• 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 that sound like rounds?

Mister Mo

Mister Mo

Inactive
Apr 22, 2016
160
269
#1
I love playing with flatwounds, my artist fingers are probably more made for it. I play sometimes with and sometimes without a pick. But aggressive rock doesn't sound right with normal flats.
Tell me, which flatwounds are the closest to roundwounds in terms of sound? What can you do to change the sound with distortion or something similar in the direction of roundwounds?
 
#2
I don't know if they sound like rounds, but for all the flatwound strings I tried, the TI Jazz Flats, or the Fender 9050 Flats are the ones that can get what you're after.

I use TI Flats in almost all my basses. One of them have 9050. There is a big difference in tension between those two. The TI have lower tension than the 9050.


Edit:

Flatwounds that I have tried:
D'addario Chromes,
Pyramid Flats,
LaBella Deep Talking Bass,
GHS Precision Flats,
Fender 9050,
TI Flats.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: TN WOODMAN, TheDirtyLowDown, Chris Wilke and 6 others
#4
Chromes are pretty bright and clangy sounding. (Stiff feeling, though).
But the most roundwound sounding (and feeling) strings I’ve played are EB Cobalt flats.
I couldn’t even believe the set I played were flats….they didn’t feel, or sound, like any flatwounds
I’ve ever experienced. (And they were rough textured,which seems unforgivable for a flat.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: gzarruk, Five String, SteveCS and 5 others
#5
michael_t said:
Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats (aka Slinky Flatwound) are the most roundwound-like in tone out of all flats. They're also one of the more flexible ones.
Click to expand...

woodyng2 said:
Chromes are pretty bright and clangy sounding. (Stiff feeling, though).
But the most roundwound sounding (and feeling) strings I’ve played are EB Cobalt flats.
I couldn’t even believe the set I played were flats….they didn’t feel, or sound, like any flatwounds
I’ve ever experienced. (And they were rough textured,which seems unforgivable for a flat.)
Click to expand...

I have to order a set, sounds promising!
 
  • Like
Reactions: mcnach, lowfreqgeek, PennyroyalWe and 1 other person
#8
Closely related subject:
Cobalt flats are more flexible (not talking about tension, but about the construction) than Sunbeams or TIJRs at the same or about the same gauge, and much more flexible than TIJFs. This seems very impressive for a flat.

But of course, nothing that I know of comes close to the flexibility (and minimum internal springiness) of Dogal Hellborg rounds (whose core is actually stranded).
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Groove Doctor
#9
Mister Mo said:
PS: I agree that "rough textured" is unforgivable for a flat. I love the 'touch and feel' of flats.
Click to expand...

This "rough texture" of Cobalt Flats comes from how the outer ribbon wire is wound with tiny little gaps in between. They're designed that way on purpose in order to achieve flexibility. As a general rule, the tighter it's wound, the stiffer it is.
 
  • Like
Reactions: butterfingers1, Chris Wilke, Jason Hollar and 1 other person
#10
J_Bass said:
I have to order a set, sounds promising!
Click to expand...
I must not have worded my assessment correctly,then-I didn’t mean it to sound favorable.
I wouldn’t recommend these strings if you have any interest in a flatwound sound or feel.
DR Pure Blues (roundwounds) are smoother, and sound better. I think they’re way better in all regards to Cobalts.
 
  • Like
Reactions: butterfingers1, rockinrayduke and J_Bass
#11
michael_t said:
This "rough texture" of Cobalt Flats comes from how the outer ribbon wire is wound with tiny little gaps in between. They're designed that way on purpose in order to achieve flexibility. As a general rule, the tighter it's wound, the stiffer it is.
Click to expand...
All the flatwound sets I prefer are supersmooth. (Chromes,Optima RB, Labella LTF). The last 2 sets are super flexible,due to roundcore construction,too.
The cobalts feel cheaply made to me.
 
