• 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.

Flatwound C-string/Guitarstring on bass?

#22
Sorry for the late reply! Going with slick rounds/pressurewounds could work. Thanks for the replies everybody and thanks Jim Carr for the sound link and thanks to SLaPiNFuNK for buying and testing the strings! I will order from you after the holidays! :)
 
#23
I was going to post pictures of the string on my bass when I put it on... Ill get it put on today... Sorry guys!

Oh here is a bit of a fun fact I found out today...

GHS Pressure Wounds are only Long Scale (34" w/ about 36.5" Winding Length from Ball End to Silk). They are advertised as "Long Scale Plus" in their catalog (34-36" Scale), but this is incorrect... For all 4 string and 5 string sets!

I have updated my website to reflect this, however many others do not have the correct information..

(Speaking of pressure wounds that is).
 
#24
Thurisarz said:
I got a fiver i want flats on and i'm thinking of trying Chromes. D'addario sells a 032 C string but since i like thinner strings i want something like a 022-025.

Does any other brand sell flats in these gauges? Can you buy a flatwound guitarstring in my desired gauges and use, or will it be to short?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
What are you trying to do? What tone are you after?
Seems like you are hoping to put FLATWOUND guitar string on a bass. Why?

If we know what tone you are going for, we might be able to help better.
 
#25
SLaPiNFuNK: I was interested in the mentioned GHS strings, will they work stringed thru body on a 34" bass?

totallyfrozen: Tonewize i want a bass which has thin strings with low tension and that's good for playing chords. I have used ss rounds for years but i want to go in a more "vintage" direction with my tone. My first thought was a more "modern" flat like Chromes but pressurewounds or slick rounds would be interesting to try.
 
#28
Pressure Wounds are only available for 34" scale instruments from GHS.

They measure about 36.25" from Ball End to Silk... So if you can mark a string on your bass currently just past the nut, remove it, and measure from Ball End to Silk and the distance is over 36.25" then they will not work...

However, Ken Smith Compressors have a 38" Silk to Silk winding Length.

SIT Silencers have a 37.25" winding...
 
#29
Wow... Sorry this took so long for me to actually do!

So tonight I tried two things...

First I went ahead and put on a .020P Plain Steel String on my Ken Smith 6 String. I tuned it to F first, and then tuned it to C as if it were the High C. The tension was not bad. It felt like it would actually match with T-I flatwounds tension. Obviously a bright sounding string, but no finger shift noise since it is actually a plain steel string.

Next I cut the ball end off the Plain Steel so I have something to string the .028 D'Addario Chromes guitar string through... Put it on the bass. Ended up wrapping around the post 2.5 times when being fully inserted into the tuning post. Tuned up to C just fine. Stretched it out a bit, and played it normally. Played nice. Was surprisingly bright like the Plain Steel but tighter tension. It is a little lower tension than the .045 Stainless Steel round it is strung up next to, but a hair lighter than the .030 Stainless Round it replaced. Sounded bright but with a bit of the high end rolled off, smooth, but not silky smooth. I was sure to beat up the string a bit to see if it can hold up to bass playing. I popped on it a bit and dug in really hard... After it was stretched it held pitch etc...

So yeah, it works! But depends on the bass. I didn't string up any lower gauges since they are all the same length they will work.

I should mention on the bass tested... total distance from Ball End to Tuning Post is 38.25"

Here are some pic's...

cgonbass02.jpg


cgonbass01.jpg
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back