Beatle/Violin Bass flatwound/groundwound strings considerations

[Pilgrim]

Here you go dude:

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$14.95 short scale flats.

Wrong strings. Violin basses require 32" strings.

See other thread for my recommendation.

 

[oldrookie]

Bought mine used. Has Fender flats on it and it sounds great. Use D'Addario Chromes on my other basses, but have found no need to change the Fenders the Brice HVB-600 came with.

 

[57pbass]

I have my Hofner strung with Hofner flat wounds.... no problems and great sounding..

 

[rickfan63]

I have SIT Power Flats(50-105) on my Brice Violin Bass. They are groundwounds, and I really like them. I've had Chromes on it and to me, it didn't really work like I thought they would. Rounds sounded like a banjo to me. The SIT's deepen the tone, but still have the low mids to cut through the mix. To me, the heavier the G and D strings, the better the sound. The SIT's are inexpensive at juststrings.com too. I'm not really after the Macca tone, but these strings get petty close.

 

[iamthebassman]

Do you have to cut the SITs to fit?
I make a living playing a Hofner and change strings semi-frequently, and finding reasonably priced flats that fit would be nice.

 

[Alex E]

I think the chromes are too high-tension for the neck of a violin bass..... or at least the Hofner Icon, Rogue, and the Turser basses I have played. I also don't think they articulate sound as well as Labella Strings do on a violin bass design.

You didn't ask about this set, but I like the TI JF344's even more than I like the Labellas. They sound very clean and bassy. I think their tension is a little lower than the Labellas, too! But this is just by feel. I haven't seen the spec.s

They are just a little pricier than the Labella strings. You can get them at www.stringsandbeyond.com for about $45. per set. If you keep them clean, they last a very long time with no drop-off in tone. In fact, many claim their tone improves with age. Don't know if that is right, but I've had my JF 344's on my violin bass for coming up on two years and they still sound great.

Happy Hunting.

 

[iamthebassman]

I wasn't happy with the TI flats I tried on my Hofner but, to each his own.

 

[peakdesign]

I'm scanning fedex for a Douglas Violin Bass that's coming , and then the string issue will come up. What exactly didn't you like about the TIs on the violin bass? I've yet to find a bass I didn't like better with TIs on it, but who knows, so I'm curious.

I have TIs so far on a long scale MIA Fender P, and a 30" scale SX Fretless Jazz (I cut down a 34" scale set on the silked taper, no problems). I don't mind the tension being lower than e.g. Chromes (yes, you can confirm the lower tension, they have the data on both Daddario and Thomastik web sites). The things I like most about TIs are the strings' flexibility, the rich and complex timbre, and the extent to which the tone changes depending on how you enter into the note with your fretting finger. Considering everybody says they last for years, the price is almost bearable .

 

[bdeaux]

Pyramids and don't look back. I have used them on my Hofner Club, and my Lakland Glaub/Darkstar. Might cost more than other flats, but they are different. Try them and you will see (if you have tried other flats to judge by ofcourse). Best of luck to you. The violin bass is fun.

 

[Rattman]

I like Paul, but i'm not particularly trying to imitate his tone. I just want deep/warm tone.

I also don't want to spend $50 (with S&H) if I don't have to.

I know I like D'Addario guitar strings - last a long time.

I'm interested to see if anyone's compared LaBellas with D'Addarios (chromes and nickel groundwounds).

Hey.... a few months back I finally got my first set of flatwounds... D'Addario Chromes (feels like 'medium') .. The only issue was having to make an immediate truss rod adjustment due to increased tension. The D'Addarios play and tune well.. I've recorded with these strings, and the resulting sessions ended up on our CD. The chromes are on a Pbass 'Lyte'.

 

[iamthebassman]

I've been playing Pyramids on the Hofner for years and when I tried the TIs notes seemed...blurred, for lack of a better word. Less punchy. YMMV.

 

[funkytoe]

I am surprised that no-one has recommended the Rotosound short scale monel flats. I have tried the TI's and the LaBellas on my Hofner and I chose the Rotosounds over both brands. The Rotos feel very supple, alot like the TI's, but with more of a vintage sound to my ear. I found the LaBella's a little too bassy. I like to play up the neck, like Paul. The LaBellas sounded awesome down low but the Rotos just got better as I walked up the neck, especially between the 7th and 12th frets.

