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Has the bass world changed to flatwounds?

#23
jumbodbassman said:
you will be disappointed with the epi pickup. bass is fine , pickup is nothing like the original
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Unfortunately that's true. This Epi "mudbucker" doesn't have much mud to it. To me It sounds like a really fat P pickup or maybe two highly overwound J pickups in series. I want to replace it either with an aftermarket one or a custom pickup rewound to vintage specs, but that would get pricey :bawl:

I really think it would be sweet to have that vintage Jack Bruce sound that shakes foundations.

PS: The Epi EB-3 is 34" scale not 30.5" like the old ones Edit: but you already knew that
 
#26
itsmecraigl said:
Guys, good thread!
Mannix, in all these years I've been playing, there is absolutely nothing that can compare to the low end a Sidewinder pickup can put out. It's the DEEPEST bass pickup I've ever heard. Looked at the Epi and will probably buy one before I die (long scale, though). Ain't spending $1400 for a Gibson, that's for sure. I own an Epi LP Special and even though I've never gigged with it yet, the quality is amazing.
Should have asked what flatwounds you people were using, but I didn't want to start a string war. I tried the D'Addario Chromes and wasn't impressed.
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I recently tried some D'Addario Chromes and they just didn't work for me. I found them to be too chimey for me and it was difficult for me to clearly hear the fundamental when I tried them on several of my basses. I have a set of Labella's on one of my basses and they sound beautiful. My other go-to set of strings are D'Addario Half-Rounds. If you want to experiment with flats, you might try to hook up an inexpensive set of Labella's from the classifieds and approach them with an open mind. You can always re-sell them, but you might be surprised. I had never tried flats in 25 years of playing.
 
#27
Mannix, I paid $269 for my LP Special. Maybe I'll hack mine up and put a Sidewinder PU on it. Wouldn't that be unique?
Yeah, I know...the Epi EB-3 is 34" scale (set neck) but the Epi EB-0 is 30.5" scale (bolt on neck).
 
#28
I just came back to playing the bass after a number of years of inactivity and a failed attempt to take up the guitar. I got a great buy on a Fender Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Short Scale (it had been dropped in the store and suffered some cosmetic damage on the back of the body, near the cutaway. You can barely see it). The bass came with a set of stock Fender roundwounds.

On the advice of an experienced friend, I installed a pair of Rotosound 77s and was really surprised at the improvement in the sound. As a kid, all I ever played were rounds, so this was a real eye-opener.

I guess this is a matter of different strokes...
 
#31
I use basses with both. The OP is quite correct that there was a sudden switch to rounds in the '70s, and flats became kind of uncool. (There were a lot of bad ideas in the '70s!) Now flats are being rediscovered (or at least experimented with) by many serious players (e.g., TBers). Clearly, most new basses are strung with rounds, so they undoubtedly are more widely used.
 
#32
I don't believe there's been a shift from rounds to flats. Everyplace I've been to sells basses strung with rounds, and virtually every clip posted on TB and Youtube features rounds. When was the last time you saw a new bass strung with flats?

Pity. Rounds aren't my cuppa; used 'em for several years, but switched to flats in the mid seventies and never looked back. Most rounds produce overtones that remind me of flies buzzing around my ears, and I find the fret clatter, gank, and extraneous string noise so common to rounds distracting, annoying, and unwelcome.
 
#33
I only used up one set of rounds, then I switched to flats. Since playing flats, I don't see why I ever should switch back to rounds. I play about everything on flats: blues, rock, metal, punkrock... If I play basses at music stores, I hate the rounds which are mandatory on them, even on the fretless basses. The only exception for using rounds or grounds could be slapping, which I don't practice.
To answer the OP's question: It looks like a shift to flats is developing.
 
#35
20 yrs of rounds. I got a fretless in the last year with flats. I loved the feel but the sound on the fretless was "weird" to my ears. Recently got a set of flats on the cheap & put them on my 70's P bass & I will never put rounds back on my P. To my ears that combo IS the P Bass sound. My #1 all around bass is a passive EBMM Sub 4 with rounds, & i will never put flats on her.
Fret wear is a consideration for me. My 70's P is "new" so I want the frets to last as long as possible & the flats are easier on those little soft frets.
 
#36
I have always loved the tone and feel of flats, but they aren't right for every situation. I have two five string basses. My Fender is strung with TI Jazz flats and is wonderful. The TI's don't have a big "thump" to them. They really sound like rounds without all the top end and string squeak. My Lakland has rounds on it. My Peavey has rounds (really can't imagine flats on a six string).
 
#38
Flats, no thank you.
Used a set of TI's on one of my 'Birds for awhile......Meh, lifeless.
I'll stick with my DR's and Smith's, I like a big angry piano tone.
Just my.02.
 
#40
chadhargis said:
I have always loved the tone and feel of flats, but they aren't right for every situation. I have two five string basses. My Fender is strung with TI Jazz flats and is wonderful. The TI's don't have a big "thump" to them. They really sound like rounds without all the top end and string squeak. My Lakland has rounds on it. My Peavey has rounds (really can't imagine flats on a six string).
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I have TI flats on all of my basses except my ABG, which is strung with phosphor bronze rounds. When I got my Lakland fretless it was strung with rounds. I intended to play it with the rounds while I waited for the new TI flats to arrive by mail, but I found the sound so annoying that, after trying diligently for a few days, I set the bass aside and didn't play it until it was strung with flats.
 

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