Sorry, not trying to be smart here but why not buy a P bass instead of waiting until June to find out that with an Ibanez SR300 it is impossible to get the John Deaconish sound.
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Flat wounds
- Thread starter TheArchitect
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Sorry, not trying to be smart here but why not buy a P bass instead of waiting until June to find out that with an Ibanez SR300 it is impossible to get the John Deaconish sound.
I'm not familiar with that bass, but based on my experience with cheaper Ibanez basses and flats, I'd recommend getting some bright-sounding flats with good mids. I think Chromes would fit the bill, and are a good, inexpensive flat to get you started. If you don't like them, they are a good reference point since many people have tried them - it will be easier to advise when you can give particular reasons what you like and what you don't like about a particular string.
As others have said, other type strings might suit you better. Just experiment, strings are relatively cheap. And it's not completely gross to buy used flats to stretch your budget (check TB classifieds), you can wipe them down easily
As others have said, other type strings might suit you better. Just experiment, strings are relatively cheap. And it's not completely gross to buy used flats to stretch your budget (check TB classifieds), you can wipe them down easily
It's not the only sound I want and strings are an easy, reversable modification. That's just one example and I am looking for "inspired by", more so than a replication. I am trying to improve my recorded sound. I have had more than one person on recording forums talk about recording a bass with flats for the first time and thinking, "so that's how they got that sound."
A lot people recommend chromes ,they were always too bright floor me personally, my advice is to avoid Rotosound flats as they are very stiff feeling, i would also recommend going a gauge lighter than you would with rounds as flats tend to feel a little stiffer than rounds.
Good examples of flats are the bass player from queen , Paul McCartney, early motown, early led zeppelin
Good examples of flats are the bass player from queen , Paul McCartney, early motown, early led zeppelin
Ok, I see what you mean. I don't know what set would be the ideal but I know that the Labella 760 are not what you're after.
I have flats on 3 of my 6 basses. TI Flats on the CB bass, DRs on Trump, and LaBella Golds on the Iby Musician FL.
Great "pop" to them.
Great "pop" to them.
I'm quite happy with Chromes on my SR700. Had been using roundwounds before but wanted a warmer tone. As some others have already mentioned, you might want to try a coated roundwound such as Elixir. I have DR Neons on my SR706 and they provide a fairly bright tone without being too clanky.
This is something I tried to do - P bass and flats for everything. Didn't quite work as well as the P/Pressurewounds combo does.
If 70's rock and Motown were the only things I did, I would go back to flats, but for 80's rock and beyond I do need the extra crunch I get from the PWs. The PWs also work better with my VT Bass for a wider range of tone-shaping options than any flats I've tried.
Personally, I wouldn't put flats on a nice modern bass like the Ibanez SR300. They will limit your tonal options.
GHS Presision FLats can get you most anywhere, Motown thump to modern metal using a B3K or other OD device...Rotosound Steve Harris signature set for...what else...Maiden covers ;-)
What's the tension like on those GHS Pressurewounds...say in comparison to a roundwound EB Slinky or D'Addario XL of the same gauge?
Ultradust
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- May 19, 2007
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When I switched over to a LaBella Deep Talkin' flatwound 45-105 set on one of my J's, the engineer who has mixed a lot of my commercial production work over the past 15+ years texted me right away with a puzzled message: "You still running everything through that SPL preamp, right? What's up with the sudden spike at 160hz in your tracks these days?" 
The amount of clarity that comes with the thump makes them proper winners.
D'addario half rounds 45-100 on the other hand, were the deadest thing I've ever put on a bass (and really weird/annoying low-mids around 250 - 300hz), most certainly what I didn't expect.
The amount of clarity that comes with the thump makes them proper winners.D'addario half rounds 45-100 on the other hand, were the deadest thing I've ever put on a bass (and really weird/annoying low-mids around 250 - 300hz), most certainly what I didn't expect.
Try D'addario Chromes. I'm new to the flats world myself. Tried these on my fretless. I liked them but felt I was missing something in the tone department. Replaced them with some tapewounds. I threw the flats on my Ibanez ATK and absolutely love them on it. Very focused and even tone. Did a bit of recording too. Sounded great! Wouldn't hurt to try.
I didn't like my Rotosound 77s either, and I gave up on flats because of this. This thread is making me want to try some other brands!I had them on my Squier Precision for a long time. I was this close to selling the bass cos I found it utterly unplayable until I realized a string swap might change things for the better. I am glad I did not sell my bass
I loved the Thomastik Infeld flats I had on my Fender. Broke my heart when I broke a string and had to replace em with roundwounds (cos I needed strings fast, and in-store options are limited where I live - same as everywhere I suppose). Bit expensive but excellent strings. I am contemplating a set for my Squier.
I tried Chromes or Half-Rounds and didn't care much for either, I thought they died pretty quickly. I read here about Ken Smith compression-wounds. They're great strings IMO, I used those for a couple years then I tried some Rotosound Monel flats and they became my do-everything general purpose string. I like the sound and feel, and they retain some of the new string zing longer than the others I've used.
Pressurewounds have moderate tension. They're really just a type of roundwound, albeit without so much zing. Nice strings. Element Zero mentioned tapewounds, which often get forgotten in the flat/round dichotomy. Check 'em out:
In my previous playing life I loved the rotosound nickel jazz set on the sr700 I had then so I will likely give then a shot. Wish they made them for my 6. But I need to try out a set of flats...
