I am a big fan of flatwound strings, although i've only tried two different brands of them. I have been playing with Joe Osborne flats for the past couple of years because a local luthier had a couple of sets that he sold me at cost. I love the feel and sound of them on my fretless, and grew quite accustomed to them, not really craving anything else. I have broken a few strings being overly aggresive, and recently had to purchase some new strings, and the only ones I could find at the time were a set of Ernie Ball flats. They are a totally different beast, I was quite surprised at first. They have a lot more texture (the winding seems narrower, i'm not really sure why they don't feel as smooth) and a very different sound. They've been on my bass for a month or so, but i've been giving my new five string more time than my fretless and they are not quite broken in yet. They sound very bright still, too bright for my tastes honestly (kind of 'phasey'), and have a much more pronounced upper mid presence than the Joe Osborne flats, as well as being much more bright. I'm not sure how much of this will flatten out with them being fully worn in. I'd say they sound a lot more like rounds than the J.O.'s, which is desirable to a point, it does help me hear my intonation in a mix better it seems.
Even with those pluses, I prefer the J.O.'s, but before I go buying more of them I thought i'd ask some advice from experienced flatwound users. Are there some other strings on the market that might sound somewhere in between these two, or can you recommend a brand based on what i've posted here?
Thanks!
Daniel B.
Even with those pluses, I prefer the J.O.'s, but before I go buying more of them I thought i'd ask some advice from experienced flatwound users. Are there some other strings on the market that might sound somewhere in between these two, or can you recommend a brand based on what i've posted here?
Thanks!
Daniel B.
