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Dunlop Flatwounds premiering at NAMM
- Thread starter JimmyM
- Start date
I’ve never been blown away in the beginning, not with flats. Rounds and tapes are a completely different story. I’ve never put Eucerin cream on strings, but I’ve put other things on them to deaden them, including most recently beeswax. I’ll do this if I don’t like the initial tone wanting something more deadened instead. With La Bella, I know what I will get, for the most part, so they’re more about how long do I want to wait for the tone to die out naturally. Might try some Eucerin on my new La Bella Golds though, chill out that high end.
Was a bit surprised when I read you were digging the Dunlop flats since the basses I see you use aren't typically strung with flats. Just goes to show you what challenging conventional wisdom can do!
I've tried everything that doesn't come from a gross secretion from my body that I thought could work, with the exception of beeswax. Never even crossed my mind to try it. How did it work?
I tried hard beeswax on short scale TIs. It stiffened them, took out some of the highs. Waited a month and a half on the strings, then decided to try the beeswax. Wouldn’t do it again, honestly. Sold them for $25 bucks. Didn’t like them to begin with so no big loss.
Surprised there isn’t a string deafening cream out there for sale. I personally wouldn’t buy it, I don’t think, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a tiny market for it.
I have disliked every flatwound I've tried except for TI's. Forget being blown away. Then I played a couple of short scale versions of my main basses and they were pretty damn sweet. Addressed all of the issues I had with the other flats. Particularly stiffness, no matter how low the action. Those basses were fours and I had no idea how long the strings had been on. Didn't ask.
When I bought a couple of sets for one of my fives I hoped they'd be in the same ballpark. Instead it was an immediate home run.
The surprises were the almost complete lack of friction (my hands stay dry), the tension (perfect for my touch) and biggest of all the full range sound with serious thump and no clank. Musical as heck. I got a killer Jamerson-esque fingerstyle vibe, a killer Louis Johnson first Brothers Johnson album slap vibe, a killer soloed bridge pickup vibe... and more. That's why I love these strings. I didn't feel like I was compromising my boutique bass with these strings... it actually made it more usable.
I like them more than the TI's and the price is icing on the cake. I'm still on my first set and they still sound great. Money well spent.
I came up initially playing flats (pre-Rotosound). I play alot of fretless and finger style and slap and I was looking for the kind of thump I can get with technique... without having to use a technique. Worked out way better than expected.
I gigged the new Dunlops for the first time today, and holy crap! I really liked them in 45-105 gauges, but I absolutely love the 40-100 set with a passion usually reserved for Ampeg tube amps and P and PJ basses with EMG Geezer pickups 
I shouldn't be surprised, though...I love their Super Bright Nickel rounds in 40-100 (or 120 on my 5) that much, too. I loved them so much that I think I may give up using foam under the strings once they go dead all the way, as I don't think I'll need it.
I shouldn't be surprised, though...I love their Super Bright Nickel rounds in 40-100 (or 120 on my 5) that much, too. I loved them so much that I think I may give up using foam under the strings once they go dead all the way, as I don't think I'll need it.
I gigged the new Dunlops for the first time today, and holy crap! I really liked them in 45-105 gauges, but I absolutely love the 40-100 set with a passion usually reserved for Ampeg tube amps and P and PJ basses with EMG Geezer pickups
@JimmyM: How does the .40 G string work for you? Mine is very thin sounding and very different in tone from the other strings.
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Mine's working out pretty great, actually. It's a little more live than the others at the moment, but no different from how the 45 G was on another set I've got strung up on my backup, and I'm sure it just needs a little more play time to settle it down.
It's a little bit more tense, but not unbearably so. It's on a backup bass that I hardly ever use so I'm not in much of a hurry to replace them. I still prefer the wuss gauge, but overall they're not bad at all.
I’ve been playing my 45-125 set regularly for a couple of months now and the G string is still brighter and tighter than the other strings. It’s the only thing that bothers me about this set — otherwise, I dig them.
I've been using these Dunlops flats since this April. I want to preserve the original tiny frets on my 60's Jazz, and so a friend at Dunlop sent me a 45-105 set to try. Like Brad, I too am not a "blown Away" guy when it comes to flats...I'd rather not use em (I know I know). But using the bass on a couple gigs gave me a sound presence I didn't get when I'd tried a slew of other brands of flats. The fundamental was there: clear bottom, and enough highs where I didn't have to change my amp eq settings.
Now after a few months, the 45-105 was still a 'lil stiffer than I really prefer. So last week I picked up a set of 40-100, and definitely like the flexibility in these "wuss" gauges. And again Like Brad, my hands stay dry, so the lack of surface friction is wonderful.
To be real honest the 45 G string was very loud when popping, I consciously kept having to remember to try not pulling as hard I normally play. The 40 gauge, I don't have to worry about that technique, just play as I always do.
As for all-around sound on both; the 40-100 set seemed twangier, but be these are brand new compared to a set that's had 4 months of break-in time. I'll have to wait and see if they mellow to the same sound.
Now after a few months, the 45-105 was still a 'lil stiffer than I really prefer. So last week I picked up a set of 40-100, and definitely like the flexibility in these "wuss" gauges
. And again Like Brad, my hands stay dry, so the lack of surface friction is wonderful.To be real honest the 45 G string was very loud when popping, I consciously kept having to remember to try not pulling as hard I normally play. The 40 gauge, I don't have to worry about that technique, just play as I always do.
As for all-around sound on both; the 40-100 set seemed twangier, but be these are brand new compared to a set that's had 4 months of break-in time. I'll have to wait and see if they mellow to the same sound.
If you're impatient like me, no you don't:I've been using these Dunlops flats since this April. I want to preserve the original tiny frets on my 60's Jazz, and so a friend at Dunlop sent me a 45-105 set to try. Like Brad, I too am not a "blown Away" guy when it comes to flats...I'd rather not use em (I know I know). But using the bass on a couple gigs gave me a sound presence I didn't get when I'd tried a slew of other brands of flats. The fundamental was there: clear bottom, and enough highs where I didn't have to change my amp eq settings.
Now after a few months, the 45-105 was still a 'lil stiffer than I really prefer. So last week I picked up a set of 40-100, and definitely like the flexibility in these "wuss" gauges
To be real honest the 45 G string was very loud when popping, I consciously kept having to remember to try not pulling as hard I normally play. The 40 gauge, I don't have to worry about that technique, just play as I always do.
As for all-around sound on both; the 40-100 set seemed twangier, but be these are brand new compared to a set that's had 4 months of break-in time. I'll have to wait and see if they mellow to the same sound.
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@JimmyM , I feel like this ^^ should be your new avatar.
Eucerin is LIFEI got a .45 set anyway and put it on my Precision. Compared to the .40's on my Jazz Bass, the tension is noticeably higher, but the G still sounds different from the other strings, more quiet and thinner.
Funny thing about these strings: the piece of foam I use as a mute does no longer work on either bass, there is not enough remaining sustain and the sound is too muffled. The foam worked well with all the other brands of strings i tried in the last year: GHS Precision, Fender 9050ML, Thomastik Jazz, D'Addario Chromes, GHS Pressure Wounds.
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Well strings are a very personal thing and not everyone's going to dig the same ones.
