Thank you, I adore Joe Jackson, first album is masterpiece alongside Graham Maby bass playing.
Listen to his first album - Look Sharp! (Masterpiece with great bass playing).
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Flatwounds are just not for me
- Thread starter forrestlaw
- Start date
Thank you, I adore Joe Jackson, first album is masterpiece alongside Graham Maby bass playing.
Listen to his first album - Look Sharp! (Masterpiece with great bass playing).
I will give you a hint... it would be very close to the top of dumbest threads list.
It would also be close to the very top of the "who cares" list and the "waste of time " lists.
It would rank toward the absolute bottom of the "useful information" and "very interesting" lists.
Have you tried DR Sunbeams? They are the smoothest-feeling ROUNDS. Give them a shot!
Idea for a new thread "What's so special about Flatwounds?"
I will say this, I've used a lot of flats in the past couple years and - as much as I like other D'Addario strings - I just didn't like Chromes at all.
Some people love them, but Chromes don't feel or sound like any other type of flatwound strings and I would much rather have Cobalts, TI Jazz Flats, or LaBellas.
Some people love them, but Chromes don't feel or sound like any other type of flatwound strings and I would much rather have Cobalts, TI Jazz Flats, or LaBellas.
Personally, I love flats on a bass, it's all I play.
Guitar, while I haven't messed with flats, I've tried a lot of different strings. I started playing Boomers when I was about 15, and over decades and trying seemingly everything out there, I always come back to Boomers. And that's even with my musical tastes changing significantly. Was definitely into metal, these days it's more blues/rockabilly, and still I prefer Boomers.
Man, I want to like flats, and there are aspects of them I do like. Still looking for something that is as big and round/punchy sounding as Flatwoods but still with a little zing and note definition, just don't think it exists. Have tried several variations but no luck, so I too keep coming back to Boomer nickel rounds.
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just sayin'. i was at the p.o. today. i'm still alive. of course i wore a mask....gotta protect everyone else.
Flats are really not my thing either but I do keep Chromes on my Harmony H22B as it is appropriate for that bass. I do also keep RotoSound TruBass 88 Nylon Tapewounds on my Washburn AB20 and one of my Carvin LB50 basses because some producers just insist on that tone.
You are not alone, my friend!
I've been playing bass for 48 years, and rounds are my string of choice for all five of my basses (two P's, two J's, and a Ric). I tried flats. This was my reaction.....
Flats may not sound vibrant and alive, especially when playing solo but in the mix? Its hard to beat IMO. The mix may depend on the style of music your doing but flats will always sound good unless your heavily reliant on slapping and tapping.
I use LaBella black tapes, (760FN IIRC), they thump hard, have a nice present mid range and no high freq honking like standard flats. Give them a shot before you give up.
I use LaBella black tapes, (760FN IIRC), they thump hard, have a nice present mid range and no high freq honking like standard flats. Give them a shot before you give up.
I like both rounds and flats for different basses/uses.
...but rounds with the treble down do not sound like flats. The frequency spectra is significantly different than just "less treble".
I keep flats on a Mustang just because the sound is useful in certain contexts. I'd never want to only play flats though, just not the sound I hear in my head.
The only thing I would add is that you tried three sets of flats that are all high tension and very thumpy/dead sounding even with the top end zing that quickly dies on the chromes. Curious why those three sets?
Flats definitely aren't for everyone but I'd recommend trying a set that bridges that gap between flats and rounds. LaBella Low Tension Flats, Thomastik Jazz Flats, Dunlop Flats, and Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats are all drastically different than what you've tried so far. If you were looking to give it one more go pick something outside the realm of traditional high tension flats only intended for old school thump. Both the TI's, & Dunlops are extremely versatile strings. Until I started using those I was one that always liked flats but felt like they got lost in the mix playing with rock n roll bands. I always took them off after a few disappointing rehearsals and went back to rounds.
TI's and Dunlops give me the best of both worlds 100 percent of the time. Give me the things I like from both flats and rounds. Dunlops have a ton of sustain followed by TI's and then Cobalts in that category. Cobalts are cool...just tested a set...but they are kind of a different beast altogether and really have their own thing going and a little higher tension then the others mentioned but not overly stiff. Definitely the most growl I've ever heard from a flat. Been the hardest string for me to really come up with a definitive overview of. Still testing them and still working that out but they have their merits.
If I owned more basses(several P's) or felt like taking more than 1 to a gig I'd have a P strung up with some old thumpy and dead GHS precision flats or LaBella DTF's. But that's not the case and those strings kind of turn a bass into one trick pony IMO. It's a good trick that I'm very fond of don't get me wrong...but not one I personally want to be limited too. Especially when there are some great options out there that aren't limiting.
Flats definitely aren't for everyone but I'd recommend trying a set that bridges that gap between flats and rounds. LaBella Low Tension Flats, Thomastik Jazz Flats, Dunlop Flats, and Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats are all drastically different than what you've tried so far. If you were looking to give it one more go pick something outside the realm of traditional high tension flats only intended for old school thump. Both the TI's, & Dunlops are extremely versatile strings. Until I started using those I was one that always liked flats but felt like they got lost in the mix playing with rock n roll bands. I always took them off after a few disappointing rehearsals and went back to rounds.
TI's and Dunlops give me the best of both worlds 100 percent of the time. Give me the things I like from both flats and rounds. Dunlops have a ton of sustain followed by TI's and then Cobalts in that category. Cobalts are cool...just tested a set...but they are kind of a different beast altogether and really have their own thing going and a little higher tension then the others mentioned but not overly stiff. Definitely the most growl I've ever heard from a flat. Been the hardest string for me to really come up with a definitive overview of. Still testing them and still working that out but they have their merits.
If I owned more basses(several P's) or felt like taking more than 1 to a gig I'd have a P strung up with some old thumpy and dead GHS precision flats or LaBella DTF's. But that's not the case and those strings kind of turn a bass into one trick pony IMO. It's a good trick that I'm very fond of don't get me wrong...but not one I personally want to be limited too. Especially when there are some great options out there that aren't limiting.
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That makes me want a P Bass! But then I buy a P Bass, and I don’t sound like that, so I get mad and sell it. Guess I need to give them more of a chance.
Nice playing and it sounds great!
I have an unopened set of these, just trying to decide what bass to try them on.
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