Can't stand roundwound strings?

[bobyoung53]

I have basses with both rounds and flats, I much prefer flats though but keep a couple with round wounds in case I need that twangy sound. For all of you who don't like the sound of flats and think.. ahem.. that they are kind of flat sounding, try some Labella Deep talkin' flats, very articulate and cut right through the mix BETTER than round wounds believe it or not. I ended up with them after trying all the usual flats, Fenders, Chromes, TI's, Pyramids etc, to me they blow all the others away.

 

[jwilson67]

As an engineer, your purpose is to document the music, to record it. Not to throw your own subject feelings into it. If a musician chooses a certain bass tone or drum tone or guitar tone and a band has that incorporated into their sound, who are you to change that based upon where you personally like a bass to sit in a mix or sound a certain way. Ive worked with engineers over the years who held that attitude and we ceased working with them the minute it reared its ugly head. Brighter does not equal louder. It equals brighter. Some people like that sound, others dont, as evidenced by the thread itself. If everyone liked brighter sounding basses, there wouldnt be a bunch of flatwound fans posting threads about it.

Exactly! Bass players use rounds because they want to stand out in a mix - not be louder. This is a ridiculous argument. A majority of the most recorded bassists these days use rounds. If Yes, Rush, Alice In Chains, Metallica, Dream Theater, etc. used flatwounds it wouldn't work. Bassists like Nathan East, Doug Wimbish, Tony Levin, - all round users. Its just the way it is.

 

[jwilson67]

Of course it does. Roundwounds are brighter and thus louder. Brightness and loudness are the keys to mixing. Since they are scientifically proven to be addicitive, a good engineer and musician or composer or conductor must learn to control the impulse for more loudness and brightness. Its not easy to do, it takes a lot of experience. Because the a/b test is a widely used, yet misguided tool of the engineer , musician and everyone else.

Ever hear of the pepsi challege of the 80s? Pepsi exploited a phenomenon of human psychology and perception. They realized that pepsi woild taste better than coke if given in small sips, because pepsi is sweeter. Thus people chose pepsi over coke. But when scientists actually did double blind tests with larger amounts, the advantage was negated.
So anything sweeter, or in this case louder or brighter are better in comparison, but not in the absolute. If you did blind tests of short samples of flats vs rounds, i bet rounds would win. But if you did entire mixes. It would be different.

Yes its a reality that all things equal, some people just prefer rounds, but i think the popularity of rounds over flats is due in large part to brightness and addiction to loudness.

Brightness and loudness are not the keys to mixing. They are a component but true mixing is finding each instrument's range to create a good mix. Roundwound players don't use them to be loud. They use them for the sound they produce.

 

[Frankjohnson]

$70 per set?

most people with TI's keep them on for a while, so if you look at $70 or whatever you paid for a new or even used set........over the long haul?
I got 2 sets at $50/set and one for $60. They are 11 and 13 years old and still in use. I may get a set this year to retire the set on the roadworn, and keep as backups.

 

[bobyoung53]

used to use rotosounds,great tone,but, they do a number on the frets,so I quit using em. anybody else out there had the same problem?

Oh yeah, they eat frets fast.

 

[MJ_Sotti]

"hold your group together, with Rotosound strings"...(rounds)

 

[TimB 619]

Frets have a place. If I had a motown review or CW gig, I can see getting a simple P-bass and putting flats on it. Aside from that? Nope - not in my world.

Watch out Harry, the "Harry hates flats" people are gonna come and getcha :-D

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Watch out Harry, the "Harry hates flats" people are gonna come and getcha :-D

They can get in line with the "CBS Fenders are Vintage" and "Vintage solid state amps" crowd!

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Oh yeah, they eat frets fast.

