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Convert ME to Flatwounds! (Or Attempt To..)

Dub56

Dub56

May 28, 2005
1,453
1,687
Colorado
#1
I've seen a lot of "flatwound convert" threads in the last few weeks, and I've been toying with the idea of flats for a while now.

Here is my flats history...

1.) Chromes on a Squier VM P-Bass - Not bad, but a bit bright and not as smooth and deep sounding as I'd want flatwounds to be.

2.) LaBella (medium guage?) Flats on a MIJ '52 P-Bass - Didn't have the bass for very long.. Hard to form a good judgment on them. I still think I preferred rounds on it. Maybe a little dull sounding.

3.) GHS Precision Flats on my current Lakland 44-60 Custom (J style) - Sounded good, but I'm not sure if it was the set of strings, but the E was extremely "thuddy" sounding compared to the rest. it MAY have been twisted, I'll try them on my P-Bass sometime. Tension on these was nice. I still think I preferred Sunbeams.

ANYWAY,

I seem to like the extremely smooth and mellow flats sound with the tone rolled almost all the way back playing through a nice fat amp. However, I don't use that tone all the time, so getting flats just for that reason wouldn't make much sense, as I can mimic it with rounds pretty closely.

So, do you have anything that might convince me to try flats again? I'd love to hear recordings, see videos, demos, etc. Maybe another brand would convince me to love flats? I know I haven't tried T.I. Jazz flats yet, and I've wanted to for some time. Maybe another brand would suit me better? Or maybe I'm just destined to play rounds, groundwounds, etc. :confused:

NOTE: I DON'T LIKE HIGH TENSION STRINGS! I like regular to low tension on mine, so sadly a lot of flats won't work for me.

I want to hear the BEST examples of the flatwound sound!
 
#2
You might want to try LaBella tapewounds. For me they are cross between flats and rounds. Nice tension and a very articulate sound. I don't slap so not sure how that would be.

All of my GHS Precison flats have a sort of thumpy E string. I still like those strings a lot though.
 
#4
Marton said:
If you liked the GHS tone but not the tension of the E, try their light gauge set. They're awesome, and have regular top string. IME the site is more balanced than their regular set.
Click to expand...


I forgot to mention I did get the light set.

The tension was fine, the string was just really thumpy sounding compared to the other 3. When I took it off i felt it release a lot of tension suddenly like it may have been twisted. I tried to put it on again but it seemed to do the same thing. I'll eventually try them again, but I've also read that they might just inherently sound that way.

jallenbass said:
You might want to try LaBella tapewounds. For me they are cross between flats and rounds. Nice tension and a very articulate sound. I don't slap so not sure how that would be.

All of my GHS Precison flats have a sort of thumpy E string. I still like those strings a lot though.
Click to expand...

I'll definitely look into tapewounds. Those are something I haven't tried yet.
 
#8
You say you like low tension....therefore you may just be a candidate for Thomastik-Infeld jazz flats....probably lowest tension strings goin', but many swear by their awesome tone.

You could also give stainless steel a spin....Sadowsky Black Labels....I'd suggest heavier of the two gauges.

A cheap alternative you could try if economizing after dropping bux on TI flats is Detroit stainless flats from webstrings.com. something like 16 bucks. Very smooth strings and they do the job.
 
#9
Pyramid (gold) is another brand worth trying... but, it is rather stiff (which I, on the other hand, love)

I guess you should give TI's a chance, might be right what you're looking for (I personally never tried them because of the low tension)
 
#12
I do like smoother finished strings, it's probably my lack of technique, but I think the string needs to fit the bass. I realize it's cost prohibitive for a lot of players to experiment but here's what I use.

On my Roscoe Century Standard 5 string I use GHS pressure wounds b/c they're a good compromise between rounds that make a lot of string noise and flats that don't have as much pop.

I have a Carvin fretless (with a high C) that I use GHS precision flats.

A Rob Allen Mouse 30 with the stock LaBella Tapewounds.

An Ibanez Soundgear 505 6 string that I've put D'Addarrio ground wounds on just to see how they work.

You have to experiment. I tried the 34" scale Carvin with a low B and I sounded so mushy that I switched to a high C configuration.

Hope this helps.
 
#14
I put off trying TI jazz flats for years.(because they were kind of expensive)..Now I kick my lazy stupid cheap ass for all the years I didn't have them.

I play mostly really driving classic rock now and have all my basses strung with them.

I don't slap and pop..maybe some pops..these aren't the string for that style..but they are so tonealicious and versatile that with the proper equipment and technique changes, you can play any kind of music with this one string..

I occasionally try some other string and just regret it for the cheap toneless crap that they are, and put the old TI's back on.
 
#15
I like to think of it like this; If you find too much additional junk comes out through the speakers when you try to play in an "articulate" or "ornamental" way flats will put a smile on you face.
Try Optima Chrome for a snappier growlier flat that still thumps well and is slightly lower tension than LaBellas. Havent tried the D'ads or GHS so YMMV but used varying gauges of LaBella Deep talkin flats exclusively for 3 years.
 
#16
I think where you failed yourself is not giving them time to settle in. The strings sound better as they break in, or at least in my opinion. Tone wise, I wouldn't recommend rolling the tone knob almost all of the way off or of course you'll be able to mimic is with rounds. In my experience, it all comes out in the mids. Or you could try putting a small foam mute by the bridge with the tone rolled all the way on, a lot of Motown players did this and you can hear the results for yourself.
 
#17
I've used foam mutes plenty of times, I just usually use them with rounds and it gives me that vibe just fine.. that's why I'm unsure if flats are for me or not.

I may not have left flats on for long enough, but I've not found a set that I liked the initial sound enough to keep them on. Once (and IF) I find a set I like more I'll keep it on.

Does anyone have any other examples of a GREAT sounding clip of flats? I figure that would be a good starting place before I decide if I truly want to attempt to achieve the sound or not.

Maybe If I hear a couple great sounding clips, I'll be convinced to spend the $60 or so on some T.I.'s..
 
#18
IMHO: Flatwounds = bleh.

I can make my bass sound just like it has flats by muting. You can NOT make a bass with flats sound like it has rounds - it just can not be done. So I see flats as nothing but limiting, and I'm not big on limits.
 
#19
BigOldHarry said:
IMHO: Flatwounds = bleh.

I can make my bass sound just like it has flats by muting. You can NOT make a bass with flats sound like it has rounds - it just can not be done. So I see flats as nothing but limiting, and I'm not big on limits.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much the place I'm in right now. I see a HUGE number of people swearing by flats here but I guess so far, I'm just not convinced. I'm still trying to give it a chance before I totally move away from the idea.
 
#20
Don't listen to Harry. ;)

Is this clip "great" sounding enough?


Incidentally, when you say you didn't leave them on long enough because you didn't like the tone... well, that's the whole point!! :rollno: D'Addario Chromes take a few weeks to settle down (in my experience). I've had one set of them on a Jazz Bass for 5 years, and they sound and feel fantastic. I've got a Precision Bass with 16-year-old GHS Precision Flats, and they're awesome, too.

Use them in a band context. You'll instantly hear your bass muscle its way to an "authoritative" position.
 

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