Flatwounds vs Roundwounds in 2025

[Reedi]

Flatwounds or roundwounds — where do you stand? Are flatwounds still the go-to for jazz/funk, or are rounds creeping in everywhere?
Share your experiences, favorite setups, and any surprising discoveries!

 

[Clark W]

Flatwounds or roundwounds — where do you stand? Are flatwounds still the go-to for jazz/funk, or are rounds creeping in everywhere?
Share your experiences, favorite setups, and any surprising discoveries!

From 1977 until 2019 I used nickel wound Ernie Ball Slinkys, pretty much exclusively. In 2019 I tried my first set of flats, D'Addario Chromes. And I went crazy, had to have flats on everything. In 2020 I tried D'Addario Tapewounds & Nickel Rounds, and 2022 D'Addario Half Rounds, now I use D'Addario exclusively on everything.

I currently have 5 basses, flats on an acoustic, tapes on my #1 Fender(Am Precision PJ), nickel rounds on my P and a Jazz V, and half rounds on my custom bass by Ferner Fine Instruments out of Memphis. Also considering changing my custom bass over to some nickel D'Addario NYXL or XT strings, or their XL Pro Steel. That bass is surprisingly darker sounding than my Fenders. Tapes on my Aguilar equipped Am Precision PJ are bright, but they aren't as bright on my custom bass. Swapping to half rounds got it some brighter, but not enough for me, and while I can dial in any tone I want out of it, I'd like a brighter tone with less dialing it in and getting it more naturally from the strings.

 

[nonohmic]

Now do Jazz or Precision

 

[Clark W]

Now do Jazz or Precision

Are we talking pups, bodies, necks, are all of the above?

And what about PJ setups? Some of those come in a Jazz body, and some in a Precision body.

Me personally, I like the looks of a Jazz body style better than a P. But I like the cutting through the mix of P better than that of a Jazz. I also prefer the P bass nut width over a Jazz nut, but I also like a thinner neck than what a standard P is. And I prefer a PJ pup setup over a straight up P or Jazz. I also prefer using the standard Jazz VVT control setup for any bass with 2 pups, and a 3 way serial/single coil/parallel switch if the pup config allows for it.

 

[butterfingers1]

Flatwounds always everywhere for everything.

 

[Michedelic]

Flatwounds or roundwounds — where do you stand? Are flatwounds still the go-to for jazz/funk, or are rounds creeping in everywhere?
Share your experiences, favorite setups, and any surprising discoveries!

I gladly moved beyond flats in 1972 with my first purchase of Rotosounds while on a family trip to London. I’ve also tried GHS, Ball, most of all the others, always experimenting. I have no reason to ever use flats except on one of my fretless basses. I want clarity and sustain, no interest to sound like 1955 or an upright.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

I have one bass with flats, a Jack Cassady. I like how it cops a vintage P tone and feel. It’s my at home bass.

BUT…. That’s not really my thing. Sunbeams on my Fretless and D’addario nickel coated on the G&Ls.

 

[lowplaces]

I have two basses, same model. One with flats, one with rounds.

 

[lowplaces]

Share your experiences, favorite setups, and any surprising discoveries!

My surprising discovery was that Ernie Ball Slinkies rounds not only sound great but are smoother than I expected.

 

[shawshank72]

Still using my flatounds on a P bass.
Nothing has changed.

 

[bassist4dalord]

I have two basses, same model. One with flats, one with rounds.

/thread. You win, sir.

My surprising discovery was that Ernie Ball Slinkies rounds not only sound great but are smoother than I expected.

I’m glad to hear this! I haven’t used EB Slinky rounds for several years; I’ve got a set in my closet for my #1 bass. I’m really excited about giving them a try again.

 

[burgerdj]

I typically record with flats (cobalts) but live I’ve been using DR DDT rounds just for the top end clarity without boosting the hissy frequencies.

 

[micguy]

The debate in my mind is not between flats and rounds, it's between nickel rounds and stainless rounds. Flats are very far out of the picture.

 

[OnTheDownLow]

After I got over my Chris Squire/Geddy Lee phase in about 2017, I switched exclusively to Flatwounds and have only used them since.

 

[Grapevine921]

I love a lot of different strings. If I could only have one type of string forever they would be roundwounds. If I could only have one set of strings they'd be flats.

For me, rounds are better in a band setting, playing chords, and slapping. Flats have a great attack and character for everything else.

 

[bylar13]

I have tried flats a couple of times and always take them off in relatively short order.

When playing rounds, I feel I can cop about 80% of the flats "experience" from a sound perspective by turning down my tone knob.

I also don't like the way flats feel.

 

[logdrum]

I really did not think that Stingray special sound best with Ernie Ball round wounds and they are. I am selling .one but no bites and I may just have to keep it .

If it is an active bass, I prefer it to have rounds. Having said that I only have one bass with flats a jazz bass, Geddy Lee body Lollars but a USAG neck. I use it for recording certain songs and playing in certain bands and blues jams. Even my passive basses P, jazzes and PJ have rounds. I used brighti rounds, Hi Beams, Fat Beams and Magma Stainless. I also use Pure Blues

 

[aprod]

Funk requires rounds for slap technique.

 

[metron]

My hatred for flatwound strings has no limit.

 

[pbass2]

I use both equally. For funk I'm not a slapper--I play finger funk and sometimes pickstyle so they both have their place. Mostly, old dead nickel rounds for finger funk, flats for pickstyle funk. The one thing you can't cop w rounds is the sound of flats with a pick. Otherwise for fingerstyle I can take old rounds into that zone.