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Anyone use flats only or mainly?

#62
armybass said:
I use LaBella 760FLs on my Ric in my blues/Allman bros type band and it sits so well in the mix. I want to put TIs on one of my other Zrics but I think I am gonna try the DR flats first.
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Thanks. Did it require much setup work when you put them on? We do about 4 or 5 Allman Brothers songs too. Fun stuff to play.
 
#63
Anybody else using flats in a modern rock cover band situation? I bought a 2011 American Std P last year that came with La Bella flats on it. Being a round player all my life they initially didn't feel right to me but I left them on to hear how they sounded with the rock band. Totally thought they wouldn't sound good but somehow they cut through the mix just right. Been over a year and I'm loving them now and get all kinds of compliments from other musicians and soundmen. I play all-nighters pretty much every weekend so I don't want to even think about how many sets of rounds I would have gone through this past year.
 
#65
Gravy4001 said:
Anybody else using flats in a modern rock cover band situation? I bought a 2011 American Std P last year that came with La Bella flats on it. Being a round player all my life they initially didn't feel right to me but I left them on to hear how they sounded with the rock band. Totally thought they wouldn't sound good but somehow they cut through the mix just right. Been over a year and I'm loving them now and get all kinds of compliments from other musicians and soundmen. I play all-nighters pretty much every weekend so I don't want to even think about how many sets of rounds I would have gone through this past year.
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My band plays some modern rock. I find flats work but not all. Some with more clarity fare well as you can coax a broad palette of tones out of them in my experience. TIs work on pretty much everything and I would play them in about any tiven situation I could reasonably find myself in. I'm gassing for six or seven stringers though, wouldn't put flats on them however... :p

I find many people exaggerate their negative opinions of flats... Sounds to me like they never heard a real, honest to god dead as a dog string shot to hell. That's just not how flats sound (unless they are of course dead as well).
 
#66
Chromes on my P-Bass and Fretless Stingray, rounds on my Stingray 5 and parts Jazz, Fender Nylon Tapewound on Yamaha BBG-4. Thinking about pressure wounds on the Ray5 and jazz because I like the feel of flats better, but like zing on those 2. Didn't like GHS brite flats (ground wound, too sticky).
 
#70
The question about flats that I have is: Is it typical for flatwound strings to look and feel a bit larger than rounds of the same gauge?

I have never used flats before. The D'Addario Chromes I bought today are shown as 105-50, which is comparable to the D'Addario rounds that I replaced them with, yet they look and feel larger. The 105 E flat, in particular, looks more like the size of the 110 E from the Rotosound set I had on a while back.
 
#72
Got JF344 on my SQ-series P. Flats encourage picking because they're not tinny, and I find myself picking more these days because of the extreme control I get over each note's decay with muting, not to mention the extra lard, authority, and the fact that the precise moment of attack is never lost. Good combination, picking and flats.
 
#74
Flats only user here, lately it's been TI flats only.

I have tried to use rounds several times, also tried many half-, compression-, quarterwounds etc. But I just don't like the sound of them, that is not THE bass sound in my head.

I used to use Labellas on my P bass and TI's on the rest, but lately it's been TI's on all my basses. They just work for me and I feel that there is more "punch" in my sound with TI's compared to other flats. I've tried pretty much all the major flats out there, and iTI's are the ones for me. Can't beat that warm punch that you get with those strings!! :cool: (once they are worn in of course)
 
#75
I play in a pop/rock covers band (pubs & clubs) as well as with a singer-songwriter (acoustic clubs thru a 40w practice amp with a nice 12" speaker and 'deep' preset). The bass I've been using for 6 yrs is a Gibson re-issue SG - still with its original rounds - but I've just bought an Ibanez AGB200 semi-acoustic that I want to convert to flats, mainly for the ‘60s stuff (Beatles etc) and acoustic clubs. What do you guys recommend for the Ibanez (30 1/2" scale) that will add to the range of the SG but won't feel too floppy or sound too dead?
 
#76
SquierJazz72 said:
The question about flats that I have is: Is it typical for flatwound strings to look and feel a bit larger than rounds of the same gauge?

I have never used flats before. The D'Addario Chromes I bought today are shown as 105-50, which is comparable to the D'Addario rounds that I replaced them with, yet they look and feel larger. The 105 E flat, in particular, looks more like the size of the 110 E from the Rotosound set I had on a while back.
Click to expand...

Yes. When looking at rounds, you see a solid core, and the wraps have gaps, making them visually smaller than they are, as well as baing more flexible. Flats have no gaps, so you see the actual diameter, making them appear larger. They are less flexible, too, because there is no gap for them to flex into. As a broad, general rule (that means that there are exceptions), Flats need to be a full gauge smaller to feel the same. Thus, if you normally use a .105 set of rounds, then you should use a .100 set of flats.
 
#77
NYCbassist said:
Thanks. Did it require much setup work when you put them on? We do about 4 or 5 Allman Brothers songs too. Fun stuff to play.
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No it did not at all. I attribute that to the FL's. They are about the same tension as the rounds I use and there was really no setup needed at all. Going to put a set of DR Flats on one of my Rics and possibly Roto 77's on the Ric I tune down to Eb.
 
#78
My Squier VMJ has Chromes, & my Schecter C4 has Chromes. My first bass, my Ibanez GSR200 has DR High Beams. If I ever played my Ibby, I'd prob put Chromes on it as well. Maybe not. Might throw some neons on it for fun!
 
#79
Yes. When looking at rounds, you see a solid core, and the wraps have gaps, making them visually smaller than they are, as well as baing more flexible. Flats have no gaps, so you see the actual diameter, making them appear larger. They are less flexible, too, because there is no gap for them to flex into. As a broad, general rule (that means that there are exceptions), Flats need to be a full gauge smaller to feel the same. Thus, if you normally use a .105 set of rounds, then you should use a .100 set of flats.
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Thanks. That makes sense. I don't mind the larger look and feel, as I was using heavy Roto stainless 66's early on. And my local store only had the Chromes in that one gauge.
 

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