Long time player here, and I do mean long, like about 40 years.
Back when I started playing, I knew nothing about basses, strings, amps, etc. My first bass was a Cortley Jazz copy with one pickup. I think it had flat wounds on it, and I ordered a NEW set of Fender strings from a local record store. I remember them being $32, which was a lot of money for me at the time. Those were flats. I didn’t know if I liked them or not; nothing to compare.
Fast forward about 10 years, and I’m a field tester for Trace-Elliot rounds. I was fully a rounds player and didn’t even look at or consider flats. I wanted the piano string / bell tone and that was it. If my strings got a little dead, I had to replace them. In recent years, Dunlop Super-Brights became my choice of string.
Then about 6-8 years ago here on TB, the discussions about flats were everywhere. I had to try some. I ordered the cheapest at the time, which were Fender. Didn’t like them & took them off the bass in about a week. The TB discussions continued, TI Flats, Chromes, LaBella 1954 originals, there was a flurry of flat wound discussions daily.
I tried the Fenders again. Still a no go for me. I was doing a setup on a bass for a friend that had Ernie Ball flats (pre-Cobalts). Also a no go. I figured it was just me, but I hadn’t tried the most discussed brands (Chromes & TI’s). I tried Chromes first & I liked them much better. Bought another set for another bass. Still liked them. Bought a short scale set for my Mustang. Liked them.
Still willing to experiment, I tried TI Jazz flats. They were not what I expected, but I did like them on my acoustic fretless and my P bass.
Still experimenting based in TB threads, I order Ernie Ball Cobalt flats. Really like them, especially the tone.
I retired from full time work in August 2020 and joined a new band in Feb 2021. I’ve been playing A LOT (33rd gig this year is tonight 6/25/22). I’ve been playing 4 strings (Peavey Foundation, P-parts bass, SB MM Stingray, all with flats.
Last night I played my ‘98 Carvin LB75 for the first time in a while. It has Rotosound 66 light gauge strings on it. I could not get a tone I liked. Amp fiddling, onboard EQ fiddling, EQ pedal, nothing worked. I grabbed my ‘87 Peavey Foundation S that has new EB Cobalt flats on it. All problems solved.
I sill have basses with Rounds and I think I’ll continue to play rounds on occasion, but they have become “slap only” use for me & the EB Cobalt flats are starting to take over that role.
Unless I discover some type of magic round wound In the future, I doubt I’ll buy any more. Seems the thickness of mids and high mids of flats has become something I can’t live without which really seems strange since I was in to bright piano tone for a few decades.
Looking for lower cost flats these days…
Back when I started playing, I knew nothing about basses, strings, amps, etc. My first bass was a Cortley Jazz copy with one pickup. I think it had flat wounds on it, and I ordered a NEW set of Fender strings from a local record store. I remember them being $32, which was a lot of money for me at the time. Those were flats. I didn’t know if I liked them or not; nothing to compare.
Fast forward about 10 years, and I’m a field tester for Trace-Elliot rounds. I was fully a rounds player and didn’t even look at or consider flats. I wanted the piano string / bell tone and that was it. If my strings got a little dead, I had to replace them. In recent years, Dunlop Super-Brights became my choice of string.
Then about 6-8 years ago here on TB, the discussions about flats were everywhere. I had to try some. I ordered the cheapest at the time, which were Fender. Didn’t like them & took them off the bass in about a week. The TB discussions continued, TI Flats, Chromes, LaBella 1954 originals, there was a flurry of flat wound discussions daily.
I tried the Fenders again. Still a no go for me. I was doing a setup on a bass for a friend that had Ernie Ball flats (pre-Cobalts). Also a no go. I figured it was just me, but I hadn’t tried the most discussed brands (Chromes & TI’s). I tried Chromes first & I liked them much better. Bought another set for another bass. Still liked them. Bought a short scale set for my Mustang. Liked them.
Still willing to experiment, I tried TI Jazz flats. They were not what I expected, but I did like them on my acoustic fretless and my P bass.
Still experimenting based in TB threads, I order Ernie Ball Cobalt flats. Really like them, especially the tone.
I retired from full time work in August 2020 and joined a new band in Feb 2021. I’ve been playing A LOT (33rd gig this year is tonight 6/25/22). I’ve been playing 4 strings (Peavey Foundation, P-parts bass, SB MM Stingray, all with flats.
Last night I played my ‘98 Carvin LB75 for the first time in a while. It has Rotosound 66 light gauge strings on it. I could not get a tone I liked. Amp fiddling, onboard EQ fiddling, EQ pedal, nothing worked. I grabbed my ‘87 Peavey Foundation S that has new EB Cobalt flats on it. All problems solved.
I sill have basses with Rounds and I think I’ll continue to play rounds on occasion, but they have become “slap only” use for me & the EB Cobalt flats are starting to take over that role.
Unless I discover some type of magic round wound In the future, I doubt I’ll buy any more. Seems the thickness of mids and high mids of flats has become something I can’t live without which really seems strange since I was in to bright piano tone for a few decades.
Looking for lower cost flats these days…
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), but i got passed that 'requirement' even though i've continued to use rounds...i just play them longer (a lot longer) than i used to.
and for a round wound, they last 'forever' (1-2+ years for me, depending on how well i take care of them).
