I just put some GHS precision flats on my Squier CV P bass and so far I am loving the tone out of it! Can't wait to try it with the band and see how it sits in the mix
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How much time should I spend trying to like flats...?
- Thread starter neutron619
- Start date
One gig where I just can’t find a usable sound with a set of strings is usually enough for me.
IMHO, flats are are more a "in the mix" kind of thing rather than "killer solo bass/playing along to MP3s by myself" kind of thing, if that makes sense. If you are a rounds kind of person, like me, it took actually playing with the band to appreciate flats. I still use rounds most of the time, but occasionally throw a set of flats.
According to TalkBass? Forever, because if you don't play flats, you're shameful and wrong. In reality? Long enough to have tried (and for long enough to get them at least good and broken in) sets of most of the popular types out there so you have a good idea of how they feel/sound/behave. I never liked flatwounds until recently with the advent of the Ernie Ball Slinky cobalts flatwounds, which I now have on a couple basses.
If you find that flatwounds really just aren't for you, but you want a bit smoother feel and slightly mellower sound than most roundwounds, I'd suggest GHS Pressurewounds. They're my go-to string, I don't play traditional roundwounds on anything now. They sound and feel like rounds, only slightly less clank, very little finger noise, and they're DELICIOUSLY smooth while still being fast and articulate like rounds.
If you find that flatwounds really just aren't for you, but you want a bit smoother feel and slightly mellower sound than most roundwounds, I'd suggest GHS Pressurewounds. They're my go-to string, I don't play traditional roundwounds on anything now. They sound and feel like rounds, only slightly less clank, very little finger noise, and they're DELICIOUSLY smooth while still being fast and articulate like rounds.
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Different strings for different basses! That means not just between P & J but between one P or another.
You can always just put them away and you may love them or hear them to be just right in a year or so.
I have three of the same basses. One is Maple very bright and just too much. I put Nylon Tape flats on it and it lost of its brashness and instead has great warm mids and lows and that harshness became the articulation on top of the warmth. Who knew?
D’Addario nickels are the sweetest thing ever with every frequency represented on another seemingly identical bass.
So trust your perceptions and enjoy.
The cobalts have a little bit more growl than the Fenders, and after the Fender EAD strings are seated in, the regular stainless EB flats also coordinate well. After they settle in, and after about a year or two when the Fender E string starts to thump, I recommend replacing just the Fender E string with an EB stainless flat, and the B string with the EB cobalt flat.
I had a similar dilemma. For me it was the feel I couldn't get along with, but I liked the sound (Fender 9050Ls). I wanted to like them as I play in a 60s band some of the time, and I felt that they sounded good on my Jazz. I've persevered for a few months now and now I don't mind the feel at all, and can go back and forth between this bass with flats and my P with rounds without problem. One thing I will say is that the flats don't sound very inspiring when playing at low level in the house.
Yep. You’re not alone. They’re the happiest middle ground you’ll ever find. When in doubt about what to use, GHS Pressurerounds are one of the safest bets you can make on a string. They work with everything IMO.
Some flats have a break-in period of several weeks; if they're not giving you what you want after a couple of weeks or maybe a month of regular play, that particular set is not for you and/or not for that particular bass.
And flats vary just as much as rounds--there are quite a few different flavors. I've greatly enjoyed GHS Precision Flats and had success with La Bellas, too. Fender flats and D'Addario Chromes, on the other hand, were not an enjoyable sonic or tactile experience--for me.
I also think, generally speaking, that flats plus kick drum (in a band setting) is a particularly effective sound. And they're brilliant with a pick (love me some Rick Danko and Berry Oakley). But for some reason, I've also found that while flats fit well in a band with drums, rounds do better in a drumless/acoustic group; something to do with the overtones, I think.
So in violation of TB's Code of Ethics
, I've gone back to rounds after a number of years of only playing flats. There's just something about how rounds fit into the mix that really works for me (particularly in the acoustic groups I'm part of): this is of course the opposite of the conventional wisdom about flats!
Which means there's no right answer--the best strings are the ones that sound and feel good to you!
