When your intonated bass is still out of tune, it's time to switch strings.
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Flat-wounds: How long is too long?
- Thread starter mobeme23
- Start date
+3.
Sounding lifeless & Out of tune can indicate early signs of internal damage to the string.
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I found with large labella flats (the original 54 series), I liked them for a few months. Then, they go through a really boring period. But around 8-9 months they take on a whole new thing and start to sound like all my favorite old records.
My oldest flatwounds are on my '63 Precision, and were installed about 1972.
They're still good, thanks. Not much treble left in them, though.
I've been playing since 1964, and I've never changed strings unless one broke or I was intentionally changing to a different type of string.
They're still good, thanks. Not much treble left in them, though.
I've been playing since 1964, and I've never changed strings unless one broke or I was intentionally changing to a different type of string.
Of course. Strings can be removed at will, cleaned, put back, swapped to another bass. You're asking about flatwound and it seems the answer is that they last until they break or fail to stay in tune but I remove my roundwound, put them in alcohol for a night and they sound almost like new afterwards. I might never buy strings again…
I never had pressure wound strings but they are described as roundwound which have been "slightly flattened", so I suppose they still leave room for dirt to accumulate as roundwound and suffer the same dulling out as a result. They can be cleaned the same way.
As others have said, change strings when they no longer sound good to you. I play TI Jazz Flats and change them every five years whether they need it or not.
I had an AVRI P bass that had the same Chromes on it for seven years, and they still sounded great.
Chromes don’t really go “dead” but they do lose their shine, and IMO thats when they are broken in. Then they stay that way. They’re all I’ve really used for the past 11 years, across about four or five different P basses. Other basses I’ve owned during that time have had rounds and those basses didn’t stick around long enough for me to commit to them enough to put Chromes on them. That’s kind of my “I’m keeping this one” indicator.
Also, the only bass strings I’ve ever broken in 36 years were ones that I’d removed from one bass and put on another, even though sometimes they were essentially the same bass, eg American Series or American Standard P basses. And it’s only even been the E string, the binding just kinda fell apart at the bridge saddle, and the string went flop. That’s happened like maybe three times, with both flats and rounds. I don’t keep old strings anymore.
Chromes don’t really go “dead” but they do lose their shine, and IMO thats when they are broken in. Then they stay that way. They’re all I’ve really used for the past 11 years, across about four or five different P basses. Other basses I’ve owned during that time have had rounds and those basses didn’t stick around long enough for me to commit to them enough to put Chromes on them. That’s kind of my “I’m keeping this one” indicator.
Also, the only bass strings I’ve ever broken in 36 years were ones that I’d removed from one bass and put on another, even though sometimes they were essentially the same bass, eg American Series or American Standard P basses. And it’s only even been the E string, the binding just kinda fell apart at the bridge saddle, and the string went flop. That’s happened like maybe three times, with both flats and rounds. I don’t keep old strings anymore.
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Bunk for you is “thunk” for many others. As in “thunkty thunk thunkity thunk”.
I've been a rounds user for ever. I've tried flats a couple times over the years but just did not like them. Last year i tried a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on my Precision and they've been on it ever since. Over a year later and they still sound and play great. I put them on a couple other basses after that and to be honest i'm not sure how much I really like them on those, but on that Precision, they are magic.
I played nothing but rounds for my first 25-26 years of playing, but had tried flats here and there. I could never get past the “sticky” feeling and the stuff feeling and I hated playing them, but I also always hated the twangy sound of new rounds. Finally, I tried a set of Chromes and decided to just give them a chance, and have never looked back. They’re definitely not for everybody, sometimes you want a bright trebly tone, or maybe even all the time, and maybe rolling off the tone pot works for you to get a more thuddy sound when you want that instead, but that’s the sound I’m looking for pretty much all the time, since I started playing bass back in 1982, and Chromes deliver - once you get past the break in period.
I’ve been meaning to try the Ernie Balls, but I just can’t commit to something new when I like what I have so much, and trying something new means abandoning a good set of flats and breaking in another set.
My record is 19 years for a set of GHS Precision Flatwounds. I do think they get better with age, but these got to the point where there was no discernible pitch coming from the E string.
There are other factors, such as how much a person sweats, how acidic the sweat is, how humid your climate is, etc.
Just use your ears. Even within the range of flatwound tones, there are differences of opinion about twang vs. thud.
There are other factors, such as how much a person sweats, how acidic the sweat is, how humid your climate is, etc.
Just use your ears. Even within the range of flatwound tones, there are differences of opinion about twang vs. thud.
The Pressurewounds do behave more like rounds than flats. The outer round wire is "rollerwound" into an oval shape, resulting in a smoother surface texture. And the nickel-iron alloy (ie Alloy 52) used for the wrap wire has decent longevity, at least in my own experience. I usually change my PWs once a year.
I think TI Jazz Flats last longer than any other string. I have 11 basses all strung with TI’s. One set is 6 years old. I have a new set that is only a few weeks old. They both sound alike. I do wipe my strings down with some degreaser sprayed on a paper towel every few gigs. It keeps them lively.
I have a set of TI jazz flats going on 10 years now they still sound great 