Last edited:
#12
T
woodyng2 said:
I must not have worded my assessment correctly,then-I didn’t mean it to sound favorable.
I wouldn’t recommend these strings if you have any interest in a flatwound sound or feel.
DR Pure Blues (roundwounds) are smoother, and sound better. I think they’re way better in all regards to Cobalts.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I'm not the OP, but never tried Cobalt Flats. I wouldn't mind a little roughness, if the sound is right. I doubt I would stop preffering TIs, though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris Wilke, roccobass, Loring and 4 others
#13
I have a set of short scale DR Legends on one of my basses because, while they are very nice flats, they came the closest to sounding like the GHS Bass Boomers that they replaced - IMO. But, the bass is a headless, aluminum necked Kramer Duke, with a Schaller "Twin-J" pickup, so... how much of the resemblance is due to the strings themselves, and how much is due to the bass, I can't say for sure. On the Duke, the Legends are kind of bright (which, given their scale length and gauge, was a surprise) for flats, but OTOH, the old Boomers they replaced are pretty dark for rounds. So, I'd say the question should be "sounds like which rounds?" I haven't used all that many kinds of rounds in 50+ years of playing bass (I much prefer flats), but I've used enough of them to know that they do not all sound the same. However... the Chromes I have on a G&L ASAT bass are sort of round-like; I imagine the EB Slinky (Cobalt) flats would be the same. Also; the TI Jazz Flats I have on one of my basses sound a lot like the TI Jazz Rounds I have on another one. Again, how much of that is the basses (Alembic Epic and a Gretsch Broadkaster), and how much is the strings, is debatable. I guess the best generic answer is; bright flats sound sorta like the darker rounds...:cool:
 
  • Like
Reactions: TN WOODMAN and woodyng2
#14
I found D'Addario Chromes to be the best for a somewhat brighter flatwound. I didn't like the EB Cobalts at all--they felt sticky to me and wasn't really impressed with the sound in any event. One compromise I've used at times is using GHS Pressurewounds. Technically, they're rounds, but have been compressed after winding. It cuts down on finger noise, clank, and overly zingy tone. Of any rounds I've tried, they're the "smoothest" sounding rounds. Nevertheless, my first choice has always been Chromes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DavidEdenAria and woodyng2
#15
For me Rotosound RS77LD Jazz Bass flats are very bright out of the box, they are my favorite strings and sometimes I get a bit frustrated when I add them for the 1st time to a new bass (then they will be there for at least a decade :roflmao:).
I would recommend you those by rotosound they are 65% monel but don't get scared by that, they are bright and will naturally get more like your regular flats. Compared to my 2nd favorite strings the GHS Precision Bass flats, the Rotos are exactly what you are looking for.
Hope it helped, but no advice will ever be better than getting some flats and testing them (and yes it will be hurting you wallet hahahaha).
 
  • Like
Reactions: TN WOODMAN, Doug4321, roccobass and 2 others
#17
No flats sound like rounds. The whole point of flats is to not be like rounds. That’s not negative, I play both on different basses.
In my experience TI Jazz Flats stay a little brighter. And they even get a decent slap/pop sound. But it’s not even close to DR Hi Beams.

There’s no best string. It’s a personal preference and even after decades I still have at least 4 I’d call my favorite.

Maybe take a risk on TI Jazz Rounds. I have them on a bass and they are super smooth feeling, lower tension. They are lively but not brittle sounding. Can’t hurt to try.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ihixulu, TN WOODMAN, Nosnmad and 8 others
#19
SIT PowerFlats might be worth a try. I tried them once and remember them having a surprisingly throaty slap sound (at least on the Warwick I used to own). Good strings (and definitely overlooked), but not for me (I'm not really a flats person).

Somewhere between rounds and flats sit pressure-wound strings. Many folks on TalkBass like GHS Pressurewounds and I liked SIT Silencers. However, those lean more towards "rounds with flats characteristics" than, say, "flats with rounds characteristics."
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tugg

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back