Anyone Prefer Dead Roundwounds to Flats?

[6Bass101]

Not that long ago, someone posted a video of himself playing a Thunderbird strung with 20-year-old set of Swing Bass. It sounded fantastic.

This is exactly where my preference lands. I like really worn in (dead!) stainless steel rounds.

 

[B String]

Oooh, thanks for the recommend. Im gonna give those a try to use as continually bright strings to maybe get more life out of strings than I currently do. I change strings so often I may need to take a second mortgage out on my house so anything that would help at this point is appreciaited lol

I tend to be very easy on strings. My skin doesn't seem to have much acid type stuff that eats up strings.

 

[fourfinger]

There’s a wide range of “dead” and a wide selection of “rounds.” I’m a flats convert but I haven’t experimented much with dead rounds. Interesting thread!

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

I prefer old rounds to flats most of the time.

 

[andare]

New strings sound awful to me, rounds especially. I only change them if they stop intonating or they break.
I only like pure nickel rounds because they already sound broken in.
Flats sound different. No preference. My P basses have flats and I play those most of the time but I have a Bronco with rounds for rock and aggressive tones and pick playing.

 

[mmon77]

I'm in the not dead, but worn in camp. I play Nickel Low Riders or Sunbeams on all my basses. They can be a little much when brand new. Especially on my Thumb bass. They do make tone controls/EQ for a reason though.

Flats don't really do it for me. I do think some people sound good with them, just not me.

 

[themickster]

They tend to go DEAD rather than "dead".

Is that a new tuning? I can see it working. Put the lowest four of a five-string set on a four-string bass and tune the B to D. You can go to drop D without tuning down.

 

[tb-player]

I like em bright, new and spanky. Having the option for a little sizzle is a big plus. If I want a dark and broken in sound, I have a tone knob.

 

[rogerb]

Dead round wounds seem to me to start acting weird, we're talking months to a year on the bass, some notes seemed out of tune. It could have been my ears getting tired, I should have checked things with a tuner. I did like the tone better when they seemed in tune and dead though.

I've switched to flats and nylon strings since then for other reasons, mainly tone, and haven't noticed the problem... yet. I switched like a year or so ago so either my ears have just recovered or there really was some intonation problems with dying round wounds. They were Fender nickel round wounds.

Oh, I tried some Fender SS round wounds at one point, they just ate up my frets and I never like the tone, new or dead.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

I used to be a new steel rounds guy. For me a big part was about the music: once rounds stretched out the feel would get less responsive and when I played punk/hardcore I needed that “bouncy” feel to play fast and smooth.

now I don’t care about that - worn in is fine and my focus is more on recording and what fits the tune. Worn rounds have whatever range I typically need.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

For decades, I went for the bright sound of roundwound strings that I would replace quite frequently. I probably was trying to emulate my rock bass heroes: John Entwhistle, Geddy Lee and Chris Squire.

I really wanted to like flatwound strings due to the playing comfort, plus all the love they receive on TB. I just couldn't get on with the sound, however.

I have been influenced to leave my roundwounds on without changing them for months at a time. My current set may last a year. The darker sound seems to fit the music nicely. Anyone else?

Absolutely, on all counts!
When I was a young player, I used stainless steel Rotosound Swing Bass 66’s. Squire, Lee, and Entwistle all were my heroes too.
(and they still are! )

I tried a set of D’Addario Chromes, and I did like their tone at first, but once they became really thuddy, I just couldn’t stand it.

I’ve been using a darker sound for about the last 20 years, and I absolutely love it.

As my sig says: I’m a GHS Fan Boy. GHS Boomers and Pressurewounds work wonderfully for the sounds that I want. The Pressurewounds have a very long lifespan, and Boomers don’t sound overly bright when they’re fresh out of the package.

I can’t remember how long I’ve had the current set of Boomers on my Spector Euro, -maybe 9 months, and I’m thinking it’s time to change to a new set.

 

[Jogobass]

I prefer older rounds. I never could get along with the smoothness of flats. The sound of old rounds depends greatly on the bass. On my old fretless they just sounded dead but my latest fretless has so much mids that they bring life to those old rounds. The first month after changing them I need to put up with the zingy sound of new rounds, but after that it's smooth sailing with a well balanced sound.