Odd, isn't it? The surface of the coils seems rougher than other strings - but I would still use them if they hadn't had that quality issue back...uh... 20 years ago that forced me to discover DRs.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I have basses with both rounds and flats, I much prefer flats though but keep a couple with round wounds in case I need that twangy sound. For all of you who don't like the sound of flats and think.. ahem.. that they are kind of flat sounding, try some Labella Deep talkin' flats, very articulate and cut right through the mix BETTER than round wounds believe it or not. I ended up with them after trying all the usual flats, Fenders, Chromes, TI's, Pyramids etc, to me they blow all the others away.

That's your experience. I bought a set, put them on a bass and just could not stand it. The sound like *flats* to me - nothing more. But if you, and many others, dig them - then cool. But they do not, cannot, sound like a rounds.

 

[Zos Kia Cultus]

Pressurewound all the way!

 

[buldog5151bass]

used to use rotosounds,great tone,but, they do a number on the frets,so I quit using em. anybody else out there had the same problem?

I've never seen this. I've had them on the same bass for 30 years.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Odd, isn't it? The surface of the coils seems rougher than other strings - but I would still use them if they hadn't had that quality issue back...uh... 20 years ago that forced me to discover DRs.

What are you using - Lo Riders?

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

What are you using - Lo Riders?

Depends - I've been going back and forth between lo riders and fat beams. But back in the olden days, when I discovered Rotos, it was like the world opened up to me. Great strings for slapping.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Depends - I've been going back and forth between lo riders and fat beams. But back in the olden days, when I discovered Rotos, it was like the world opened up to me. Great strings for slapping.

I've been using them for 30+ years, but looking for something with a similar feel/tension, but maybe a little longer lasting and a touch warmer. Sunbeams sound good, but are too floppy.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

That's my point. Music is all about SOUND. Prioritizing how your strings feel over how your instrument sounds is the mark of an amateur hobbyist rather than a dedicated musician. There's nothing wrong with that, but a lot of young impressionable people on talkbass think of this as a place to glean the advice of experienced players, with the assumption that these players are "good" and know more than they do. It's a disservice to them to constantly talk about strings in terms of feel.

But it is not that simple! Remember that HUMAN BEINGS are the ones creating the music! We have a sense of touch and a sense of sight as well, we have to take all of these things into account.

The physical feel of our instrument can help or hinder us when it comes to expressing ourselves through the instrument.

The visual asthetic matters as well, which is why many basses are not allowed at certain gigs or auditions, even if they nail the sound perfectly.

If you see two people play the same piece the same way, but one looks bored and stoic, you might think he isn't playing with feeling. This could affect how the audience receives the performance.

 

[Pedal2DaMeddle]

I've got to find really slippery strings. Any suggestions?

I would still recommend Chromes. They're a bit sticky at first, but that coating wears off and they're super slippery. The tension is still pretty high, but the tension lets you set your action and neck relief lower for better playability.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I've been using them for 30+ years, but looking for something with a similar feel/tension, but maybe a little longer lasting and a touch warmer. Sunbeams sound good, but are too floppy.

That's why I actually *like* sunbeams - a bit less tension (my hands are getting old).

 

[buldog5151bass]

That's why I actually *like* sunbeams - a bit less tension (my hands are getting old).

Yeah, but I'm too accustomed to the Rotos. That's why I'm looming for something with a similar feel. Even considering trying Chromes, for a brighter flat.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

Exactly! Bass players use rounds because they want to stand out in a mix - not be louder. This is a ridiculous argument. A majority of the most recorded bassists these days use rounds. If Yes, Rush, Alice In Chains, Metallica, Dream Theater, etc. used flatwounds it wouldn't work. Bassists like Nathan East, Doug Wimbish, Tony Levin, - all round users. Its just the way it is.

Before roundwounds hit the scene, everyone used flatwounds and could be heard just fine...

Flats feel good for people who don't play often or for very long. If you play more often you'll build up good calluses on your fingers and probably end up liking rounds a lot more.

That doesn't really make any sense...myself and plenty of others play often on flats with no problems. My hands are callused like a rock climber's and I still can't stand how rounds feel.