Round wounds vs flat wounds

[MB_Speed]

Flat or round - which do I prefer? That's not a complete question. What do I prefer for what? It depends upon which bass we're talking about and what sound I want out of it. Plus not all Flats (or Rounds) are the same. Its just not a complete question.

Well yeah, but that's all up to you.

 

[MB_Speed]

I used flat wounds for a long time to get a thicker thumpy sound, but I've realized round wound strings sound great at higher volumes coming through a mix. I'm using a passive single coil bass with flats and it's a great thumpy sound. I'm also playing with a split coil emg precision pickup with round wounds. The split coil bass can make more sounds by adjusting finger/pick technique and tone controls. It just takes more practice.

Thanks fellow New Jerseyan!

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Probably to produce a piano like tone.

There’s a reason they don’t put rounds on an upright bass too.

Good point, but I have seen bronze rounds on DBs before, but that was a long time ago. Keep in mind, the DB was initially a bowed instrument with occasional plucking. Jazz players took the DB in an entirely different direction, and we are all great full for that innovation.

On a side bar, years ago back in the 60’s I had a DB and had a set of Cat Guts installed. You’d love them. LOL!!

 

[elkkid2]

I have two Fender American Deluxe five string Jazz Basses. One is strung with Flats, and the other with Round wounds. For my self, I use them for different songs, they each lend something to certain styles. At Gigs, or Recording, I ask whomever is hiring me to, "Pick your Poison". Many times they pick the Flat wound strings over Round.

 

[dkelley]

There are certain basses and certain styles of playing that happen to sound awesome with flats. For me, particularly, I love the tone of certain recordings where a pick was used and, I presume, it was flats (although I could be wrong).. for example Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding (particularly the Love lies bleeding half of the double track), by elton john's band. that bass tone is amazing.

Wings.... speed of sound.... I'm presuming that is flats on a rick... finger style I think, and just amazing.

things like that always make me go... oh yea, I forgot how cool that sounds. tons more examples of course.

But for playing and for my own tone, I always want very bright and full rounds. Rounds are much lower friction... remember that friction is not the same as roughness/smoothness. They are rougher and some are outright sharp edged and hard on the hands... but they are much faster to slide up and down on due to having less surface area and therefore lower friction.

Those things I notice, so I like rounds better for feel.

Tone wise, I like the versatility of rounds, and I find that many sound incredible as long as I am playing a great sounding bass. So I'm never feeling lacking in tone by playing rounds.

But some basses I've played literally required flats and wouldn't be right without them... more often than not being older, shorter scale, hollow body basses. and amazing, just amazing. And some flats can have extra meat in a lower midrange area that is super awesome also... but then so can some rounds.

 

[Lostgallifreyan]

No carrots. No poll.

Nice. I gave that a like as part of my ongoing atonement for uncouth things I said about carrots.

Re strings, I like roundwounds. I want my bass to be like a piano wielded like a sword. For me, this is what a bass is for... Speak softly and carry a big stick.

 

[AcadianBassman]

Never cared for flats. A little while ago, I tired half rounds. Loved 'em.

 

[southpaw723]

I like flats because of the feel and I’m not a fan of the new zing to rounds. But those are also the reason why a ton of players love rounds. It’s all a matter of taste

 

[Turnaround]

Silly question. It's like "do you prefer bran flakes or pepperoni?" What - for breakfast? Dinner?

 

[scott sinner]

Highly genre dependent for me. I almost exclusively used flats when I was playing Americana stuff. But I checked rounds because Ive used those in more genres.

 

[220_Hz]

Rounds cuz bright

 

[SpyderX]

My tastes has changed - I'm going backwards. From the 70s up til about 3-4 years ago I was strictly round wound. All of my basses but one have flats, now.

It did take me a few days to get used to the slickness of them, and I still feel like my pick playing is a little more accurate with the texture of a round wound.

 

[Killing Floor]

Nice. I gave that a like as part of my ongoing atonement for uncouth things I said about carrots.

Re strings, I like roundwounds. I want my bass to be like a piano wielded like a sword. For me, this is what a bass is for... Speak softly and carry a big stick.

The greatest sound in music is an open E round thumbed hard. Like DR HiBeams or Rotosound or Dunlop Super Brights. I love my flats too for many things. But I would never go 100%.

 

[bassdog]

Chocolate or vanilla!

 

[sonojono]

Surprised rounds are taking the lead on a forum full of boomers that grew up with flats

 

[Smooth_bass88]

both/either depending on the gig/session/music/artist

 

[bordinco90]

I used to be a rounds player, but have since switched to flats on all my basses and have never looked back. I just love the smoothness of the feel and tone that flats provide.

 

[fdeck]

Now I want to hear flats on a piano!

Makes me wonder how piano strings were constructed in the early days of the instrument. Dunno when wrapping metal around a core came into being.

Wrapped gut strings predate the piano:

String Theory: Historical Facts About Your Violin Strings | Claire Givens Violins, Inc

The challenge of making a winding thin enough for smaller strings, would not have been a problem for piano strings. Also, Claire Givens runs a great shop.

 

[Lostgallifreyan]

The greatest sound in music is an open E round thumbed hard.

Picked hard, so it growls like ongoing thunder. But yes, I like the thumbed sound, a lot. But picking with tunes that make strong transitions with open E and the B a fifth higher, I love those.. I never learned to drive but I think it would take a good engine to get the same buzz out of it.

I’m not a fan of the new zing to rounds...

I like mileage on mine. Not too much, but 'new piano', though interesting, makes it hard to get a good damped sound when I want it. Roundwounds, played hard, but with a little settling already done, have a raw bite rather than a zing. Much more versatile too.

 

[Whale guy]

I love the sound of my p bass with rounds mostly when I slap. That is such an unmistakable sound. I will probably never go to flats.