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I see so many posts on Flatwounds, why not Compressors?

SLaPiNFuNK

SLaPiNFuNK

Inactive
Commercial User
Jul 28, 2006
9,020
4,915
LA California
www.fretnation.com
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The Brains: FretNation.com
#1
I see so many people on here talking about Flatwounds (which personally I cant stand on an electric).

Why not anyone talking about Compressor wounds?

The winding is basically compressed into an oval shape so you get the best of both worlds. A smoother winding to not damage the fingerboard but the winding of a round wound to get more of a mwa tone...
 
#3
I have used GHS Compressors occasionally with mixed results. They sound good on fretlesses but I am not crazy about how they have sounded on my fetted basses.
They seem to be a good compromise in tone between a round and flat.
My Fretless 96 Precision currently wears them. Plenty of mwah.
 
#5
Specs from the Ken Smith Compressors which I used to use on my Frettless...

THE COMPRESSOR BASS SERIES


* NICKEL-IRON ALLOY ROUND WOUND
* THE OUTER WINDING IS COMPRESSED TO AN OVAL SHAPE JUST BEFORE BEING WOUND ON THE STRING
* CRISP AND BRILLIANT SOUND WITH A SMOOTHER THAN ROUND WOUND FEEL
* 38" WINDING LENGTH TO SILK ( +/- 1/2")
* SILK WRAPPING AT BOTH ENDS TO PROTECT YOUR VALUABLE HARDWARE
* ALSO AVAILABLE FOR 5 & 6 STRING BASSES


Invalid Link Removed
 
#6
I think people are so used to the brightness of roundwounds, they are caught off guard by flatwounds. I like to string-up a set of flats every once and awhile, and really dig into some motown/r&b. That big, round, tubby sound is nice.

I recently put some tapewounds on my acoustic bass, and can get that same kind of tone sitting on my couch.

As far as compression-wound strings, I have a couple of sets from GHS. They sound pretty good, but sort of feel like a compromise to me. If I want brightness I prefer roundwounds. Use a softer string if you're worried about your frets. If you want the classic tone of old, go with flats.
 
#7
SLaPiNFuNK said:
Specs from the Ken Smith Compressors which I used to use on my Frettless...

THE COMPRESSOR BASS SERIES


* NICKEL-IRON ALLOY ROUND WOUND
* THE OUTER WINDING IS COMPRESSED TO AN OVAL SHAPE JUST BEFORE BEING WOUND ON THE STRING
* CRISP AND BRILLIANT SOUND WITH A SMOOTHER THAN ROUND WOUND FEEL
* 38" WINDING LENGTH TO SILK ( +/- 1/2")
* SILK WRAPPING AT BOTH ENDS TO PROTECT YOUR VALUABLE HARDWARE
* ALSO AVAILABLE FOR 5 & 6 STRING BASSES


Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...
:cool:
Great string, for fretless, or P-bass.
 
#9
Compression wound, pressure wound, etc all sound like dead rounds to me and I have no use for them.

I do like flats occasionally, but on a fretted bass... more foundation, minimal sustain, good amount of chest kicking thud!

As for fretless... metal is metal! Wood WILL wear away no matter if flat, round or squished. I play stainless rounds on my fretlesses because THAT is the tone I like... a light touch and vibrato with the string can significantly reduce wear.
 
#10
ken smith compressors or slick rounds are my strings of choice. i love them.

does anyone have experience with the B strings that go with these strings?

i'm a stickler when it comes to uniformity of tone of the b-string. it seems like most 5 strings sets have a b-string that sounds like it's from a completely different set.

for comparison, i've found that TI Jazz Flats are the most uniform sounding string to string. Sadowsky flats are almost as good and their higher tension works better for a ham fisted player like me. for rounds wounds i've found that LaBella Hard Rockin Steels are extremely uniform. all three of these sets show very little difference between the 5th fret on the b string and the open e...

so who knows about Ken Smith b strings, specifically compressors or slick rounds?
 
#15
James Hart said:
Compression wound, pressure wound, etc all sound like dead rounds to me and I have no use for them.

I do like flats occasionally, but on a fretted bass... more foundation, minimal sustain, good amount of chest kicking thud!

As for fretless... metal is metal! Wood WILL wear away no matter if flat, round or squished. I play stainless rounds on my fretlesses because THAT is the tone I like... a light touch and vibrato with the string can significantly reduce wear.
Click to expand...

:cool:
I agree. light touch and vibrato helps, big time.

But I have a set of TI-flats on my fretless P-bass for 5 years.
With no fingerboard wear at all.
Flats do make a difference.
 
#16
In my book, either you want a bright clear sound (roundwounds) or you want thump & big bottom(flats). I think the reason you don't see posts about compressors is that most players want one or the other. Compressors don't fulfill either wish. For me, it's all thump.
 
#18
I usually carry a Jazz with flats (my #1), a Geddy with rounds (very bright) and a P with flats. It is true that the Jazz is very versatile, but this combo gives me a large range of options that I enjoy. The difference between the P with the flats and a string damper and the Geddy with the tone wide open is pretty amazing.

I don't think I would have a great use for strings that were between a flat and a round. Those differences are what I count on in creating a tone I want.
 
#19
Who all Makes Compression Wound? What's the difference in those compared to Half Rounds?

Seems to me compressors are a bit of a rarity to find. Not too many manufacturers and therefore a higher price point as compared to flats/rounds. Most folks will stick with what they know works, rather than spending $30+ on something they might not like. IMO.


Later R.
 
#20
chunkstyle said:
ken smith compressors or slick rounds are my strings of choice. i love them.
[snip]
does anyone have experience with the B strings that go with these strings?
so who knows about Ken Smith b strings, specifically compressors or slick rounds?
Click to expand...


I used Ken Smith Compressors on my last two fretless basses (a Peavey Unity and a Warmoth 5-string Jazz Bass clone). On the 4-string they sounded very uniform. On the 5...not so uniform. Some of that may have been the bass, though: When I replaced the Smith Compresors with LaBella 760N nylon tapewound strings, the B string wasn't nearly as weak, anemic, & dull sounding as the bass was with the Smith Compressors...but it was still disappointingly different sounding from the rest of the strings.

I would use Ken Smith Compressors again, just on a different bass. In fact, since I still have several sets of Compressors left over from those two no-longer-extant basses, I have to use them again!
 

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