Flat wounds question

[Frenchy-Lefty]

My experience with flats:

Flats do not sound good on any type of bass. I have flats on my PBass and they sound great but they sound terrible on my Delano pickup equiped Jazz Bass V

When playing, live you often need more highs to cut through. Especially if the room acoustic is bad. Many players record with flats and play live with rounds.

There are big differences in sound between the various flatwound strings on the market

Flats tend to sound great with a little dirt.

 

[MtManiac]

What tone are you looking for?
Really growly - EB Cobalts
Growly - Fender 9050
Slightly growly - EB Stainless
Zing fade to thump - D'Addario Chromes
Round fade to thump - DR
Woody - GHS (but they aren't quite as woody and organic as "real" Fender flats from the golden era)
Smooth tone and last forever - La Bella
Boutique Aficionado - Sadowsky, your flavor of black or blue
'60's Rickenbacker OEM - Optima
Early Beatles, Dead, etc., dark round tone with presence - Pyramid
Flexible feel with fluidity - Thomastik Infeld
Crispy - Rotosound monel

Of the ones on this list that I've tried, I agree! (Chromes and Fenders).

I've also tried Roto Jazz flats, and liked them - not sure I'd be confident describing the tone as you've done, I didn't experience them for long, I sold the bass I put them on. Are they the Roto Monels you've included in your list?
JAZZ BASS 77 | ROTOSOUND

PLAYED BY
Phil Lynott
Roger Waters
John Deacon
Glen Matlock
Sting
Dee Murray

HEARD ON
Bad Reputation – Thin Lizzy
Piper at the Gates of Dawn – Pink Floyd
Atom Heart Mother – Pink Floyd
Dark side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
Wish you Were Here – Pink Floyd
Animals – Pink Floyd
The Wall – Pink Floyd
Never Mind the Bollocks – The Sex Pistols
Regatta de Blanc – The Police
Outlandos D’amour – The Police
Zenyata Mondata – The Police
Tumbleweed Connection – Elton John
Honky Chateau – Elton John
Don’t Shoot me I’m only the Piano Player – Elton John
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy – Elton John
Seventeen Seconds – The Cure

 

[Stewie]

GHS Precision flats on my Fenders since around 1985. Right now I have a Squier Tele style bass with them on it that is becoming my favorite. Ampeg amp, bass and treble at noon, mids at 3 O:Clock, though a pair of 15s. Super aggressive tone (for a P with flats)

 

[MtManiac]

I'm hearing a lot of recent "rock" music that sounds like it has a P-bass with flats, some tube overdrive, maybe some chorus or phase, and a bunch of compression. Examples might be "Dangerous" by Big Data and "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon, and let's not argue whether those are rock.

It's a completely different thing than the dark mellow tone people associate with flats. I like it a lot.

I just listened to Dangerous - what a great video! Cool tune too.

 

[MasterG]

Flats suck. That is all.

 

[MtManiac]

Flats do not sound good on any type of bass.

I have flats on my PBass and they sound great...Flats tend to sound great with a little dirt.

Ok then...

 

[Ripper75]

I love flatwounds and I play rock, they feel great and sound killer, the Steve Harris Rotosounds are really good

 

[filwitheneff]

A P-Bass with flats is the sound of bass in my head. A Jazz Bass with flats is a close second. I've given up the fight with rounds and I'm back to playing flats. I play in a wedding band with a huge variety of genres (including plenty of rock), and I'm never disappointed with the tone.

 

[LHbassist]

I'm old school, I started playing bass in 1967. There were no commercially available round wounds that I knew of, until I heard a stack knob jazz bass with Rotosounds, in 1969- through a Traynor YBA 3-A and 8x10 cab, from about twenty feet away. I couldn't believe my ears. I was playing my Kent hollowbody, with short scale LaBella blue silk end Flats. That Jazz bass sounded like nothing else I'd ever heard.
Think about this- As far as I'm aware- EVERYTHING you heard on the radio, or on your turntable prior to say 1968 here, and possibly a littler earlier in the UK, was ALL FLAT WOUND bass strings.
ALL the Beatles, Stones, Cream, Jethro Tull, Steppenwolf, Creedence, all the British invasion hits, ALL the Wrecking Crew bassists, ALL the Motown, Stax hits.. all were on flats. I think, John Entwistle played a Dano with rounds, and tried to record it- but kept breaking the factory round wounds- so "My Generation" was actually a Fender Jazz Bass with flats. This as the story goes, prompted his long association with James Howe/ Rotosound... collaborating with them to produce a quality round wound string for him. The rest, is history.

