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Can't stand roundwound strings?

#41
Flats always give me a "carpet burn" sensation on fingers when sliding around. They are the only strings I have to use that fret fast lubricant spray for my fingers with. Steel rounds have a better slide tone as well and i can play em for hours and hours without issues.
 
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#47
I wouldn't say I dislike rounds , my preference are GHS boomers , I like nickel over steel. I started using Labella flats about 10 or 12 years back and now use them almost exclusively , I have one bass (active ) that still has RW's. Plus I don't have to change strings every few months, a years worth of RW's is more than one set of Labellas that will last at least a decade so they're really more economical as well.
 
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#52
BAG said:
I really can't stand the feel of roundwound strings. I've got three full scale basses with flats and two shorty's with ground wound (would update them to flats but I hardly play them and at $60 per set i'm too cheap to change them). The only bass with rounds is my ABG which never gets played.

Whenever I try out basses at shops now it just keeps reminding me of how much nicer it is to play a bass with flats........
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My suggestion to you good sir is to put tape wounds on your ABG. Mine never got played until i did the same. Much warmer tone and feel similar to flats. Also mine were not very expensive. Around the $20 mark of i remember correctly. Bass strings online is the place to go. If you don't already know.
 
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#53
i keep going back to roto 66's (my string of choice since the late 18th century), but i have to say: TI jazz rounds feel unique to my hand/fingers: slippery, low tension, last a long time....

some string enthusiasts have criticised their smaller gauge (i like that aspect) but they are really special, IMO. i know they're expensive: but BAG , if you haven't tried them you might want to = best of both worlds! (IMO)
 
#55
I am going to invent a two sided bass, similar to those silly guitars on Reverb and eBay. One side will have flats, the other rounds. It will be called the Mulletbass.

Then, I will invent a second bass. Pull out the neck, flip it around and you have a fretted and fretless. This one will be named the Beltbass but that is for a whole other discussion.
 
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#56
40Hz said:
I carefully select the strings to bring out what I think is the best in the bass they're on. So right now I'm using flats, steel and nickel rounds, pressure wounds, phosphor-bronze, and white nylon tapewounds. No two basses I own uses the same string set.

Can't say I really have a preference for one particular type of string over another. I play whatever I think sounds best on a particular bass and figure getting comfortable with how they feel just goes with the territory.

But that's me. YMMV.
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vivaknoxvegas said:
I don't limit myself. P with flats, P/J with rounds. Flats do feel amazing to play imo, and they rule for recording.
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I like to be able to achieve a variety of tones, and I'm in agreement with these guys.

I have a Jazz Bass that just wants to growl, so I've currently got it set up with DR Sunbeams 45-100. Those strings just shine on that bass, and give me everything I want with great clarity, solid lows, and a wonderful mid range. They feel great, too.

My alder P Bass w/ Novak vintage wind PU is set up with 45-95 GHS Precision Flats, though. Such smooth strings, no grip, and they have a very woody, plucky mid range that helps bring the best out in the natural resonance of that bass.

My real problem is not that I have a preference for one certain string type, but that I don't have enough basses to have ALL of my favorite strings types available to me :)
 
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#58
e-flat said:
My real problem is not that I have a preference for one certain string type, but that I don't have enough basses to have ALL of my favorite strings types available to me :)
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You could try doing what I did. Get some really cool cheaper used basses.

Gotta have the tools in order to indulge those heavy string jones blues, right. :cautious::rolleyes:
 
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#59
michael_t said:
Flats give me the feel I love, while rounds give me the tone I need. I'm not willing to sacrifice the tone completely for the sake of the feel. That's why I play the GHS Pressurewounds. It's a compromise, but a darn good one! ;):thumbsup:
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I'm not a flats guy, as I use Elixir, and yet the pressurewounds sound really decent, as Dave Pomeroy (GHS misspelled his name...duhhhhh) does a fantastic demo on them here:

Pressurewound Bass Strings
 

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