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flatwounds & slapping

#21
Slapping on flats was the orignal slap sound back in the day. Slapping on rounds as time went on made it a little bit easier to slap where you could get more sound with less effort and get more intricate, plus it was nice and bright. You really had to SLAP flats with more effort. Today with all the modern electronics in amps and onboard pre-amps slappers hardly have to move their thumbs.
 
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#23
lotsa guys slapped flats back in the day - When I first started, guys hated roundwounds because "they hurt their fingers" - that was the standard line. I got started on roundwounds early because the music store where I took lessons was out of flats - so they put a set of bronze (of all things) roundwounds on my old EB-1 -- and it suddenly didn't sound like a mud-fart anymore... So I got used to the roughness of rounds and have played them ever since.

But like he said - commorodes, Larry Graham - lotsa guys did it - but they all pretty much converted to rounds once they got a good ear full of what they were missing.

I'll bet good money that the guys you normally think of playing flats (Jameson leaps to mind) would have played roundwounds were they available back in the day...
 
#25
Back then there certainly weren't many choices. You had to make things work for you. There weren't a bazzilion string gauges or brands. There weren't a whole bunch of bass choices either, but these guys were the innovators of a very new instument.
 
#27
Really depends on the sound you are going for. I like slapped flats, but I am a 70's guy. I have flats now on both my basses, and I still slap some. The link below is for "Yellow Moon" by the Neville Brothers, and features slapping with what I believe are flats. This is what my basses sound like, more or less, when slapped with flats.

 
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#29
I think it all comes down to what you want to sound like. I personally do not like the bright sound that is associated with rounds. I like that more mellow thuddier sound both when playing and while slapping, which is much different then the typical "slap" sound. Im not a huge slap player, but I do enjoy to slap and pop every once in a while, but I really am not one for the bright sounding stuff when I play bass. But to each their own. BTW, didn't Flea use flats on the stadium arcadium record?
 
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#33
I just switched to flats on my fretted recently. So my experience is limited but here is what I have found so far (I am using D'addarion Chromes):

1. The big mellowing of flats occurs more on finger style playing, picking and slap and pop not as much
2. I find flats can have a more consistent tone on a well setup bass. Just the string itself seems more consistent over it's length and over time (first flats on a fretted but have used them on fretless)
3. I the slap easier than the pop, that being said really dialing in your action is key. Flats tend to be higher tension then rounds, so I find going with a lower action works best, particularly for slap and especially popping. I go for a touch of neck relief as opposed to flat on, and lower action. Just my experience.

In the end experiment, flats can be expensive compared to regular strings but they last much longer and become cheaper in the long run. Tone and feel are very subjective. If you do your own setup work then just take your time to dial it in and find the sweet spot. If not, well find a good area luthier, preferably one that knows bass, not just a guitar guy who can wing it. I bet if you ask around here on TB you might find someone in your area to help you out if you don't do your own setup work.

Ken
 
#36
bassman_al said:
Really depends on the sound you are going for. I like slapped flats, but I am a 70's guy. I have flats now on both my basses, and I still slap some. The link below is for "Yellow Moon" by the Neville Brothers, and features slapping with what I believe are flats. This is what my basses sound like, more or less, when slapped with flats.

Click to expand...



Wow! That bass sound is gorgeous :)
 
#38
Some flats are better for slapping than others. Sadowsky flats are probably the best at it, then I'd say Chromes or a brand new set of La Bellas. TI's probably are bright enough when they're new but they are so floppy you might not get enough pop out of them.

The absolute worst for slapping IMO are Pyramids, they sound like 3 year flats right out of the package and that's their deal, to sound very dull and thuddy.
 
#39
i slap with my thomastik infeld flats and they sound nice.

you have to compensate with your amplifier setup though, increase your highs and the flats will sound good. that is what i do and no one notices i am using flats.

EDIT: i have these strings for a month though.
 

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