Nice, the Lakland flats are back in stock! Just ordered a set for my 55-01. Thanks for reminding me.
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Confessions of a Flatwound convert...
- Thread starter Sundogue
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Nice, the Lakland flats are back in stock! Just ordered a set for my 55-01. Thanks for reminding me.
This Thankx Giving went to moms house and played music with the fam she has a mim p with flats. i thought well i guess i could play this but would not like it because i have used round wounds for thirty years. I COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EARS AND FINGERS IT WAS THE BEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME.The TONE WAS UNREAL
so when i got home i played my mia p with rounds on it it felt like sand paper and no tone!
Now i just bought a set of chromes will be here today cant wait I thought flats were for wimps but was surprisingly wrong Thankx Mom
so when i got home i played my mia p with rounds on it it felt like sand paper and no tone!
Now i just bought a set of chromes will be here today cant wait I thought flats were for wimps but was surprisingly wrong Thankx Mom
I use rounds on all my basses. I have thought of giving the flats another try also. If I cant stand them, I can always put them on the old 57 P-bass. " I never play it so no harm no foul" I am stuck on wich set of flats to try
for you....be safe ...get GHS brite flats...b4 you go and get Chromes & reach nirvana.....
Hey Biker John, be careful of really stiff flats, like Fenders. They could bow the neck on your 57! Use the lighter guage Chromes or TI Flats. You will love the sound, and the feel won't be so different.
i like chromes because they come in a 40-95 set 
i'm back using them for a while. i'll probably go back to rounds eventually, though...i always do.
i'm back using them for a while. i'll probably go back to rounds eventually, though...i always do.
i like chromes because they come in a 40-95 set
Hey Jimmy. I have been looking at that gauge of Chromes for a while. How do you find it compares in feel to the TI Flats? Do they keep a bit of bite in the tone after they break in? I really enjoy the tone of the TI's, but wouldn't mind a little more tension for the sake of the right hand.
you get more tension with chromes but they don't keep the bite like ti's. you can't make ti's go dead even if you sweat lard. rotos might be more up your alley. they'll go dead quicker than ti's but last longer than chromes.
Funny, I just got a set of D'Addario Chromes for the fretless I bought yesterday, and now, after reading through this thread (great post Sundog) it's got me thinking about my other basses.
I'm stating to think my G&L 1000 would benefit from flats. Right now it's got Dean Markley blue steels on it but those never sounded like what I wanted with that bass.
Edit: Somehow I never saw this thread until right now. doh
I'm stating to think my G&L 1000 would benefit from flats. Right now it's got Dean Markley blue steels on it but those never sounded like what I wanted with that bass.
Edit: Somehow I never saw this thread until right now. doh
Cool. Thanks for the recommendation. I would like to try the rotos at some point. I have extremely dry hands, and strings last forever for me anyway.
Sundogue,
You have summed my experiences almost exactly, right down to the fingerboard clack when trying get Squire-tone out of strings not designed for that purpose. Bravo!
When I get to take off the headphones and crank it up with the fellas, I am always amazed at what rock solid low-end flats deliver. It is far easier for the rest of the band to play and be heard when I stake out that fat, low-end than it is when I try and be yet another grindy tone looking for room in the mix.
The bass in my avatar was specifically built to have a 5 string P pickup and to always wear flats. I'm doing classic rock and some more mellow singer/songwriter stuff these days, and that bass with flats covers it all.
You have summed my experiences almost exactly, right down to the fingerboard clack when trying get Squire-tone out of strings not designed for that purpose. Bravo!
When I get to take off the headphones and crank it up with the fellas, I am always amazed at what rock solid low-end flats deliver. It is far easier for the rest of the band to play and be heard when I stake out that fat, low-end than it is when I try and be yet another grindy tone looking for room in the mix.
The bass in my avatar was specifically built to have a 5 string P pickup and to always wear flats. I'm doing classic rock and some more mellow singer/songwriter stuff these days, and that bass with flats covers it all.
With the brute flats. I play straight jazz and reggae and am going to try labella 760 fl on my jass pluss and mm USA sterling Hs. I'll try to put some soundclips up once I get em on.
