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Feels like FLATS sounds like ROUNDS?

#21
two fingers said:
This. Your fingertips are not that dainty. Really, they aren't.
Click to expand...

i say it in a half-joking "i know im not really contributing to this thead" sort of way.. but i've spent years practicing DB for an absolute minimum of an hour a day, 6 days a week. generally a lot more. that's a lot of time to love the feeling of non-roundwound strings.

but i can still pick up an electric bass and the difference goes unnoticed.

don't worry about it. even if you do find rounds somehow uncomfortable- the sound is more important than anything else, and even for major changes- you will adapt.-to go with my DB analogy, the difference between a 42" scale length and as small as a 30" scale on a beatle bass, or even 25.5" for those of us playing guitar as well; goes unnoticed in most cases. we just get used to it.
 
#23
I just strung some D'addario Half Rounds. They are def not as bright as I had hoped. I'm going to go back to nickel rounds. Once they mellow out they have great fundamental with just the right dash of overtones. Just gotta rub 'em down with skin and grease to break them in properly.
 
#26
I'm in this for two goals: reduced string noise, and a less-thumpy, more harmonic sound than flats. Here's the order I just placed from bassstringsonline:

Smith Slick Rounds
GHS Pressurewound
SIT Silencers
Dean Markley Helix NPS

We'll see how things go with those. For now, the DR round set is staying on.

Thanks for all the tips folks!
 
#28
I tried the D'Addario half-rounds and did not like them. They sounded ok until they broke in, then nothing but a dull thud with no sustain. I feel like they take the worst aspects of flats and rounds and combine them together. Not what I was looking for at all.

I second the advice to just buy some rounds. You'll get used to them and you can combat finger/string noise by backing off the tone/treble knob on your bass.
 
#30
Space Pickle said:
Hey, on this topic I've been trying to find Dean Markley Ground Round Wound strings but I can't find anything under that name, can anyone point me in the right direction?
Click to expand...

I don't think they exist any more. They were very nice strings when I tried 'em back in the '80s but since that time Markley's bought their own string manufacturing machinery/company (they were at one time made by Sterlingworth) and the market for modified rounds has dropped tremendously since then.

Markley was also the company that had the ones that were modified rounds up to about the 12th fret or so and round from there to the ball ends. I don't recall what they called that set though. It was a long time ago that I ran a guitar store and quit selling Markley's because of some interaction with Mr. Dean Markley himself.

John
 
#31
La Bella Tapewounds are about as middle of the road between rounds and flats as I have found.
Very very smooth on slides and fretting, zero finger noise, relatively low tension unlike most flats I've tried, not thuddy at all, not overly bright but much brighter than Chrome flats I've tried. Overall a very unique string in feel and sound.
I use them on all my Jazz basses, they last forever and ever with no change in tone. Going on year 8 with one of my sets and they still sound the same as day one.
 
#32
I like bright roundwounds. The only strings I ever used that felt like flats (they even looked like flats) were the discontinued Fender 7120 nylon filament wounds. GHS Brite Flats don't, and neither do D'Addario half rounds. I used to use them on my maple fingerboard fretless P and they were great. Just roundwounds with the windings wrapped with black nylon filament. Fantastic strings, and Fender discontinued them.
 
#33
I used to have a set of the old discontinued stainless steel d'addario halfrounds. Amazing strings. I foolishly left them on a bass I ended up selling.

They were bright as rounds with zero fingernoise and not at all sticky like the current nickel halfrounds.

I think labella quarter rounds are the only SS groundwounds/halfwounds. Though I haven't heard many good reviews about them.
 
#37
1.) Rotosound 77 sounds like rounds the most. Listen to Waters, Harris, Lynott they used/use rotos.

2.) Chromes sound like Rounds (2nd Place)

You might want to try DR Sunbeams, very soft feel for rounds. DR Nickel lo riders are also great but not as smooth as sunbeams.
 
#39
.
La Bella Tapewounds are about as middle of the road between rounds and flats as I have found.
Very very smooth on slides and fretting, zero finger noise, relatively low tension unlike most flats I've tried, not thuddy at all, not overly bright but much brighter than Chrome flats I've tried.
Click to expand...

I agree with everything above.
.. All except the bold bit. That surprises me!
Were the Chromes new GBassNorth?

I have Chromes on one of my basses atm and LaBella White Tapewounds on another.
To my ears the Chromes are definitely the brighter of the pair. Both are virtually new.
It's very subjective of course!
 
#40
OzzyGreg said:
.


I agree with everything above.
.. All except the bold bit. That surprises me!
Were the Chromes new GBassNorth?

I have Chromes on one of my basses atm and LaBella White Tapewounds on another.
To my ears the Chromes are definitely the brighter of the pair. Both are virtually new.
It's very subjective of course!
Click to expand...

I haven't tried the white Tapewounds yet but the regular black tapes were a little brighter than a broken in set of Chromes. It takes a while for the Chromes to settle in but they do lose a fair amount of their high end after a couple of months of playing whereas the tapes just keep chugging along unchanged.
 

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