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Decisions
- Thread starter rodv66
- Start date
I know Steve always uses flats. I just never tried them. Hate to spend 30$ on strings that I might not like. Just because he's a major influence on my playing, doesn't mean I want to use everything he uses. Besides, even if I did, would not necessarily sound like him, or be as good of a player.
I popped the Harris pickup in my Nash PB 63 and loaded it up with D'addario Chromes. I'm really happy with that combo. If you decide to try flats, start with Chromes.
Don't get his signature flats. They sound great for about a day or three. Rumor is, he changes them every time he plays. Not a budget friendly option.
Just subjective opinion. Flats sound hollow....no, I play a P bass with D'addario Chromes, gig every week, practice daily. I keep them clean, they are a few years old, (yep, years). They start out overly bright, and I find them "sticky" on my fingers, for about a week, needing a break in. After a week, they lose the harshness, and stay sounding as they are.. for a very long time. They also get silky smooth. The sound has good harmonic content, is very "punchy", (hard attack), hard thump, great sustain. They are not as bright as rounds, but, I still often roll back the tone knob a bit, plenty bright for me. Plenty of sound sliding, but no brittle noise sliding. I have no trouble cutting through a mix with 2 guitars, a drummer, and 2 vocals. For me, they don't feel, or sound great when new, (brittle). That bass has a EMG GZR pup in it. They are my favorite strings, (I've used quite a few different ones), so much so, I won't play anything else. All of that is subjective, and I can understand someone not liking them. The entry price, being around $30, is not as low as a lot of rounds, but, they don't go dead, they pretty much stay the same after break in, as long as you keep them clean after use. Light gauge flats usually have the tension of medium gauge rounds, I use 45-100, they are tight as 50-105 rounds, aprox.
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yeah, $260 is NOT that great of a deal. If you bought it to make money, you might be disappointed. If you want a P-bass, however, you might be just fine.
As
As I said, if I don't like it and break even, that's fine. No harm and no foul. If I like it, decent price
Flats will give you a more vintage thumpy sound. Rounds are bright and tinny. it depends on what kind of music you are playing. I use D'Adarrio light gauge chromes. They are very very comfortable on my fingers and sound bright as well. I can play just about any type of music by adjusting the eq. I can get a vintage Motown sound or a bright metal sound. I love the flats and will never use rounds again. 
Here's my experience:
I picked up a used MIM P bass a couple years ago (I can't remember, I think it was a 2012?).
I wanted to like it, I really did. It was very pretty sunburst, white guard, maple board.
It was thin and "nothing" sounding. No meat, if you know what I mean. Lost in the mix, and very disappointing...
My instant fix is usually to add Rotos. Swingbass 66 Stainless Steel strings will brighten *anything* up (and not always for the better, lol). Even with new strings it was still flat and thin sounding.
Not one to give up on a good deal, I swapped the pickup for a vintage style hand-wound from Cavalier Pickups. It was still flat and thin (and I love Cavalier Pickups -- they are great price/performance, and usually sound great).
I then swapped the neck for one with a Pau Ferro board (because I could, and because I had it). The different fret board made very little appreciable difference (since Pau Ferro is nearly as hard as maple, that makes sense).
I then swapped the electronics for CTS/Sprague/Switchcraft. It *maybe* sounded a little better, but still not what I had in mind.
Finally I swapped on a Fender Deluxe bridge, and drilled the body holes for ferrules, and installed nickle vintage style ferrules.
For the new body-thru bridge I swapped on another new set of Rotosound Swingbass 66 stainless steel strings.
Nirvana.
I'm not a particular believer in string-thru vs top-load tone differences. Usually, strings and pickups are all that I need to adjust the tone to my liking. But in this case, it took the whole boat -- basically the body wood and pickguard are all that remains of the original bass -- but what a bass. It gives me exactly what I want a P bass to sound like...
I play it regularly, and my bandmates are always happy when I show up with that bass for a gig -- the sound guy's job is sooo easy...
I picked up a used MIM P bass a couple years ago (I can't remember, I think it was a 2012?).
I wanted to like it, I really did. It was very pretty sunburst, white guard, maple board.
It was thin and "nothing" sounding. No meat, if you know what I mean. Lost in the mix, and very disappointing...
My instant fix is usually to add Rotos. Swingbass 66 Stainless Steel strings will brighten *anything* up (and not always for the better, lol). Even with new strings it was still flat and thin sounding.
Not one to give up on a good deal, I swapped the pickup for a vintage style hand-wound from Cavalier Pickups. It was still flat and thin (and I love Cavalier Pickups -- they are great price/performance, and usually sound great).
I then swapped the neck for one with a Pau Ferro board (because I could, and because I had it). The different fret board made very little appreciable difference (since Pau Ferro is nearly as hard as maple, that makes sense).
I then swapped the electronics for CTS/Sprague/Switchcraft. It *maybe* sounded a little better, but still not what I had in mind.
Finally I swapped on a Fender Deluxe bridge, and drilled the body holes for ferrules, and installed nickle vintage style ferrules.
For the new body-thru bridge I swapped on another new set of Rotosound Swingbass 66 stainless steel strings.
Nirvana.
I'm not a particular believer in string-thru vs top-load tone differences. Usually, strings and pickups are all that I need to adjust the tone to my liking. But in this case, it took the whole boat -- basically the body wood and pickguard are all that remains of the original bass -- but what a bass. It gives me exactly what I want a P bass to sound like...
I play it regularly, and my bandmates are always happy when I show up with that bass for a gig -- the sound guy's job is sooo easy...
- Jul 7, 2010
- 3,383
- 2,311
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist for: Duncan Pickups; Line6, Hipshot, GHS Strings, Somnium Guitars
If you put in Duncans, do NOT do spb-3 QP....do the SPB-4 SH, WAY better tone and not over agressive...or the SPB-1 is a great overall pickup....it is your taste and if it is a keeper then conngrats...if not then oh well.
I started using D'Adarrio medium rounds after years of GHS heavy Boomers.Flats will give you a more vintage thumpy sound. Rounds are bright and tinny. it depends on what kind of music you are playing. I use D'Adarrio light gauge chromes. They are very very comfortable on my fingers and sound bright as well. I can play just about any type of music by adjusting the eq. I can get a vintage Motown sound or a bright metal sound. I love the flats and will never use rounds again.
Man, you got determination. I am a history teacher and am lucky to be able to change strings, adjust a truss rod and adjust the saddles
Yeah, it actually has Dimarzios in it now. They sound ok, but I was listening to several SD samples and there is a aet of 4's on ebay for 55$.
Determined? OCD? Tough to say. It was worth the three or four month on-again/off-again battle...
- Jul 7, 2010
- 3,383
- 2,311
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist for: Duncan Pickups; Line6, Hipshot, GHS Strings, Somnium Guitars
"Hollow" is the last word I would use to describe the tonal characteristics of flatwound strings. I have found the exact opposite to be true. "Full" "fat" "warm" would all be better descriptors. Until fairly recently (3 or 4 years ago) I had never tried flats and now ALL my basses have them. One has Fender Flats, one has Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats, one has Chromes, and one has La Bella 760FLs. The La Bellas are my favorite for sure.
