Roundwounds for a flats player

[NoSlapForYou]

Markbass Ultimate; for value Fender 7250

I like the Fender 7250 strings. But they're very bright, imo. Almost brittle sounding, especially when new. They worked great for me on a hard rock/metal song where I was using a lot of high mid distortion. But I don't know that they're the most natural fit for a flats player. They also feel like they have way less tension than strings of comparable thickness.

They're definitely a great value though.

 

[dave64o]

If you like DR strings, then I’d suggest either DR Sunbeams or nickel Lo Riders. I think they sound pretty similar (I have used both) and they both have a pleasing, warm, not too bright tone. If you prefer a looser feel, then go with the round core Sunbeams. If you prefer a stiffer feel like the Chromes you have on your Stingray, then I’d suggest the hex core nickel Lo Riders.

FWIW, I have Chromes on my Stingray and LOVE ‘em. But nickel Lo Riders are still my overall favorite strings. I also had Lo Riders on my L-2500 and they sounded fantastic. But I think that bass sounds best with most of the treble in the tone and I ended up going with Chromes on my L-2500 because they help tame just enough of the high end to make string noise less obnoxious. If I had better technique, the Lo Riders would be my choice.

 

[EXCAV8]

Since you're in to DR strings, my go-to is DR Nickel Lo-Riders.

 

[Bartrinsic]

I've been running Superalloy thomastik in345 bass on a bright-toned Ibanez SRFF4505. They have a warmer tone, but with plenty of clarity and top end. An easy-to-dial tone for worship / rock / blues / country. Long-lasting (a necessity given the price) and smoother like pressurewounds, for a substantial reduction is screech and clank. Whether or not these end up first choice, I would want to compare them to several of the other recommendations above. D'Addario NYXL are brighter and rougher with nice tension to compare to the lower tension Jazz options and Dunlop superbrights. I run those on less bright basses, and I find them to be an especially good reference point for other nickel-plated strings, since they are super high quality in a mid-bright, mid-tension, super-articulate string.

 

[pbass2]

My suggestion is also DR Nickel Lo Riders. My fave round, and I'm a dedicated "flats guy" like you. I have them on my Geddy, and they're old, like 7-8 years old and I can do funky, punky, rock, rootsy, etc with that axe. To me they're very "warm" for a round. Nice mids. I usually use my P w flats/foam for this country-esque band I play with but I just randomly grabbed the Geddy for a gig recently, put some foam under the strings, and it sounded killer in that context.

 

[fabubass]

If you want to stick with DR, I would suggest the Nickel Lo-Riders. Not overly zingy up top (once broken in), but they provide a nice low-mid punch and clear mids, and a firmer feel than most other DR's due to the hex core. I did try the SS Lo-Riders on my son's Ibanez SR1205E and liked the low B for punch and definition.

What guage
45-105?

 

[StudioGC]

I play flats and pretty much exclusively. (TIs) Bought a set of GHS Pressure Wounds, 40 - 96. They are excellent. A little bit smoother than rounds. And have a conservative round wound sound. I think that they are an excellent choice. IMHO YMMV

Yes, having recently flirted with rounds after years of d'Addario Chromes, I settled on GHS Pressurewound for my P bass. Love 'em.

 

[michael_t]

What guage
45-105?

Gauge selection is a matter of personal preference. I personally like the 40-100 set with a 125 for low B.

 

[Yaralag]

Dead Roto 66s have a wonderfully woody old school tone and they are stiff which I’m assuming you would like. You just need to transition through the zingy period.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

@Yaralag, I guess a heavier gauge stays bright longer. Is that right?

 

[Bassinthemudd]

I play flats and pretty much exclusively. (TIs) Bought a set of GHS Pressure Wounds, 40 - 96. They are excellent. A little bit smoother than rounds. And have a conservative round wound sound. I think that they are an excellent choice. IMHO YMMV

I second this recommendation, although I don't have experience with a Pressurewound B string.

 

[Camarillo]

DR Sunbeams. But you have to wait a few months…possibly years.

 

[keith1r]

Boomers

 

[pbass2]

Dead Roto 66s have a wonderfully woody old school tone and they are stiff which I’m assuming you would like. You just need to transition through the zingy period.

Totally. It's funny, I'm now the same way with rounds as I am with flats--I never change 'em unless I absolutely have to. It's rare I do any work that requires the zing.

 

[Yaralag]

@Yaralag, I guess a heavier gauge stays bright longer. Is that right?

I don’t think so. I have 45-105 and it takes a couple weeks of constant playing to kill them. After that they can stay on for a long time delivering the same basic tone. They aren’t for everyone but they certainly have a lovely tone to me on a Fender PJ with EMG GZR pickups and the tone rolled down.

 

[Tony In Philly]

Going directly from flats to Roto 66's would be like going from a fine Burgundy to a bottle of Everclear grain alcohol. I think TI Jazz Rounds have a nice transitional tone for you. Also, LaBella White Nylon 850T's have a bit of round wound bite underneath the nylon tape.

 

[hennessybass]

... My go to default string is DR Legend Flatwound. ...

DR Flatwounds are my go-to as well.
I like the GHS Pressurewound strings for a change up.

I had a set of DR Flats on my Jazz bass for like 7 years but wanted to try something new -- I tried the DR Pure Blues, and then switched to the Pressurewounds. I went back to flats on that bass, but recently got new jazz bass, and I have it set up with the GHS Pressurewound strings.

 

[oren]

I’ve got flats on four out of my six electric basses. The ones with rounds have Pure Blues (on my 68 Jazz) and DR Nickel Lo Riders (on my Roscoe 5 string). I think you’d be happy with either of those choices - solid low end, not too zingy, and enough tension to not feel totally wimpy compared to most flats.

 

[jefff100]

Going directly from flats to Roto 66's would be like going from a fine Burgundy to a bottle of Everclear grain alcohol. I think TI Jazz Rounds have a nice transitional tone for you. Also, LaBella White Nylon 850T's have a bit of round wound bite underneath the nylon tape.

thanks I love this analogy! While not a wine guy I do like my alcohol in the mellow range like a good Trappist ale or a dark porter. Maredsous Dubbel is a favorite when I can find it.

 

[dave hope]

I play flats and pretty much exclusively. (TIs) Bought a set of GHS Pressure Wounds, 40 - 96. They are excellent. A little bit smoother than rounds. And have a conservative round wound sound. I think that they are an excellent choice. IMHO YMMV

I use the exact same combination. I got TIs on one bass, and have “Pressures” on another bass. works for us.