 

[Ostie]

I had 20 year old rounds on my J. I didn’t know how bad they sounded until I changed them out a couple years ago. That thing sounded like an active J for a few weeks.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Monel Rotosound 77 Jazz Bass flats, what Steve Harris flats are based on, might do it.

Super stiff and very low output. Would not recommend. 2/10

 

[Stranger Danger]

Im similar to you except I never changed: I still like bright new roundwounds. The thing is, I like new rounds because (especially with active basses) I can tone-shape down zing and brightness PRN and make them sound deader as needed - but I cant add zing to already worn strings if I need to

I just mentioned this in another thread: the problem with worn roundwounds (or any string) is that the strings usually age different tonally. I remember engineering recording sessions where the bass player had a dead E string, an almost dead A string, a moderate D, and a bright and zingy G string

Are you a nurse, pharmacist or doc?

 

[funkmaster p]

OP here. As several people have pointed out, there is a big difference between worn in and dead strings. What I was really referring to was old, but not dead strings. My former self would have replaced my current strings about 6 months ago. As they are now, they don’t have any cuts from the frets, they intonate well, and still have a richer harmonic content than most flatwound strings I have heard. Most importantly, my sound is serving the music genres I am playing lately.

When I played slap style, I loved that Marcus Miller type of tone, which really called for fresh rounds. I don’t have the need to use slap technique nowadays, because the music material doesn’t call for it.

Lately, I’ve been playing a lot of rockabilly, really old country music and big band swing.

Thank you for the responses. I’m really learning a lot from you folks, despite my advancing age.

 

[Grinderman]

Super stiff and very low output. Would not recommend. 2/10

You wouldn't like the low output pickup I use those strings with either.

More output, low tension, and loose never equaled better to me.

From a tone and dynamics standpoint, I don't know why it would be likely someone asking about dead rounds and flats would want or care about high output.

OP here...

My former self would have replaced my current strings about 6 months ago. As they are now, they don’t have any cuts from the frets, they intonate well, and still have a richer harmonic content than most flatwound strings I have heard. Most importantly, my sound is serving the music genres I am playing lately...

Lately, I’ve been playing a lot of rockabilly, really old country music and big band swing...

Broadly speaking that doesn't strike me as a sound that calls for high output.

 

[Rib 13]

Are you a nurse, pharmacist or doc?

RN

 

[Rib 13]

OP here. As several people have pointed out, there is a big difference between worn in and dead strings. What I was really referring to was old, but not dead strings. My former self would have replaced my current strings about 6 months ago. As they are now, they don’t have any cuts from the frets, they intonate well, and still have a richer harmonic content than most flatwound strings I have heard. Most importantly, my sound is serving the music genres I am playing lately.

When I played slap style, I loved that Marcus Miller type of tone, which really called for fresh rounds. I don’t have the need to use slap technique nowadays, because the music material doesn’t call for it.

Lately, I’ve been playing a lot of rockabilly, really old country music and big band swing.

Thank you for the responses. I’m really learning a lot from you folks, despite my advancing age.

My guess is we are about the same age. If this is the case, you and I have seen trends come and go in music and bass. In the 80s, it was Marcus tone, active basses, and new rounds. You couldnt give away a P-Bass with flats back then. Fast forward to about about 2010, and - all of a sudden - Retro is in. Players are trading in active basses for passive ones and putting on the the flattest oldest strings as possible. Old amps are in and folks are purposely getting tones Ive been running as far as I can from. Hit songs were all going retro with vintage tones across the board and you can hear it throughout the past decade in songs by John Meyer, Elle King, and Portugal The Man just to name a few. Me? Im sticking with bright rounds and will use the tone knob or onboard EQ (depending on bass) to warm up tones as needed for the situation (Except in the studio where I have passive basses with flats and tapes to really nail parts as needed) .....Im just patiently waiting for this latest retro trend to finally make an exit

 

[Stranger Danger]

RN

Me too. Not too many people use PRN on talkbass lol