Flatwound Epiphany

[fishdude101101]

So last night I played flats for the first time with actual people at rehearsal. I'd messed around with them before at home but never really pulled the trigger on taking them outside of the woodshed.

I was blown away. Basically it's what I've been looking for all this time. One Jazz with Labella Low Tension flats, the Other with GHS Precision Flats. Two flavors of good.

I honestly don't know if I'm going to keep rounds on any basses going forward. It just seems like I didn't have to think about tone, and it just felt better under my fingers.

I don't really slap sound I don't need that snappy sound anyway.

 

[michael_t]

I honestly don't know if I'm going to keep rounds on any basses going forward. It just seems like I didn't have to think about tone, and it just felt better under my fingers.

You sound like me from about 10 yrs ago. My first encounter with flats was one of those "wow moments"; they felt SO GOOD under my fingers I swore off rounds for good... Or so I thought...

Today none of my three basses wears flats anymore.

 

[bholder]

I like to have enough basses to have at least a few strung with each string type. First world problems, yeah.

 

[fishdude101101]

You sound like me from about 10 yrs ago. My first encounter with flats was one of those "wow moments"; they felt SO GOOD under my fingers I swore off rounds for good... Or so I thought...

Today none of my three basses wears flats anymore.

I've been trying to get ride of the harsh high upper mids that are present sometimes with rounds. I think it is worse on passive basses and worse on modern class D amps/neo cabs that tend to be very harsh in the upper mids. I think the whole current day bass industry is upper mid obsessed.

I do still like rounds on active basses though.

 

[bholder]

I've been trying to get ride of the harsh high upper mids that are present sometimes with rounds. I think it is worse on passive basses and worse on modern class D amps/neo cabs that tend to be very harsh in the upper mids. I think the whole current day bass industry is upper mid obsessed.

I do still like rounds on active basses though.

That's what led me to try pressurewounds.

 

[michael_t]

I've been trying to get ride of the harsh high upper mids that are present sometimes with rounds. I think it is worse on passive basses and worse on modern class D amps/neo cabs that tend to be very harsh in the upper mids. I think the whole current day bass industry is upper mid obsessed.

No all rounds have the "upper-mid harshness" you speak of. Besides, I find it easier to tame down the roundwound harshness than to try to add clarity and definition missing in some flats.

 

[fishdude101101]

No all rounds have the "upper-mid harshness" you speak of. Besides, I find it easier to tame down the roundwound harshness than to try to add clarity and definition missing in some flats.

I'm honestly not looking for that much clarity.

Which rounds would you suggest that are easy on the upper mids? I think my ears are overly sensitive in that range.

 

[fishdude101101]

That's what led me to try pressurewounds.

I've tried them and the are ok, but not sure they are it for me. Depending on personal taste they either present the best qualities of both rounds and flats, or the worst, if that makes sense. In general I'm a big ghs fan though.

 

[michael_t]

I'm honestly not looking for that much clarity.

Which rounds would you suggest that are easy on the upper mids? I think my ears are overly sensitive in that range.

I would suggest GHS Round Core Boomers or GHS Balanced Nickels, both of which are smoother than most rounds in their upper-mids, but till clear enough not to get lost in a band mix.

 

[fishdude101101]

I would suggest GHS Round Core Boomers or GHS Balanced Nickels, both of which are smoother than most rounds in their upper-mids, but till clear enough not to get lost in a band mix.

I do like those 2 strings.

 

[JRT64]

I stopped using rounds years ago. I just don't care for the way they feel to my fingers anymore. The EBMM Cobalt flats are close enough to rounds for me. Dunlop flats, and Chromes also work well for me too. Labella 760FL's are also very good for that 60's sound. All feel great under my fingers. When I did use rounds, I only used DR nickel Lo-Riders or Hi-Beams. They were the easiest on the frets, and sounded great. But nothing feels or sounds like a good set of flats to me. I've never had an issue of getting lost in a band mix with any of these strings.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

You sound like me from about 10 yrs ago. My first encounter with flats was one of those "wow moments"; they felt SO GOOD under my fingers I swore off rounds for good... Or so I thought...

Today none of my three basses wears flats anymore.

I had your epiphany back around 1975…..LOL!!! But no knock intended to those that prefer flats.

 

[2F/2F]

Yup. Flats for everything, except special purpose basses, since 1988. Learned on ‘em, and really don’t like using rounds. Don’t like the tone, the lower tension, or the feel, not to mention that they are way, way rougher on frets. But I do have rounds on a few basses, for when that sound is called for.

 

[mrcbass]

I'm a flats guys as well. Last year I tried converting back to rounds to try to grab some of the brightness that comes in handy for slap type lines. That didn't last a month.

 

[Holdsg]

I'm weird. I even play Led Zeppelin on basses with flats. they just work and feel best to this guy.

 

[LeFunk Machine]

Once you go flatwounds, you never go back. Well, it's possible to go back lol.

 

[quilanthegreat]

I go back and forth but landed on playing really dead rounds for a majority of my gigs. I do however keep one Jazz strung with Flats, and one P strung with Flats - always good to have the variety

 

[TemplesOfSyrinx]

I much prefer the feel and sound of flatwounds. The only thing that has gotten me to also string a p bass with GHS Pressurewounds is playing hot and humid outdoor gigs. Playing LaBella flats on a hot and humid day is torture. My hands just stick to the strings.

 

[Hounddog409]

I've been trying to get ride of the harsh high upper mids that are present sometimes with rounds. I think it is worse on passive basses and worse on modern class D amps/neo cabs that tend to be very harsh in the upper mids. I think the whole current day bass industry is upper mid obsessed.

I do still like rounds on active basses though.

Everyone should want mids.....thats how your are heard playing live.

I swear to god, if one more sound guy refuses to touch his smiley face thats been in place since 1963, im gonna go postal.

 

[fishdude101101]

I much prefer the feel and sound of flatwounds. The only thing that has gotten me to also string a p bass with GHS Pressurewounds is playing hot and humid outdoor gigs. Playing LaBella flats on a hot and humid day is torture. My hands just stick to the strings.

For La Bella I only play the low tension flats. They feel like glass to me. I might have oily hand though.