Let me start by saying I love flats. I have a set of Chromes on my Ibanez SR500 and love them. The feel, the sound, and even the tension just feels right to me. At home. In a live context? Complete disappointment. The warm and focused sound at home turns to mush and just gets buried under everything. I've tried EQ'ing every way I know how. No luck. Short of changing strings, what else can I do? I don't cut any mids on my amp or bass (I actually boost them quite a bit). Is this the fatal flaw of flatwounds? Is there a better flatwound I can use?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Flats and playing live
- Thread starter NeonNobody
- Start date
My experience with the GHS Precision Flats (45-95) is exactly the opposite. Not the most exciting tone all on their own, but I love the way they sit just right in the mix. Warm and woody with a focused low-mid punch without ever getting lost.
go long...try rounds. good luck!
what kind of music are you playing and what other instruments are you up against?
From what I've read, GHS Flats are really warm. Wouldn't that just worsen the problem? Or with flats do you just need to lean into having a warm tone?
My main gig is at a church. So a lot of organ, synth, piano, drums, guitar with heavy effects, etc. A very dense mix for sure.
The problem most likely isn't you; it's that everyone else is in your sonic territory.
what is the signal path to FOH?
I have had some of the best live tone ever playing Chromes on a short scale hollowbody. But it was going into a studio-grade DI , to a pro soundman.
I have had some of the best live tone ever playing Chromes on a short scale hollowbody. But it was going into a studio-grade DI , to a pro soundman.
Mostly contemporary Christian Praise & Worship music. Typically with drums, 1-2 electric guitars (often overdriven), an acoustic guitar, a keyboard and a synth, along with 3-4 vocalists.
Flats tend to have a narrower sonic band to occupy, mostly down low and low-mid. It actually helps me stay out of the way of overdriven guitars.
Not all flats are created equal. I had the problem of being lost in the mix when I was using La Bella flats, but not so with the GHS, which have been on my P bass for the last six months.
By the way, I also use a Fender Jazz and an active Yamaha 5-string in church as well. They're both wearing the GHS Pressurewounds right now.
The signal path is bass =>GK MB 200 D.I. => Board. We have really good sound guys and girls who do live sound for other bands.
are they the ones saying that bass is buried, and they can't fix it? or is it just in what you hear in amp/monitor?
I wonder if its just the difference of the amp in different rooms, and you maybe need to turn up a bit at some gigs, or add a 2nd cab to move more air in a larger space.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,002
- 1
- 31,692
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Tapewounds. The feel of flats, (some of) the sound of rounds. They are usually round wound strings under that tapewound shell.
sounds like you guys just need to figure out where everything sits. flats should work in that setting.
Try turning one of the pickups on your jazz a bit. Either one will give you a lot more mid s. Chromes are pretty bright.
I've tried dead nickels and just felt like something was missing. I felt like I could cop a dead round close enough on the Chromes.
Do you have a set you would recommend? I never see any sets outside of talkbass, except for the Dadarrio Black Nylons at GC.
I haven't thought of that. Sometimes I would solo the neck pickup for songs that needed a P-bass type sound, but never the bridge. The SR500's bridge pickup is kind of thin sounding, so maybe I would add a little extra bass. Thanks for the suggestion!
We're hopefully getting some people from Sweetwater to come and help us get everything really set up. The board as it sits now was set up by a guy who ran sound for musical theatres, so I'm not convinced it's optimally set up for a more concert-like setting.
I'd love for flats to work. But right now, they just don't.
