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Flatwounds on Semi-Hollow?

sdgrfan

sdgrfan

Guest
Aug 18, 2012
164
201
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
#1
I'm looking for a nice, old-school "thump" out of my semi-hollow bass.

From what I can find at a few various string manufacturers, it seems that flatwound strings have the most tension. For example, D'Addario's Chromes are 200 pounds tension versus their roundwound at 173 pounds tension for the same length and gauge.

I think the Chromes would give me that "thump" but I don't want to put too much tension on this semi-hollow body and neck.

Am I paranoid to be concerned?

Half-wounds might be an option, but they don't get very good reviews.

TI's might also be an option but they are so stinky expensive.

Anyone have any thoughts/recommendations on this?

Thanks.
 
#2
What bass is this? Is it long scale? If its a decent good quality bass it shouldn't be an issue. All you need to do is adjust the truss a bit if it needs it. Another option would be tapewounds. LaBella black nylon tapes would be an option but you would probably have to file the nut. D'addario tapes would work but they may not be thumpy enough. I have a set on my Rickenbacker at the moment and still got nice highs. You may find LaBella DTF's in a lighter gauge or their flexible flats to be more what you may like.
 
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#3
I use TI Jazz Flats on my Epiphone Jack Casady bass. They have a lighter tension than other flatwound strings. They also feel and sound great, very hi-fi if you want them to be, with plenty of treble to give you that roundwound sound when you dig in, but the thump when you play lightly. They are pricey, 80$ or so, but they last forever. I've taken them off the bass twice to try other strings and put them back on and they sound just like before. This set is now 2 years old. D'addario Chromes are much cheaper but have very high tension. LaBella flats are somewhat looser than others, and have a great feel and a deep dub tone. TI's are tried and proven, used by pros and me alike.
 
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#4
This is an inexpensive Ibanez ASB140 with 34" scale. I love the bass and the sound, but it has round wounds on it and I just want some more thump as the pickup is passive and doesn't do much tone-wise. I plan to modify it in the near future.

Thanks for the feedback/recommendations. Maybe I'll just spring for the TI Jazz Flats. Expensive, but they sound like the cat's meow for what I'm looking for.
 
#6
CORBS said:
I use TI Jazz Flats on my Epiphone Jack Casady bass. They have a lighter tension than other flatwound strings. They also feel and sound great, very hi-fi if you want them to be, with plenty of treble to give you that roundwound sound when you dig in, but the thump when you play lightly. They are pricey, 80$ or so, but they last forever. I've taken them off the bass twice to try other strings and put them back on and they sound just like before. This set is now 2 years old. D'addario Chromes are much cheaper but have very high tension. LaBella flats are somewhat looser than others, and have a great feel and a deep dub tone. TI's are tried and proven, used by pros and me alike.
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Same here: TI Jazz Flats on my Casady, and agree with everything CORBS said.
 
#10
GHS are very thumpy, not too expensive, and come in a variety of gauges. I recently had a set on my PJ5 that was a custom gauge of singles I put together..... .045, .060, .080, .100, .126. It had a great feel and the tension was balanced. However my bass is now wearing DR flats, which are similar in texture on the surface, but brighter sounding in the highs with the same low end thump. The GHS felt great but the tone mellows pretty quickly. I've used LaBella and D'Addario too. The LaBella light gauge is very light, the finish is more polished and shiny than DR or GHS and it kind of grabs your fingers a bit, but still smooth. I would say they are a little brighter than GHS, and still thumpy but not as much as GHS or DR. D'Addario Chromes are actually round wound with a flat outer layer. The tone is very bright for a flatwound string...better for someone who wants something similar to roundwounds but a little different.
 
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#11
Tension should not be a problem. I had LaBella 1954 flats on a Spectorcore for years (probably highest tension set you can buy).

Flats in order of most to least thumpiness - Pyramid, GHS, LaBella and then the rest. Daddario, Ernie Ball, Roto and probably others are brighter sounding flats that may not give you what you are after.
 
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#13
I love Chromes on one of my P basses, but I tried them on my Washburn AB40-SH and they were a little too lifeless. I ended up with some Rotosound Tapewounds which are plenty "thumpy" if I dial back the treble a bit.
 
#14
You won't have any issues with an Ibanez ASB-140. They are built like rocks. I've used LaBellas, Chromes, and DR Legends on the two ASB-140s I have owned and can assure you that you have nothing to worry about. Besides, the ASB-140 has a solid center block so where the strings are attached and the area they are strung over is no different than on any solid body bass. The hollow chambers are on either side of the solid center block
 
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#16
MaHei said:
The lighter guage Chromes are not high tension. I have several sets, one on my Godin 5 string - very happy with those.

Other options: Ernie Ball Cobalt flatwounds and TI flats.

Neither of the strings mentioned I would call thumpy. For that you might want to consider Labella or GHS.
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+1 I have EB Cobalt Flats on my semi-hollow and I really like the tone but it's not what I would call old school thump. But, I wasn't going for that tone. I agree with others that I really think you're guaranteed to get the tone you're looking for with LaBella strings and I don't think the tension is going to be an issue.
 
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#18
cm3ohana said:
+1 I have EB Cobalt Flats on my semi-hollow and I really like the tone but it's not what I would call old school thump. But, I wasn't going for that tone. I agree with others that I really think you're guaranteed to get the tone you're looking for with LaBella strings and I don't think the tension is going to be an issue.
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I like the Cobalts on my Jack Casady very much. Favorite strings so far followed closely by DM Blue Steels. Not what I would call thumpy but not what I was looking for anyway.
 
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#19
I have the same Ibanez. While I use GHS and Chromes on my solid bodies - I bought Rotosound flats - and that semi hollow bass approaches an upright sound. Not necessarily "thumpy" like the OP mentioned - but worthy of mention. Not sure how much is the bass versus that brand of flats - but the combination is the most "upright" sounding bass I own (more than my fretless P with GHS Precision flats, which are more old school thumpy).
 
#20
Some pickups just do not "read" roundwound strings well. Both my Gretsch 5440s came with rounds, and both sounded bad. One now has D'Addario Chromes .040-.060-.080-.100, the other has LaBella tapewounds from the Carvin catalog (for the mwah), and both now sound great. On the other hand, my Gretsch G6072 sounds fine with rounds. Go figure.
 

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