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Flatwound Club
- Thread starter Surprise Panda!
- Start date
I haven't used the regular ones but......these, besides looking really nice, have a good amount of tension, are quite smooth, very punchy with decent mids, good lows. I have tried Chromes, EB's. These are my favorite so far.
Sorry I don't have a comparison. Nice strings for sure.
I have a preference for flats and tapes such that I’ve got some new strings waiting in the wings-
My first set of Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats have been ordered and will be installed on my new Squier VM Fretless Jazz when they arrive along with a professional setup. I’m so excited for these strings to get here!!
La Bella White Nylon Tapewounds will be going on my Schecter Raiden Special-4 along with a professional setup.
My first set of Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats have been ordered and will be installed on my new Squier VM Fretless Jazz when they arrive along with a professional setup. I’m so excited for these strings to get here!!
La Bella White Nylon Tapewounds will be going on my Schecter Raiden Special-4 along with a professional setup.
No number necessary for me,but i have flats on 5 of my 10 basses.
(Chromes,Rickenbacker/Maxima,Labella white tapewounds).
(Chromes,Rickenbacker/Maxima,Labella white tapewounds).
Threw on a set of tomastik flats and wasn’t a fan of the tension. Have a “custom” set of chromes on the way 105, 85, 65,45 which is what I use for my roundwounds. Never a fan of the medium set with a 100 E or the heavy 50 G so this may be great for my P Bass needs...
I also have a set of tapewounds on the way which I know I like. It just depends on what gets here first I guess
I also have a set of tapewounds on the way which I know I like. It just depends on what gets here first I guess
It just occurred to me I don't think I've posted in this thread since 2008. Since then, I've sold all my basses except my 2000 StingRay fretless piezo and my 2002 Warwick Custom Shop Corvette Proline. I've standardised on Rotosound RS77LD for my StingRay, and my Warwick is still wearing D'Addario Prelude 4/4 cello strings, tuned CGDA, though lately, I have been considering putting her back on 4ths tuning, probably ADGC.
If I do that, I'll probably use D'Addario Chromes guitar strings, because they fit and I can order custom gauges anywhere between .080 and .020. I have tried in the past used these to tune CGDA, but I could not get the .020w up to A without breaking, which is why I switched to cello strings, which have been stable.
Since 2008, D'Addario has released a set of Helicore 4ths Tuning strings for cello, meant to be tuned EADG, same as bass guitar, so I may try those.
Helicore Fourths-Tuning Cello | Orchestral | D'Addario
Help!
I'd like to try out some flats on my P bass, now I have regular 45-105 Fender roundwounds on it. I was looking at these [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. I play mostly rock, blues and moderately jazz standards. After reading a few reviews and watching some YT-videos, I lean towards these EBs. What do you say?
I'd like to try out some flats on my P bass, now I have regular 45-105 Fender roundwounds on it. I was looking at these [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. I play mostly rock, blues and moderately jazz standards. After reading a few reviews and watching some YT-videos, I lean towards these EBs. What do you say?
The EB's will get the job done. "Rock, blues and moderately jazz standards" could mean quite a number of different things in terms of tone, but I'll just say that I currently have La Bella Deep Talkin' Bass flats on my P-bass and they make a really nice sound, heavy but not dull (though if you want dull, just roll the tone knob back). Most of my other basses have Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats, which I'm also very happy with and may put on the P-bass one of these days. These are not cheap strings, but since they last for years, I don't really care.
i found a set of fender flatwounds that I'm told are discontinued. They are stainless steel flatwounds green package custom light 45-105. Any review of these? How do they compare to the chormes I have now?
Here's the thread I started back in March of 2016, when Fender had just re-introduced the 9050CL (45-60-80-105).
It's back! - Fender 9050CL 45-60-80-105
This was when I was a "balanced tension enthusiast" and needless to say, I was very disappointed when Fender decided to discontinue them for the second time after only a year. That said, if I were to use them again today, I'd be happy with the 9050L (45-60-80-100) as the actual difference between the 100E and the 105E is not night and day.
I do prefer the 9050s over the D'A Chromes for their tonal character as well as their overall playing feel.
There’s a ton of old stock sets on reverb if you’re interested. I have no affiliation with the seller
I can't believe after all this time, I've switched to flats and its working great. Played DR SS lo riders forever with lots of wang and clang, but I'm in a different band now and had to really change things up.
I ended up going with Sadowsky Blue Label flats. As advertized, lots of mids, good articulation and not too much deep stuff unless I goo and scoop it out with the VT.
I ended up going with Sadowsky Blue Label flats. As advertized, lots of mids, good articulation and not too much deep stuff unless I goo and scoop it out with the VT.
ErnieBall Flatwound 2810 first impression report.
