Round-wounds for an old flats guy?

[michael_t]

I don't quite understand why you are looking for rounds. I have never had issues with intonation using flats. I don't think you are going to be satisfied with any rounds sound or lifespan, also you may find rounds rough. Perhaps instead you should explain what issues you are having with intonation and ask for recommendations of flats and gauges that may remedy the issues you are having.

^^^THIS!

I haven't quite understood the idea of the OP looking to try rounds just because of "intonation issues with flats".

EDIT: The OP did mention La Bella Flats, but I still haven't got an answer to my question as to what bass.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Rotosound swingbass Nickels, nuch darker than the stainless steel version, they start out very bright and then after a few days once they have broken in they go very mellow and warm, probably about as close to flats as you will get out of a roundwound

To me, the opposite was true, the stainless steels seemed to sound more mid-scooped so the nickles sounded brighter, to me.

 

[shoulderpet]

To me, the opposite was true, the stainless steels seemed to sound more mid-scooped so the nickles sounded brighter, to me.

That's strange, the nickels sounded brighter to me initially but they broke in and sounded warm very quickly.
Interesting that you mentioned a mid scoop as Rotosound ss strings are known for being mid heavy, Daddario on the other hand have always sounded incredibly scooped to me

 

[dave64o]

Based on your initial post, my first thought was DR nickel Lo Riders. They have the warm tone of nickel plated strings, they easily last me two years (I like broken in round wounds, though other people would call them dead ), they're not as rough feeling to me as a lot of other round wounds, and they are fairly stiff feeling.

I happen to look for those things in a round wound, so I love nickel Lo Riders. I'm having an affair with flats right now, but I'd still say nickel Lo Riders are my favorite overall strings.

Others have suggested GHS Pressurewounds. I like them as well, but they're a little more flexible than I prefer (just a little bit). If you like the relatively stiff feel of flats, then I'd suggest the Lo Riders. If you want a slightly more flexible feel, then the Pressurewounds seem like they'd be a good choice for you. They still sounded great to me after having on my bass for a year, but both times I tried them I went for a stiffer string. FWIW, both times were on my Stingray 5HH and the first time I went back to Lo Riders and the second time (about two months ago) I replaced them with D'Addario Chromes, which are what's on on it now.

I haven't used GHS boomers in a while, but I remember them ticking all my check boxes as well.

I don't see a lot of people here using them, but Ken Smith Burners tick my checkboxes as well. FWIW, they're what I've been using on my Franken Jazz for several years.

 

[waynobass]

DR Sunbeams. Warm-sounding, smooth-feeling roundwound nickel.

 

[DJ Bebop]

That's strange, the nickels sounded brighter to me initially but they broke in and sounded warm very quickly.
Interesting that you mentioned a mid scoop as Rotosound ss strings are known for being mid heavy, Daddario on the other hand have always sounded incredibly scooped to me

But I'm old, maybe my hearing is shot

I go between La Bella 1954s flats, Rotosound 66s and GHS Boomers, all dependent on bass and mood

Oh I forgot, I've got some Dunlop Super Brights Marcus Miller's on a couple of basses, I've been liking them

I'll try stuff on sale or something somebody suggest and if they work for me, I'll keep using them on the bass they are on.

I had a run of Sunbeams that broke on me. Checked bridge and stuff. It was the strings

 

[dave64o]

DR Sunbeams. Warm-sounding, smooth-feeling roundwound nickel.

I really like the sound of Sunbeams, but I found them to be pretty flexible feeling so I've stuck with the Lo Riders. Since the OP mentioned wanting a stiff feel, I didn't suggest them in this case. But they do sound quite nice and are basically a round core version of the hex core Lo Riders - just pick the feel that you prefer.

 

[dave hope]

I played Rotos for decades, but started wanting a meatier sound. I tried GHS Pressure Wound, 40-96 gauge, and was pleased. Being a pick user myself, roundwounds are a bit tricky if you don't like the piano twang. The question is, how picky?

 

[pbassnut]

I'm thinking of giving rounds a "go", as I get back into bass. Flats, with pick generally, has always been my thing, but intonation on flats is an issue.

My problem with rounds has always been that they sound like piano strings to me (I do not like piano), and not the warm muffled sound of a double-bass. Also, round-wounds don't seem to last as long.

Still, with active electronics, I can probably tone-down the "piano sound", and get a bit more "growl" as well. Plus, better intonation. Intonation has always been my only problem with flats.

Question: What are some good rounds that "last and last", have a warm (not bright) sound, with good intonation, and higher tension like flats. I don't like "mushy" strings, since I learned on flats. I don't care about the brightness wearing off as strings age; I'd roll-off the highs anyway. I just want warm sounding strings that last and last for years, and can take lots of dirt and grime (think: eating fried chicken while playing). I am hoping the only reason rounds tend to get replaced frequently is due to brightness (which I do not care about), and not because windings slip, and intonation suffers.

I assume I want nickel rather than steel, but don't know how hex core vs. round affects sound, or what brands "last and last". I am hoping to find "my strings" without too much experimenting. I don't like to fiddle too much with the truss-rod, since I have seen necks/rods go bad. My poor '72 Jazz that I screwed-up the neck on in the '70s...

This D'Addario set might be good for you ...

https://www.amazon.com/DAddario-EXL...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

While they will certainly be bright sounding when they're new, they are not as bright as some of the roundwound offerings out there and will get duller sounding with regular use. I have some ancient sets of them on a few of my basses who's new roundwounds growl is long gone, but still play well and in tune.