With the bright flats. I play straight jazz and reggae and am going to try labella 760 fl on my fender mia jazz plus and mm USA sterling Hs. I'll try to put some soundclips up once I get em on. Perhaps I can get the jamerson/ Ray brown / family man Barrett sound
hes a good friend of mine from Sao Paulo, Brasil.. hes incredible.. every album he does, he kills it... currently playing with Ed Motta, Wilson Simoninha, and Max De Castro.... you can find him on:
Ed Motta - Piquenique and Chapter 9
Max De Castro -- max de castro and balanco das horas
Wilson Simoninha -- all of them
Luciana Mello
Gal Costa - Hoje
Paula Lima - all
Walmir Borges
Congrats on the conversion. For the styles of music I play, mostly modern worship stuff for youth group at church and in a jazz band, flats are the only way to go. Big, fat, warm lows are what it's all about, the sound just surrounds people naturally instead of having to nag the guy on the sound board to turn you up and horsing around with getting your sound right for fifteen minutes, not to mention since I go only amp w/o PA on my jazz gigs I need something that surrounds people and in its own realm sonically to not get lost in the mix of the other 20 horn players+rhythm section.
one hour ago I strung my Schecter (as modern as can get emg mahogany bastard) with LaBella 760FS.
Just came here to say A-MEN!!
The mix of the active eq and the flats give some DEEP low end, but defined, articulate, and present.
Uh! and LaBellas are far from being "dead" strings. I think people often identify'em as dead cause of Jamerson and the infamous piece of foam he used to mute. Mine are new, I know, but I don't see them getting "dull" anytime soon. They're just so right, and mind you, I'm a bedroom player now, no band till baby girl hits Kindergarten, so for me the whole "flats are good in a band and crap when you play solo" isn't quite so.
Sundogue, this mega-post ignited the flat flame, way back three, maybe four months ago. Thanks for your insight, you pointed me in the right direction.
Just came here to say A-MEN!!
The mix of the active eq and the flats give some DEEP low end, but defined, articulate, and present.
Uh! and LaBellas are far from being "dead" strings. I think people often identify'em as dead cause of Jamerson and the infamous piece of foam he used to mute. Mine are new, I know, but I don't see them getting "dull" anytime soon. They're just so right, and mind you, I'm a bedroom player now, no band till baby girl hits Kindergarten
, so for me the whole "flats are good in a band and crap when you play solo" isn't quite so.Sundogue, this mega-post ignited the flat flame, way back three, maybe four months ago. Thanks for your insight, you pointed me in the right direction.
CamiloDíaz;8483464 said:one hour ago I strung my Schecter (as modern as can get emg mahogany bastard) with LaBella 760FS.
Just came here to say A-MEN!!
The mix of the active eq and the flats give some DEEP low end, but defined, articulate, and present.
Uh! and LaBellas are far from being "dead" strings. I think people often identify'em as dead cause of Jamerson and the infamous piece of foam he used to mute. Mine are new, I know, but I don't see them getting "dull" anytime soon. They're just so right, and mind you, I'm a bedroom player now, no band till baby girl hits Kindergarten
Sundogue, this mega-post ignited the flat flame, way back three, maybe four months ago. Thanks for your insight, you pointed me in the right direction.
Of course, in Jamerson's case, he would use 5 year old strings or older, and never clean them cause "the dirt keeps the funk" I just listened to the "What's Going On" album from cover to cover today. The bass is upfront in the mix, and next to the singing, is clearly the most interesting thing happening, every note is clear. The last thing I would describe his sound as is "dead." The notes are crystal clear, each pitch ringing through just fine. The tone is not bright of course, but warm, clear, and punchy. It compliments the music he was playing on so perfectly. I think there is something to be said for having a warm round sound when you want to play busy bass parts like Jamerson's Of course the mute eliminates anything resembling sustain, but maybe sustain is overrated?
Since I have gone to flats on my Sadowsky, I have loved my live tone. I don't know if I love the tone as much when I practice at home, but live you just can't beat it. I even let another guy play my bass while he sang a tune and went in the audience, and it sounding amazing! It just fits in so well with the drums, punchy and articulate, each note is crystal clear, with lots of presence but not being obnoxious. Also, I think the shorter sustain lets you be a little louder without people complaining.
It is making me think about installing a mute.
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