Flatwounds are just not for me

[Warpeg]

I like both rounds and flats. For awhile I've made sure to keep at least one bass with each string type on hand. This allows me to switch back and forth easily.

 

[Dan_reeves]

I like my sound with Chromes here, fundemental is always there and it sit in the mix perfectly

Nice playing buddy, never heard of Joe Jackson. Thanks for sharing!

 

[BobDeRosa]

I know exactly what you mean. I use primarily flats for gigging, but sometimes I pick up one with rounds around the house just because it's fun to play. Feel is one thing, but it really depends on the sound you're after, and for gigs, flats work better for me.

 

[Ric5]

Flatwounds are just not for me

ya … I would agree with that …

 

[lbbc]

I love the feel of flats, but not the sound. Just my 2¢

 

[MoeTown1986]

I thought the same thing for years. Then I finally tried TI Jazz Flats. Now I love flats. But only TI's. I actually restrung all 15 of my basses with them.

 

[Altitude]

I still don’t quite “ get” flats, other than being easy on the frets and fingers. It seems like just EQ’ing most of the treble out on rounds = instant flats, but no amount of fuddling will coax that round wound Zing out of flats. My son got a set of flats for his Jay Turser Hofner clone, and they play and sound great on a bass that has a pretty limited tonal palette like that, pretty much thump or thumpier. I must be missing something, but not missing it much. The one that really mystifies me is flats on a Ric, like wrapping a knife blade in cotton and trying to cut rope with it. Why would you spend 2k on a bass legendary for treble bite and then muzzle half it’s range?

This is how I feel about flats on Stingrays, and I think you're onto something.

It might not be flats per se that are in style; it could be that people are gravitating towards the tone they hear on recordings from the past where the players mainly played Precision basses with flatwound strings because that's all there was. Truly, a P-bass with flats invokes something, and you can't get that something any other way.

So at this point I look at it from two totally different angles:

• If I were playing bass for employment, which I'm not, I'd probably have a set of flats and a set of rounds for every bass. Before any new gig, I'd have a conversation with the music director or bandleader about what tone they wanted out of the bass, and pick strings accordingly.
• If I were playing bass for pleasure, I'd experiment both ways and stick with the one that I like the best on each instrument. Or maybe switch them around from time to time to keep it fresh.

Right now I have Chromes on my P-bass. It sounds like it should, unless I'm listening to all those great Stu Zender Jamiroquai albums where he was using rounds.

I have them on my Valenti J as well, though the set on that bass is a bright set even for Chromes. Not Marcus Miller bright, but it sounds like a Jazz bass. To the untrained ear it may be hard to tell that set of Chromes apart from rounds. In fact, I did a comparison recording thread about this.

I got an ESP Ltd acoustic electric recently. In order to provide any kind of convincing upright-like tone, it needs flats. I have Chromes on that one too, but have decided they are too bright. I'm considering something mellower, but I need to find an E-C set.

I have a Skjold 5-string that has a very mellow native voice. It seems to need stainless steel rounds to pull out the characteristic I want.

Finally, my Skjold 6-string has half-rounds. I never thought I'd put anything other than rounds on a bass I figured was supposed to sound zingy in the high register, then John Patitucci made the switch and I liked the Metheny-esque tone he got.

Here's an entertaining Scott Devine clip where he compares rounds, flats, and tapes. I won't spoil which he decides he likes most.

 

[Runnerman]

I like both flats and rounds.

Can I say that?

 

[dbsfgyd1]

You could resell them if they're not mangled or cut too short.

Selling is good, but it’s better if you “age” them, wait until they’re like 30 years old, then sell them sell them as vintage. Better than investing in gold.....

Seriously, I’m with you about the preference. For me it’s not about the touch, it’s the sound. Can you imagine flats on a piano?

I can’t either, but I have a theory that when Leo Fender designed the PB, he used the piano as the model for the sound he was trying to replicate. A very even increasing bloom of low end going from the top note to bottom, much like a grand piano. You put rounds on a PB with the right EQ will sound and sound much like a Piano.

I wouldn’t know if there was such a thing as round wound bass strings back then, and since upright players were using gut strings, so Ps got flats for a similar thunk, which are much cheaper than gut, not to mention you can’t use gut strings on an electro-magnetic pick up and expect to get a sound. After a while, it became a definitive electric bass sound.

As for feel, have you ever played an upright bass with cat guts that gets a little bow rosin on them? If you can survive that, you can survive the tactile feel of round wounds.

