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Flatwound Club

#561
michael_t said:
I will be playing my P with the PWs just one more time this weekend, then come Monday, it will be reunited with the 760FL.
Click to expand...

Well, like I said I would, I just replaced the Pressurewounds on my P with the 760FL. This is the same set that went on my P when I got it last September but only stayed on there for the first three months. And WOW! Now I understand why I own a P bass in the first place! ;):thumbsup:

By the way, for those who think all La Bella flats are "bridge cables", the 760FL set (43-60-82-104) is no worse than a typical medium set (45-105) of hex-core rounds in terms of overall tension (pulling weight on the neck) and playability (stiffness/flexibility). The GHS Pressurewound ML7200 (44-58-80-102), the set that just came off of my P, weighs in at 169.3 lbs. and so far no truss rod tweak has been needed for the 760FL.
 
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#563
Hey guys,

I've never been able to handle playing flatwounds, but lately I want to try again on my P bass.

I've been reading around and I think GHS Precision flats seem like a good place to start. They seem to have a fairly good track record for quality and customer service, and seem fairly well liked.

I'm sort of chasing after that thumpy Rolling Stones sound, but hopefully whatever strings I end up with will be versatile (i.e. bright) enough to cover a wide range of stuff from Allman Brothers to Pink Floyd to ZZ Top.

Ive tried Rotosound and Chromes in the past, but I've been playing roundwounds for 15 years so I've never been able to stand playing flats for long.

Any opinions the Flatwound Club has to offer would be appreciated.
 
#566
michael_t said:
What exactly is it you don't like about flats?

Overall tension/stiffness?
Slippery surface?
Tonal characteristics?

And what makes you want to try them again?
Click to expand...

Mostly the tone. Feel and stiffness aren't a really big deal. I've just always struggled to hear myself in a Mix with flats, but I think I've always been trying to EQ them to sound like rounds.

My band situations have changed since I last tried flats, and I find myself loving dead rounds, and even starting to roll the tone knob back (gasp!) , so I'd like to try committing to a set of flats for a few months and see if I can't make it work.
 
#567
NKBassman said:
My band situations have changed since I last tried flats, and I find myself loving dead rounds, and even starting to roll the tone knob back (gasp!) , so I'd like to try committing to a set of flats for a few months and see if I can't make it work.
Click to expand...

GHS Precision Flats are considered "old-school", with a "woody" and percussive tone. Not suggesting they're not good, mind you...

If you're just coming off of rounds and venturing into the world of flats, you might want to try something not quite as extreme (as in the opposite end of the tone spectrum), such as the D'A Chromes or the Fender 9050 flats.
 
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#568
I love TI Flats but honestly for the money Cobalt Flats are the best string I've played. You can get them around the $32.00 from BSO and they just sound so good in a live band setting. I have one bass with TI's and one with Cobalt Flats.
 
#569
michael_t said:
GHS Precision Flats are considered "old-school", with a "woody" and percussive tone. Not suggesting they're not good, mind you...

If you're just coming off of rounds and venturing into the world of flats, you might want to try something not quite as extreme (as in the opposite end of the tone spectrum), such as the D'A Chromes or the Fender 9050 flats.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I think old school, woody, punchy are what I'm after. Fat and round through the lows and mids, almost woofy VS bright and clangy. If I wanted flats to sound like rounds, I'd just stick with my dead-ish Dunlop Super Brights I have on now, which are the best sounding dead round I've ever played.

Besides the GHS Precision Flats, what else could I be looking at? Keeping in mind I don't really want to drop huge bucks for TI or Labellas.
 
#573
Not sure how these club things work with the numbers and so on, but... I play flats! EB cobalt flats on my 2014 Gibson T-bird.... Love em! I'm pretty new to flats though, I first put them on a few months ago and haven't looked back since. HOWEVER, I have a question for you guys... The band I'm in plays 3 or 4 hour bar shows pretty frequently (every week or so) and after a few hours of playing the strings become really... sticky. Not normal sticky but like to the point where they are literally painful and less comfortable than old rounds. Anybody else had this problem before, or is it specific to the cobalts? It's nothing too major, just a little thing I've noticed
 
#574
NKBassman said:
How does the tension on the GHS compare to similar gauge rounds? i.e. If I'm used to 45-105, should I order a step smaller?
Click to expand...

You should be okay with the 45-105 set as these P Flats are not the stiffest around. Added stiffness (compared to rounds) will allow a lower action for comfort. Going from rounds to flats, you just need to make sure to do a proper setup on your bass.
 
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#575
LCAirPasta said:
Not sure how these club things work with the numbers and so on, but... I play flats! EB cobalt flats on my 2014 Gibson T-bird.... Love em! I'm pretty new to flats though, I first put them on a few months ago and haven't looked back since. HOWEVER, I have a question for you guys... The band I'm in plays 3 or 4 hour bar shows pretty frequently (every week or so) and after a few hours of playing the strings become really... sticky. Not normal sticky but like to the point where they are literally painful and less comfortable than old rounds. Anybody else had this problem before, or is it specific to the cobalts? It's nothing too major, just a little thing I've noticed
Click to expand...


Cobalt Flats have been my go to string for the last year or so. Played them regularly on gigs and at times several hours at a time. At first the stickiness was a problem out of the pack but soon went away to never return. I can't say I've ever had issues with them after they have been on for over a week or so.
 
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#576
LCAirPasta said:
The band I'm in plays 3 or 4 hour bar shows pretty frequently (every week or so) and after a few hours of playing the strings become really... sticky. Not normal sticky but like to the point where they are literally painful and less comfortable than old rounds. Anybody else had this problem before, or is it specific to the cobalts? It's nothing too major, just a little thing I've noticed
Click to expand...
That's why I don't play Cobalt Flats, had the same problem only worse...even at the first of the gig.
 
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#577
NKBassman said:
Hey guys,

I've never been able to handle playing flatwounds, but lately I want to try again on my P bass.

I've been reading around and I think GHS Precision flats seem like a good place to start. They seem to have a fairly good track record for quality and customer service, and seem fairly well liked.

I'm sort of chasing after that thumpy Rolling Stones sound, but hopefully whatever strings I end up with will be versatile (i.e. bright) enough to cover a wide range of stuff from Allman Brothers to Pink Floyd to ZZ Top.

Ive tried Rotosound and Chromes in the past, but I've been playing roundwounds for 15 years so I've never been able to stand playing flats for long.

Any opinions the Flatwound Club has to offer would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
I have played ZZ Top on a P with Fender 9050L flats. Then again, I play everything on a P with 9050L flats.

While there's no accounting for taste, I instantly liked these strings when changing from DR Black Beauties, and I haven't stopped liking them since.
 
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