Flatwound Recommendations for a Roundwound Guy

[Max7]

I would say they definitely last longer than my standard round wounds, by a significant margin. But I’ve never used traditional flat wounds so I cannot compare to their life span.

What I will caution you about is the setup. Some techs and luthiers will set them up the same as traditional flatlands but that could cause some intonation issues—depending on the exact string and bass.

for reference, I am using Daddario XL Half Rounds standard lights

Thank's for the heads up

 

[Prodigus Filius]

"Forget all that low tension nonsense. Get yourself a thick high tension set of La Bella 1954 flats 50-110, like the flats I use to use."

View attachment 5317167

Hate to be a nit picker but there 52-110
I actually use the 128T 95 073 052 from the 5iver 0760M set ie I set aside the 110 and tune those suckers to C#F# BE. I found the 128 , as stiff as the core is, still didn't do it for me as low B.

I highly reccommend Chromes too. If only for the ease of putting together custom sets of flats. You find many of the online sellers and in store have a good range of gauges. Nothing worse than going to a store or online seller and you think you struck gold with the strings you want, only to find that they got 3 of the 4 you want and you have to look elsewhere for the other one. Doesn't seem to happen as much with Chromes. I have every Chrome gauge, but I only use 132 100 075 050
You guessed it. For C# standard tuning.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Steve Harris uses his own signature strings but kinda the very same thing...

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As the LaBella's...

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I don't think you're far off the money with that comparison.
The Harris set has his fav soccer team coloured silks. But otherwise appears the same as the heavy 50-110 77 set. There is an apparent typo in the tension chart for the harris 50-110 set which puts the tension of the 075 D as 60.92 lbs instead of 70.92 lbs as per the non Harris 50-110 set. The 70.92 is the likely correct one, given that a Chrome 075 tuned to D has 65lbs of tension. And the Roto 77''s have more tension than Chromes

 

[HaphAsSard]

I don't think you're far off the money with that comparison.
The Harris set has his fav soccer team coloured silks. But otherwise appears the same as the heavy 50-110 77 set. There is an apparent typo in the tension chart for the harris 50-110 set which puts the tension of the 075 D as 60.92 lbs instead of 70.92 lbs as per the non Harris 50-110 set. The 70.92 is the likely correct one, given that a Chrome 075 tuned to D has 65lbs of tension. And the Roto 77''s have more tension than Chromes

As discussed back in Aug./Sept., the Harris set reportedly gets polished a tad smoother.

Re the typo, you're most probably right: confermation for that appears in the general "Tension comparison chart for guitar and bass" ("bass guitar" tab), where the tension figure for the Harris 075 is indeed quoted as 70.92 lbs:
Tension comparison chart for Rotosound guitar and bass strings
Note that the part numbers for the strings in both the RS77LE and SH77 sets are the same: JBL050, JBL075, JBL095 (the Harris low E is not included, probably also by mistake).

[EDIT - I'd forgotten that product code identity between the two sets had already been pointed out by @Ricky Rioli here.]

 

[Prodigus Filius]

As discussed back in Aug./Sept., the Harris set reportedly gets polished a tad smoother.

Re the typo, you're most probably right: confermation for that appears in the general "Tension comparison chart for guitar and bass" ("bass guitar" tab), where the tension figure for the Harris 075 is indeed quoted as 70.92 lbs:
Tension comparison chart for Rotosound guitar and bass strings
Note that the part numbers for the strings in both the RS77LE and SH77 sets are the same: JBL050, JBL075, JBL095 (the Harris low E is not included, probably also by mistake).

[EDIT - I'd forgotten that product code identity between the two sets had already been pointed out by @Ricky Rioli here.]

I was able to compare tension/ stiffness feel between a la Bella original Jamerson 052 and a Roto 77 050 and they are pretty much comparable in tension/ stiffness feel.

 

[600 Ohms]

DR Legends or Dunlops. No question. They are both flats that a roundwound lover could love.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

DR Legends or Dunlops. No question. They are both flats that a roundwound lover could love.

My personal experience with Dunlop stainless flats was very positive. Very well made. Smooth. Nice tone. Not using them currently, but definitely would have no problem doing so again.

 

[GIBrat51]

I have a 65P that doesn’t get a lot of playing time. It’s currently strung with rounds (GHS Pressurewounds) and they’re due for a change. This time, I thought I would try a set of flats on it. (It already has a tort pick guard, so this will bring the bass into compliance with Talkbass CC&Rs. )

I’m looking for recommendations of which strings to try. I want something not too expensive (which probably rules out TI’s), low to medium tension, with a smooth feel (not sticky), and a very short break-in period. (I don’t want to spend months breaking in a set.) I’ll be playing mostly with fingers, but occasionally using a pick.

So, whatcha got?

I have Fender 9050L on my Jazz and Ernie Ball Stainless Steel (not Cobalt) flats on my Precision and am very happy with both.

They're two of the most affordable flats at $35 a set. Medium stiffness/flexibility and very smooth like flats should be. Just make sure to wipe them down thoroughly with an alcohol wipe before installation.

^THIS^ For about the umpteenth time... I have these flats on 4 basses (out of 25) right now. If I didn't set most of my basses up as "One Trick Pony's" with other flats, I'm pretty sure most of them would wear these. However.. if you ever decide to splurge? Try a set of Dogal "Jaco" CarbonSteel Flats. Extremely low tension, although they don't feel quite as flexible as TIJFs; very, very smooth; and they broke in pretty quickly. Their tone is slightly darker than the Fenders, but you'd need to play them side by side to tell (which I have done). I play mostly with a pick, and they work well for that; put they work equally well finger style. Because of their very low tension, I have the JC106A set on my '73 Rick 4001 - which has neck issues that require low tension strings. But, I'm more than happy with them. Dogal offers the "Jaco" flats in 3 different gauges (A is the lightest), but the tension is supposed to be the same for all of them. They are expensive, but not as expensive as the TI's - which I also use...

 

[pbass2]

I agree, at some point on that P you gotta try Labellas. And they only get better with age. I know a lot of folks here lean towards lower tension/lighter but I find the standard 760FS 45-105 is just perfect on a P or J--it delivers IMO the classic sound and feel without going full on into the Jamersons.

 

[Selim]

I have a 65P…
This time, I thought I would try a set of flats …

not too expensive
low to medium tension
a smooth feel
a very short break-in period.

So, whatcha got?

I got La Bella low tension flats for those things.