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I have crossed over

FromTheBassMent

FromTheBassMent

Those who can, play bass.
Jan 19, 2010
1,531
48
66
Providence, RI
#1
So about three weeks ago I'm playing this gig with the WORST stage ever... plywood on 2x4s, EVERYTHING resonating and climbing up the mics and causing varieties of feedback I've never heard in my life (and I've been playing on crap stages for 30 years). And the worst part was that the upper harmonics coming from my EBMM Sterling 5 HH equipped with round wound stainless strings was, frankly, causing much of the havoc. I dialed back the highs and mids on the bass EQ, and things got better but not great.

In a fit of frustration I switched out the strings to D'Addario Chromes (insert sinister music here). Now, I recognize that putting flats on a Sterling is kinda like putting those huge chrome rims and super low-profile tires on a Porsche. It felt WRONG somehow, and I expected to be depressed and disappointed.

How wrong I was in my expectations, and how right I was to make the switch! I've played four gigs now with the flats, and it's an amazing combination... the over-the-top snarl and growl and in-yo-face snap of the Sterling combined with the more controlled harmonics of the Chromes... man, it's beautiful. The Chromes still have enough high-end snap to yelp when I need to dig in with a string pop, but overall they are smoother and slot into the mix more sweetly than any string I've used before. Plus I LOVE the high tension... it's totally changing my right hand technique, and for the better. I've had a lifetime habit of diggin in HARD on roundwounds, and I'm learning with the Chromes how much I can control the variety or my tone with different attacks.

So, yeah. Flats on an EBMM?!?!? Try it. It seems weird, but my experience is that it works splendidly.

Damb, I'm playing flats. Damb. Whoda thunk?
 
#3
I did this same string change for a customer and expected the worst......but I actually thought it sounded pretty good too! Def kept the essential "tone" of the Stingray while mellowing it out a bit.
 
#8
I have been on flats almost since my start three years ago. I have to go force myself to try TI jazz flats. I used Sadowsky flats for awhile til I damaged them by knocking my bass off its stand and switched to chromes under duress and almost took them right off, but something stopped me and I've been playing them for almost a year.

Corvette $$5 will likely get them....or should I put them on the Lakland fretless 55-01? AAuuuuggghh....
 
#9
nashman said:
I prefer flats (EB Group III) on my P bass. I didn't like them on my HH Ray - I found they stole some of it's character. I use Hybrid Slinky's on the Ray.
Click to expand...

I think the switch has definitely changed the character of the bass, removing a lot of the higher order harmonics that make EBMMs such great rock basses. Thing is, I don't really play rock, I play kind of alt-country/Americana/folkadelic, and what I've done is removed a lot of harmonic clutter from the live mix that was doing our elaborately stacked vocal harmonies no favors at all. With acoustic guitar, mandolin, dobro and CLEAN electric guitar in the mix, the more pure fundamental and harmonic simplicity of the flats is really working better for our overall sound.

Clearly, they are NOT "the best strings for metal." But for what I'm doing, it's a good fit. The other nice thing is that the Chromes aren't too thuddy... last time I tried flats (on a Warwick I used to own) it was La Bellas, and I did not like them AT ALL.
 
#11
darkstorm said:
So horrible stages with bad acoustics got you into flats? Ok. Me Id rather not play places with really lousy acoustic problems. I hope you start getting gigs at places without those sound problems.
Click to expand...

Who wouldn't prefer not to play places with really lousy acoustic problems? Me, I play where I'm paid... and I'm paid to play every weekend, in some places where the sound is lovely and in some places where the sound is ****. Wish I were so brilliantly talented and sought-after that I could turn down gigs at bars that didn't meet my standards for pristine acoustics. Can't. Need the money.

The point is that a bad acoustic situation prompted me to try something that I never thought I would try, and the results were successful. I have now played the bass with the flats in acoustic situations that were not nightmareish, and I continue to be pleased with the results. Played a gig tonight with a sweet sound system that allowed us to sound gorgeous even over the noise of the talkative crowd. My bass sounded killer.

So what exactly is bothering you about this scenario?
 
#12
FromTheBassMent said:
In a fit of frustration I switched out the strings to D'Addario Chromes (insert sinister music here).
Click to expand...

What gauge Chromes did you happen to switch out to on that eventful day? And you just happened to have a set with you?

Personally, I had been a rounds guy too but hated the string squeak. Found that Chromes (I like the Medium .050-.105) combined with the right settings on the on-board, active EQ on my Yamaha BB1200s created a nearly identical tone to that of rounds BUT without the string noise. Not to mentioned a bit more ease of playing. Set to passive I can get that good ol' fashioned thump on-demand too.
 
#15
FromTheBassMent said:
Who wouldn't prefer not to play places with really lousy acoustic problems? Me, I play where I'm paid... and I'm paid to play every weekend, in some places where the sound is lovely and in some places where the sound is ****. Wish I were so brilliantly talented and sought-after that I could turn down gigs at bars that didn't meet my standards for pristine acoustics. Can't. Need the money.

The point is that a bad acoustic situation prompted me to try something that I never thought I would try, and the results were successful. I have now played the bass with the flats in acoustic situations that were not nightmareish, and I continue to be pleased with the results. Played a gig tonight with a sweet sound system that allowed us to sound gorgeous even over the noise of the talkative crowd. My bass sounded killer.

So what exactly is bothering you about this scenario?
Click to expand...

Most people would use EQ to get best sound possible for a given venue. Perhaps with one of them acoustic insolation amp risers. Most people choose the strings etc to give them the best possible sound for their ready for recording tone. Rather then altering strings to cope with a bad venue.

However in your case as later posts by you point out. Youve found you like the sounds of flats better for themusic your doing. Most people would have come to the "flats are better for me" conclusion via the type of sound change flats are known for. depressed harmonics etc. In your case taking the rather unusual approach to better sound for you at such places resulted in finding at least for now, that you like how flats sound in the mix. But listening back to recordings your band makes with the flats will give better insight to that.

Your original post pretty much hints at the idea of "diff strings for diff" venues to get better sound at them. Which would be a royal pain to put into action compared to eq'ing at venue for best sound. Lol. The majority of players settle on 1-2 main string brand&version for their best sound as tweak to their bass and eq at various venues for best sound at that venue. Tons of rock and heavy metal etc bassist have played at lousy clubs early on. And done just fine for bad acoustics places by using the decades old methods of band eq'ing for sound at the venue as best can. Same for country & folk music players using roundwounds.

If you continue to love flats longterm, great. But that should be because you find you and the band like that sound for the full mix sound. Rather then as a "fix for horrid acoustics places". Lol.
 
#18
darkstorn, I get what you're saying, and no, I would never dream of having a different set of strings for every venue! Don't get paid that much!

I love the sound of EBMMs with stainless rounds at home. When I'm playing by myself I can't think of a bass tone that I prefer. But the ongoing gremlins I've been battling at SO MANY venues caused me to try a radical experiment that I expected would fail miserably.

The only reason I decided to post this little tale is because I was surprised at the result, and pleasantly so. Bandmates have noticed as well and commented that the tone is very "solid."

And yes, my sales guy at Sweetwater is looking into ordering me a custom sized Auralex GRAMMA, which should help enormously. Also read some interesting things about a product for motorcycles called Liquid Barsnake that will dampen the dominant resonant frequencies of a mic stand. Both of these measures seem sensible to me.
 

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