After having read all your friendly advice I spent some time watching Youtube videos and thinking about the band mix. I don‘t want to interfere too much with my two guitar players and stay out of treble. It‘s about a pervasive tone in the midrange that prevails in the mix plus a solid deep fundament … I am not able to explain better. The Pink Floyd example is a good one.
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Flats that sound like rounds?
- Thread starter Mister Mo
- Start date
He does change them every gig and every recording session though
D
A BB should be able to get pretty close with the right strings when it's played with a pick (and of course neck pickup only!). I'm not so sure about the Markbass amp though. Markbass are great amps but I think Waters used a Hiwatt DR103 at Pompeii. Amp+cab is a huge part of that tone. I own a DR201 and even though it's a classic Hiwatt it's far too loud/clean (and also different output tubes) to get that unique, snarling DR103 tone. The cab/speakers will also have a huge impact on the tone of course. The Fane elements in vintage Hiwatt cabs were a huge part of the classic, vintage Hiwatt tone.
All Markbass amps I've played have a very different tone. In my experience nothing sounds like a Hiwatt but some of the "clean" British tube amps of that era will get you pretty close. I like to divide vintage British tube amps into two categories: "dirty" and "clean". The "dirty" ones, like Marshall Superbass and Carlsbro are very mid focused and have limited headroom by todays standard. They can be easily driven into VERY cool dirty/semi-dirty tones but they will not sound even remotely like a Hiwatt. The "clean" ones, like Hiwatt, Simms-Watts and Sound City have a lot of clean headroom and a wider frequence range, very hi-fi. I think the earliest Sound City models are actually very similar designs to Hiwatts (based on memory, please correct me if I'm wrong). The later Sound City models are very different and not really that great IMO.
I just about ordered a set of TI rounds for my 65 Epiphone Newport but went with GHS Pressurewounds instead which i just installed, really liking these and apparently they last.
Just installed a set of 95-40 GHS Pressurewounds on my 65 Epiphone Newport (30.5 scale) which was a step or 2 lighter than previous set....i dig em so far, smoother than rounds but some 'piano tone' is there on my neck 'mudbucker' Newport lol!!
I got the action very low with virtually no string floppiness....very happy so far
I currently have flatwounds on 4 of 7 basses. 2 sets of chromes, 1 set of cobalts and 1 set of TIs.
chromes are decidedly not bright but they do have a tiny bit of edge to them that some other flatwounds don’t. Played my precision with chromes through a tube head last night = magic sauce.
TIs and Cobalts are on my 2 Jazz basses that get the most play of all my basses. They are more like rounds than other flats, including Chromes. In that they have more overtones.
Of these two, Cobalts are bit more aggressive and TIs are more jazzy (mellower attack / less of an edge)
I actually had TIs on a 34” fretted Jazz 5 string, and Cobalts on a 35” fretless active/passive Jazz 5 string. I switched the two - put TIs on the fretless for a more organic tone and cobalts on the fretted for a more dynamic attack. I am very happy with the switch on both basses. And don’t need to experiment further!
For your quest it sounds like you want cobalt flats.
chromes are decidedly not bright but they do have a tiny bit of edge to them that some other flatwounds don’t. Played my precision with chromes through a tube head last night = magic sauce.
TIs and Cobalts are on my 2 Jazz basses that get the most play of all my basses. They are more like rounds than other flats, including Chromes. In that they have more overtones.
Of these two, Cobalts are bit more aggressive and TIs are more jazzy (mellower attack / less of an edge)
I actually had TIs on a 34” fretted Jazz 5 string, and Cobalts on a 35” fretless active/passive Jazz 5 string. I switched the two - put TIs on the fretless for a more organic tone and cobalts on the fretted for a more dynamic attack. I am very happy with the switch on both basses. And don’t need to experiment further!
For your quest it sounds like you want cobalt flats.
There is no best. I can't even guess how many sets I have tried flat and round and in between.
If you're playing aggressive rock, I'd definitely go with the Cobalt flats.
I just switched out a set of TI's for the Cobalts and am MUCH happier. The Cobalts are not quite as supple feeling, which for me is a plus when playing aggressive rock. Yes you can adjust your technique, but why?
The TI's also have this high mid character that I couldn't quite eq out completely. YMMV, IMHO.....
I just switched out a set of TI's for the Cobalts and am MUCH happier. The Cobalts are not quite as supple feeling, which for me is a plus when playing aggressive rock. Yes you can adjust your technique, but why?
The TI's also have this high mid character that I couldn't quite eq out completely. YMMV, IMHO.....
100% agree and fits my experience exactly as I said in my post above. But I really like the high mid thing for fretless. And many people love the TIs with precision basses, which makes me want to give it a try. I just hate changing strings if I don’t have to, and haven’t felt a need to change out the chromes on my one P bass. Someday maybe I’ll just have to get another P
Agree I have cobalts on all my basses but kind of want to put chromes on my p but it's set up and playing so well now I'm just not gonna do it
EB Slinky cobalt flats have roundwound underwrap the flat cobalt (see picture of an G string), in my experience its the most closer to a roundwound sound, it has some of the growl of a used nickel plated roundwound , the E string sound most focused than dadario chromes, at least for me
I put on Cobalt flats on my MIM Fender Deluxe Active Precision Bass Special ( which is by far my favorite Fender bass I have ever owned ) My group played in the toughest room for bass mix ( we play there every month ) and I was stunned how good these Cobalt FW sound. The punch and clarity wow. Easier to play also. I have already ordered more sets for my Bongo and USA Sterling.
I was hipped to GHS Brite Flats recently, and they're touted as this, flats that sound like rounds, on their website.
They also reveal that they're actually groundwound, but have a total set tension right in the ballpark of the Pressurewounds and Precision Flats.
Groundwounds are new territory for me, but I'm thinking of putting a set of the Brite Flats on my Mustang PJ to see how they compare with the others sonically.
They also reveal that they're actually groundwound, but have a total set tension right in the ballpark of the Pressurewounds and Precision Flats.
Groundwounds are new territory for me, but I'm thinking of putting a set of the Brite Flats on my Mustang PJ to see how they compare with the others sonically.
Thanks. And are they stiff feeling when playing or easy to bend? Do they retain the roundwound sound for long or die quickly and start to sound like a more traditional flat string?
I've also heard that steel strings wear out the frets faster.
So no steel strings for me. The GHS and La Bella luckily have sort of a cape covering the steel strings.
My experience with them was just one brief encounter.
(They were newly installed on someone else’s bass.)
They might’ve been stiffer than I typically like. My main takeaway impression was the roundwound
sound and rough texture.
my experience is that steel is fine for flats and the fact that people have not reported fret wear from steel flats seems to agree with this, the Ernie Ball Cobalt flats on the other hand are the only flatwounds that I have heard of that people have reported fret wear with
Having not read all the pages...Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats are as close to rounds as I've ever played. One option to consider is GHS Pressurewounds. These are be best all purpose strings I've found. A lot of compromises don't work as well as envisioned (.40 cal maybe), but the Pressurewounds are really the best of both worlds. They are not those horrid half-rounds. Everyone should try them at least once. I have them on a couple basses at all times.
