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flatwounds and rock...do they mix?

#41
They definitely can & do mix, & mix quite well. I'm using them in a Classic to Current Rock covers band. My experiences agree with Sundogue's about flats 'laying under' the mix instead of 'cutting through'.

Not everyone's situation is equal, nor is everyone's taste. If they're on now, I'd suggest trying them out in the band. See what the band's opinions are, as well as your own when they are mixed in with the band's sound.
 
#44
Evanseveneleven said:
Steve Harris uses flats now, but everything up to Seventh Son (all the classic stuff) at least was roundwounds. His recorded sound is woeful these days in comparison , and i don't know why anyone would want to copy his current gear to emulate it. He also restrings every gig, which is very unusual for a flat player.

Geezer Butler uses DR Strings (Hi Beams and Black Beauties I believe).

Nothing against flats, McCartney on Abbey Road and Pino on D'Angelo's Voodoo are 2 tones I could listen to all day and it's great that they have made such a strong comeback over the last few years, wouldn't have thought it possible 10 years ago. I just think that it is important to put forward another perspective.

Nearly everything recorded from the early 70's until a few years ago was roundwounds. Sure there were still some examples of flats usually in bands trying to recreate the vibe of the sixties, but they were certainly not common. One of the major reasons for James Jamerson's decline was his refusal to swap to rounds. He found himself unemployable because his sound wasn't as suited to the style of the day. What was great in the sixties wasn't up to par in the seventies.

I also think it's a bit misrepresentative to say that rounds are ok if you want to sound like John Entwistle or Chris Squire. Both great players with really distinctive personal voices that would difficult to emulate with any gear. What about choosing players like Tony Levin, John Paul Jones, Jaco Pastorius, Victor Wooten, Leland Sklar, Marcus Miller, Rocco Prestia, Geddy Lee, Stu Zender, Doug Wimbish, Flea, Nathan East, Steve Digiorgio, Bernard Edwards, Robert Trujillo, Rex Brown, Jack Bruce, Anthony Jackson, Eddie Jackson and Mike Dirnt. That will give a more honest perspective of the true sound of rounds.

As said, I have nothing at all against flats. I have a bass strung with a set and love playing it from time to time for variety. I'm sure that you can make them work in any style of music, but if I was doing anything other than a sixties revival or a soul band, flats would not be my first choice.
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Dude....you need a History Lesson ! Where have you gotten your information ? Steve Harris has used Flatwounds from the start of Iron Maiden. Harris says he tried Roundwounds when he started playing Bass, but didn't like the string noise. So many classic recordings from the 1970's were recorded with Flatwounds by some of the Bassist you mention. As for James Jamerson,he refused to change is Flatwounds when he relocated to California. It was not that he was using Flats,that was not the issue,he was using old Flats and had intonation problems.
 
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#48
I have been using flats exclusively since my band's inception. Last week at practice I threw some rounds on my bass and my singer kept saying, "what's that weird sound." He is by no means an instrumentalist but, he could tell that there was something wrong with our sound. He finally narrowed it down to me and said, "why does your bass sound like a guitar?"
I always thought that it didn't make much of a difference to anyone but me.
It really depends on the player I guess though. I get more than enough high end from flats but I can't and don't want to get any sizzle.
I play mostly rock and hip hop/rock.
 
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#49
I've been playing bass in rock/blues bands since the mid- 60's. My experience with flats/rounds: Every note must be distinct. Flatwounds, being stiffer than roundwounds, are easier to control, dampening as well as picking. At high volume, distortion producing sound levels there is more separation between notes with flats.
Also, flats have a drum-like tonal quality. For me, its an important part of locking in with the drummer.
Of course, everyone is different. As others here have said, you just have to try out strings until you find the right ones for you.
 
#50
bryceg2189 said:
i have a pbass that i built and i recently have strung it with flatwounds. i dig the sound....but i play a lot of rock music and unfortunately i dont see a motown/dap kings band in my immediate future.

so as silly a question as it is, should i ditch the flats for my roundwounds or can they serve an applicable purpose in my current gig?
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I use flats for rock music... why not?

