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Last chance for flats

#21
Jimmy,

You answered your own question. If it's the click that's bothering you, the flats need breaking in. Chromes have a bright sound until they're broken in, and you KNOW this.

You don't like dead rounds, and I don't gather that you like fresh flats, either. It's a classic dilemma. Get out the grease!
 
#22
bassdude51 said:
Second, most of the time I play my bass and I use only flats and never rounds, it sounds only average or even mediocre to my ears and I get very discouraged with my sound. But then, my son, who is actually a guitarist, will occasionally pick up my bass and start playing around on it. And, when I am off in another room of the house, I can hear my bass and I am totally blown away at how EXCELLENT it sounds.
Click to expand...


^^This.^^
 
#23
:cool:

I hear you JimmyM.

I've done the flats vs rounds thing for 20 years.

For some unexplainable reason some basses just sound better
with either strings. To the point where it's a one on one thing regarding basses.

There is no logic to it. :confused:
 
#24
I started in 1965 with flats because that's all that was aveilable. After hearing Greg Lake live with ELP in 1971 and Chris Squire on record with Yes, I went to Rotosound Swing Bass 66 and stayed with them for the next 15 years. Then I stopped playing for almost 15 years. When I started playing agin, the first thing I did was grab some Rotos ... and I hated them. Hated the feel, hated the sound. Tried several brands of stainless rounds and finally setteled on nickels. But after hearing everyone rave about TI Flats, I tried them. Since 2008I have had flats on all my basses except my Steinberger XL2. Not always TIs, but definitely flats. By experimentation, I've found that different basses may require different flats. Chromes worked great for me on a Lakland JO5, but little else -- and I have 9 basses.

I'm sure you know that today's flats are not the flats of 1965 -- they have definition, bite, plenty of top end, and clarity. IMHO, if your bass doesn't cut through the mix with flats you need to revisit EQ, either at amp level or at the board if you're in big venues. Without exception, bassist and sound men always remark on how clear, yet "bottomy," my basses sound. "Thud" may also be a function of muting -- a spare piece of foam under the strings at the bridge can work wonders!
 
#25
Why limit yourself? I use both. I keep my Precision in flats, and my Jazz in rounds. I use which ever one that meets the demand for the necessary tonality. Yes I change back and forth during the set, and also some quick changes on the amp's tone settings too. It's never a question of either or. The answer is always both. :cool:
 
#26
What is the idea of applying a skin cream, (Eucerin) to strings?

One problem I have is that there are so many different types of flats, and rounds, it would take a lot of time, and money to try a large sample of what's out there.

When I bought my new Fender P last year, I knew I would put flats on it, but which flats? I finally made an impulse buy, (Curt Mangan, never even heard of them) at a local mom, and pop store, and the change from the Fender rounds made me enjoy the bass even more. But I have a nagging feeling that I could get better tone with something else. I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars experimenting, and user reviews are so subjective, I don't know where to start.

Is there any objective measurement of the tone of bass strings that can be used to compare one to another?
 
#28
As primarily a recording guy I get to pick and choose what strings fit the vibe I'm going for on the song. I will say that I love the feel and sound of flats for the majority of stuff. But not always.

Something you may or may not have tried with your rounds... use a mute. They really tame the zing and will get you a long way to the classic sound.
 
#29
JimmyM said:
Thought maybe letting them be live might make an easier transition back to flats...nope...they just sounded like neutered rounds.
Click to expand...

I am old enough that when I started playing bass in the 60s all basses had flats. Even some guitars had flats. But in the early 70s I started using rounds. That was the sound I wanted from my bass. From time to time I will try flats and yes they sound like neutered rounds. I think my favorite tone is broken in rounds. Played just enough to lose the zing but they still have plenty of overtones.

A few years ago I bought a Rickenbacker 2030 and it had very very used rounds. They sounded a lot like flats, but without the clicky noises that flats make against the frets. But eventually I put on a new set of rounds.

Used rounds bring out the mids nicely on a bass, fresh rounds can have too much treble.
 
#30
bkbirge said:
Something you may or may not have tried with your rounds... use a mute. They really tame the zing and will get you a long way to the classic sound.
Click to expand...

Yes, Yes, Yes!!!

Palm muting is a skill underdeveloped by many bass players. It is easy to do while using a pick and a little harder for fingerstyle.

Usually a big foam mute is too much for me.
 
#34
You may want to like Chromes Jimmy, but you don't, trust me. They are a compromise flat-wise. If you really want that old school thump try looking at the flats that were around in those days. Chromes weren't.
Don't forget a touch of foam to mute a bit works wonders.

Good luck with the quest Sir.
 
#35
I have a similar dilemma. Sometimes the zing of a fresh round touches my soul. Sometimes the thump of a flat does.
I play P's and J's. Both sound great with either string (and I like Chromes too).

Of course, the tone pot can do a lot of things too.
 
#38
Mojo-Man said:
:cool:

I hear you JimmyM.

I've done the flats vs rounds thing for 20 years.

For some unexplainable reason some basses just sound better
with either strings. To the point where it's a one on one thing regarding basses.

There is no logic to it. :confused:
Click to expand...

Same here! It depends on the specific instrument, some are just better with rounds than flats, some are the other way around. However I think there is a logic to it...

I have found that every bass has a sonic character to it. Sometimes choosing a string that matches the character (eg. mellow strings on a mellow bass) works best. Sometimes choosing a string that fights the character (eg. mid-rangey strings on a scooped-sounding bass) works best. It takes some experimentation but that's all part of the fun.
 
#39
Chromes are indeed a compromise - that's what I like about them. I can get that attack and fundamental thickness on the bottom, but I can also get the growl and punch when I want it. I like the midrange and supple quality of good rounds, but these days I always miss the essential "bassness" of the sound with rounds. And flats sound SO good with a pick. Rolling off the tone, palm-muting, eq... It doesn't change rounds into flats or vice-versa.

Jimmy, have you tried Chromes? You might like them. Also, using an Ampeg amp takes off some of that "zing". Just some ideas for you to try out. Free of charge. :)
 
#40
DonBorelli said:
Why are you guys so black/white about flats and rounds? Different strings for different purposes, right?
Click to expand...
Wouldn't be so much of an issue if I used more than one bass in a night, or was able to actually make changes. Bad enough switching between upright and electric...throw another electric in there and I'm lost.

So for me it IS an either-or situation.
 

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