Please help me choose a flat-wound string-getting discouraged

[TNCreature]

Hello all,

I have It's an NS Radius Wav-4 bass that is super treble-y. 1 Magnetic pickup & 1 Piezo.
My usual round-wounds are too bright and I have to roll the tone off 100% to get a usable sound (but not a versatile sound). I have next to no experience with flat-wound strings, but my goal is to tamp down the treble and use this bass for the Faux Upright and jazz sound songs.

My main bass is A Warwick $$ with Hi-Beams; so a very different beast.
And if you think another type of string would be a good suggestion, please let me know.

I would appreciate only string suggestions, not equipment, EQ or knob turning. I assure that I am trying all this, but it is not optimal. My question is simply for the best string selection for this kind of bass from your experience (thank you!)

When I got the bass it had unknown flats on it They sounded OK but were really stiff and flat (like Fettuccine!). But the sound was better than with the round wound strings.
I just put a set of D'addario Half Wound strings on, and really dislike them. They have zero sustain, *thud* and they have this weird finger drag feel to their surface, like a cat's tongue.
Year's ago I used tape wound's on a bass that were OK. It was a hollow bass, so different beast.

So my wish list based on my limited experience and ignorance:
Warm to Mid-range tone
Flexible Feel
Good Sustain

And I thank you again!

 

[michael_t]

Warm to Mid-range tone
Flexible Feel
Good Sustain

You should try the Dunlop Flatwound. They're flats with semi-modern flavor. Small hex core wire used by Dunlop makes them a little more flexible and supple-feeling compared to traditional flats. I've read some reviews about their roundwound-like sustain as well.

(DISCLAIMER: I don't use them for myself. My recommendation is based on what I've read.)

 

[bassboysam]

Hello all,

I have It's an NS Wav-4 bass that is super treble-y. 1 Magnetic pickup & 1 Piezo.
My usual round-wounds are too bright and I have to roll the tone off 100% to get a usable sound (but not a versatile sound). I have next to no experience with flat-wound strings, but my goal is to tamp down the treble and use this bass for the Faux Upright and jazz sound songs.

My main bass is A Warwick $$ with Hi-Beams; so a very different beast.
And if you think another type of string would be a good suggestion, please let me know.

I would appreciate only string suggestions, not equipment, EQ or knob turning. I assure that I am trying all this, but it is not optimal. My question is simply for the best string selection for this kind of bass from your experience (thank you!)

When I got the bass it had unknown flats on it They sounded OK but were really stiff and flat (like Fettuccine!). But the sound was better than with the round wound strings.
I just put a set of D'addario Half Wound strings on, and really dislike them. They have zero sustain, *thud* and they have this weird finger drag feel to their surface, like a cat's tongue.
Year's ago I used tape wound's on a bass that were OK. It was a hollow bass, so different beast.

So my wish list based on my limited experience and ignorance:
Warm to Mid-range tone
Flexible Feel
Good Sustain

And I thank you again!

la bella low tension flats
TI jazz flats
chromes 95 gauge.

 

[buldog5151bass]

For something that gives the ultrasound thump, but still a modern tone, Chromes. For more a traditional thump .Precision Flats (also not as stiff as others).

 

[ScottfromCalgary]

I second TI jazz flats. Pricey, but worth it. Not sure if they fit that bass or not?

Here’s some further info on possible string choices:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[ihixulu]

The Dunlop flats are a cool string overall, very clear mids, not too tubby, very slick feel. To my ears they were less bright than Chromes out of the pack but definitely had more forward mids than Labellas or Fenders. The tension is reasonable for a flatwound. I didn’t have to tweak my set up significantly.

 

[TNCreature]

I second TI jazz flats. Pricey, but worth it. Not sure if they fit that bass or not?

Here’s some further info on possible string choices:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Thanks for the specific and detailed link!

 

[Stan_da_man]

I would say light gauge Chromes.

 

[Yahboy]

“Warm to Mid-range tone
Flexible Feel
Good Sustain”

Ti JF344.

Have to mention that Ti sustain just good in “Settle in tone Flatwound world ”, you can't expect as good as fresh roundwound sustain.

 

[Vinnie Boombatz]

Why not change the cap value if the bass is overly treble-y and you're having to roll off the tone 100% to get a usable sound?

