Are flats good for slap?

[CrashClint]

I found slapping on flats pretty awesome, although I did end up going back to rounds except for recording sometimes.

I don't know Jimmy, your sounding like the Bret Favre of Bass Strings.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

I wanna try flats on my Ibanez SR 5005 but are they good for slap?

The answer is basic; flats are good for the kind of slap tone they are capable of producing. It's not a tone exactly like rounds produce, but it's a tone. Some folks like it and some don't.

 

[kasbrey]

Talking of Peg here's me having a go using D'addario Chromes a few years ago.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

I like the sound of the D and G (and higher) strings being popped with flats (it's got a sexy, smooth tone), but the E and A (and lower) have too little definition to be worthwhile.

 

[Tone Meister]

There are a lot of opinions being passed on as fact in this thread. It depends on what kind of sound you are going for, and the instrument you are putting them on. Also not all flats are constructed the same. D'Addario Chromes, and Rotosound flats are really bright sounding, and have a very aggressive slap sound on a maple necked '70s Fender jazz. LaBellas also have a great slap sound and feel, but a mellower sound than Chromes or Rotosounds. A lot of the funk slapping from the early 70s was done on flatwounds, so don't listen to anyone who says they aren't any good for it. When I slap on my Jazz bass, my bandmates sometimes feel the need to touch my strings to confirm that I'm slapping on flats.

Finally, a post that's not littered with over-generalizations. Great information that saved me some typing!