First time ever using Flats

[specs]

I see. I've tried so many roundwounds that there's almost nothing Ive not seen. Flats though i have never tried. Im curious to see what you think about them once you play on them for a bit. I like brightness and definition in my notes so Ive never thought about flats having what i need but hey you never know.

You never know indeed, once I get the bass back & have had my bash on them, I’ll report back to you my friend.

 

[specs]

Roto flats are alright. Kind of round wound feeling and rough. I think labella make the best flats. So smooth, so nice sounding

I’m used to the roughness, it’s all I know.

Yes I’ve heard that deep talkin’ strings are lower tension & super smooth. Classic Jamerson?

 

[micguy]

If you don't like rounds that go dead fast, you might find (like many of us do) that flats start out too dead for your taste. Hope I'm wrong, but in my case, that is precisely why I don't use flats. I do hear folks playing flats that sound good, but if you put flats on a bass, and have me play it, the correlation between what my fingers are doing, and what I am hearing drives me nuts instantly.

 

[micguy]

Yes I’ve heard that deep talkin’ strings are lower tension & super smooth. Classic Jamerson?

Jamerson played strings that had very high tension.

 

[specs]

Jamerson played strings that had very high tension.

I stand corrected good sir , I was wrong.

 

[specs]

If you don't like rounds that go dead fast, you might find (like many of us do) that flats start out too dead for your taste. Hope I'm wrong, but in my case, that is precisely why I don't use flats. I do hear folks playing flats that sound good, but if you put flats on a bass, and have me play it, the correlation between what my fingers are doing, and what I am hearing drives me nuts instantly.

Everyone’s mileage will vary. Everyone is different. Until I get the bass back I won’t know. Urgh yeah, once rounds go dead, they don’t last long for me. I’m hopeful for these flats to work for me

 

[Eli Brockway]

The strings Jamerson played on are best represented nowadays by the Labella 1954s. They're bridge cables.

Always use your mid frequencies to your advantage. They sound ugly when you're alone, compared to a nice scooped "bedroom tone", but they fill a mix nicely—and if you really push them, you can start getting into territory like Lemmy (albeit, he used rounds, obviously). Bass 0, Mids Full, Treble 0, Presence Full.

Different makers' flats are definitely different, though. Labellas, whether the DTFs or LTFs, are very bassy and thumpy. GHS precision flats are similar, as are a lot of others. TIs are pretty flexible and maintain some brightness. Rotosound 77s are very zingy at first, and if you keep them really low and play hard you get a lot of Steve Harris's clanky sound, but they're still an old school flat, especially as they mellow with age—just less thumpy, more round and actually-punchy, in my experience. D'addario Chromes and EB Cobalt Flats are much more bright and modern, Cobalts especially, because they don't really lose it.

They'll also have different levels of polish. Labellas are very highly polished, with 1954s to my memory looking almost like solid wire. DR Legends are similar. Rotosound 77s and EB Cobalt Flats, meanwhile, you can actually see the wraps a lot more obviously, and that contributes to the grippy feeling they have—not as rough as rounds, but there's definitely something there.

Also, definitely experiment with some overdrive and distortion on the flats. Even just a little bit of break-up with flats is a fantastic sound, and it's what you hear on a ton of rock bass parts in the early 60s.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Hello folks!

After 22 years of playing, I have always stuck with many types of different rounds, currently my bass is in the music store workshop, being restrung with jazz bass, 77’s (45 -105). Flats. I have never touched a flat string in my life.

Not that I can’t restring myself, I have done so for many years, the reason being is I know they have high tension on them, and after they’ve been put on, it will be need to be set up and have the intonation done.

I play in a rock ‘n’ roll band, doing covers from the 50s all the way through to today, the main reason for this hopeful change is because after one gig, sometimes two, if I’m lucky, I’ve killed my strings.

No matter how much I carefully install them, seat them properly, stretch them, tune them up slowly, put in a 90° bend and then cut them to scale, wipe them down, clean them with fast fret, even boiling them, and soaked them in denatured alcohol, I always end up with the same dead string problem, so hopefully using flats and giving the lasting nature, well also being able to focus on the real low end of the instrument these in hope should work very well and last a very long time.

I’m sure some of you have some good experiences with this, and I was hoping to hear some stories and some insight to using flats for the first time.

Thank you very much!

You're gonna hate them.

They're sticky

 

[specs]

You're gonna hate them.

They're sticky

Oh bugger.

 

[specs]

The strings Jamerson played on are best represented nowadays by the Labella 1954s. They're bridge cables.

Always use your mid frequencies to your advantage. They sound ugly when you're alone, compared to a nice scooped "bedroom tone", but they fill a mix nicely—and if you really push them, you can start getting into territory like Lemmy (albeit, he used rounds, obviously). Bass 0, Mids Full, Treble 0, Presence Full.