And flats vary just as much as rounds--there are quite a few different flavors. I've greatly enjoyed GHS Precision Flats and had success with La Bellas, too. Fender flats and D'Addario Chromes, on the other hand, were not an enjoyable sonic or tactile experience--for me.
I also think, generally speaking, that flats plus kick drum (in a band setting) is a particularly effective sound. And they're brilliant with a pick (love me some Rick Danko and Berry Oakley). But for some reason, I've also found that while flats fit well in a band with drums, rounds do better in a drumless/acoustic group; something to do with the overtones, I think.
So in violation of TB's Code of Ethics
, I've gone back to rounds after a number of years of only playing flats. There's just something about how rounds fit into the mix that really works for me (particularly in the acoustic groups I'm part of): this is of course the opposite of the conventional wisdom about flats!Which means there's no right answer--the best strings are the ones that sound and feel good to you!
Wow. 
That's 4 pages of replies and far more than I can manage to reply to at a-quarter-to-midnight (UK time), but I'm grateful for all the input. I'll try to get on here tomorrow morning and pick out some of the comments I've appreciated / want to reply to, but in general, I want to say the same thing to most of you which is - thanks for all the encouragement.
I'm just going to have to trust my ears! Sacrilege or no, I put my favourite set of D'Addario rounds back on the Jazz 5 earlier this evening and it felt like coming home. I'm not saying they're the "best" string or anything like that (and those GHS Pressure Wounds sound interesting) but they do feel comfortable to play, and the tone is much easier on my ears. It's a maple bass, which I've seen a couple of you observe is "bright" (and that's why I bought it), so maybe it is indeed a case of the strings working well together with that particular bass.
Still - there are only another 50000 sets to try (probably!) - when I've tried them all, I'll let you know what I've discovered!
Thanks again.
That's 4 pages of replies and far more than I can manage to reply to at a-quarter-to-midnight (UK time), but I'm grateful for all the input. I'll try to get on here tomorrow morning and pick out some of the comments I've appreciated / want to reply to, but in general, I want to say the same thing to most of you which is - thanks for all the encouragement.
I'm just going to have to trust my ears! Sacrilege or no, I put my favourite set of D'Addario rounds back on the Jazz 5 earlier this evening and it felt like coming home. I'm not saying they're the "best" string or anything like that (and those GHS Pressure Wounds sound interesting) but they do feel comfortable to play, and the tone is much easier on my ears. It's a maple bass, which I've seen a couple of you observe is "bright" (and that's why I bought it), so maybe it is indeed a case of the strings working well together with that particular bass.
Still - there are only another 50000 sets to try (probably!) - when I've tried them all, I'll let you know what I've discovered!
Thanks again.
That poll is still active; it's a sticky on the top of the forum.
I think most voters switch their vote as appropriate - I know I did when I switched over to flats a few years ago!
I really don't think that's a primary reason why people choose flats over rounds...
I will go with this. I am generally not a flats guy, but I can see the appeal for some kinds of music. By and large, I do not play that stuff.
Unless you really want/need the sound of flats, I would take them off if I could not get along with them.
Have you played that bass with those strings.....
- live with a band?
- or with a plectrum?
- or Detuned 1 or 2 semitones?
Keep trying strings until you find some that blow you away.
My Jazz w/EMGs has TI JFs. Perfect pairing, sweet middy tone for Jazz band or Acoustic type gigs.
My vintage P bass have Roto 66 SS rounds, very growly, very versatile.
My other P has Sadowsky SS Black Label flats. Pick + heavy attack = the guitarist named that bass ‘The Freight Train’.
- live with a band?
- or with a plectrum?
- or Detuned 1 or 2 semitones?
Keep trying strings until you find some that blow you away.
My Jazz w/EMGs has TI JFs. Perfect pairing, sweet middy tone for Jazz band or Acoustic type gigs.
My vintage P bass have Roto 66 SS rounds, very growly, very versatile.
My other P has Sadowsky SS Black Label flats. Pick + heavy attack = the guitarist named that bass ‘The Freight Train’.