 

[azureblue]

I second light gauge flats for Rock, like 40's. I think Ernie Balls are a good choice, but Fender Lights work great too. You could also try half wounds too.

 

[JRA]

Could I get peoples opinion on flat wound strings for rock type music?

IME: any string can be used on any music. i think some genres might benefit from a specific 'string sound' but only because of the player's strengths/limitations. so, in general: most string types, in the hands of competent players, are good for any music, anytime, anywhere, anyhow.

 

[micguy]

I had flats on my first bass - a Rick 4001 came with them. They warned not to use rounds, as they might put too much tension on the neck. Which, if you know anything about string tension, is completely absurd - rounds of the same gauge always have less tension than flats.

Anyway, since I changed those strings to something brighter (half rounds were the first shot) I have, in one case, tried flats once. Within a week, I couldn't stand them, and took them off the bass.

There's a sound and feeling that I get with strings that are old, and are starting to fight me - the signal that it's time for me to change strings. If I don't change strings at that point, I'll start flailing way trying to dig the sound I want out of them with excessive force - eventually leading to hand issue if I'm not careful. Flats have precisely that sound and feel.

I have played a few basses that wren;t mine with flats on them, and...same thing. It's not just one bad set or anything, flats simply don't work for me.

 

[DavC]

recently tried some ' new to me ' flats ,... again ... Rotosound Monel 77 = cool stuff , nice warm sound , got the thinner gauge .. on 4 string Jazz ( model J pups , Warmoth P neck )

usually use GHS Pressurewounds ( still use them on my 5ver ) these are a great ' in-between ' kinda string for feel/sound ..!! they are Rounds , but have a more oval shaped out wrap from being wound under pressure , so they feel smoother ..! less finger / fret noise ... not as stiff as most flats ... sound is somewhere in between

have some used Ti's going on current fretless parts build ... very soft feel ( silk under flat wire ) unique tone ...
and as most flats , should last forever ...

 

[vancamp]

Thank you all again I’m gonna put a set and give them a run. Worse comes to worse I’ll switch back I’m gonna put them on this. View attachment 3659028

That looks an awful lot like my bass (American Performer) that's currently wearing Cobalts.

 

[SwansonEricJohn]

I'm 44 years old. In high school I was a trombone player, a tuba player, and an upright bass player (jazz and classical). I was raised on the records my dad and uncle grew up with - I never really got into current pop music (I'll admit being into Duran Duran in 1984). In the mid 90's, people generally were not into vintage gear. My high school bought a Yamaha DX7 and I ended up with a FREE FENDER RHODES ("it only has ONE sound!") - I still have it - it's mint.

My first electric bass was a cheap Yamaha fretless (roundwound strings). I was used to upright bass, so I thought I'd give it a go. I still occasionally play fretless. HOWEVER, it wasn't THAT sound on the records I was listening to. My folks took me into New York City where I got a Fender Jazz at Manny's (roundwound strings). It was OK, but still not THAT SOUND. It was frustrating to me.

You have to realize this was before the internet and sites like this where we can discuss and trade info. I do not remember where, maybe it was a bluegrass festival in Pennsylvania, somebody handed me a set of flatwound strings and said, "Try these instead." I didn't even know what they were other than perhaps the famous quote from Joe Osborn about "I haven't changed the strings on my bass since 1963." Obviously, my old Kay upright had flatwounds, but I was clueless that these types of strings could be used on electric.

I put the flatwounds on, and, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, THAT WAS THE SOUND.

To be honest, I have different strings on different basses because you never know what's going to be needed. I like the GHS Pressurewounds on my 1975 Precision. The Alembic Mark King has roundwounds. The 1966 Gibson EB-3 HAS TO HAVE flatwounds (I traded my ex-wife's wedding ring for the Gibson). Guild Starfire - must have flatwounds, it sounds so cool. 1971 Jazz Bass has flats as well.

