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I'm coming around to flats..

#81
Two words:
Thomastik.
Infield.

Their Jazz flats are for players that don't like flats, i.e., me. I hate flats, but love the TI's. Go figure...I'm sure I'm not the only one to suggest them.

They give a good flatwound tone, yet are a little livelier sounding, they sustain longer than the average flatwound. Great tension...they aren't super stiff. They last forever, too. I've had the same set on a fretless for about 5 years, & the guy I bought it from had put them on 3-4 years before that.

Yep, they're spendy. Worth every penny, though.
 
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#83
One thing about flats is...you don't have to go whole hog. It's OK to have basses with different kinds of strings, and go back and forth from one world to another. Also, the duller the strings are, the more you might want them on a bass that's inherently bright - so you can have some attack on the note, not just a dull thud. I've done a bunch of rewirings for different players (with the option of tuning the response as the player likes it (long story)), and the choices you make as far as the electronics, pickup loading, etc., are far different if there are flats on the bass than if they're zingy rounds. As you don't have me to tune things on your bass, my suggestion is to start with a bright sounding bass (maybe something that you find too bright with rounds) and put flats on that.
 
#84
One thought is that the brightest flats are Slinky Flats and the cheapest flats that start out bright are Fender 9050s.

My second thought is that I have GHS flats on a P bass and although it lacks any zing whatsoever, I play them in a punk rock band and you can hear every note because they have so many mids, including upper mids. Most of the classic flat wound tones include various measures to make them sound even darker. So if you just take your chances, play aggressive, don't mess around with any foam or tone knobs, you might like em the real way they are.
 
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#85
I switched from old Dunlop nickel rounds (.045-.105) on my Squier P to D'Addario chrome flats (.045-.100) 3-4 years ago. I readjusted the EQ a bit over a few band practices and after a brief period of "they feel great but sound weird," came to realize that I needed less corrective EQ with the flats.

Since I've grown accustomed to them and they have aged a few years, I don't know that I can say "they haven't lost any brightness," but I can say that they still have some brightness and I never feel like they sound dull or like I'm reaching for EQ to replace something that's not there. I'm quite happy with them.

Prior to the switch I'd read that chromes were considered among the stiffer flats for a given gauge, so I went down a bit in gauge as noted above, and found that to be no playing feel adjustment at all. I thought they felt great from the get-go.
 
#87
SixtyCycleHum said:
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 :roflmao:), 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?[/QUOTE

I got into flats for certain applications right around the same time in my life.

As for bright sounding flats, EBMM Cobalt flats sound a lot like Rounds and stay that way. D'Addario Chromes start out bright and mellow with time.

You also might want to try Half Wounds/Semi Flats. D Addario makes a good set. They are basically rounds that are ground down to flat. Has a little of the best of both worlds.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
 
#88
I never liked flats and didn't think I'd ever come around. I did have some tapewounds on an acoustic/electric bass and they were OK, but very thumpy.
Then I tried some TI Jazz Flats on one bass and absolutely loved them. They definitely aren't cheap, but I've since put them on a couple other basses and they just sound so good. They still have some of the zing of roundwounds, but no finger noise and everyone says they last forever. It's been well over a year and they still sound like they've only been on a couple weeks. I still keep roundwounds on one bass, though for when I want that really aggressive sound.
 
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#89
If you're alright with low tension TIs will give you the best sustain and best mids....coming the closet to the rounds you're used to and like. Dunlops are your second best choice and best choice if you don't think you'll get along with the low tension of TIs. IME I would not recommend chromes. Start out zingy but they went the dullest and most lifeless out of the 15-20 sets I tested. I tried two sets(different gauges) and both came to the same conclusion. Third choice would be a toss up between Fenders and and Cobalts.
 
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#89
uwrossl said:
If you're alright with low tension TIs will give you the best sustain and best mids....coming the closet to the rounds you're used to and like. Dunlops are your second best choice and best choice if you don't think you'll get along with the low tension of TIs. IME I would not recommend chromes. Start out zingy but they went the dullest and most lifeless out of the 15-20 sets I tested. I tried two sets(different gauges) and both came to the same conclusion. Third choice would be a toss up between Fenders and and Cobalts.
Click to expand...

Since I'd probably be changing strings before flats "break in", the short shelf life doesn't throw me off. That's reminiscent of rounds :laugh:
 
#90
MynameisMe said:
The sunburst P, my #1, has received Labellas as well as the black P, which is a parts bass I got for $ 200.00.
The Jazz has some old EB slinky rounds. I just put that neck on. Finally found a neck I like for it. Also it's the one wired in series.
The white P bass has GHS rounds on it.
View attachment 4447794
Click to expand...

Gorgeous. Every last one of them..
 
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#93
SixtyCycleHum said:
As it stands, I have nine basses. Yamaha BB5000 (bass I'm thinking of flatting), Yamaha BB300 and RBX170, '17 Squier Jazz V and '19 VM Jazz, Hondo P-bass from 1980-somtething, LTD B55 and Ashton AB-4. Also a Tanglewood acoustic bass, but it's collecting dust tbh.

Yeah, it's definitely the fresh flatwound sound I'm attracted to, in hindsight. I'm considering that particular habit. Haha. You know, it's actually good, in my estimation, to have a number of different axes of different types and specs. Sure, some barely see use, but there's always something they're perfect for. Makes it easier to freshen your approach with so many different mediums.
Click to expand...
9 basses are more than enough for trying the Chromes, Cobalt Flats, Pressurewounds, and some of the white tapewounds, w/o sacrificing the bass(es) with roundwounds. Nothing beats your own personal experiences of trying all these sorts of strings.
 
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#95
SixtyCycleHum said:
Chromes on a Steiny. That I have to hear!
Click to expand...

No The Steinberger has LaBella stainless flats & it sounds amazing too..
Even unplugged it has a "SNAPPY" Tone..
Ours has the Passive pickups & I bought two sets of the S-500L LaBella's Flats because they are hard to find in person.
Bought them from Ed Roman's Guitar in Las Vegas JFYI along with a string claw & leg rest.
This my youngest Son's bass guitar, It's serial # is like #1278 IIRC?
D'Addario makes strings for the Steiny but no flats = ESXL160, ESXL170, & NYXLS45100
LaBella S500L.jpg

Man Cave Steinberger XP-2.JPG

XP-2 Steinberger Flats.JPG
 
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#98
I think you'd be better off to keep the rounds on your Yamaha until they're 2-3 years old, at which time they'll be more like new(er) flats. Old rounds = bright flats is just about right.

If you only like bright flats, you'll go broke spending $50 every month changing them. At the most, you'll get 3-4 months out of a set of flats before they settle in and sound like they are designed to sound...meaning that you won't like them.

But I think your audiences will be grateful for a less aggressive sound.
 
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#99
Gary Sutter said:
GR8 Thread BTW @SixtyCycleHum
Lots of great info & brands being stated I didn't even know existed
Chromes, Cobalt Flats, Pressurewounds, Taped, Silkwound On & On..
COOL!!
Click to expand...

I'm so pleased that this turned out as cool and informative for someone else besides me! That's a definite goal when opening this kind of discussion. Plus y'all are hilarious, and that's definitely adding to the atmosphere. Quite happy!
 
#100
I have to sets of very old chromes on two P basses. One is dull/dead and superbly dry and punchy the other set is bright and zingy and simply refuses to die...I much prefer the former and Ill prob move the latter which are completely unsatisfying.
 

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