" Finally i strung the EB 2810 Flatwound on my Sub Ray5 and the worried of smaller bridge saddle groove with 130 B string could sound dull+lifeless totally end.
Compare to stock string, 2810 has better solid Low MID fundamental but lacking the roundwound crunch. Since this 2810 still in fresh condition, those stingray growl still present well. Hope those growl can lasting once the 2810 in broken in condition.
Even this is not Cobalt flat 2816 i familiar with, the 130B on 2810 still has Cobalt flat like clear and focus B voice. And she has same nice string to string tone balance and output balance as Cobalt 2816. Just hope the B tone possible lasting as the Cobalt Flat 130B.
Compare to nice broken in Ti flat on my Sub Ray4, the fresh set 2810 sound lot aggressive. Ti flat on Ray4 just like a smooth latte to me. Better comfort on fretting and plucking finger.
The 2810 has very much like 9050L and Sadowsky 40-100 flat stiffness ,this is a great thing to me.
After i string it and done tuning , i check the neck relief, Surprise me that 2810 has less tension than roundwound stock string !!!!!
My new string day story just pause right here ,will post on any further updates....."
Compare to Labella DTF 5 string set, DR Legend 5 string set and EB Cobalt 2816, both Ernieball Flatwound B and E string has very clean and solid sound fresh from pack. Hope the 100E and 130B on 2810 as lasting as Cobalt 2816 set.
" Finally i strung the EB 2810 Flatwound on my Sub Ray5 and the worried of smaller bridge saddle groove with 130 B string could sound dull+lifeless totally end.
Compare to stock string, 2810 has better solid Low MID fundamental but lacking the roundwound crunch. Since this 2810 still in fresh condition, those stingray growl still present well. Hope those growl can lasting once the 2810 in broken in condition.
Even this is not Cobalt flat 2816 i familiar with, the 130B on 2810 still has Cobalt flat like clear and focus B voice. And she has same nice string to string tone balance and output balance as Cobalt 2816. Just hope the B tone possible lasting as the Cobalt Flat 130B.
Compare to nice broken in Ti flat on my Sub Ray4, the fresh set 2810 sound lot aggressive. Ti flat on Ray4 just like a smooth latte to me. Better comfort on fretting and plucking finger.
The 2810 has very much like 9050L and Sadowsky 40-100 flat stiffness ,this is a great thing to me.
After i string it and done tuning , i check the neck relief, Surprise me that 2810 has less tension than roundwound stock string !!!!!
My new string day story just pause right here ,will post on any further updates....."
Compare to Labella DTF 5 string set, DR Legend 5 string set and EB Cobalt 2816, both Ernieball Flatwound B and E string has very clean and solid sound fresh from pack. Hope the 100E and 130B on 2810 as lasting as Cobalt 2816 set.
What's on my basses:
1) Mustang: Dunlop Flats 45-105. These are any favorite short and medium-scale flats. They're big enough to stay put under your fingers, but small enough to retain the short-scale feel. They start out clicky and mellow as they age. They have great string-to-string balance, and no part of the sonic spectrum is too dominant. They've been expensive lately, which is why I don't have them on everything.
2) Parts P: GHS Precision Flats. I had to toss a set of these in the prime of their life because I'd changed them so many times while moving them from bass to bass that they started to unravel. The replacement set doesn't sound quite as good. Excellent feel, and mids, mids and more mids. This bass is kind of a one-trick pony anyway, and its trick is paleolithic, woody, stumpy midrange power. Works for garage punk. There have been times when these strings have made big, chocolatey subtle sounds, but not on this bass.
Fernandes PJ: Fender Flats 45-100. Why hadn't I tried these before? I love the feel of them. Sonically they're probably the least flattish of the bunch, at least when they're new, with a slightly scooped sound profile, but I'm liking them a lot. They've got more sustain than most flats. I'm curious to see how they darken over time.
1) Mustang: Dunlop Flats 45-105. These are any favorite short and medium-scale flats. They're big enough to stay put under your fingers, but small enough to retain the short-scale feel. They start out clicky and mellow as they age. They have great string-to-string balance, and no part of the sonic spectrum is too dominant. They've been expensive lately, which is why I don't have them on everything.
2) Parts P: GHS Precision Flats. I had to toss a set of these in the prime of their life because I'd changed them so many times while moving them from bass to bass that they started to unravel. The replacement set doesn't sound quite as good. Excellent feel, and mids, mids and more mids. This bass is kind of a one-trick pony anyway, and its trick is paleolithic, woody, stumpy midrange power. Works for garage punk. There have been times when these strings have made big, chocolatey subtle sounds, but not on this bass.
Fernandes PJ: Fender Flats 45-100. Why hadn't I tried these before? I love the feel of them. Sonically they're probably the least flattish of the bunch, at least when they're new, with a slightly scooped sound profile, but I'm liking them a lot. They've got more sustain than most flats. I'm curious to see how they darken over time.
