Semi-flat String Club

[DeadPants182]

I noticed that we don't have a club for semi-flat strings, so let's change that. By semi-flat I'm referring to half rounds, ground wounds, pressure wounds, and any other kinds of strings that fill the middle ground between flatwound and conventional roundwound strings.

I recently started using a set of D'Addario half rounds on my P-bass. I wanted a string that wasn't quite as bright as the XL nickel wound strings without going all the way to Chromes, and so far I'm pretty satisfied. My musical tastes are pretty eclectic so it's nice to have a string that can do a little bit of everything. I've heard a lot of people describe the feeling of half rounds as "sticky" or "grippy", but if you wipe them down with rubbing alcohol before putting them on, they feel a lot smoother, especially once you've played on them for a few days. I'd love to know what brands other people use and what they use them for.

 

[Gorn]

Daddario halfs are the only strings I legitimately hate. Pressurewounds are okay. I understand their popularity but I'm not a fan. Labella quarter rounds are excellent. They're, in my experience, the truest middle ground between rounds and flats.

 

[JonasBro]

Not sure if it counts, but I recently switched from rounds to Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on my P-bass. Like you said, the styles I play are pretty varied so I didn't feel like I needed that trebly roundwound tone in every song I record. I'm also not the biggest fan of the sound of dead rounds. The EB Cobalt Flats have been great though - had them on for about a week.

 

[DeadPants182]

Not sure if it counts, but I recently switched from rounds to Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on my P-bass. Like you said, the styles I play are pretty varied so I didn't feel like I needed that trebly roundwound tone in every song I record. I'm also not the biggest fan of the sound of dead rounds. The EB Cobalt Flats have been great though - had them on for about a week.

Sure, I'd say those count. How did they feel when you took them out of the package? Are they as smooth as EB says they are?

 

[JonasBro]

Sure, I'd say those count. How did they feel when you took them out of the package? Are they as smooth as EB says they are?

Compared with what I'd been using before (GHS Bass Boomers Rounds), they did feel considerably smoother. But I did notice, especially with the E string, that it wasn't completely smooth.

 

[Mediocrity Man]

I love DR Sunbeams.

 

[JustForSport]

K S Compressors and GHS PressureWounds are 2 favorites.
D'D Half-Grounds were'nt even half-good for anything, on everything I tried them on, so gave 'em away.
Haven't yet tried the Labella quarter rounds or GHS Flats that are ground.
Under a loupe, Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats look like ground flats- you can see the grinding marks and sharp edges to the flats (like on D'D Half-Grounds)- they haven't been polished,
but a Scotch Brite pad and a wipe with de-natured alcohol helps smooth them right out. And it's worth the effort.

 

[FourBanger]

I was under the impression that the Cobalts Flats sks Slinky Flats are true flatwounds.

I was also under the impression that DR uses smaller outer windings for smoothness, not by changing the shape of the wrap.

 

[JustForSport]

The EB Cobalt flats are wound with a flat wrap on the exterior (true flats), it's just that after some complaints of them being 'sticky' and some refer to DA HalfGrounds being 'sticky', I looked at them thru a high strength magnifying glass and they both have the same sharp edges at the gaps between the flat tops of the wraps- so I said the EB Cobalts 'look like' ground flats.

DR strings are "compression wound" probably side-to side like Fodera and DM Helix which makes the crest of the wraps closer together giving a 'smoother' feel than regular larger round wraps.

 

[Selim]

Daddario halfs are the only strings I legitimately hate. Pressurewounds are okay. I understand their popularity but I'm not a fan. Labella quarter rounds are excellent. They're, in my experience, the truest middle ground between rounds and flats.

+1. Labella 1/4 rounds sound and feel the most like flat wound strings while still retaining some round wound characteristics.

i'm kind of on the fence about Pressurewounds now. It depends on the situation. I used them for reggae music for a few years. But since the FOH engineer is going to murder the crowd with bottom end anyway (at least at the bigger venues), it didn't really matter what strings I was playing. But they are warm strings that feel good, get a nice thud when they get old while still retaining a little bit of round wound mid frequency harmonics. And they are not clangy.

 

[MrAB4003]

I was looking for a club dedicated to the fourth type of bass string and I found the Semi-Flat String Club. But the last post was made in 2016, so I figured it's time to revive it.

That being said, I've been using Rotosound 55 Solo Bass strings since 2021 and they're some of my favorite strings. They're smooth to the touch (at least compared to rounds), really versatile, and great for a plethora of genres. I have a set of 45-105 gauges on a bass tuned to D Standard. There's just enough tension for me in that tuning as Standard tuning was too tense for me.

Solo Bass 55 Standard | 45-105 • Rotosound Music Strings

 

[michael_t]

I was looking for a club dedicated to the fourth type of bass string and I found the Semi-Flat String Club. But the last post was made in 2016, so I figured it's time to revive it...

I've been using Rotosound 55 Solo Bass strings since 2021 and they're some of my favorite strings.

I've always considered the Solo Bass 55, GHS Pressurewounds and Ken Smith Compressors as being "semi-rounds", and D'A Half Rounds, GHS Brite Flats (half-rounds) and Ken Smith Slick Rounds (also half-rounds) as being "semi-flats" based on their tonal characters.

 

[MrAB4003]

I've always considered the Solo Bass 55, GHS Pressurewounds and Ken Smith Compressors as being "semi-rounds", and D'A Half Rounds, GHS Brite Flats (half-rounds) and Ken Smith Slick Rounds (also half-rounds) as being "semi-flats" based on their tonal characters.

They're all in between rounds and flats so I think they fit in this club. The beauty of semi-flats, semi-rounds, half wounds, pressurewounds, etc. is the variety of tonal characters.

 

[MrAB4003]

I was looking for a club dedicated to the fourth type of bass string and I found the Semi-Flat String Club. But the last post was made in 2016, so I figured it's time to revive it.

That being said, I've been using Rotosound 55 Solo Bass strings since 2021 and they're some of my favorite strings. They're smooth to the touch (at least compared to rounds), really versatile, and great for a plethora of genres. I have a set of 45-105 gauges on a bass tuned to D Standard. There's just enough tension for me in that tuning as Standard tuning was too tense for me.

Solo Bass 55 Standard | 45-105 • Rotosound Music Strings

Update: I have switched my other two basses to Rotosound 55s. Both are in standard tuning and both have 40-100 gauges.

I did an experiment with trying some tapewounds earlier this year. But my experiment failed because I much prefer the sound, tension, and versatility of the 55s!