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How long have you kept your flats on?

gully_P

gully_P

May 24, 2009
32
0
Yorba Linda, CA
#1
I am coming up on two years with my d'addario chromes on my Fender P and I can't see a reason to take them off yet. They just keep getting better with age which, I know is the whole point. It just amazes me having come from rounds for years and changing them out all the time. They are my first pair of flats I ever purchased and might be my last as long as they keep doing what they're doing. They also get me quite a few compliments at gigs. :hyper:
 
#3
Mine are still going. I don't know how many years. It was the first set I bought and for a few years the only ones I liked and could never find, so they didn't get replaced. They still sound good to me and are not rusty, so I still have them around.
 
#7
I don't know. I bought the set of Lakland Joe Osborn flats that are on my Precision around 2001 or so. They've been off and on that bass a few times, but I've not changed them at all since about 2004 or so. The set on the Sting Precision are much more recent, having been installed around 2006.

John
 
#8
2 years each on fretless and fretted. One year and going strong on the archtop guitar. All are TIJF's. The chromes on the fretless (bought used) were 5 years old, I used them for a few months but chromes (they are good ) just aren't my thing.
 
#9
I've been using flats on my Warwick and Rickenbacker for a year now with no appreciable loss of tone. I've got a couple of new sets of flats sitting in my desk drawer, but I don't see, feel or hear any reason to change them yet. I don't envision going another year without changing them - but I've already gotten my money's worth from using flats and I can say positively that I'm not back to round wounds.
 
#10
The set I have on my Schecter is about 4 months old and were on my fretless before for about a month. No reason or desire to change them and judging by everyones experience with flats I won't have to for a couple (maybe 10) years:P
 
#12
I've got a set of Fender flats that I bought about 6 years ago. Had them on my Jazz bass for about a year and took them off. Let them set for about 4 years until I put them on my Squire P bass about 3 months ago.

They sound great and they're NOT coming off that bass!
 
#14
I've got a ~4 year old set of Chromes on my 5 string P-bass strung through the body. No plans at all to change them anytime soon. They just get better. They've been on and off at least 4-5 basses, all 35" through-body.

I have an identical set that's not quite a year old sitting in reserve, so I'll likely never need to buy flats for that bass again.
 
#18
I have a Spector NS2 from 1989 that still has the original strings from when Michael Anthony of Van Halen brought it into the Covina Guitar Center.

I have no idea what they are, but that bass has been in the recording studio a dozen times over the years as well as @ numerous gigs recently (although I was primarily a keyboardist before 2007.) It always get raves on the sound.

It still has a perfect setup, rings sweet and low.

P.S. I ain't touching the strings. Knock on wood...
 
#20
I just installed a set of tarnished old flats on a '68 Ric that were found in my parents attic. They were cut to the perfect size so I imagine they were previously installed on this bass over 30 years ago. Dad said he never used flats so I'm curious where they came from or how old they are.

I boiled them in water with baking soda added and boiled them again to rinse. Lots of crud left behind. How do they sound? I can't really say. Intonation seems impossible and my 15w amp doesn't help with the sound. They sound better than the dead Dead DEAD rounds they replaced.
 

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