 

[dave64o]

I played Rotos for decades, but started wanting a meatier sound. I tried GHS Pressure Wound, 40-96 gauge, and was pleased. Being a pick user myself, roundwounds are a bit tricky if you don't like the piano twang. The question is, how picky?

Hopefully I can say this without sounding like I'm gushing, but I was a HUGE fan of your playing and tone decades before I even started to really play bass.

 

[el murdoque]

Also, round-wounds don't seem to last as long.

Still, with active electronics, I can probably tone-down the "piano sound", and get a bit more "growl" as well.

Question: What are some good rounds that "last and last", have a warm (not bright) sound, with good intonation, and higher tension like flats. I don't like "mushy" strings, since I learned on flats. I don't care about the brightness wearing off as strings age; I'd roll-off the highs anyway. I just want warm sounding strings that last and last for years, and can take lots of dirt and grime (think: eating fried chicken while playing). I am hoping the only reason rounds tend to get replaced frequently is due to brightness (which I do not care about), and not because windings slip, and intonation suffers.

If you don't play hard with a hard pick, just get a set of Elixirs and thank me later.

 

[drumvsbass]

Thomastik Infeld Super Alloy.

 

[SteveCS]

, but intonation on flats is an issue.

I don't understand this line. If you have frets then intonation is 95% setup and 5% technique. If you don't, it is 5% setup and 95% technique. In both cases it is 0% string type, IME.

But to the question, if you like the feel of a flat but want the sound of a round, have you thought about Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats? I'm 6 months in with a set on my fretless StingRay and they just keep getting better by the day.

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

View attachment 4285619


i appreciate being "picky," but i think you've got a lot of qualifiers that narrow your choices down --- maybe to zero. i think you're going to have to be more of a "compromiser" on some/all of those checklist items to get any satisfaction from the myriad round-wound choices. just sayin'.

welcome to TB and good luck with your string choices!

Yep, picky I am.

I am thinking I can get a custom set of Deep Talkin' Flats from La Bella, without a big price increase. With the regular standard/long set, the wraps (not just the taper/silk) would wind around the tuner for the G string on the Sire P7 5-string on-order.

Still, the bass will come with rounds (probably Ernie Balls), so I will start with those. Intonation on the flats has been a problem over the years (especially with stops/chords), so the low-riders or pressure-wounds sound interesting.

I am just a hobbiest, early 60s, trying to re-live my youth. In my teens, I played parties weekly, and jammed with a drummer friend during the week. Then did a couple stints with church folk groups. For a while I had 2 basses (one with flats, one with rounds), but can't afford that now. I won't even have an amp initially. I will be using headphones with a Boss GT-1B multi-effects, or maybe driving a 100W powered speaker I have. Probably will end-up with the Acoustic 100W combo w/12". Probably won't do 15" speakers anymore.

Anyway, my sincere thanks to all here! You reminded me of most of the strings I had tried before, except one. It really helped having a thread reminding me of the low-riders and others here. At one point, I used a sort-of flatwound, but it had some sort of nylon core. Sounded pretty good, and very expressive, but was too "mushy" for my fingers. Loved the sound, but hated the feel. Maybe Thomastik-Infeld, but I do not recall.

 

[Paul New]

Sunbeams are the only rounds I can stand.

 

[Kukulkan61]

I dont understand why the intonation issues with flatwounds, I've been using flats for about 10 years now and they all intonated just as good and easy as rounds in my experience..

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

I don't understand this line. If you have frets then intonation is 95% setup and 5% technique. If you don't, it is 5% setup and 95% technique. In both cases it is 0% string type, IME.

But to the question, if you like the feel of a flat but want the sound of a round, have you thought about Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats? I'm 6 months in with a set on my fretless StingRay and they just keep getting better by the day.

On the intonation, it may really be more an issue of waveform and harmonics. To my ear, monophonic, flats sound AWESOME to me. I am pretty-good doing my own setups, so intonation was pretty good. For stops and chords though, it sounds "muddled" hearing more than one note at once with flats (to me).

It's been a long time since my "Physics of Sound" course in college, but I think flats give a "muddle" of harmonics (sort of like a drum), that don't blend as well as round-wound harmonics for stops/chords.

 

[Kukulkan61]

On the intonation, it may really be more an issue of waveform and harmonics. To my ear, monophonic, flats sound AWESOME to me. I am pretty-good doing my own setups, so intonation was pretty good. For stops and chords though, it sounds "muddled" hearing more than one note at once with flats (to me).

It's been a long time since my "Physics of Sound" course in college, but I think flats give a "muddle" of harmonics (sort of like a drum), that don't blend as well as round-wound harmonics for stops/chords.

Well I'll be a suck egg mule...

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

I don't quite understand why you are looking for rounds. I have never had issues with intonation using flats. I don't think you are going to be satisfied with any rounds sound or lifespan, also you may find rounds rough. Perhaps instead you should explain what issues you are having with intonation and ask for recommendations of flats and gauges that may remedy the issues you are having.

I am going to try and expand my playing a bit to include a bit of slap (which I utterly failed at before), stops and chords.

I have heard slap is harder on flats, but to me sounds better. While Marcus Miller is my inspiration these days (I think his timing is amazing!), I still prefer the low "thud" of flats.

Rounds are something I am considering, though. Haven't had a bass in years, but the next chapter will soon begin...

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

Well I'll be a suck egg mule...

Eh? Hopefully I did not say something wrong; if so I apologize. I am an IT "hermit": very analytical.

The variety in my playing always left something to be desired, but "tone" was my thing. Self-taught hobbiest. Will try to learn standard notation this time around, to hopefully expand my playing. Read on clarinet and sax as a kid, but only read on bass for a few months in a church folk group.