Once you go flat, you never go back

[GodPlayedBass]

Am i right or what guys ?
flatwound > roundwounds

I play Ernie ball cobalt flats. Wbu guys ?

 

[michael_t]

I was once a flatwound enthusiast, even an addict. I thought I would never ever go back to rounds. I was wrong...

 

[stigbeve]

Tried them once. Don't really care for them but mostly play metal. Not that flats can't work for metal, just ask Steve Harris.

 

[Luckydog]

Nope, rounds are not a phase, neither are flats or tapewounds. You ought to be able to accommodate adjustments in strings, basses, amps, volume, tone, etc depending on many things.

 

[Petethebassman]

I used to use only roundwounds ages ago, now all of my basses are strung with flats and I don't see that changing back would be likely to happen. So, yes.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

some pros claim you can make rounds sound like flats, but not the other way around

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Am i right or what guys ?
flatwound > roundwounds

I have both set ups. Flats and rounds. Both are good for different things, but I far prefer the lack of lacking the rounds give you. Flats are cool, and quick, and different, but rounds are far less inhibitive.

 

[Brad Easley]

I have been playing only flats for at least 10+ years. Put rounds on my main bass (4 string) a couple weeks ago and am really liking them. I have a matching 5 string coming in today, and may end up running rounds on the 5 and flats on the 4. I see the merits of both.

 

[dagrev]

Once I started with flats maybe 15 yrs ago I've always had about half or more of my basses with flats. Very few have a typical round on them. Mostly Thunderbirds, but currently two them have flats. Yes, Thunderbirds can sound great with flats.

 

[OkayistBassist]

That’s why I have multiple basses. Different strings, different basses, different sounds!

One Ric has rounds, the other flats. I get all of the sounds I want! Mwahaha

 

[bassbrad]

To each their own, I have never really dug the feel of flat strings. I do have two basses with flat strings because they are appropriate and requested another with Rotosound TruBass Nylon Tapes for the sound and feel but all the rest will always have rounds of various ages by my preference.

 

[Dana R Gregory]

I went to chromes and never looked back. I swear by them and will never play rounds.

 

[scuzzy]

Nah

 

[trothwell]

I started playing bass well after roundwound strings had become the standard, and it was years before I installed a set of flatwound strings on a bass of my own. When I did, WOW! Surely I would never bother with roundwound strings again!

But now more years have passed, and I have come to appreciate both roundwound and flatwound strings, to best achieve different sounds. Likewise, there's a place for tapewound, groundwound, pressurewound...

 

[Spectre Gunner]

I have basses with flats and some with rounds. Depends on what I'm going for. They both have their particular roles to fill. I do find flats are easier on the finger tips and for doing slides but there is no such thing as one being better than the other.

 

[brushfirewolf]

I was once a flatwound enthusiast, even an addict. I thought I would never ever go back to rounds. I was wrong...

Same story here. Now I doubt I'd go back to flats.

But don't quote me on that.

 

[sotua]

Nope. Everything in moderation, including moderation. I now have a JBass with flats and a MM copy with rounds, and all my basses (ha!) covered. But flats only never lasted for me, because every now and then I *need* that zing.

 

[Sid Fang]

I've been a round-wound kind of guy since I was putting Rotosounds on my Epiphone Embassy back in the 1970s, but *some* basses really do call out for flats. My 1956 Dan Electro 6-string was just waaay too bright and guitarish with rounds, so I experimented a bit with flats. Settled on half-rounds, which I guess is as flat as I like to go on a bass guitar. EUBs are different beasts, of course. YMMV. To each their own. Let a thousand flowers bloom.

 

[HardNHeavy]

dunno i kind of like them perky myself.......never tried em

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Depends on the gig or session I'm on. I keep flats (D'Addario Chromes) on my '62 Reissue P bass and my Jack Casady. Everything else gets rounds.