The Rotos are my favorite strings for my Hofner. Give them a try. I highly recommend them.

 

[peakdesign]

I have tried the TI's and the LaBellas on my Hofner and I chose the Rotosounds over both brands. The Rotos feel very supple, alot like the TI's, but with more of a vintage sound to my ear.

Can you pls describe as precisely as possible what you mean by the tone you prefer over the TIs, "more vintage"? The TIs I know. Are the Rotos brighter, as bright, more thumpy, more muted, etc etc?

 

[DeanT]

I use black tapewounds on my Icon. I have TI flats on my Contemporary. If you want good cheap flats, try [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] flats. For $16 they're a steal.

 

[rickfan63]

Do you have to cut the SITs to fit?
I make a living playing a Hofner and change strings semi-frequently, and finding reasonably priced flats that fit would be nice.

Yes, I have to cut the SIT's to fit. My Brice takes medium scale strings, so cutting down the SIT's aren't a real big issue for me. A real Hofner, might be another matter, with the longer tailpiece. The SIT's are pure nickel groundwound's that are ground down closer to a real flat, than the D'Addarios are. They have more of a midrange presence than regular flats do. The feel is a little rough at first, but that smoooths out quickly. But they can still get thuddy and deep when needed. I love them on my Brice Hofner copy. If I get a Hofner Contemporary sometime, I would prefer the SIT's over regular flats. Who knows, I might even try to convince them to make me a few special short scale sets, but that is down the road.

If I had to put a flatwound on a bass like this though, I'd probably go for the TI's. They, like the SIT's I've heard, have a strong mid presence, and will fit the Hofner. They are pretty low tension too. Downside is they are expensive, which is why I've never used them.

 

[jbar]

I've got chromes on my p bass and like them. Have tried a couple of different sets of flats on my viola over the years and currently using rotosound rs77 med scale and am quite pleased with tone and feel. I think i paid about $30 for them at mf. However i agree with whoever said that Pyramid and Labella are best. If it's cheap that you"re looking for check out webstrings, their no-name flats are'nt bad.

 

[Slats]

I've only used Pyramids on my Hofner, but haven't tried them on the Lakland. How often do you guys change the Pyramids?

 

[peakdesign]

I just got the Douglas fretted violin bass for my wife today from Rondo, and it came with roundwounds. BTW, the intonation is spot on. I tried some funky factory Chinese flats, it sounded like it was strung with day old Chow Mein, and I quickly went back to the rounds. I can see people wanting "vintage", but I don't care. I just want it to sound INTERESTING. I'm sure TI JFs would be cool, but we're leaning towards a Rotosound set -- maybe 66s -- ZOINGGGG!!

I find that with the lower tension on the short scale (the violin bass' strings being a little longer due to the bridge doesn't change the fact it's a 30" scale), short of really raising the bridge, it's almost impossible to prevent a touch of buzz on the E string -- it's like it needs room to flap. Even the A is OK, and I can get the action on the D and G quite low. I've had the same experience with other fretted short scale basses. With the truss rod set up as well as possible, with a hair of a bow on the low side, and the bridge raised more than on a long scale, I still get a touch of fret buzz on the first 3 frets on the E string. Can anybody comment on this? Does anybody completely eliminate it? Is it a matter of the neck curvature not being optimal, a slight filing of the frets being required, or that with the lower tension and greater excursion it's inevitable ?

 

[Earwigger]

I use the Hofner Flats on my Turser Beatle bass and it has THE tone. They play great and have good tension as well. I highly recommend that if you have a "cheaper" Beatle bass that you get the Hofners. I paid 42$ with shipping for mine from JustStrings.com

 

[Gear_Junky]

i did end up getting D'Addario half-flats (currently on) and i must say they're much closer to round-wounds. they're almost worse, because they fool you into thinking that they're flats, but they neither sound nor feel quite like flats.

i also got the flatwounds from D'Addario that i'll try soon.

i'm wanting alnico pickups for it, but can't find (see my other thread in pickups).