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Realized today that I posted an answer here to someone's question about 7 years ago, but... never joined. So... count me in. Learned to play bass in 1968 - on a friend's shiny new Rick 4001. With the factory Maxima flats on it. Didn't own a bass until 1988 (why? Long story...) but I played other people's basses. And, almost without exception, those basses wore flats. My first bass was a friend's lefty (did I mention I'm very, very left handed?) "A-spec" necked '78 Fender P-Bass. It had always worn Roto 66's, according to my friend - and, since he'd always had a busy band, it also had only vestigial remains of frets. After that was fixed, it wore Roto 77LDs. Wore them until I started buying other basses, and the P-Bass became a dedicated Vintage - really Vintage - Rock and Motown Thump Monster. It wears GHS M3050 Precision Flats under the mute in it's bridge cover now... As for my 22 other basses? Only 2 wear rounds, and only one wears Tapes. What kind of flats do they wear? Well...
- '78 Kramer 450B; Optima 4099RL "Chromes". They mellow out the smokin' hot custom wound Kramer pickups; sound good, too...
- '18 Gibson Thunderbird; Roto 77LD's. IMO, the flats that sound the closest to the Bass Boomers that a T-Bird should wear...
- '13 Gibson Thunderbird; Dogal R44's. When I don't want Heavy Metal on a T-Bird; nice bottom, lotta mids - and decent top end, too...
- '12 Eastwood Magnum; Fender 9050L's. Modern middy strings for a general purpose bass. I love these strings...
- '17 Eastwood Flying V; SS GHS 3020 Precision Flats. Looks a lot like a Gibson; with these flats, it sounds like one, too. And that's the idea...
- '99 Dano DC59 Pro; La Bella 760FX's. Very light gauge flats for "that Dano sound". La Bella made the original Dano flats (760FDs)...
- '99 Dano DC59 Pro; Fender 9050L's. General purpose bass; very light; and doesn't sound quite so Dano-y... Did I mention I love these strings?
- '18 Dano Longhorn; short scale La Bella 760FX's. About as light as I want to go on a shorty, but... IMO? This is how a Longhorn should sound...
- '20 EBMM Stingray 4HH Special; Galli JF4505 Jazz Flats. Listen to the demo on Youtube; you'll want some of these strings, too...
- '17 Warmoth Mini-P; SS GHS 3020 Precision Flats. No mute like it's big brother, but it'll thump with the best of them...
- '15 G&L Tom Hamilton ASAT; D' Addario EGB 81 Chromes. An old, salvaged set, they're... nice. They may stay; they may not. We'll see...
- '98 Starfire violin bass; SS La Bella 760 FL's. Bass is kinda nasty, and doesn't intonate hardly at all. But, it does sound good with these...
- '95 Alembic Epic; TI JF334. My bass for Jazz, and... OMG! Does it ever sound good...
- '71 MIJ Epiphone EA-260; La Bella 760FL's. Vintage, short scale hollow body thumpy goodness - but clean and articulate, too...
- '06 Carvin LB-20; NOS Sadowsky Blue Labels. Takin' the "MEH" out of the Carvin's HB50 pickups; puttin' the goodness in...
- '81 Kramer Duke Special; SS DR SFL 45 Legends. Surprisingly versatile, aluminum necked, and headless; the DR's let it shine...
- '88 Kramer Forum III; La Bella 760FGS Gold Flats. Sound good - like La Bellas should. They match the gold hardware, too...
- '01 COY Rick 4003; Optima RB's. Close as I can get to the original Maximas that I learned to play on - and the sound I still love...
- '73 Rick 4001; Dogal CS90B's. Not the "Jaco" flats; extremely low tension (neck issues), and an interesting sound; I like them...
So... that's the flats. As for the basses that don't wear flats?
- '94 Gretsch Broadkaster; TI JR324 Jazz Rounds. With flats - any flats - it was a muddy mess. Now, it's not. I have no regrets...
- '94 Rogue VB-100; Roto Bass88 Tapes. If Sir Paul can use 'em, so can I. They suit this old Korean VB-100 perfectly - sound that way, too...
- '81 Kramer Duke; SS GHS Boomers. This Duke is not a lefty, so it wears what it came with. Maybe I'll put flats on it; maybe not...
P.S. My number? 636, natch...
- '78 Kramer 450B; Optima 4099RL "Chromes". They mellow out the smokin' hot custom wound Kramer pickups; sound good, too...
- '18 Gibson Thunderbird; Roto 77LD's. IMO, the flats that sound the closest to the Bass Boomers that a T-Bird should wear...
- '13 Gibson Thunderbird; Dogal R44's. When I don't want Heavy Metal on a T-Bird; nice bottom, lotta mids - and decent top end, too...