Different makers' flats are definitely different, though. Labellas, whether the DTFs or LTFs, are very bassy and thumpy. GHS precision flats are similar, as are a lot of others. TIs are pretty flexible and maintain some brightness. Rotosound 77s are very zingy at first, and if you keep them really low and play hard you get a lot of Steve Harris's clanky sound, but they're still an old school flat, especially as they mellow with age—just less thumpy, more round and actually-punchy, in my experience. D'addario Chromes and EB Cobalt Flats are much more bright and modern, Cobalts especially, because they don't really lose it.

They'll also have different levels of polish. Labellas are very highly polished, with 1954s to my memory looking almost like solid wire. DR Legends are similar. Rotosound 77s and EB Cobalt Flats, meanwhile, you can actually see the wraps a lot more obviously, and that contributes to the grippy feeling they have—not as rough as rounds, but there's definitely something there.

Also, definitely experiment with some overdrive and distortion on the flats. Even just a little bit of break-up with flats is a fantastic sound, and it's what you hear on a ton of rock bass parts in the early 60s.

What an insight of knowledge, thank you!

Yeah I just searched up those 1954’s, good lord! Those look like solid cable! Very tightly wound, can only just see the windings!

Yeah I think I saw a close up somebody posted a long while of the different flats on here.

Well I do use a Sansamp rbi that’s always on, everything on 1-2 o’clock.

 

[sylvanbass]

I haven't used rounds in about 15 years. When a new bass roles through here it more often than not comes with rounds on them. I'll leave them on for a day or two just to get some different sounds. Then it's bye bye and I pull out the flats. I have several older pairs in my string box that I'll sometimes saddle up, but sometimes I'll order a new set. The oldest set of flats have are about 12 years old. Still sound great when I put them on something!!

 

[onda'bass]

I love flats and would have them on all basses, but they don't go everywhere. Different tool for the job, welcome to the dark side.

 

[bherman]

I’m used to the roughness, it’s all I know.

Yes I’ve heard that deep talkin’ strings are lower tension & super smooth. Classic Jamerson?

I play (and love) two different types of flats, neither are high tension. The LaBella Deep Talkin Low Tension Flats are excellent and not crazy expensive. My most favorite are Pyramid Pure Nickel Flatwounds. But the E on them tends to go dead, so right now my P bass has Pyramid A-D-G and a LaBella LTF E string. Many players like the TI Jazz Flats but the tension is way too low for me, and they are expensive ($75 a set). Decent flats last a long time. My current set are going on 5 yrs and still sound and feel great. Perfect for roots/rock/blues.

Edit - I just saw that you are in the UK, Pyramids might not be that expensive there. They are very smooth, high quality strings that sound great from day 1.

 

[Chrisk-K]

Even the brightest sounding flats will sound "more dead" than dead rounds. You just need to find rounds that last reasonably long for you.

 

[SLO Surfer]

Since you love the zing of fresh rounds, I might suggest adding some (more?) overdrive to your sound to brighten up the attack on your flats.

 

[Stewie]

Walk out in front of your band and listen. I bet you'll smile

 

[Hsg]

Hello folks!

After 22 years of playing, I have always stuck with many types of different rounds, currently my bass is in the music store workshop, being restrung with jazz bass, 77’s (45 -105). Flats. I have never touched a flat string in my life.

Not that I can’t restring myself, I have done so for many years, the reason being is I know they have high tension on them, and after they’ve been put on, it will be need to be set up and have the intonation done.

I play in a rock ‘n’ roll band, doing covers from the 50s all the way through to today, the main reason for this hopeful change is because after one gig, sometimes two, if I’m lucky, I’ve killed my strings.

No matter how much I carefully install them, seat them properly, stretch them, tune them up slowly, put in a 90° bend and then cut them to scale, wipe them down, clean them with fast fret, even boiling them, and soaked them in denatured alcohol, I always end up with the same dead string problem, so hopefully using flats and giving the lasting nature, well also being able to focus on the real low end of the instrument these in hope should work very well and last a very long time.

I’m sure some of you have some good experiences with this, and I was hoping to hear some stories and some insight to using flats for the first time.

Thank you very much!

When I first started playing bass all I used was flat wound strings.Till recently switched to round wounds.The flats were easy to play on but a bit dead sounding to me.I love the tone of both but find I need the tone in the roundwounds more often.

 

[trothwell]

If you like these but don't like the stiffness, you might consider next time the Rotosound SM77 set which runs 40-100. A little more flexible.

 

[DaveParker39]

Rotosound 77's are great. They are flats and sound like flats but you can do a whole lot with them. Like, y'know, play metal if you want

 

[HardNHeavy]

Here’s hoping I can let them grow on me too, time for a new favour!

Love the reverse headstocks! Where did you get those from?

Yes, the flats are much thumpier and warm for sure. I'v used rounds since day one, depends on the music or song where they really shine. When your used to all the mid and highs, flats are like a muffled fart, but warm and fluid...nasty mental image but you get it...lol


the tuners on tht bass are Wilkinson's open gear type or universal, you can switch them to left or right.