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Confessions of a New Flatwound Convert

bassandkeys42

bassandkeys42

Guest
Feb 14, 2015
94
164
#1
Let me start by saying that I have been playing bass for a few years now and I had never heard of flatwound strings until I found TB. Rounds, to me, were just the norm for what a bass guitar should have. Recently though I have been reading about/listening to/overall obsessing about the possibility of finally trying out these magical strings known as "flatwounds". I decided that the day to finally commit to giving it the old college try was yesterday. I walked into GC and sure enough, they had the Chromes I was looking to try on sale for BOGO so I decided to put a set on my VM Jazz yesterday (the other set will be going on my blacktop jazz today) and I was completely blown away by this transformation. I couldn't put the instrument down for a minute after slapping these things on there. The comfort, tone, and playability became instantly apparent and...dare I say....gave me a new confidence on the bass that I've never before had. I won't have an opportunity to try them live until I'm scheduled for bass again at my church gig but I think it's safe to say that I have become one of the converted and am excited to see where my musical journey goes from here! Any other flat converts out there feel the same??
 
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#5
Flats are the best thing since sliced bread lol.I first put a set on my Hofner just for nostalgia sake cause when you get a Hofner that's what you do.I now have flats all over the place.Got chromes on my P bass,nylon tapes on one of my SG basses and my acoustic.I have to stop myself from putting flats on everything now.Its to the point with me that I hate the sound and feel of rds.With the exception of DR coated strings.
 
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#7
I love flatwounds for playing tunes by myself at home, but when it's time to record a track with a guitar player, the A string really betrays me...lol.

I hate hearing the scratch and plink from Nickel Rounds, but damn sounds AMAZING for the MIX.

Just picked up some Fender Flatwounds LIGHT. Got two packs for $25. =)
 
#10
If you haven't already, now is a good time to take a look at resetting neck relief and action on your bass. You'll likely find that flats will allow you to adjust the neck flatter and the action lower than with roundwound strings.

I was glad to hear you mention comfort when mentioning how the new strings felt and played. By making a few setup tweaks, you may well find another degree or two of comfort can be dialled in. This in turn will hopefully allow you to concentrate solely on playing all the more. Enjoy!
 
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#11
gary m said:
If you haven't already, now is a good time to take a look at resetting neck relief and action on your bass. You'll likely find that flats will allow you to adjust the neck flatter and the action lower than with roundwound strings.

I was glad to hear you mention comfort when mentioning how the new strings felt and played. By making a few setup tweaks, you may well find another degree or two of comfort can be dialled in. This in turn will hopefully allow you to concentrate solely on playing all the more. Enjoy!
Click to expand...

Thanks, Gary! Comfort was a big deciding factor as I have found rounds to be quite rough on my hands at times. Also, after some adjustments, I found I was definitely able to have a more comfortable relief and action without all of the extra buzz...not to mention the reduced wear and tear on the frets! :). Needless to say, my Squier has never played or sounded better and I am enjoying it like crazy!
 
#12
I just ordered a set of heavy-gauge flatwounds to put n my Blacktop P. This is basically an experiment. I've been dissatisfied with what, IMO, is an overly-twangy sound coming off the stock strings that came with it and heard that flatwounds are really good for this model.

I'm just hoping that I won't be giving up too much of the sound that roundwounds are good for. For example, will Money still sound ok with flats? I'll find out soon.
 
#14
EriktheRed said:
I just ordered a set of heavy-gauge flatwounds to put n my Blacktop P. This is basically an experiment. I've been dissatisfied with what, IMO, is an overly-twangy sound coming off the stock strings that came with it and heard that flatwounds are really good for this model.

I'm just hoping that I won't be giving up too much of the sound that roundwounds are good for. For example, will Money still sound ok with flats? I'll find out soon.
Click to expand...

As far as giving up the sound of rounds, I can honestly say I don't miss it much. I have found that with the right EQing, some of my favorite bass riffs sound just as good if not better than the rounds but for me, more important than the tonal improvement is the overall feel of the strings under my fretting hand. I'll have a chance to work with them in a live band setting tomorrow so we'll see how they do in a mix but I definitely suggest trying them out at least once and the bright side is that if you find you don't like the sound, then at least you're not out too much money on your tone experiment! :)
 
#19
gary m said:
If you haven't already, now is a good time to take a look at resetting neck relief and action on your bass. You'll likely find that flats will allow you to adjust the neck flatter and the action lower than with roundwound strings.

I was glad to hear you mention comfort when mentioning how the new strings felt and played. By making a few setup tweaks, you may well find another degree or two of comfort can be dialled in. This in turn will hopefully allow you to concentrate solely on playing all the more. Enjoy!
Click to expand...

Yes! I play the heaviest strings I can find because they are easier to play and sound amazing too. LaBella 1954 flats and a light touch will let you drop the strings to amazingly low levels.
 
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#20
Well, I finally had a chance to use the flats in a live mix today.

After a slight adjustment with the mids, I was able to get a really nice, grinding pick tone on the driving songs that not only sliced right through the heavy mix but had this nice fatness I never really experienced before.

By completely rolling off the tone for the the syncopated slow songs, I found I really didn't miss any of the character that the rounds typically have. If anything, they improved the overall tonal quality of the notes being played (though it might be the reduction in fret noise as well)

FWIW, I was using a VM Jazz with 100% neck and 90% bridge pup at all times.

The only negative aspect: I didn't have quite the speed on my slides the way I had on rounds at first but the feel was genuinely better for the most part.

TL;DR: tried the flats live and not going back! :bassist:
 
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