Flatwound vs Roundwound

[mazdah]

Just hear and decide by yourself:

 

[Pilgrim]

I blew $50 on flatwounds a few days ago to try them out and I absolutely can't stand them... Really friction-y and weird for me. Its gonna be a long few months...

Since flats last practically forever, it could be a long few decades.

 

[SemiDriven]

Buy another very cheap Jazz, defret it and put flats on it. You'll thank me later.

EDIT: Yes, you CAN slap a Precision with flats. Try to find some oldschool funk like Forget Me Nots. Look that up. You'll thank me again later.

Thank you now! Freddie Washington has a great groove there!

 

[SteveFromBerlin]

Hi guys,

I'm digging this up because I'm doing a little experimenting myself while preparing for a studio session.
Since I've never played flats before I've bought the cheap ones by Fender and the difference was not that overwhelming. I borrowed a phantastic Lakland P-Bass with older Thomastik JF344 on it and I'm loving it. Now I'm waiting for these flats to arrive for my Sadowsky P...

Anyway, here are some soundfiles if you are interested:

http://soundcloud.com/stevefromberlin/sets/elixier-roundwounds-fender

 

[michaelstrand]

I blew $50 on flatwounds a few days ago to try them out and I absolutely can't stand them... Really friction-y and weird for me. Its gonna be a long few months...

yes I feel the same way, flats are really hard to slide around on for some reason. You'd think it'd be easier bc they're flat, but they seem to stick to my fingers.

 

[iiipopes]

GHS Pressurewounds may be your solution: rounder tone, easier feel, not as much string noise.

 

[shrimpflea]

I love flats....but they're not for everyone....have them on my P-Bass (Labella) and Jazz (Fender).....Here's a quick review I wrote for all the flats I've used.
http://fenderbassplayer.com/index.php/80-fender-bass-player-blog/110-flatwound-string-review

 

[One Drop]

TalkBass has alot of words and alot of hype, but I never saw the benefit of flatwounds. If I want to sound thicker or less bright, I'd just roll off the tone knob. But I never do, becuase it just sounds so much better with tone knob open.

One of the biggest differences is the attack envelope, you can't get the same effects with rounds as flats. The biggest problem I can imagine is that people swap over and expect everything to be groovy without exploring how different EQ, amounts of OD, and playing styles can make the best of the different sounds that flats offer.

I play quite differently with a flats or rounds equipped bass, and attack the strings differently for crunch, pick and finger artifacts, etc.

Nothing to do with hype, it's just different and maybe not for you.

 

[SemiDriven]

One of the biggest differences is the attack envelope, you can't get the same effects with rounds as flats. The biggest problem I can imagine is that people swap over and expect everything to be groovy without exploring how different EQ, amounts of OD, and playing styles can make the best of the different sounds that flats offer.

I play quite differently with a flats or rounds equipped bass, and attack the strings differently for crunch, pick and finger artifacts, etc.

+1

P-bass + LaBella's = unique sound textures. All good!

 

[Gab124]

I have tried several times now to like flats mainly because of all that is said on TB. Each time I gave a really good attempt and yes playing technique changes and there will have to be some eq adjusting. To me they sound really good while the band is playing, but whenever I have a section where it is just me they don't even come close to the sound in my head. And, to boot, the band kept asking me what the heck I did to my sound and to make it stop! I am just a rounds player I guess, but oddly much of the music I listen to has flats on it :/ Good luck on your quest!

 

[BullHorn]

Agree with the above!

I reverted my Precisions back to rounds and keep an Ibanez SR500 modded without the active preamp and with passive DiMarzio pickups and a set of TI flats. It actually sounds more like a P with flats than my actual P that had flats on...

 

[Root 5]

Try D'Addario Half Rounds. These will give you the versatility you want.

 

[SoVeryTired]

Broad rules, not 100% accurate but close enough:

You can't make flats sound like rounds
You can't make rounds feel like flats

So if you've only got one bass, or only want to use one type of string, it's down to what sort of feel or sound you like, and which of those is most important to you.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

D'Addario chromes really are in a league of their own IME. I can actually slap with them on a p-bass and they don't sound half bad. They are smooth and thumpy for sure, even more so when you break them in. Only problem is the G strings, they can be a little weak sometimes so you may want to get a .050 G instead of a .045.

 

[4-string]

TIs are terrible for slapping even by flatwound standards.

I think TIs are great for slapping. Different than rounds of course, but still great.

To the OP - just try a set of flats, opinions vary so much as you can tell, the only way you would know is by first hand experience. TIs might be on the expensive side just to try out, but there's nothing like them. A love or hate string.

D'Addario Chromes are much less cash, might be a good place to start.

 

[Rickles]

I used D'Addario Half-Rounds years ago because I didn't like the feel/squeak of rounds, but I wasn't impressed with their sound. When I finally tried TI's, I just couldn't believe how good they sounded. I have them on my P's and J's.

 

[Root 5]

I like the D'Addarion Half Rounds because they're so versatile; you can get flattish thump and you can get a grindy rock tone out of them; good for slapping too.

If you need to cover it all - they'll do it.

 

[backup]

i play a squier jazz with fender flats and it sounds amazing. switching to flats was my smartest choice in a long time. but its true it does limit the sound of a jazz bass (each setting sounds more similar then with roundwound strings) and slapping sounds bad most of the time. you lose the sparkle and a little sustain. harmonics dont sound as clear.

 

[SteveFromBerlin]

When I finally tried TI's, I just couldn't believe how good they sounded. I have them on my P's and J's.

+1!

And don't judge after only a few days of playing. Took me a week or two until they really sounded like what I was lookin for.
Love them now and my Sadowsky PJ is always turned to P with the TI Flats on it... very deep, smooth, and - as someone said before - totally different approach of playing.

 

[DrSpunkwater]

What's going on fellow jamboozlers -

I'm thinkin about switching my string of choice from Ernie Ball Super Slinky Nickel Wound to some flatwound strings. I don't know what a good brand is or what I can expect from them, so I'm relying on some words of wisdom from you guys.

I play a Fender Jazz bass in a three man band, and I read somewhere that flat wounds don't give as full of a sound as round wound or nickel wounds do, which isn't what I'm looking for since I need to fill in as much space as possible. I enjoy slapping and generally getting a nice booming sound, but I don''t like the sliding sound of the nickels and the toll it can take on the fingers sometimes, still got some callouses to build up it would seem.

If you have some input on this or on string suggestions in general I always enjoy reading about equipment.

Thanks guys

Flats are useless for your style. Don't use them. The most "versatile" flat in the world won't pack as much punch as a roundwound when you start slapping. You can still get a booming sound with them, but it's a different kind of boom. If sore fingers and string noise are the only reasons you're considering flatwounds, I'd say you're well off and you don't need to bother. You can EQ out string noise and adjust your gauge and/or action if need be to avoid quite as much soreness.

FYI, I use flatwounds on my SG Bass to get the fuzzed-out Jack Bruce/Felix Pappalardi/Geezer Butler sound. For what I do on the bass, it works. But then I also never slap when playing it.