- '12 Eastwood Magnum; Fender 9050L's. Modern middy strings for a general purpose bass. I love these strings...
- '17 Eastwood Flying V; SS GHS 3020 Precision Flats. Looks a lot like a Gibson; with these flats, it sounds like one, too. And that's the idea...
- '99 Dano DC59 Pro; La Bella 760FX's. Very light gauge flats for "that Dano sound". La Bella made the original Dano flats (760FDs)...
- '99 Dano DC59 Pro; Fender 9050L's. General purpose bass; very light; and doesn't sound quite so Dano-y... Did I mention I love these strings?
- '18 Dano Longhorn; short scale La Bella 760FX's. About as light as I want to go on a shorty, but... IMO? This is how a Longhorn should sound...
- '20 EBMM Stingray 4HH Special; Galli JF4505 Jazz Flats. Listen to the demo on Youtube; you'll want some of these strings, too...
- '17 Warmoth Mini-P; SS GHS 3020 Precision Flats. No mute like it's big brother, but it'll thump with the best of them...
- '15 G&L Tom Hamilton ASAT; D' Addario EGB 81 Chromes. An old, salvaged set, they're... nice. They may stay; they may not. We'll see...
- '98 Starfire violin bass; SS La Bella 760 FL's. Bass is kinda nasty, and doesn't intonate hardly at all. But, it does sound good with these...
- '95 Alembic Epic; TI JF334. My bass for Jazz, and... OMG! Does it ever sound good...
- '71 MIJ Epiphone EA-260; La Bella 760FL's. Vintage, short scale hollow body thumpy goodness - but clean and articulate, too...
- '06 Carvin LB-20; NOS Sadowsky Blue Labels. Takin' the "MEH" out of the Carvin's HB50 pickups; puttin' the goodness in...
- '81 Kramer Duke Special; SS DR SFL 45 Legends. Surprisingly versatile, aluminum necked, and headless; the DR's let it shine...
- '88 Kramer Forum III; La Bella 760FGS Gold Flats. Sound good - like La Bellas should. They match the gold hardware, too...
- '01 COY Rick 4003; Optima RB's. Close as I can get to the original Maximas that I learned to play on - and the sound I still love...
- '73 Rick 4001; Dogal CS90B's. Not the "Jaco" flats; extremely low tension (neck issues), and an interesting sound; I like them...
So... that's the flats. As for the basses that don't wear flats?
- '94 Gretsch Broadkaster; TI JR324 Jazz Rounds. With flats - any flats - it was a muddy mess. Now, it's not. I have no regrets...
- '94 Rogue VB-100; Roto Bass88 Tapes. If Sir Paul can use 'em, so can I. They suit this old Korean VB-100 perfectly - sound that way, too...
- '81 Kramer Duke; SS GHS Boomers. This Duke is not a lefty, so it wears what it came with. Maybe I'll put flats on it; maybe not...
P.S. My number? 636, natch...
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I'm in. Currently playing LaBella low tension flats on my Jazz Bass and will most likely run them on my next build as well which will be a fretless.
Recently came back to bass and to flats, though my first ever bass, back in 1972 came with flats on it. It was a second hand Japanese semi hollow from the 60's probably still had the original strings on it. I didn't know there was more than one type of bass string back then....
Happy to be number 637.
Recently came back to bass and to flats, though my first ever bass, back in 1972 came with flats on it. It was a second hand Japanese semi hollow from the 60's probably still had the original strings on it. I didn't know there was more than one type of bass string back then....
Happy to be number 637.
Flats fan here as well. Running TI’s and “custom” balanced Chromes, from fret nation, on my basses.
Number 638
Number 638
I've got LaBella LTF on my Gretsch Jr Jet. Love em. I'll take a number if yall are passin them out.
Has anyone tried 1954s on a fretless (standard scale)? what was your thoughts?
Has anyone tried 1954s on a fretless (standard scale)? what was your thoughts?
I’m gonna ask this without reading all of this.
What long scale flats to use on my Jazz like stereo bass? Fretless. Babinga fingerboard.
I like light gauge. I like a bright roundwound sound.
I’ve tried flats from time to time…but I just plain out don’t bond with them. I’ve tried.
I had to remove the lacquer on my present build due to the rounds chewing it up. I put rounds back on it…but…
I searched for some online…it’s overwhelming.
Thank you.
What long scale flats to use on my Jazz like stereo bass? Fretless. Babinga fingerboard.
I like light gauge. I like a bright roundwound sound.
I’ve tried flats from time to time…but I just plain out don’t bond with them. I’ve tried.
I had to remove the lacquer on my present build due to the rounds chewing it up. I put rounds back on it…but…
I searched for some online…it’s overwhelming.
Thank you.
