Flats with some texture and brightness?

[Stinga1990]

Cobalt flats. Mine are a year old and haven't lost the grind and growly qualities that make them so good. They sound fuller, punchier and have lost the zing of course. Like a round that ages like a fine wine instead of milk.

 

[devnulljp]

You want groundwounds - rounds but ground flat-ish

 

[AMJBASS]

I’d also recommend Slinky Flatwounds. Ground wound strings tend to be a bit “grabby” especially at first. They do have a darker sound which is great for some things.

 

[jeff62]

I also play acoustic lap steel guitar and I was able to buy what I remember being called "half rounds" that I recall being oval instead of round and were like a cross between round and flat. Also, not as bright as round but not as mellow as flat. I wonder if anyone makes a string like that for bass?

You are describing my second favorite string (Cobalt flats being the first). For smoothish, nickel roundwound approximation, I highly recommend SIT Silencers.

 

[digbass]

I am currently using DR Legends and while I like the thump, they could be a little brighter when the tone knob is all the way open.

By texture, I mean the literal texture of the strings. I kind of dislike the feel of flats under my fingers when fretting. I'm looking for something smoother than Pressurewounds, but not as smooth as flats.

Any suggestions?

Rotosound Jazz 77. Has everything you want.

 

[Altitude]

To my ears, Pressurewounds are much more a dark roundwound than they are a bright flatwound. And indeed, not profoundly dark. Just somewhat. Great strings though.

The d'Addario Half-Rounds are certainly a ground string and they do have a rough feel out of the box. They wear in nicely though. I've had a set on my 6-string for 5 or 6 years now.

Hard to beat Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats though, as many have said. Given the bass tone presently in fashion, there may not be a better string. Very much a present, bright flat that can pass for a roundwound if you need it to. I can't say that last part about any other string.

 

[pingvuiini]

Another vote for tapes. I’ve played D’Addario, LaBella and Pyramid and they are all have much less finger noise than rounds but a good amount of zing.

 

[CoughSyrup]

For brightness I'd recommend any Ernie Ball flats (Cobalts being brighter than the Group III, in my experience).
Note that the Cobalts rust under some people's sweat chemistry (myself being one of them), but if you're lucky, they're a really bright flat, almost roundwound sounding.
Thing is they might be too smooth for what you're asking, although I don't find them among the smoothest.
That'd be the La Bellas. Fender and d'Addario Chromes are almost there in terms of smoothness (so those are to avoid).

On the other hand, my recommendation would be tapewounds. Have you ever tried them?
I think that their texture could be just what you're looking after: kind of smooth but "grippy"/"coarse" at the same time. I think they'd sit between pressures and flats.
Also quite bright with the tone wide open, as well as thumpy when closed.

I've read that tapewounds require you to file the nut down, something I'm not keen on doing. Is there a brand of tapewounds that fit the factory nut slots?

 

[Hillbilly Sam]

I've read that tapewounds require you to file the nut down, something I'm not keen on doing. Is there a brand of tapewounds that fit the factory nut slots?

Filing the nut is only necessary if you try to fit a noticeable bigger gauge than what you're currently using.
If you were to try some tapewounds, I assume that any 105 E would fit perfectly (not even mentioning the rest of strings because I don't think they'd cause any problem). A 110 E, for instance, would likely require some filing. So I wouldn't go past 105, although you could find those strings quite floppy (I refer to what @michael_t said before about tapewound gauges).
So if you're a fan of really stiff and "fight back" strings, tapes might not be for you.

While filing down a nut is something quite simple (even if you mess it up you can "refill" that slot easily without the need of replacing the whole nut), I think that the real pain in the ass is having a nut that only accepts an uncommon gauge (either too big or too small), because that limits which sets of strings you can switch without modifying the nut further more.

And regarding which brand of tapes, in case you'd like to give them a try, I'd recommend the D'Addarios (for the texture and sound you asked). Their medium gauge set is 50-65-85-105, so you wouldn't need to file anything.