If you like the tone you get with flats and find it to be usable in a rock setting there isnt any reason why you shouldnt.
 
#52
Yep, Steve Harris used 'em a long time ago. I remember the first Maiden records he mentioned them. He's one of my biggest influences, but I hate flats. Never got it, but to each his own. I don't hear much difference with my band, but alone I do. Rounds sound brighter and more colorful, ie harmonically. Flats do feel better on the fingertips though.
Never knew of Phil Lynott using flats. Always thought he was a round player. He's one of my heroes too. I use Ibanez old Blazers because of Lynott and Steve Harris's Roadster back in the day. Also got a few Fenders cuz of that joker :)
 
#53
My main bass for rock is an old P converted to PJ. BA II bridge, brass nut. D'Addario Chromes - I gots plenty of cut ... I've been rehearsing with a band htat I'm doing some gigs with as a sub. The other night the lead player was looking at my cabinet saying - wow - that's cool! The other guy has been using a J with Rounds, a 1001 RB II and Avatar 2x12. When reheasing with them I'm using the MB2-500 and a compact 1 x15 - no tweet. So I'm guessing it isn't the rig ... wait till he hears the WT-800 and 2x fEarful 12.6 rig this weekend ....

Yeah - you can rock with flats... you can also rock with rounds - I really like having both available to me on stage and so I do.
 
#54
On the past, I used Flatwounds on a Rock band and I didn´t like the sound. IMHO , the sound was less perceptive, it doesn´t cut the mix.

Today , I´m playing with rounds. Flats only on my fretless (but sometimes I used rounds on my fretless too).

I´ll try flats again on my basses...
 
#56
Glad to read this thread. These are the comments I have been looking for.
I just bought a set of flats (GHS tapewound black nylon) for my Geddy Lee Jazz. They look great on the bass, except for the bright red windings above the nut. I'll have to get used to that, (or sharpie it black). Can't comment on the sound yet, but will know tomorrow night at rehearsal. It will be interesting to see if the other musicians notice a change in my sound from the rounds I've always played.
What I can comment on is the FEEL. Man they feel nice. I told my wife I think I have been playing with the wrong kind of strings for years. If I like the sound tomorrow night, I will probably stay with flats for a long time.
I am concerned about the thin neck on the GL warping with the flats. I have heard some folks say it could happen. But the tension doesn't feel overly tight to me.
I play 60s/70s rock.
 
#59
You'd be surprised how many rock recordings are flats. Rounds are really only a requisite if you've got to have that outlandish sizzle way up front in the mix. Flats can do all the rest of it perfectly fine. Especially flats with a bit of tension in them, like Chromes. Maybe TIs can't hack it as well in rock, I don't know. But Chromes do just fine. I just did a studio session a few weeks ago that was all rock and I used a fretless with flats. And it sounded great.

Some rock recordings probably sound much better with flats than rounds. I think it's hard to find a roundwound string that will really have the same low-end fullness as a flatwound string does. A P Bass with good flats is hard to beat in most any situation.
 
#60
redbeard74 said:
Glad to read this thread. These are the comments I have been looking for.
I just bought a set of flats (GHS tapewound black nylon) for my Geddy Lee Jazz. They look great on the bass, except for the bright red windings above the nut. I'll have to get used to that, (or sharpie it black). Can't comment on the sound yet, but will know tomorrow night at rehearsal. It will be interesting to see if the other musicians notice a change in my sound from the rounds I've always played.
What I can comment on is the FEEL. Man they feel nice. I told my wife I think I have been playing with the wrong kind of strings for years. If I like the sound tomorrow night, I will probably stay with flats for a long time.
I am concerned about the thin neck on the GL warping with the flats. I have heard some folks say it could happen. But the tension doesn't feel overly tight to me.
I play 60s/70s rock.
Click to expand...

iirc fwiw tapewound flats are much lower tension than 'normal' flats
 

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