 

[burgerdj]

EB Cobalt Flats have changed my perception of what flats can do. Bright and snappy with the treble rolled on, smooth and deep with the highs rolled back. Can even stand a little slap and pop if you so choose. I’d think that with a piezo, the top end may need to be trimmed so the tone isn’t too chirpy. GHS also makes some lovely flats that would fit your needs. Good luck and have fun experimenting!

 

[Bruiser Stone]

I dislike Chromes, and I love La Bella’s 760FL warm thump and slightly relaxed feel, but the latter is a bit of a one trick pony.

I put a set of TI Jazzers on my P Bass 3 weeks ago, and in the first couple of days I thought I made an expensive mistake. I even posted them here for sale. But I decided to commit to their unique tension and texture. Glad I did. They are very versatile, and with some eq adjustment, can sound as vintage or as hifi as desired. They have a piano-ish, focused mid-range clarity...I don’t know how else to describe it. And after dabbling with a set of Jamerson flats for a couple of months, my fingers are happy.

They are expensive, but unless I play someone else’s P Bass with a different set that really woos me, I’ll get my money’s worth by eliminating string changes for a very long time.

 

[TL23NC]

Hello all,

I have It's an NS Wav-4 bass that is super treble-y. 1 Magnetic pickup & 1 Piezo.
My usual round-wounds are too bright and I have to roll the tone off 100% to get a usable sound (but not a versatile sound). I have next to no experience with flat-wound strings, but my goal is to tamp down the treble and use this bass for the Faux Upright and jazz sound songs.

My main bass is A Warwick $$ with Hi-Beams; so a very different beast.
And if you think another type of string would be a good suggestion, please let me know.

I would appreciate only string suggestions, not equipment, EQ or knob turning. I assure that I am trying all this, but it is not optimal. My question is simply for the best string selection for this kind of bass from your experience (thank you!)

When I got the bass it had unknown flats on it They sounded OK but were really stiff and flat (like Fettuccine!). But the sound was better than with the round wound strings.
I just put a set of D'addario Half Wound strings on, and really dislike them. They have zero sustain, *thud* and they have this weird finger drag feel to their surface, like a cat's tongue.
Year's ago I used tape wound's on a bass that were OK. It was a hollow bass, so different beast.

So my wish list based on my limited experience and ignorance:
Warm to Mid-range tone
Flexible Feel
Good Sustain

And I thank you again!

I'll jump on the Dunlop bandwagon. Less zing than Chromes (which I also like) and fairly flexible.

 

[Steve J]

30 yrs ago I was a fulltime musician. I played in a very good country band. We even played as for hire band for Randy Travis a couple of times.....so, pretty good. I played a 67 Fender Precision with a Schecter neck (original neck was like a pretzel when I bought it). I used Fender flatwound strings, exclusively. I bought them by the case. They would die quickly, but were very smooth, playable, and gave me a great tone. Don’t know if they still make them or not, but give them a try if they do. Just my $.02.

 

[MoeTown1986]

I had an issue where I got tired of replacing rounds every 4-6 weeks because they sound terrible when they die. I tried numerous flats and was uninspired by all of them. Just thuddy and dead sounding to me. I finically broke down and bought a set of TI jazz flats and had that “ah-ha” moment. Now all of my basses have TI’s on them. Including three 5 string jazz basses. It’s like tonal heaven and they last forever.

 

[theduke1]

I use LaBella Black Nylon tapes on both of my G&Ls and have for years and they last longer
Brighter then flat wound but nat as bright as round
Duke

 

[Aloe]

Any flats will be bright out of the box, they will need several months of playing to lose that brightness.

If you need a darker tone, maybe some tape wounds will do it. Something like La Bella blacks. They sound great on piezo-equipped basses BTW.

 

[Stewie]

Been using GHS Precision flats for as long as I can remember. Tried a set of Fenders(they were cheap), they had a sweet sound but there was something wrong with the E string's ring. I would try them again, but right now both of my Fenders have the GHS on them. If I use a light touch with my left hand on my fretless Precision, it sounds a bit like my upright.

 

[Loring]

TI Jazz all the way but the 5 string set is really pricey - I made the mistake of trying them on my 4 ... now all 3 basses wear them including the 5.

 

[jthisdell]

Is this the upright 42 inch scale model? If I'm looking at the right bass it has a high impedance output and you need a pre amp with a 10megohm input, Radial makes some, fdeck makes some and there are others. Also the NS contemporary strings are very bright, the traditional strings are better, I landed on obligates myself. If this is the upright model with 42 inch db scale you should look over in the rub forum on the db side. Also check out Gallihur Music for info on uprights and upright strings.