Agree'd and I believe "someone" would be D'addario
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I'm coming around to flats..
- Thread starter SixtyCycleHum
- Start date
my first set of flats was D'Addario Chromes, and they were great at first, but turned rather ordinary over time.
next set was GHS Brite Flats, which l think will get you closer to what you are describing as more zing.
my personal favorites are Dunlop Flats, but not much zing going on with those.
next set was GHS Brite Flats, which l think will get you closer to what you are describing as more zing.
my personal favorites are Dunlop Flats, but not much zing going on with those.
Played rounds my whole life until a few yrs ago and now I want to convert all my basses to chrome flats. I like them broken in and dull sounding but the best part is they can last 20yrs.
I too like new Flats. Some of them sound good but bright out of the box and some need to break in before they sound good. I'll only talk about strings I've played, rather than ones I know by reputation.
Ernie Ball Slinky Flats are definitely the zingiest flats. I don't love their feel, and they don't entirely sound or feel like flats to me. But if you want a flat sound that's almost like a roundwound, its the way to go.
Fender 9050s, Chromes and Ernie Ball Group flats all have similar sound and feel, although they're said to have sonic differences. I've not tried the Ernie Ball. Both the Fenders and Chromes start out with a nice, zingy high end, but as far as I can tell, the Fenders have more high end, while the Chromes have more clangy upper mids. The brightness sticks around for longer than it does on Dunlops, and there's something about the feel of those strings in light or medium-light gauges that gives them a supple, versatile vibe.
Dunlop flats have a clicky high end when new that I really like when playing with a pick. They eventually wind down into old-school thudders. The 40-100 sets stay clicky for longer than the 45-105. They change fairly consistently over time, and are fully broken in within six months. They ended up being too expensive of a habit for me when Dunlop raised their prices. $50 is a lot to play for a set of flats that you plan to change before they're fully broken in.
Rotosound 77s are the other classic brighter flats, but people's descriptions of them never seem enticing enough for me to try them.
GHS Precision Flats, Labella DTFs and the like never have any zing, even when they're brand new and a little bright. They're only good if you want to thump. If it were me, I'd either go for Slinky Flats for an almost-round sound, Fenders or Chromes for a brighter flat with some durable zing.
Half-rounds like Brite Flats or D'Addario are a different thing entirely, and could get you where you want to go, but they don't feel much like flats, especially when they're new.
Ernie Ball Slinky Flats are definitely the zingiest flats. I don't love their feel, and they don't entirely sound or feel like flats to me. But if you want a flat sound that's almost like a roundwound, its the way to go.
Fender 9050s, Chromes and Ernie Ball Group flats all have similar sound and feel, although they're said to have sonic differences. I've not tried the Ernie Ball. Both the Fenders and Chromes start out with a nice, zingy high end, but as far as I can tell, the Fenders have more high end, while the Chromes have more clangy upper mids. The brightness sticks around for longer than it does on Dunlops, and there's something about the feel of those strings in light or medium-light gauges that gives them a supple, versatile vibe.
Dunlop flats have a clicky high end when new that I really like when playing with a pick. They eventually wind down into old-school thudders. The 40-100 sets stay clicky for longer than the 45-105. They change fairly consistently over time, and are fully broken in within six months. They ended up being too expensive of a habit for me when Dunlop raised their prices. $50 is a lot to play for a set of flats that you plan to change before they're fully broken in.
Rotosound 77s are the other classic brighter flats, but people's descriptions of them never seem enticing enough for me to try them.
GHS Precision Flats, Labella DTFs and the like never have any zing, even when they're brand new and a little bright. They're only good if you want to thump. If it were me, I'd either go for Slinky Flats for an almost-round sound, Fenders or Chromes for a brighter flat with some durable zing.
Half-rounds like Brite Flats or D'Addario are a different thing entirely, and could get you where you want to go, but they don't feel much like flats, especially when they're new.
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Here's Ed's take on the flat wound landscape
https://www.guitarworld.com/feature...gs-how-to-choose-the-right-flatwounds-for-you
https://www.guitarworld.com/feature...gs-how-to-choose-the-right-flatwounds-for-you
I'm going to suggest something strange: TI Jazz Rounds.
I consider them the in between string that gives you the best of round and flat worlds.
I consider them the in between string that gives you the best of round and flat worlds.
TI Jazz Flats are pretty lively for flats. You can slap with them if you want. And they last a long time.
Hey gang!
Look. I'm 35 years old now. I've been playing since I was a young teen and gigging since not long after. It took me literal decades of loving and insisting on the brightest stainless rounds I could get my hands on (and there's nothing wrong with that, it sounds COOL), but I can't deny that I'm at the beginning of my "I appreciate flatwounds!" journey. Motown just does things to bass players, man..
I am intrigued enough to give something a go on my Yamaha BB5000. Yet I'm chasing something that is going to both have, and maintain, some zing for as long as possible. Fresh flatwound zing makes me giddy, but I wanna keep it. Can you guys point me in several awesome directions like I know you will?
Well, they tend to be on the pricey side to keep fresh flats on your bass to keep the zing. I saw a demo a while back of a guy playing tape wounds that were sort of zingy. I have no clue as to how old they were and how many hours he had on them however.
+1 on the TI Flats. They're expensive, but they last forever and retain a lot of the upper mids and highs that a lot of flats don't. Chromes are OK, but tend to go dead pretty quickly in my experience.
I've got a fairly "nice" one. Very P-bassy neck. Nice tone playing alone or with ONE acoustic guitarist. Any more, and you have to amplify it. A). It's not the best sound ever, even with a Barcus Berry pre. B). Kinda defeats the purpose of what I wanted it for. Nice to have, I guess.
EB Cobalt flats are real bright.
If you want old school thump get some LaBellas.
If you want old school thump get some LaBellas.
Yeah man I *loved* the LaBellas that my friend had on her jazz, but they were fresh as of less than an hour ago. If I could get and keep *that* sound, I'd be very pleased, haha. However, from what I'm often told, flats don't really do that..
I had to take then off my Jazz. The pickups are stock and a little weak. It didn't sound very good.
A set of used rounds went back on there. Much better. That and wiring it in series.
Fender 9050s have great zing for a couple of weeks. That's probably about as good as you'll get. I like that tone too, but not enough to change my strings every week or two.
I used to use Fender light gauge flats, but I switched over to medium Chromes. I love the feel of them. I don't like the initial brightness when they are new, but after a week or two, they sound amazing. I like the tension and the mass of the mediums. Tone for days.
Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats will zing you like a mofo.
I *love* that tone and could use the hell out of it if I had an endorsement deal or something, but same boat here!
