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Flats not for everyone?

K

Kevinmach

Dec 7, 2008
248
0
#1
I accidentally bought some Roto flats. They were out of my usual Roto rounds (typical for GC, eh?) so I went with a different brand of Rotos, and didn't realize they were flat until two months passed and I decided to restring. Too much time had passed to return them and I was open to giving flats a try.

I didn't hate the tone, but I didn't love it either. The just didn't seem to have the bite that I liked after about a week of playing with them, though I will say that there were some things I did like about the way they sounded too. It just seemed like something was missing.

So the question I am guess I am wondering is, did I just not give them enough of a chance? Did I just not find the right flat for me? Or are there some people that find they have played every type of flat wound string out there and will always find something is lacking for them and just stick to rounds?
 
#2
Maybe a bit of all the above. Rounds give stronger harmonic overtones and give more of a metallic sound. If thats your thing then best stick with rounds. Flats have less overtones therefore have a stronger fundamental.

I've had a love hate relationship with flats- loved em for a month or so... missed rounds so went back.... then gradually transitioned back to flats. I now much prefer it on 3 out of 4 of my basses. I generally go for a more traditional tone but keep rounds on the MM Sabre for the extra zing.
 
#6
I have the same love / hate (dislike is more like it) with flats. They are cool, but I like more sustain and don't like the sticky feeling when playing slides. Flats lasted for about a year on my P-bass (only about 8 months on my Spector) before I missed the round sound and playability. Ideally, I should buy another P-bass and keep flats on it.
 
#8
Please don't take this as a dig at you because that's not my intent, but I'm kind of astonished that you could play a set of flats for two months and not know they were flats. :)

But to answer your question, there are many applications where flats are preferred over rounds and vice versa and it isn't open to scientific analysis so much as personal preference by the individual player over what sounds best to the ear given music genre, the overall package of bass and amp equipment and bassist technique.

I cover several different types of music, from metal to classic rock to jazz to folk and I've found over the years that I want really bright and aggressive rounds like DR Hi Beams on my main metal and rock basses while I want a mellow sound like LaBella Deep Talkin flats on my main jazz bass and I prefer the tones of the Roto SH flats on my Acoustic Electric bass.

You didn't say what type of music you played or in what setting (cover band, original band, basement warrior ?) In my experience, those who impulsively (or accidentally) switch to flats after using rounds for awhile don't actually give them their proper chance because they don't appreciate that it takes a long time to tweak your amp to get the most out of the strings and it takes an even longer time to adjust your own technique to get the most out of them.

In my opinion, switching from rounds to flats or from flats to rounds requires a whole new approach to playing the bass and one should adopt a different mindset with each.
 
#10
I have not changed the set of flats that were on my MIM Jazz when I bought it at a garage sale in 2002. I play it through a Fishman Pro Platinum EQ and an SWR Workingman's or a Polytone Mini Brute. Simple adjustments on the Fishman depending on the music--reggae, R & B, blues, classic rock...old flats are fine for all. I wouldn't use them for slap funk or metal, but those aren't not my thing anyway.
 
#11
I have my two main basses strung with different strings. My Stingray Copy has flats (Chromes) for my Reggae/Soul band to get an old-er school sound and more thump, and my Lakland DJ5 has XL Rounds Tuned E-C for more of a modern, chordal Garrison-style thing and for more of a melodic funky slap rock style.

I like both for different reasons and find that various basses tend to take the strings in different ways. Flats just plain sound good to me on a P-bass when you're going for a more supporting role or more of an old school sound, while Rounds sound good to me if you're soloing more or do more tapping/slapping/etc........

My dream would be to have one nice P-bass with flats and an acoustic Strung with flats as well, with a bunch more basses with rounds.
 
#14
Please don't take this as a dig at you because that's not my intent, but I'm kind of astonished that you could play a set of flats for two months and not know they were flats
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I wish I could say I haven't done something quite so stupid OTHER areas of my life, but I am proud to say that this was not the case THIS time. :)

Sorry if I wasn't clear- let me try again- I bought the strings before I needed them and tossed them on my speaker cabinet unopened for 2 months. When I decided I was ready to give them a try, I noticed they were flats. I am sure the receipt was no where to be found, and I wasn't opposed to giving flats a shot and did so for maybe I a week.

I still have them, I just took them off, and like others have said, I will probably give them a shot again. Like a lot of the guys here, I haven't formed a yes or no opinion yet. But the fact that I took them off after only a week probably isn't the greatest sign that they are for me either.

I did kind of like the way they felt on my fingers and the lack of buzz was nice too. On certain notes, they sounded really cool and on other stuff I had been practicing recently, I found the some of the notes and accents a little more "hidden" than I liked, if that makes any sense.

The type of music we are doing right now is Rush, and I know a lot of the people are reading that last sentence and saying out loud "Well, of course that's why you prefer the rounds, you moron!" :) I am sure that has a lot to do with why I am not "digging" them as much right now.
 
#15
Kevinmach said:
Sorry if I wasn't clear- let me try again- I bought the strings before I needed them and tossed them on my speaker cabinet unopened for 2 months. When I decided I was ready to give them a try, I noticed they were flats. I am sure the receipt was no where to be found, and I wasn't opposed to giving flats a shot and did so for maybe I a week.
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Okay, that makes sense. :p

I still have them, I just took them off, and like others have said, I will probably give them a shot again. Like a lot of the guys here, I haven't formed a yes or no opinion yet. But the fact that I took them off after only a week probably isn't the greatest sign that they are for me either.

I did kind of like the way they felt on my fingers and the lack of buzz was nice too. On certain notes, they sounded really cool and on other stuff I had been practicing recently, I found the some of the notes and accents a little more "hidden" than I liked, if that makes any sense.
Click to expand...

What I said earlier about having to take a lot of time to get used to flats both in terms of tweaking the amp (EQ and whatnot) and adjusting your technique can't be emphasized enough. This takes many months to do and it goes right along with the extended break-in period that flats require before they set in to their best sound. For the first several weeks, flats will sound harsh or "clacky" and just sound like poo. After a month or so they will start to mellow out, and just about the time a set of rounds would be giving up the ghost, flats are starting to provide that nice "mwaaah" sound that aficionados love. :bassist:


The type of music we are doing right now is Rush, and I know a lot of the people are reading that last sentence and saying out loud "Well, of course that's why you prefer the rounds, you moron!" :) I am sure that has a lot to do with why I am not "digging" them as much right now.
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I'm sure someone will say otherwise, but playing Rush with flats is probably not a realistic option. I cover Rush all the time and I can't conceive of getting a proper tone without some really aggressive rounds.

IMO, you should keep them around with the intent in the back of your mind that you will give them a shot at some future time when you maybe have an extra bass that you can dedicate to 6 months to a year of having flats installed and playing a music style that is appropriate.
 

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