Definitely. Chromes get slicker and thuddier as time goes on. I hate any time I have to put new ones on, but they settle in so nicely. It's like a reward for sticking to playing them when they're fresh.
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Help Me Find Such Flat Wounds
- Thread starter JazzyJacuzzi
- Start date
Definitely. Chromes get slicker and thuddier as time goes on. I hate any time I have to put new ones on, but they settle in so nicely. It's like a reward for sticking to playing them when they're fresh.
Most flats with good thump have quite a bit of tension. Be prepared to having to torque your truss rod.
My favorite thump flats were the old Fender flats that "they" don't make anymore.
D'Addario Chromes are pretty nice. They make a light set that should get you in your ball park of tension. Roll the tone down a little bit to reduce the high end. You should get your "thump".
D'Addario Chromes
45-100...........199.75 lbs tension
40-100...........172.13 "
40-95.............163.09 "
For reference, TI Flats are about 141 lbs.
My favorite thump flats were the old Fender flats that "they" don't make anymore.
D'Addario Chromes are pretty nice. They make a light set that should get you in your ball park of tension. Roll the tone down a little bit to reduce the high end. You should get your "thump".
D'Addario Chromes
45-100...........199.75 lbs tension
40-100...........172.13 "
40-95.............163.09 "
For reference, TI Flats are about 141 lbs.
To clear the confusion, and I don't have a clue why EB would put "Slinky" on the Cobalt flats, and the stainless steel flatwounds seem to be the only ones that don't have the "Slinky" designation. I posted the same gauge for each set. Of course, you can get each in essentially your choice of traditional gauge packages, and in singles if you don't like the gauges of the sets. Here are the packages:
EB Slinky Nickel Plated Steel Roundwounds:
EB Stainless Steel Flatwounds:
EB Cobalt Roundwounds:
EB Cobalt Flatwounds:
Try a light gauge Fender flat (.045-.100) and coat them in Aquaphor. The Aquaphor turns them into one of the best flats I’ve used. I’m strictly an old school flats user (La Bella and Pyramid), and the Fenders fit right in.
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Labella Low Tension Flats are the goldilocks flat for me.
YMMV
YMMV
I haven't seen this before. What does baby rash ointment do to the strings?
I've tried a bunch of flatwound strings, but my favorite is the Dunlop 45-105 set. YMMV...
Ductapeman
Ringmaster and Resident Geriatric
My suggestion is Rotosound 77LCs or LDs, which are a tad heavier. I have used 77LDs on all my P Basses for forty years (not the same set of course). Of course, your mileage may vary.
Just like it chills out rashes, it chills out strings. There is a whole thread dedicated to it, but they prefer Eucerin.
I only use it when I have strings that are too much. The cream essentially deadens them without compromising structural integrity or intonation and tuning. It’ll make your strings sound like well used flats or rounds. For Fender flats, that waiting for the string to age like the fine wine that they are known for takes five minutes.
It cuts the clanky highs on Fender flats, smooths the mids (which there are plenty of) and makes the bottom end thump like a punch in the gut.
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ah. So I knew people would rub different hand lotion type stuff on roundwound, but I haven't heard of people doing it to flats. It threw me a bit. La Bellas are tight enough between wraps, I didn't consider it.
Another Dunlop user. Out of the 6 basses I have, two are strung with Dunlop. Love em.
Try Dunlop 45-105 flats I think they’d be a good fit
I actually really like the DR Legend Flats for a mix of old school thump with a bit more articulation on a jazz bass. I've also tried Dunlop flats (on a different bass) and liked them, they sounded a little more new school vs. the DRs. I dig the tension of the Legends (I play DR Fatbeams and Sunbeams on different basses).
Dunlop flats are very bright at first but deaden to a nice middy thump right away, especially if you do what About Sweet Sue says to do and take Aquaphor and rub them on the strings (white plain Eucerin cream works better than Aquaphor IMHO but Aquaphor does a good job, too), plus they're lower tension and more flexible, especially if you go 40-100. GHS makes a nice flat, but they're a little stiff for me and they don't make a set in 40-100 or similar, and I have to have my wuss gauges. Never tried the DR's.
In before "what's the best hand lotion for metal?" I'll see myself out, but first...
One of the joys of installing a set of flats is never having to think about your strings again.
Just buy a few used sets from the classifieds, or pick anything (other than LaBella or TI) and commit to it for a couple of months. You might get lucky and decide "close enough," and you'll be set for years/decades.
One of the joys of installing a set of flats is never having to think about your strings again.
Just buy a few used sets from the classifieds, or pick anything (other than LaBella or TI) and commit to it for a couple of months. You might get lucky and decide "close enough," and you'll be set for years/decades.
How’s the tension of the GHS flats compared to the LaBella 760FL set?I'd have to agree with JTE. I have the GHS M3050 Precision Flats on my '78 P-Bass, and even with the foam mute in the bridge cover, they are (IMO) a little more... articulate?... than The La Bella 760 FLs - which I tried on the PB, and which I still have on a couple of my other basses. In my case, I wanted the original "P-Bass with factory flats" sound. Since their Precision Flats are their (more or less) recreation of those original strings, my choice was pretty obvious. I have to say that I am not disappointed, either. Their actual tension (174.6 lbs.) is not terribly high for the gauge - flats or rounds - and I don't find them any stiffer than most of the flats I play. And I have a lot of basses, with many different flats. As for their balance? Feel-wise, I couldn't say off hand; I've never paid much attention to that. Tone-wise? Yeah, the ones on my bass are, and that's more important - to me...
La Bella seems to guard their string tension info like Coke guards their recipe, so I can't make a numbers comparison. However... to Me, the La Bella 760FLs feel noticeably stiffer. Not a whole lot, but... it's pretty obvious. How much of that stiffness is from actual "pull-to-pitch" pounds of tension, and how much is actual structural stiffness? I have no idea. But, I didn't replace the 760FLs on the P-Bass because of their "tension". I did it because I was looking for a particular tone. If the La Bella's had given it to me, they'd still be on the bass. I will say, though; they came damned close...
I’ve been thinking about trying the GHS set on a bass that is currently wearing FLs, just for something else to try. Have lots of experience with LaBella flats but never tried GHS.La Bella seems to guard their string tension info like Coke guards their recipe, so I can't make a numbers comparison. However... to Me, the La Bella 760FLs feel noticeably stiffer. Not a whole lot, but... it's pretty obvious. How much of that stiffness is from actual "pull-to-pitch" pounds of tension, and how much is actual structural stiffness? I have no idea. But, I didn't replace the 760FLs on the P-Bass because of their "tension". I did it because I was looking for a particular tone. If the La Bella's had given it to me, they'd still be on the bass. I will say, though; they came damned close...
