I started out bass using roundwounds but I changed to flats due to curiosity. After months of playing, I came to the conclusion that I like the feel of flats but the tone seems to lack clarity and brightness. I also felt that it was hard to play fast lines with the extra tension. Today, I decided to change back to rounds and I can't believe how much I've missed them. The brightness and the decreased tension is like heaven on my fingers. I feel like my bass is brand new!
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Back to rounds!
- Thread starter Bozzy
- Start date
i've never "changed to flats" but i was so curious about TI jazz flats because of the outrageous, 'life-changing' reports from TBers that i had to try them. so i bought a set, found out that they sucked (for me), and gave them to a friend who actually appreciates them...i couldn't get rid of them fast enough!
i've always used rounds for the very reasons you mention. i tried the best-of-the-best flats and they were...well, flat. if you know what you like = you're a step ahead of the herd.
JeezyMcNuggles
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Flats are much harder to play, and and are lacking. I keep trying though. I buy a new set every so often. I never get more than 2 weeks in. I usually rip them off after first practice, when I'm completely appalled with how my bass sounds. By myself, they're not bad at all. With a band, I hate them.
I can't state enough how much I'm falling in love with rounds again. A quick question btw, I've realized that I like low tension strings better and I want to go for a 40 gauge E string. Is it okay to use a light gauge for the E and to use medium gauge for the other strings?
JeezyMcNuggles
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A 40? Tuned to E? Like, the string that's a .105? I don't know man? If you want low tension feel, just grab a pack of markbass soft touch strings. Light Guage. Any Guage is low tension, but lights will be a lot less stiff then the mediums that I use. Get the nickels bro.
JeezyMcNuggles
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Or, are you simply saying take a .100 off a light Guage pack, and the rest from a medium pack? That's perfectly fine. You can mix and match any sort of strings you want to.
Haha my bad man, I meant to say a .100 for the E string. I forgot that .40 was for the G string. So yeah, I simply want to use a light gauge E string with the rest of the strings being medium gauge. Thanks for the info!
Most manufacturers offer so-called "medium-light" sets, 45-65-80-100.
The closest I've ever come to having flats is a set of GHS Pressurewounds on my fretless.
The feel of flats with the sound of rounds.
Still may go back to rounds on my fretless.
The feel of flats with the sound of rounds.
Still may go back to rounds on my fretless.
You can’t beat flats for some things but rounds are more versatile.
I’ve tried flats on my P but after six months the rounds went back on.
My Hofner is the only bass sporting flats right now.
I’ve tried flats on my P but after six months the rounds went back on.
My Hofner is the only bass sporting flats right now.
I've been back and forth, back and forth between rounds and flats over the years. Rounds give me the tone I want but I hate their feel. Flats give me the feel I like but not the tone.
I've found my personal sweet spot with GHS Pressurewounds, which provide the best blend of the tone I want and need (= roundwound) and the feel I like (= smooth).
All personal preference, which is all good. Personally, I've been migrating to flats since the eighties, first by going from rounds to half-wounds on my custom-made Kali Koa J/P/J slab bass, I find (with this particular bass) the half-wounds work best. Then I acquired a P with old flats (chromes) and fell in love, decided to switch up my J and went through rounds, half-wounds and finally with flats (9050L). My fretless J had half-wounds on for a while but now have 9050Ls.
Saying all that, I would definitely add to my arsenal a P wrapped with rounds. My playing style seems to suit the percussiveness of digging deep with flats but can totally understand the desire for rounds.
It's all personal preference.
Saying all that, I would definitely add to my arsenal a P wrapped with rounds. My playing style seems to suit the percussiveness of digging deep with flats but can totally understand the desire for rounds.
It's all personal preference.
Flats sound to me just like the name implies. Flat,dull and lifeless. RotoSounds66 all the way for me baby. They put the zing in string.
Heh I did the same recently. Played flats pretty exclusively for the past ~5 years. I picked up some Dunlop Marcus Miller Super Brights on a whim and man am I glad I did! My P bass came to life, it was like taking ear plugs out. Forgot how much I missed all the highs and beautiful tones. And speaking of tones, the tone knob is suddenly a lot more useful. It now goes from crisp glassiness to underwater dub.
I also forgot just how stiff the flats I've played are, as my fingers are loving how easy it is to bend on rounds. I think for my next set of flats I want to try something different. Up until now I've mostly played Chromes, Fenders, and Dunlop flats. With the Dunlops being my favorites but they're still really stiff. I also once tried some La Bella 750T Nylons but they were too floppy. The search continues...
I also forgot just how stiff the flats I've played are, as my fingers are loving how easy it is to bend on rounds. I think for my next set of flats I want to try something different. Up until now I've mostly played Chromes, Fenders, and Dunlop flats. With the Dunlops being my favorites but they're still really stiff. I also once tried some La Bella 750T Nylons but they were too floppy. The search continues...
But... but... but... flats... tort... <eye twitch>
+1. Try a set of light gauge PWs if you want a bit lower tension without being floppy.
I've long ago lost track of the number of times I've "tried them out." For me, putting flats on a bass to make it sound better is tantamount to putting high heels on an elephant to make it walk better.
This has always been a question for me.
In the early 70’s - I started hearing the bell tone that rounds were giving players and I happily followed the crowd. It’s difficult to see that it wasn’t a better sound than the flats.
People were slapping and popping and the bell tones were crisp and accurate.
Over the years, I look back at the earlier music Jameson, Joe Osborn, Carol Kaye, Carl Radle, Jack Bruce, Felix Papalardi , Paul McCartney etc..
Obviously there was something special about that sound.
At gigs I often play a lot of that music on rounds but you can’t discount the music bass lines that originated on the flats.
Just my opinion.
I was always a round wound guy. On a whim put TI flats on my 74 precision and I love them. Just bought a 2011 us standard jazz bass and thinking about putting the flats on that too. I didn’t play electric for a long time, just getting back into it recently. In the interim Some guitar tech put XL’s ( I think) on my old faithful Zeidler bass. I don’t like them. They sound harsh and cheap to me. I bought a set of TI jazz round wounds. Has anyone tried them? The Zeidler is headless so I would have to cut them to install them, making them useless for any other bass.
