How do flats die?

[BarfanyShart]

I had a G string with at least ten years on it break at the tuner when I was putting them on my SCPB. I retired the set out of respect. The new ones have started to calm down after about a year, but I don't play that bass as often as I should. My guess is that the new set will live longer than I will, Not sure though, because that particular bass has a white pickguard instead of tortoise, just might change things

Tortoises are famously long lived. A tortoise with flats ... forgettaboutit.

 

[jim nolte]

They die peacefully, surrounded by family and friends

 

[BarfanyShart]

The most common cause of death is from being removed then reinstalled too often when TB members want to sample different brands.

I've also killed a fair number of flatwounds putting them on instruments that they do not belong on. So, obviously, that doesn't always work out great.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

Nay, not the funk of forty thousand years can kill my love for thee...

 

[JRA]

i don't know!

i've never had a set of flats long enough to die a natural death --- i killed them, immediately, and then restrung with rounds as fast as i could. TBH: i've only tried flats two times that i can remember --- once, in the beginning before i appreciated proper calluses, and a few months ago when i tried the TI jazz flats because of all the hype (here on TB). i was so disappointed both times that i actually felt , , , and !

they're dead from the beginning.

They die when they are manufactured.

How do flats die?
painfully.

 

[gln1955]

Flats are the zombies of strings. Only a head shot will kill them.

 

[azureblue]

12 years on my flats and counting. I had to change the G string because the wrapping wore through. They don't die - they just get more soul.

 

[PWRL]

I bought an old 84 Squier P once, and it came with a really old set of GHS Precisions on it. They were all pitted and dented, but they sounded so good, still. I took them off to put Rotos on it, because I already had an old set of flats on another P bass. I wanted to save them, and I tried, but they just got lost and snarled up in a ball of nickel and stainless spaghetti created by "what if I need these someday." Eventually they all had to go, it was kind of a little tragedy, because they never really do die.

 

[Clank Plank]

Rather than asking gow flats die, perhaps we should be asking how flats slowly come to lfe?

 

[neuman]

A set of flats has a finite number of notes. Only the set knows. Once the last note leaves, one string will valiantly give up and snap just to show you, the owner, that this set is truly done.

Although you can confuse the flats by buying a 5 string set and installing on a four banger to get the all the notes allotted to the 5 string set...

 

[Killing Floor]

Seriously I’d +1 what @Jefenator said. In my actual experience strings like TI or LaBella flats seem to last until I remove them. I am of the mindset that I only remove them when I have a set ready in case I ruin one.

I find Chromes and Roto 77 last for me about 6 months or so but I don’t like the thud as a preference for how I play as much as the brighter TI tone.

For reference I’d replace a set of DR Hi Beams every 4-5 weeks. So flats are always a longer life for my personal preference.

 

[david osborn]

Joe Osborn used a set of La Bella flats for about 17 years of 12 to 20 sessions a week. The strings were about twelve years old when he did Americas Homecoming album, a good way to here some Well worn flats.

Eventually, a winding cracked producing a little razor sharp edge as the winding lifted over time, and the strings became prone to drifting out of tune. Around 1978 he changed strings. He tried Dean Markly till one broke on a Dirt Band session, then tried GHS, then went back to La Bella.
After he retired from from high density session work, and now had multiple basses, he used Chromes on everything.
Here's a couple pics of his dead flats collection.

 

[brianrost]

At least when they won't intonate or stay in tune.

Over time the metal deforms, especially where the string is contacting the frets and bridge saddle. At some point you can't intonate it properly any more and need to change strings.

Of course, if the windings start to unravel it's time to change them but I've never had that happen.

 

[Space Pickle]

I find that the low E tends to lose it's...bigness...somehow.

 

[dan1952]

I have a set of Chromes that have been on my Jerry Jones Longhorn for at least 15 years. I'm guessing they're not near death, since they still speak to me...

 

[Nobis17]

 

[Johnny StingRay]

When they get hard to tune.

 

[Pet Sounds]

In all my years of playing, I only had one set of flats that got to the point where they didn't hold pitch and had to be changed. I'm not sure how old they were, because they came with the bass. On another occasion, a *new* set of LaBellas had one string that was like a razor blade and ripped my left index finger open. Lastly, I had a set of the heavy LaBellas on a P-Bass for years and they kept pulling the neck out of shape, so I eventually got rid of them. Otherwise, I have flats on a number of basses, some for many years, without problems and they haven't "died."

 

[dangevans]

I received my JJ longhorn from Mandolin Bros. in spring of 2004, and same flats that were on the bass then are still on them, with the exception of the E String- one of my young children (about 4 years ago) pulled on it while the bass was sitting on a stand and caused it to snap. At least the bass was secured to the stand! I was like Keith Ferguson, trying to find that 1 E string so I could keep the rest there. I did, but at a price! LOL

So, do they die? Yes- at the hands of small children!!!

 

[REV]

Flats don't die they just get better with age.