Roundwounds that sound more like flats

[Hellz Kitchen]

I've been plalying my JMJ mustang with La Bella 760FS Deep Talkin flats and the sound is that magical thing that a mustang plus flats is meant to do. The thing I never connected with the strings was the feel of them. I've always played rounds and the semi hollow basses I liked the feel of best was an old harmony with rounds but they were old rounds worn in which I liked both the feel and sound. I picked up a pack of the D'addario ECB81M Flats along with the D'addario EXL170 rounds. First tried the Daddario flats and they sounded not as good as the La Bella's but felt pretty similar in terms of feel of the string itself (which leads me to believe I don't think I like the feel of flatwound strings, but do like the sound with the mustang). I now have the Daddario rounds on there which feel wise I am connecting more with and feel more what i'm used to. The town is bright and not what I"m looking for but I'm thinking that after I play them a while they will mellow out and be more what I'm looking for.

What strings would you all recommend for the sound of flats but the feel of rounds with the mustang if such a thing exists?

 

[michael_t]

I now have the Daddario rounds on there which feel wise I am connecting more with and feel more what i'm used to. The town is bright and not what I"m looking for but I'm thinking that after I play them a while they will mellow out and be more what I'm looking for.

As far as nickel roundwound is concerned, D'Addario XL Nickels are at the brighter end of the scale.

I would suggest the SIT Power Wound Nickels, which are not as bright as the D'A to begin with. You do need to play them in real good until they mellow. They do come in "medium scale" with 34" winding length (ball end to taper), which is what you need for the thru-body Mustang.

Power Wound Short And Medium Scale Bass Strings - S.I.T. Strings

S.I.T. Strings Power Wound Short and Medium Scale Bass Strings are designed to deliver a warm, punchy tone with deep lows and clear highs, perfectly suited for short and medium-scale basses. Featuring a high-tension hex core and nickel-plated steel wrap, these strings offer exceptional...

sitstrings.com

You could also try the GHS Boomers, which are darker than D'A in their tonal character, and once broken in, they lose most of their top end zing while retaining the low-mid punch.

SETS - MEDIUM SCALE BASS BOOMERS®

Since 1964, GHS Strings has been expertly winding high-quality electric guitar strings in the heart of southwestern Michigan. As a leading manufacturer, we blend tradition with innovation to produce a wide variety of strings for electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitars, classical guitars...

www.ghsstrings.com

 

[waynobass]

DR Sunbeams maybe.

Or you could ask someone here to donate or sell you an old roundwound set.

Or you could turn the treble all the way down on both your bass and amp.

 

[Hellz Kitchen]

Turning the treble helped but I think the rounds that will break in or an old roundwound set might be the answer. I did also try DR Hi-Beams but they were buzzy for some reason with my bass

 

[michael_t]

I did also try DR Hi-Beams but they were buzzy for some reason with my bass...

Hi Beams are stainless steel on a round core, so they tend to be bright and flexible. Not the best thing for what you're looking for. I would suggest sticking with nickel rounds (for warmer tone) on a hex core (for firmer feel).

 

[MrAB4003]

Pressurewounds / half rounds / semi flats of some kind would work.

You can also put on a set of rounds and lather them in a condiment or substance with fat in it to quickly deaden them. There are plenty of TB threads that talk about this, so I won’t go into detail too much.

 

[michael_t]

You can also put on a set of rounds and lather them in a condiment or substance with fat in it to quickly deaden them. There are plenty of TB threads that talk about this, so I won’t go into detail too much.

When all else fails, one can always resort to the Eucerin treatment.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/eucerin-skin-cream-kills-strings-dead.1409899/

(DISCLAIMER: I personally do NOT subscribe to this method.)

 

[4StringDave]

I had the same dilemma about 5 years ago. Imo, dead rounds don't sound at all like flats. I persevered with the feel and now I actually prefer them to rounds, and I can interchange easily between the two.

These were Fender 9050s on a jazz bass.