 

[Koshchei]

I decided to take my third attempt at putting flats on my P-Bass in February. I had tried GHS Precisions and Rotosound 77s in the past and just couldn't bond with them. This time I tried Chromes and they only lasted about 6 weeks before I went back to Boomers. As much as people rant and rave about the feel of flats I actually like the feel of rounds better, possibly because that's what I'm used to. Anyway, I need to quit spending money trying out different strings... in the end I always end up back at Boomers and EB Slinkys.

And that's ok.

 

[dhagopian]

I still don’t quite “ get” flats, other than being easy on the frets and fingers. It seems like just EQ’ing most of the treble out on rounds = instant flats, but no amount of fuddling will coax that round wound Zing out of flats.

I have to disagree. No amount of fuddling will coax flat wound sound out of rounds either.

 

[drumvsbass]

Flats usually feel like terrible to me. Then I tried TI flats. Like little silken elves massaging your fingers whilst you play.

 

[rodv66]

I use them with my maiden tribute. Steve can change his every gig and I only use my Harris pbass for gigs. I change them every month and use Cobalt flats because they at least last a bit longer

 

[BassByBaldSteve]

I used to feel the same way as the OP...until I discovered the glory of La Bella Low Tension Flats. They are bliss.

 

[MasterG]

Flats are aptly named. They could also be named Dull,Lifeless or Duds.

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

I played tapes exclusively on my fretted basses for decades. Pretty much the same as "Flats". Then went to fretless exclusively in the early 80s. And to me the Tapes were necessary, so pretty much stuck with Roto Tru Bass. (Believe me I had tried every other tape at the time even on my Hofners)

Got a wild hair to experiment, and got a couple of boat paddle Steinbergers. And double ball was a real issue to find strings at the time. So I played around with a few different rounds.

Was intrigued with the sound, and then picked up a few neck thru fretted basses. And the quest for rounds was on "Like Donkey Kong". And BTW neck thru basses. (Guess you notice I'm now a Spector guy)

So moving to the present day, Tapes on my fretless (usually Rotos or the Labella Whites, that are a little brighter sounding), and rounds on anything with frets.

Went thru the different "Coated" ones, like DR and Roto, both great. Tried a lot of other rounds like smashed ones, cobalt ones, half round ones, and a bunch. But the best I found were:

Pricey, but last a while, and do what I need. BTW, been on this quest since the early 60s.

 

[fermata]

I was very into flats for a number of years, but when my vintage country band disbanded and I joined an acoustic Americana band, the flats just didn't blend right--maybe something to do with the harmonic structure? Rounds were the answer, specifically Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Rounds. It's amazing how they slot into the mix.

The strings are now more than six months old with an hour or so of play each day, and the tone hasn't changed since maybe the three week mark. (I love the sound of broken-in nickel rounds.)

 

[dkelley]

Flatwounds appear to be, honestly, just not for most of us. Hence why nearly all basses have rounds. .. I say this based on the number of basses I've held in my life (mostly owned by working bassists, and in maybe roughly 1% had flats), and based on the number off bassists I've talked to in person in my life... outside of TalkBass which does have a rich following of enthusiastic flats users - more power to them

Flats ARE cool for certain things. But it is a distinct playing feel that really does change things up for most of us just a little too much.

I would love to have enough money, and a paying gig reason, to have a nice bass around with good flats on it... but I have never been able to justify it, since I personally don't play music that works well with flatswhen I'm noodling around for my own fun.

And as I get older, I spend more time noodling.

You may read into that what you like.

 

[ghostinthemach]

You might try them later if you have a different bass. I find that some basses love flats and some don’t.

***BINGO***
I own a good sized stable and almost all get played because I play for a WIDE variety of styles & settings.

Round wounds will never (even with tone fully rolled off) do what flats do.
Not when authenticity really matters.

I also have given up on destroying my natural wood fretless fingerboards with rounds of any sort.

Don’t get me wrong. I Love the fresh zing of new ultra-bright rounds, but
I also love flats, when the bass/situation calls for them.

I have multiple basses because I’m at a point in my life where can afford several basses and I string them differently for specific purposes.

 

[kirkplunkett]

I've always hated the way flats feel.... I played Rotosound SB66 for 26 years. The I got a new P in 2018 and reluctantly started experimenting with strings again. Loe and behold, the flats sound best on my P.... but them sounding good didn't change the way they feel or the distain I felt while playing them... Exit Labella Deep Talkin' Flats and enter Thomastik Infled Strings... Now I love the feel and sound of my P bass.