Anyway, you got a handful of interesting recommendations around here. Not sure if having so many options makes things easier, but it makes them more interesting for sure

 

[CoughSyrup]

Anyway, you got a handful of interesting recommendations around here. Not sure if having so many options makes things easier, but it makes them more interesting for sure

I have a bad case of analysis paralysis already, but I have a long time left on this earth to play bass and try new strings.

I think I'll start with the D'Addarrios. I do have an issue with electrical hum in my house, so I'll have to see if tapes are going to make my bass noisy.

Do tapewounds that are constructed over roundwounds keep their brightness longer than roundwounds because your finger gunk can't get into the windings? I like the idea of not having to change them unless you want to.

 

[Auspuff]

I am currently using DR Legends and while I like the thump, they could be a little brighter when the tone knob is all the way open.

By texture, I mean the literal texture of the strings. I kind of dislike the feel of flats under my fingers when fretting. I'm looking for something smoother than Pressurewounds, but not as smooth as flats.

Any suggestions?

D'Addario Chrome XL's.

 

[waynobass]

... they could be a little brighter... I kind of dislike the feel of flats...

Then why not use roundwounds? I don't like the dull sound and weird smoothness of flats either, so I've totally abandoned them.

 

[MCF]

You are describing my second favorite string (Cobalt flats being the first). For smoothish, nickel roundwound approximation, I highly recommend SIT Silencers.

SIT strings rock!

 

[Ggaa]

DR FatBeams, compression wound stainless.

 

[sonojono]

DR FatBeams, compression wound stainless.

We're talking about Flats here.

 

[Ggaa]

We're talking about Flats here.

Uh huh and tapewounds half rounds and pressure wounds are mentioned.

 

[logdrum]

I've read that tapewounds require you to file the nut down, something I'm not keen on doing. Is there a brand of tapewounds that fit the factory nut slots?

No I did not file mine. These were the La Bella White Copper Tapes. The G is .060 but have the tension of a 40 or 45.

 

[logdrum]

You probably want GHS brite flats. This is how they sound on a 6 string 36 inch scale bass. I recorded them before I took them off, so I can refer to them if I need to put them back on. They were on the bass for 4 months. Sorry it is too long but I recorded it for me.

 

[CoughSyrup]

Then why not use roundwounds? I don't like the dull sound and weird smoothness of flats either, so I've totally abandoned them.

I'm looking for something mellower than round wounds or halfwounds. I already have nickel rounds on one bass and GHS Pressurewounds on another. I'm trying to get closer to the sound of flats without necessarily getting all the way there.

 

[Hillbilly Sam]

I have a bad case of analysis paralysis already, but I have a long time left on this earth to play bass and try new strings.

I think I'll start with the D'Addarrios. I do have an issue with electrical hum in my house, so I'll have to see if tapes are going to make my bass noisy.

Do tapewounds that are constructed over roundwounds keep their brightness longer than roundwounds because your finger gunk can't get into the windings? I like the idea of not having to change them unless you want to.

Well, like you said... Best thing is to try them by yourself. That's the only real way to know for sure!

And, regarding your doubts:
1. Electrical hum. I think it wasn't mentioned in this thread before, but you should be aware that tapewounds will increase the hum a lot. The whole strings are covered with a non-conductive material, so it's very likely that if you have a passive bass it will hum unless you're touching any metal/grounding part of the circuit.
I tried them on a Stingray (active) and they even increased the hum there.


2. Most tapewounds are roundwounds. In my experience (with D'Addarios, LaBellas and Fenders), they take little time to loose the "newly/fresh" sound and the sticky/oily feel right out of the package. They don't require a break in period (like flatwounds) by any means: just a couple of hours.
So basically, the tone you're getting right out of the box will be virtually the same you'll be getting most of their lifetime.
Also, I don't think you'd have to replace them because they're getting dull/dead. In my experience, the tapes start to peel/fall off before that. But if your touch is not very hard and you set them with medium to low action, they can last a lot.