Slightly related, again, mid-90's, everything was about pedals and effects. I sat in with a blues band (their bass player was AWOL but returned later) - I played the 1971 Jazz Bass (flats) through a Blackface Fender Showman (no effects) and it was the greatest thing I'd ever heard. The lead guitar player was using an old Les Paul direct into a Fender Deluxe Reverb, no pedals, and THAT WAS THE SOUND I'd heard growing up. I started to wonder why everything became so complicated... the sound is EASY. [Granted, you don't have to LIKE what I LIKE, and I won't hold it against you! - I'm just happy to have found the recipe to my favorite dishes and, turns out, they are easy dishes to make.]

Similarly, listen to early Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Hendrix, Boston. What's that? Most of the time Marshalls turned all the way up with no effects. Easy recipe! Deafening recipe!

Sorry to go on and on. I'm bored today. Hopefully one person is entertained by my story.

 

[JBassBurk]

Could I get peoples opinion on flat wound strings for rock type music? I’ve never tried them and am curious as to people’s opinion on them? Thank you

I use D'Addario's FW on my two basses. I am a multi genre bass player and I love the smooth feeling they have on my finger tips. Plus no finger squeaks. I do love the mellow sound they give me and noone complains. As for tailoring my bass for the genre's sound, I make volume, tone, and EQ adjustments accordingly. My best advice is to try a set and see how they feel; they do take a while to break, so be patient. Experiment, play, and see what transpires. All in all, go with what makes you feel comfortable. One size doesn't fit all.

 

[Bodeanly]

I use Chromes on all of my basses and play 90% rock. They are a dream.

 

[LHbassist]

Some further thoughts on Flats vs. rounds. I have a 15 year old set of Rotosound 'Jazz Bass' flat wound strings, which, prior to them making available a much needed lighter gauge in this series- were their only flat available other than their tapewounds. They are VERY high tension strings. They also market them under the 'Steve Harris' signature set. The 'A' is a .95! These strings literally BENT the Gotoh 201 bridge I had on my P-bass. The amazing thing, is twofold. I have had them on several basses, and strangely, they STILL ring like a roundwound set! In addition, when the bass is adjusted properly, the action can be set very low. Once you get used to this setup- it's actually pretty comfortable. I have them wound up, hanging on my workbench, awaiting another application. The lighter gauge RS Jazz Bass sets feel and sound great. That all said, I currently have MOST of my four string basses strung with Fender 9050 ML strings. I have some strung with Chromes, but I like the NEW generation of Fender flats just enough more to now be using them exclusively. They sound great, and take a long time, relatively, to lose their bright ringy new tone. Some musicians in the audience ask me what strings I was using, and they are surprised when I tell them they are flats. I do a lot of palm muting and use an acrylic thumbnail. This technique works best with flats. You wouldn't think so, but it's true. Listen to some NRBQ. The great Joey Spampinato uses a Dano- or Jerry Jones, with LaBella flats -and many different picking techniques- but palm muting is a big part of his tone on many recordings.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

I really like the Roto 77 Flats, I downtuned to DGCF to deal with the high tension.

Fender 9050s get overlooked way too much. I prefer them over Chromes by a long shot.

My current setup:
Epi Jack Casady- TI Flats
Fender ‘51 Reissue- GHS Flats
Rick 4003S- RotoSound TruBass 88 Tapewounds
Rick 4003- MJC Ironworks SS Rounds.

YMMV

Sometimes it takes a while to find out what strings really make your bass shine. Unfortunately, not all the strings will sound as nice on ones bass as another’s. That’s just the nature of wooden instruments and individual technique. But be patient, and don’t be afraid to try a bunch.

 

[EveryDamnJim]

I’ve been using D’Addario medium nickel rounds (50-105) since I don’t know when. I’m thinking of trying GHS Pressurewounds for a little mellower tone and less finger noise. My concern is the G is only .044 and I like a heavier gauge G. But I’m wondering if since the GHSs are compressed that a like-gauge string would actually have more mass (vs a round) and “feel” (and sound) heavier? I haven’t compared the tensions yet—that *might* answer my question!