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famous bass players on flats

#21
Buskman said:
Don't forget 'Family Man'!
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Aston Barrett gets the ultimate Jazz + flats tone, to my ears. An astonishing combination of hugeness and clarity, with extraordinary dynamics and an upright-ish attack and note shaping. He uses Fender flats exclusively.

Robbie Shakespeare, of course. He uses Dean Markley flats, and always has. Another tone monster, and family Man's protégé, who helped define the sound of reggae bass.

Also Jackie Jackson, Boris Gardiner, Lloyd Parks, George 'Fully' Fullwood, Cinton Fearon, Leroy Sibbles, Errol 'Flabba' Holt, and countless other reggae bassists get their sound from flats.
 
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#24
Prestia, since when? Maybe years ago. I'm pretty sure he's used nickel rounds for awhile. Like I said earlier, many players who were known at one time for using flats, have long since moved to primarily rounds. George Porter Jr., Bob Babbit, JPJ, (insert most any player from 60's/70's) pretty much most of the older guys who only had flats in the old days, use mostly rounds today AFAIK and from interviews I have read.
 
#27
I used rotosound swing bass in my early days and changed them every week. I should of purchased stock in the company. I now use nickel strings and TI superalloy. I have juut started using flat D'a chromes on my p bass. I did have a set of TI flats on Curbow petite I had for a short while, the tension was much to stiff for my liking.
 
#32
BillMason said:
Hunh? Lots of players use flats exclusively. Many here on TB, and many well-known recording artists.
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Hunh what? I'm sure there are lots that do...I never said there weren't. But lots isn't most. And since you mentioned TB, check our own poll...approx 75% rounds to approx 17% flats...and that poll wasn't even asking for those that use one or the other exclusively, it asked about preferred string type. If you had to estimate how many people use flats sometimes, I suspect that number is huge...probably most players. In fact a more telling poll question might be- "What percentage of time do you use flats versus other string types"...and maybe the results could be considered mostly conclusive if TB can be considered representative of the electric bass playing community...But back to the point- if you want to know who uses flats exclusively that number is going to be pretty small (in comparison to those that use rounds).
 
#34
I believe Bernard Edwards used flats on his Stingray on the classic Chic recordings. I remember reading somewhere that John Taylor of Duran Duran ended up with Bernard's old Stingray and it still had the old flats on it which had been on since Bernard bought the bass!. Apparently a sound engineer cut them off and restrung the bass while John was taking a break because he (engineer) thought they didn't record well. John was SO pissed off when he found out
 
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#36
pretty much most of the older guys who only had flats in the old days,
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Rounds were not very much in evidence till the very late 60s/early 70s. At the time, flats were almost universally dead, dubby-sounding. In order to get any bite you'd have to go round. Since then, many flats with far better sound have come into the market.
 

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