 

[GIBrat51]

I've been plalying my JMJ mustang with La Bella 760FS Deep Talkin flats and the sound is that magical thing that a mustang plus flats is meant to do. The thing I never connected with the strings was the feel of them. I've always played rounds and the semi hollow basses I liked the feel of best was an old harmony with rounds but they were old rounds worn in which I liked both the feel and sound. I picked up a pack of the D'addario ECB81M Flats along with the D'addario EXL170 rounds. First tried the Daddario flats and they sounded not as good as the La Bella's but felt pretty similar in terms of feel of the string itself (which leads me to believe I don't think I like the feel of flatwound strings, but do like the sound with the mustang). I now have the Daddario rounds on there which feel wise I am connecting more with and feel more what i'm used to. The town is bright and not what I"m looking for but I'm thinking that after I play them a while they will mellow out and be more what I'm looking for.

What strings would you all recommend for the sound of flats but the feel of rounds with the mustang if such a thing exists?

Well...
Except for a set of TI JR324 Jazz Rounds on my Gretsch Broadkaster, I don't play round wound bass strings any more. They've become just too painful for my nerve-damaged and too-often frostbitten fingers to deal with. I can play the TI Jazz Rounds, though; they feell very flat wound-ish, but still sound pretty much like round wounds. Which would seem to be the opposite of what you're looking for...
In my fairly limited experience with rounds (I've played flats pretty much exclusively for the last 50+ years), I'd have to say that I agree with those who've recommended GHS Bass Boomers and DR Sunbeams. The Boomers are pretty much the de rigeuer rounds for Thunderbirds; my '13 Gibson T-Bird wore them for several years - before they became too painful to play. It wears Dogal's R44 "Traditional Flats" now. I had Roto 77LD Monel Flats on an '18 Gibson T-Bird; they sounded a lot like the Boomers, TBH. It was wearing them when I sold it... And, I had short scale Boomers on my headless, aluminum-necked '82 Kramer "The Duke", until they just... died. Replaced them with DR Legend flats; which IMO sound pretty much the same, but are much easier on my fingers. And, I had a set of short scale DR Sunbeams on my Warmoth Mini-Precision for quite a while. They did sound very flat wound-ish - on that bass. I toughed it out until they died; then, I replaced them with La Bella 760FS's...
I imagine that there are other rounds that sound sort of like flats, but; I've no idea what they are...

 

[Cartentoya]

GHS Pressurewounds are what you need.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Eat some BBQ wings, don't wash your hands, then play for an hour or two.

Srsly: maybe try some coated rounds. Elixirs are the brightest, so go with something else such as DR Neons.

 

[emjazz]

both will have less tension, but the DR Sunbeams or the round core GHS Boomers are wonderful. The Sunbeams mellow quickly but retain clarity without being bright. The round core Boomers get dark pretty quickly and stay that way…they sound great, and I would suggest trying those for sure

 

[Ben Rolston]

The new labella super polished are kinda the opposite -- flat-ish but sound round -- but they're really cool. Certainly not as bright as plain rounds.

 

[Slade N]

GHS Pressurewounds are what you need.

Yup, they don't sound like regular rounds when fresh, and they're their own thing but are close to flats with age.

 

[iiipopes]

I respectfully disagree with all the above, having played all the above. For a round-wound set of strings that takes on the character of flats, meaning all that woody, organic, goodness reminiscent of Fender VC Squier Company-made flats from the golden age, the strings to use are GHS Balanced Pure Nickel. They live up to their name in all ways. As they seat in, they lose the zing and take on that woody organic goodness we all miss with original Fender flats. Yes, as with all rounds, you gotta give them some time to settle in. But once they do, oh, my! On my 30-inch travel bass with a Nordy Mustang pickup, I can get the 1969 Bill Wyman tone of his Mustang with flats in spades.

 

[michael_t]

For a round-wound set of strings that takes on the character of flats, meaning all that woody, organic, goodness reminiscent of Fender VC Squier Company-made flats from the golden age, the strings to use are GHS Balanced Pure Nickel...

Would the short-scale set with 32.75" winding length be long enough for the JMJ Mustang?

 

[rodl2005]

Yup, they don't sound like regular rounds when fresh, and they're their own thing but are close to flats with age.

Yep.....

I liked SIT Silencers too

 

[rodl2005]

Would the short-scale set with 32.75" winding length be long enough for the JMJ Mustang?

If it's a string- thru body affair, you might need medium scale

 

[Ritter667]

Pure nickel roundwound strings.

 

[Phaidrus]

It may seem odd but dead (it doesn't take long) Roto Swing Bass 66 ss rounds sound like flats, in their own way.