats would meet your criteria. I'm under the impression Jim Dunlop applies the same recipe of creating the Super Bright roundwound series to his flatwound, that is using smaller diameter hex core. If this is so, then I imagined even the 45-105 gauge would be on the flexible side on the flexibility/stiffness spectrum.

 

[Sparuto]

I can vouch for the “brightness” of cobalt flats as I’ve had them on my jazz now for a couple weeks. I don’t like rounds, so decided to get the lightest gauge EB cobalt flats and I can truly say that they’ve delivered. They’ve also got more than sufficient sustain. Have you tried higher gauged cobalts?

 

[dagrev]

No experience with Dunlops. The Roto's are somewhat similar in tone to the EB Cobalts. Somewhat, in that they are more punchy than the typical flat. The roto's have nice mids. They can be stiff, so I use the light gauge which helps with that while not being the same thing. Like every string, they get less bright, but to me they remain clear for a long time. When they lose some brightness, there's that treble knob on the amp that will bring it back a little. I don't have them on everything, but do like them for a different sound.

Thinking outside the box: GHS Pressurewounds. They are not bright flats, but can sound similar to such a thing. They are thick sounding like flats, but have clarity and punch of rounds, but with way less string noise because they feel more like flats. Amazing strings. One of the few compromises that actually works. Just something to at least consider.

 

[MIMike]

In my somewhat limited experience with flats; yes the Roto 77’s are bright out of the package, but I don’t know long it takes them to settle in because I found the tension to be so uncomfortably stiff that I took them off pretty quickly. I replaced them with Chromes that were a little less in both the brightness and stiffness categories. My main flat wound Bass always has Precision Flats on it though.

 

[2F/2F]

I went through several sets of both 45-105 and 45-100 sets. Tension-wise I preferred the heavier gauge set given their slightly higher tension. For the record I love the cobalts, I just don't much care for how they age that much, I'm hoping perhaps the Rotos maintain a greater consistency in sound with age.

Yeah, i've tried out a couple gauge sets of EB flats, and if the dunlops or Rotos don't do it for me i'm probably sticking with them!

You say, "Yeah," but your first quoted post states that you did NOT try the heaviest set of the EB Flats – which is what I asked about. They make a 55–110 set. One can expect looser strings with 100s and 105s, especially on the low end.

The RS 77s will age more drastically than the EB flats, and will be significantly stiffer feeling. That said, "aging" can easily be compensated for with flat wounds, just using basic e.q. controls. IMO, the first year or so on ANY set of flats has them sounding not quite to their ideal yet. It's only once they get old that I feel they are sounding and feeling as they "should," to my mind. Until then, I dial out more treble and run them with slightly higher action.

RS 77s and EB flats are not really comparable. They are different styles of strings. The 77s are very classic. Stiff. "Boomy." Yet more aggressive mids than classic LaBellas. The EBs are all about modern feel with a nice compromise of modern and classic tone. They feel looser than most flats, and they don't have the overwhelming low end of many of the classic style sets. But, the thicker sets move you more toward the LaBella zone, in terms of feel and low end.

La Bella DTB 110s are my primary set. A custom EB 105 set (45, 60, 80 105), made from single strings, is my secondary – for lower tension, less classic boominess, and more fret slap. RS 77s are my #3 set, used for low middy classic sounding aggressive flat wound tone.

I tend to use the LaBellas with classic Fender basses, the EBs on basses that are hotter (e.g. most of my G&Ls), and the RS 77s (105 set) on my non-active, but not necessarily "vintage style" basses.