Flatwound Epiphany

[darwin-bass]

My fretless P runs TI Jazz flats and the fretted P runs rounds. I wanted to try a different pickup for the fretted and the easiest way for that test was to swap necks since the pickup I wanted to try is in the fretless.

So I swapped necks between my fretted and fretless P basses. Suddenly my fretless sounded much better. It had a clarity and presence that was not there before. But my fretted suddenly sounded a bit dull and thumpy. Sure enough, I had not swapped strings so the fretless was accidently wearing rounds and the fretted the flats.

My epiphany is that rounds sound good. Good enough to more than give flats a run for their money.

 

[Relayer71]

I've always liked flats, but flats on a Spector was a revelation for me.

Spectors tend to have a lot of high end clarity to begin with, partly due to the EMGs + active preamp, but also possibly pickup placement and construction (you get quite a bit of high end response even on the non-EMG Spectors), so I don't feel like I'm loosing a ton of definition or high end when using flats on them.

 

[fishdude101101]

My fretless P runs TI Jazz flats and the fretted P runs rounds. I wanted to try a different pickup for the fretted and the easiest way for that test was to swap necks since the pickup I wanted to try is in the fretless.

So I swapped necks between my fretted and fretless P basses. Suddenly my fretless sounded much better. It had a clarity and presence that was not there before. But my fretted suddenly sounded a bit dull and thumpy. Sure enough, I had not swapped strings so the fretless was accidently wearing rounds and the fretted the flats.

My epiphany is that rounds sound good. Good enough to more than give flats a run for their money.

I'll probably play rounds some again sometime in the future, but I kinda like dull and thumpy.

 

[fishdude101101]

I do like flats, have a 10+ year old of chromes on one bass. Its tone is meaty, fat,and not muddy. Eq plays a good role in getting the tone you want. Also I know it's flat protocol, but play them in good before you judge and don't be afraid to roll off the tone. ymmv

Yeah I think its a mistake to think you can use the same eq settings.

 

[Fuzzbass]

John Entwistle's live tone was an epiphany for me... so nope, I'm never giving up rounds. My fingertips are accustomed to them, so I think rounds feel better than flats.

That said, I follow the rule that you gotta keep flats on a P-bass, so one of my P-style basses is always strung with flats. I gig that bass with bluesy/rootsy/country bands, and really enjoy it. IME, darkened rounds (stale and/or warmed up with EQ) can never quite get that certain vibe that's inherent to all flats.

 

[Pet Sounds]

Welcome to the world of flats! I put LaBellas on my then-new 1995 P-Bass and have been in love with flats ever since. I do have some basses with rounds, but my mainstay is a 1979 Precision Bass with Fender flats. I completely agree with you about not wanting too much of the upper mids.

 

[Swipter]

I like the 7250 on my P bass so much I have never put the Labellas I bought on. Of course I'm headphones only, good ones, so I don't know how they would do in real band environment. I know my fender flats work for both worlds of rounds and flats, IMO, on my jazz bass.

 

[dangevans]

Flats for 20 years on my basses, and only changed one string the entire time.

 

[Alan Wrench]

I haven’t used flats in 30+ years, just been using rounds. Honestly don’t remember what flats felt like / played like. Touch and feel are extremely important to me. I use very light gauge rounds. What do flats feel like to the touch relative to rounds that some of you mention?

 

[theevilplankton]

Used to love a bright, zingy tone - had 18 months off playing.

Upon returning, used rounds. However, I immediately found I'd gone completely off the sound and feel of rounds. What I wanted from a bass tone had done a 360, and I discovered that I needed deep, powerful bass.

Rotosound 77 Jazz flats. You want treble? Turn up the tone knob. They sound great on a P-bass either way....and the tension has led me to an insanely low action. Win!

Never gone back since. Now, the feel of rounds on my fingers, the increased fret noise and rattle.....no longer for me. I'd also attribute my taste of players changing as well, and maybe the want of a different tone path.

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

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.

Flats are AWESOME but there is also a place for rounds with the passive tone dialed down.

 

[CallMeAl]

Currently have rounds (Pure Blues) on my SB2 and flats (Chromes) on my P bass.

My ears love flats. My fretting hand likes them- though the “slippery” nature causes me to slide around and loose my place sometimes! it’s my plucking hand that has a hard time. I find them taxing after a few hours on a gig or rehearsal.

But I keep going back to that P with flats for practice time. I’m more comfortable with that P bass as I’ve had it longer; but I’ve really been feeling the gravity of the flats lately

 

[sotua]

for me it was when recording - fender flats on my jbass record so beautifully it's absurd. It sounds so great that I've decided to keep it strung with flats forever, and procure a jazz or jazz-like bass to keep strung with rounds when I need the really zingy, Geddy-style grind and clang.

 

[CallMeAl]

I like the 7250 on my P bass so much I have never put the Labellas I bought on. Of course I'm headphones only, good ones, so I don't know how they would do in real band environment. I know my fender flats work for both worlds of rounds and flats, IMO, on my jazz bass.

Did you mean 9050? 7250 are the rounds.

I really dug the tone of the Fender Flats; only switched back to Chromes cause they offer a 40-95 set

 

[michael_t]

I know my fender flats work for both worlds of rounds and flats, IMO, on my jazz bass.

for me it was when recording - fender flats on my jbass record so beautifully it's absurd.

If I were ever to go back to using flats, Fender 9050L on my J would be my top choice. One of the most versatile combos that can fit into a variety of musical styles.

 

[fishdude101101]

Flats are AWESOME but there is also a place for rounds with the passive tone dialed down.

For sure. I guess I'll just buy more basses for that situation.

 

[Fuzzbass]

I haven’t used flats in 30+ years, just been using rounds. Honestly don’t remember what flats felt like / played like. Touch and feel are extremely important to me. I use very light gauge rounds. What do flats feel like to the touch relative to rounds that some of you mention?

If you prefer light-gauge strings, and also prefer low tension, then I recommend Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats. Love 'em, but they are really expensive.

A much-lower-priced alternative would be LaBella Low Tension Flexible Flats. But if "touch and feel" refers to texture rather than flexibility -- these LaBellas seem to be polished really smooth, which would be the other end of the spectrum from roundwounds.

 

[ole Jason]

I got bored with flats but I keep a set in the closet for recording. I actually found flats to be much harder on my right hand than rounds too. They initially feel 'softer' but my guess is the increased surface area of flats was the main culprit. It was never a big deal but may be worth mentioning to newer players.

 

[rickster4003]

So when I got my ibby portomento it had flats. Being anti flats they were off in a day or so. I had to admit that they did sound good. Forward a couple years and some string experimentation, I have put flats back on it, some EB cobalts and i like the sound very much. Wondering if they make Dunlop superbrights in flats. Oh oh, now I'm thinking about putting flats on others!!! I have tried rotosound but did not like, the tension seemed really high. So far Ernie Ball in for the win. Wondering how the ric might sound.

 

[michael_t]

Wondering if they make Dunlop superbrights in flats.

They're not called "Super Bright Flats" as such, but Dunlop Flats do employ the same idea for a small-diameter hex core for flexibility and comfortable tension. Not quite as bright and roundwound-like in tone as the EB Cobat flats, but based on what I've been reading, they do have a semi-modern flavor with a nice midrange for clarity.