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Non dead flats

#44
D'Addario chrome(ECB81) user here.

I find that the strings come with an apparent polishing residue on them and so I give them a good alcohol cleaning initially. After the bright clangy zing wears off they sound good. Using a light volatile oil as a solvent and lubricant, my strings have maintained their good tone for quite awhile now.
 
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#46
physics said:
D'Addario chrome(ECB81) user here.

I find that the strings come with an apparent polishing residue on them and so I give them a good alcohol cleaning initially. After the bright clangy zing wears off they sound good. Using a light volatile oil as a solvent and lubricant, my strings have maintained their good tone for quite awhile now.
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The bright clangy zing is the most flavorful part of the string....embrace the clangy zing
 
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#47
I have quite a few basses strung with flats. My favorite set is The D'Addario ECB 81, Chromes- great balance and tension. They're VERY bright when new- I 'fool' a lot of bass players at jams and gigs, when I tell them I'm playing flats, they don't believe it- and then I show them. They take a while to lose their bright overtone.. and then, they settle and evolve into what flats do very well, punch out in the mix, and drive the band. They do that initially, but the ringing overtone kinda masks that.
I also have LaBella short scale flats on my Danelectro. Nice set of strings. I've long used Fender 9050ML stainless flats. They have changed the set a number of times, and I REALLY like the newest generation. I also have two sets of Rotosound 'Jazz Bass' flats. The original set, is VERY high tension. Same set as the 'Steve Harris' set. Pulled up the back of a Gotoh 201 bridge on my Warmoth P-bass. KILLER, and totally bright almost like a round wound. Stiff strings, low action... pretty cool. I've had them on and off several basses, and incredibly, they're still ringy. They make a lighter gauges now, and those are very good, as well. The Holy Grail flat- the TI Jazz Flats.. unplayable for me. I'm a big guy, and play upright. Those strings are nicely made- and sound amazing, but are too low tension for me. And they're expensive. I do not like Half, or ground- wounds. I think pure rounds, or pure flats sound and play the best.
I'd get a set of the Chromes. I think you'll like them.
 
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#49
You can thank me later, but the finest strings I've ever used are Thomastik Infeldt Jazz Flats. They are as smooth as silk, with no string noise whatsoever; their tonal balance is phenomenal with solid lows, smooth mids and hìghs as clear as a bell. They last and ladt and last. Even after 3 years of use, they're stil perfect to go on. I've replaced every other bass string I own with these. The only downside is the price, but they perform so well and last so lonh, their effective cost is incredibly low. Read all the reviews on TalkBass and you'll find lits of others saying the same thing.
 
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#51
rodv66 said:
Tried a set of flats today for the first time. Very easy on the fingers but dead as all heck. Nothing to them besides a muddy thump. Are there any that keep some of the brightness of rounds?
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Have heard that Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats are supposedly flats that sound like rounds. That is next on my list to check out. There are some youtube videos of someone playing a Stingray with them that might could help you judge whether they are for you or not.

I just strung my P5 up with a fresh set of Rotosound flats this weekend, and while it sounds good, has a strong fundamental tone and has some treble bite, they're nowhere near the bite that your average roundwounds have. That was to be expected though. In the praise band scenario they worked really well because that calls for deep tone that sits well in the mix. That same afternoon at practice for my rock/metal band they still sat well and seemed to hold the low end really well, but I was less able to use the fret/string 'clank' to cut through the din.

My biggest adjustment to flats was my P5 suddenly feeling like a fretless... Overshot some notes until I adjusted.
 
#54
Seems Chrome is the winning answer. Think I will use the set of Harris ones I got and keep the rounds that came with them. Take it from there. Does anyone think flats are easier to play than rounds?
 
#56
rodv66 said:
Seems Chrome is the winning answer. Think I will use the set of Harris ones I got and keep the rounds that came with them. Take it from there. Does anyone think flats are easier to play than rounds?
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For me flats are easier to play than rounds only because of the feel. Since all I play Is flats playing rounds feels like railroad tracks under my fingers.
 
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#57
rodv66 said:
Seems Chrome is the winning answer. Think I will use the set of Harris ones I got and keep the rounds that came with them. Take it from there. Does anyone think flats are easier to play than rounds?
Click to expand...
Much easier on the fingers. But they get a lot warmer than rounds because of the friction from the flat surface. It bothers some, especially if you move your fingers around the board a lot.
 

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