Going with flatwounds

[220_Hz]

I’ve tried about every flavor of flats out there, my #1 is Pyramids but they are expensive.

+1 on pyramid - my E string was dead on arrival and it took a while for the other strings to get to the same point, but they felt & sounded wonderful after a few months

 

[mrperkolator]

@carlosjrf

I'd recommend La Bella Low Tension flats. They're slightly lighter gauge than the Deep Talking flats, and feel similar to rounds as far as tension goes. At least to my fingers. Their sound is a bit more modern than the Deep Talking flats. I have a set on my Short scale Gretsch, and they really woke that bass up. I probably wont ever take those strings off. I'm also a fan of La Bella Tapes, but you asked about flats so...

Edit: still has that flat mellow thing going. Just a slight different sound due to more flexability

 

[Smooth Operator]

If you're coming from bright RoundWounds, I highly recommend trying EB Cobalt Flat Wounds. They are brighter than normal Flat wounds, they sit in between Nickel rounds and Chrome Flats imo.

 

[starjag]

Welcome to the world of flats

 

[keith1r]

 

[Tim Skaggs]

If you're coming from bright RoundWounds, I highly recommend trying EB Cobalt Flat Wounds. They are brighter than normal Flat wounds, they sit in between Nickel rounds and Chrome Flats imo.

I second this suggestion.

 

[walksupright]

If you are used to rounds, tension might be an issue.

 

[Zooberwerx]

As already addressed, I went with EB Cobalt Flats on a dare and have been happy so far. You can do 45-100 or 45-105...both are available at FretNation for $40. They sound like worn-in nickel roundwounds.

Riis

 

[sethlow3]

Go down for sure.

my favs are the lightest chromes and thomastiks

 

[JRT64]

My favorite flats are Dunlop 45-105 and Labella DTF 760FL's. Honorable mentions to D'Addario Chromes, EB Cobalts, and GHS.

 

[7dollarbologna]

To be honest with you im still figuring out which ones to get. one reason i want to try flats is to go warmer, less brightness. From what the internet says, ghs precisions and la bella deep talking, but not sold on either yet. At $40-50 per set dont want to experiment too much. Need to research a bit more. Any recommendation?

You’ll be experimenting more than you think - it’s a rewarding tone journey-

 

[7dollarbologna]

I guess we have a winner.

That’s set is the sound of chocolate

 

[Kipp Harrington]

I recommend the EB Cobalt Flats (45-105). Smooth feel and a flat with some bite!

 

[Barton Lee]

If you're used to heavier gauge rounds already, don't be afraid to try Roto RS77 flats (45-105). They sound great and though they're definitely higher tension than some, they're not hard to fret or play IME. Quite bright and full sounding, excellent with a pick or finger style for classic rock.

 

[Chrisk-K]

Turn down the tone knob on your bass or adjust the amp eq, and you will get a warmer tone without spending money on flats.

 

[Rayjay]

GHS Precision Flats rock! They are how I started my flatwound journey and I’d highly recommend them. 45-105 or whatever would be what I’d recommend. Stiff flatwounds aren’t necessarily harder to fret, but definitely harder to pluck. They make my right hand knuckles very sore like arthritis!

 

[andare]

Turn down the tone knob on your bass or adjust the amp eq, and you will get a warmer tone without spending money on flats.

It's a good suggestion if OP only wants a warmer tone but they said they want to try flats.
Flats sound and feel totally different, it's like playing another instrument entirely.

 

[2F/2F]

It depends on what you want. If you want a stiffer feel and a classic "round" flat wound tone, then start with heavy gauge traditional flats. If you want a looser feel and lighter sound, then try a heavy gauge modern style set, e.g. the Dunlops.

 

[Mike Marshall]

i currently play rounds gauges 50 - 110. I play those because it gave me a bit fatter tone. I want try flats but not sure if i should stay with the same gauge on go down to 45-105, mainly because i think it going to be a bit harder to fret. Is that right?
Now if i go down in gauge, would it be an issue at the nut?

What bass are you playing? I have used flats on one of my basses for over 20 years. Different brands have different sounds and different tensions. If you would like to try a worn in set contact me. I have used Fender, T.I.'s, GHS and Roto Sounds. GHS is the most mellow when new and the tension is low. Fenders are bright out of the box and mellow in time and last a long time a great bargain.The Roto's are right out of the box and the Tension is high. The T.I.'s are nice and have a low tension.

 

[FritzM]

Find a used set of flats and try them out. Personally, I started using Thomastik rounds, for the best of both worlds. And then there is tape wounds. Can be a rabbit hole for sure.