Dunlop Flatwounds premiering at NAMM

[antfarm]

Well strings are a very personal thing and not everyone's going to dig the same ones.

True. The Dunlops just feel so good that I will leave them on both basses and see how they develop.

 

[Selim]

Well strings are a very personal thing and not everyone's going to dig the same ones.

And not every bass is going to dig the same strings.

 

[e-flat]

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.

Some flats don’t do well w/ denser foam... if you can find a piece of foam w/ a more open cell structure it might work better. Worth a shot.

 

[JimmyM]

And not every bass is going to dig the same strings.

Yep, sticking with LaBellas on my violin basses. Didn't dig Dunlops so much on the Turser and I wasn't about to replace the 8 year old strings on my Realistic!

 

[JimmyM]

Some flats don’t do well w/ denser foam... if you can find a piece of foam w/ a more open cell structure it might work better. Worth a shot.

I gave up on the foam. Used it for one track on my band's upcoming album, but I can't make it work onstage. I always bang into it and dislodge it, and I'm not about to spend $40 on something that has 2c worth of foam glued to a 10c piece of wood.

 

[McFarlin]

For anyone considering these strings, here's more sound samples ("in the mix").

On our homepage, [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], you can stream two tracks using a medium gauge set of Dunlop flats on a G&L LB-100. Both use a mix of fingerstyle and palm-muted picking.

Track 4: LB100 > Fairfield Accountant for light compression > Neve RNDI > Apogee Duet > MacBook/Logic Pro

Track 7: Same path but without the compressor

All other tracks are a mic'd cab with different amps, different flatwound sets (TI, Cobalts, Sadowsky blue) and sometimes a different bass, so nothing consistent for comparison.

 

[Dluxe]

I put some .040 - .100 on my '74 Gibson Ripper and I love them. The silks even clear the nut when strung thru the body.

 

[Marihino]

I came across a couple of posts on TalkBass saying Dunlop flats aren't as durable as other flats; as in they go DEAD dead within, say, a year and are just no good anymore. Any long term users willing to have a take on this?

 

[fourstringdrums]

I came across a couple of posts on TalkBass saying Dunlop flats aren't as durable as other flats; as in they go DEAD dead within, say, a year and are just no good anymore. Any long term users willing to have a take on this?

Not my experience at all.

 

[Luckydog]

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.

sorta sounds like the old Sadowsky black label flats from what you describe.

 

[JimmyM]

I came across a couple of posts on TalkBass saying Dunlop flats aren't as durable as other flats; as in they go DEAD dead within, say, a year and are just no good anymore. Any long term users willing to have a take on this?

What strings don't? With Flats that's a desirable trait if you ask me.

 

[Brad Johnson]

sorta sounds like the old Sadowsky black label flats from what you describe.

Maybe... were they made by TI?

 

[Brad Johnson]

I came across a couple of posts on TalkBass saying Dunlop flats aren't as durable as other flats; as in they go DEAD dead within, say, a year and are just no good anymore. Any long term users willing to have a take on this?

IME they sound and feel better than other flats and the set of mine that are going on a year of frequent gigging are holding up great. And I slap.

 

[Brad Johnson]

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.

I played them straight out of the pack. No mods.

 

[FlatThumb]

No 6 string sets yet?

 

[Brad Johnson]

No 6 string sets yet?

I would love a .030 high C.

 

[Luckydog]

Maybe... were they made by TI?

no I meant the Dunlop’s you described sound like Sadowsky black label flats. The Sadowskys were made by Labella

 

[Brad Johnson]

no I meant the Dunlop’s you described sound like Sadowsky black label flats. The Sadowskys were made by Labella

Yeah. I got that. I didn't know who made Sadowsky's strings.

These don't feel like anything else I've tried besides TI strings.

 

[JimmyM]

Yeah. I got that. I didn't know who made Sadowsky's strings.

These don't feel like anything else I've tried besides TI strings.

Except the Dunlops are smoother and don't have that "rolling under the fingers" thing that turned me right off to them, and they don't take forever to go dead like TI's. Otherwise, yeah

 

[Brad Johnson]

Except the Dunlops are smoother and don't have that "rolling under the fingers" thing that turned me right off to them, and they don't take forever to go dead like TI's. Otherwise, yeah

I definitely prefer them over TI's.

Haven't played a rolling string since the last time I played a Rick Turner. Very weird feel.