Rounds with foam mute maybe better than flats.

[JIO]

I'd have to agree... assuming you'd want to do that in the first place. Personally? I only have one bass - out of 27 - that wears rounds (TI JR324s), and then only because that Gretsch Broadkaster sounds like total crap with anything else. Two basses wear tapes - one because it has to; all the rest wear flats. Some of those have mutes; most of them don't. IMO, flats with a mute are sort of a "niche" sound; useful for some music, but not for everything. I've never liked the sound - or especially the feel - of rounds. I started playing bass in 1968, on a Rick 4001 with it's factory Maxima 4440 Flats; been playing flats almost exclusively ever since...

Which goes to prove that every player finds & develops their own unique and personal sound utilizing all elements of their instrument & craft. The bass itself, the pu's & where they are positioned, the electronics, the strings (rounds/flats/nickel, steel, tapes etc) , and most importantly their individual playing technique. Two people could play the same bass playing the same piece/song/arrangement - and it will sound different.

 

[MIJ Fender Guy]

I just discovered this recently as well. Never heard my Stingray mutes sound SO GOOD as with rounds. Everything on a Stingray sounds better with rounds, even the sound you think flats will make on one.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Dunno about better, but a spongey mute with rounds does it for me at the moment. And I used to hate shaging rounds with a passion

 

[Luckydog]

Dead round with foam mute has hollow body like sound quality rather than firm thumb to my ear.

Thats precisely what I hear when I stick foam under rounds. It sounds like a hollow body bass, not so much like a solid body with flats.

 

[96tbird]

OP, Sounds legit. You do you! Accept no criticism of your selections; if it suits you, that’s the end of it.

 

[ShoeManiac]

Flats have their place. I finally took the plunge and put TI Jazz flats on one of my basses, and the results have been amazing!

HOWEVER...

It's not a one size fits all type of setup. On my main gig? Roundwound strings are just the way to go. But we've got a couple of songs in the set that could benefit from that old school thump. As a rule I try to limit myself to 2 basses on a gig. And with this particular band that generally means a 4 string with a D-tuner, and a 5 string - both strung with roundwounds. Bringing an additional instrument that's strung with flats is impractical given the number of songs in the set which need that sound.

In this case the solution was simple. I've done the foam mute underneath the strings at the bridge, but that takes a little time to set up just right, and it can also have a significant affect on your intonation. So I explored some other options. One was the Gruv Gear Fump mute. Great in concept, but the results were too drastic and it wound up choking the vibration of the strings. That's when I tried Nordstrand's Nordy Mute, and this one was a winner! You can vary how much muting is happening by the way you place it on the strings, and you can also put it on and take it off relatively quickly between songs. It's been a great option for me, and I have versions for both 4 and 5 string now.