Should I switch to flatwounds?

[mojomike001]

I've got about 23 basses. Guess what? Flats or tapes on all of them. No finger noise. They don't get old, they get better. No fret wear. Old-school sound.

I could see why they're not for everyone, but I'm an old-school blues guy.

 

[MVE]

So you mean swich to all flatwounds on the same bass? And not a combination of flat & roundwounds on the same bass?

OMG, how did I never think of this before????
I'm getting a 5 string to put flats for the B and E and rounds for the A, D & G!!!
Genius

 

[inthebassclef]

I play flats exclusively and they always cut. P bass and flats are the organic combination

 

[Dogbertday]

Cobalt flats are my flats choice, some solid harminics still happen with those.

Also, im a fan of having rounds on one bass and flats on the rest, because i never have to change them, but the still sound good. Though my bass with rounds is my #1 right now.

Should you? I say yes, but keep one bass with rounds or at least use brighter flats like cobalts or 77s.

 

[kevteop]

Flats are a TB anomaly, still used in the real recording world, but rare in the wild. You need the rounds to cut in a live situation...no matter what you read in here..,

This is such nonsense. What does 'cut' mean anyway and why would you want to do it, whatever it is?

I gigged using nothing but flats for three years straight, they sounded perfect for our punk/reggae band and they helped my analogue pitch-tracking effects work better. Why would I have used rounds? Why would I need to 'cut'?

I await your bro-wisdom with great eagerness.

 

[kevteop]

I don't quite "get" flatwounds.. I switched once.. and I had problems in the mix. rounds with treble turned down ARE flatwounds.. in my opinion. a great player can make either sounds great.

Sure both can sound great, but they don't sound the same. The envelope is different, the tone is different, flats give a feel closer to upright bass than rounds do.

my problem with flats was hearing in the mix. it truly depends on what music you're playing as well. for a dance cover band, for me, flats weren't aggressive enough. when I say "dance, " I mean Michael JAckson, Pink, Lady Gaga, etc.. with some Commodores etc mixed in. when the strings were too aggressive as rounds, I backed off the treble.

That's fine. Play whatever suits the music. If you were playing '60s stuff you'd find flats suit that sound a lot more, particularly old soul, ska/rocksteady or British beat stuff.

 

[Steven Ayres]

I still keep one bass strung with pressurewounds for that more piano-like sound, but it gets used pretty much exclusively for funk these days. All the other electrics, fretted and not, carry LaBella 760N black-tapes. These are not the right strings for the old-school dead-flat sound (appropriate for many players who use picks), they have depth and character and respond well to different finger techniques.

I object firmly to the idea that roundwounds somehow age into flatwound sound. No way they're anything like the same.

 

[Blankandson]

I play an old Warwick 5-string which requires tapered B and E strings. No one (really - I've searched everywhere!) no one sells tapered flats. So I have a tapered Warwick steel round EMP .145" low B, and the next four are all DR Flats. (I had to force the E into the slot) That's what my BL wants for our mix. The sound guy places my bass in the overall mix and it sounds OK - sort of. I do see several biggies with going from one to the other. With flats I've lowered the top four strings about 1.5 mm and still have no buzz. That makes work a little easier. Low B is actually now 1 mm higher due to buzz. My Warwick has J/J MEC active pups, but I can switch over to passive if I need that. I usually don't as the flats need more volume boost to get the same levels as the rounds. Sliding is a breeze and very quiet. Practicing without an amp sounds strange to me - it's a little difficult to hear the actual notes I'm playing. No problem with using an amp however. Right now I'm looking for a cheap 4-string bass to put the flats on and put the rounds back on the Warwick. Warwicks are just not designed to sound like a P-bass in a country band. My BL is a Nashville performer and that is what he likes - a P-bass with flats. Fine with me now but eventually I will need a second bass for the flats. Why a 4-string P-bass? I don't know if Fender ever intended for a P-bass to have more than 4 and it sounds nice to my old ears. Plus I can do more melody lines with less work with a 4-string. If a 5-string P-bass exists let me know. I'll try it out at least. Back to the post about using both flats and rounds on the same bass - try it - you may enjoy the differences you will hear.

 

[nerkoids]

Good question on the tapewounds. Haven't tried them myself but definitely willing to. What are the advantages / disadvantages?

I have.

They're not horrible. But, compared to GHS flats, kind of weak, wobbly, buzzy because they are really really really slinky.

 

[GIBrat51]

You already have a P with rounds, and a P with flats, which lots of folks would say is all you need, right there. And personally, I would leave that arrangement alone. Try some flats on the Yamaha. Maybe some La Bellas, or, a used set of TIs from the site here, if you don't want to spend the $$ for new. Or, just try whatever brand of flatwound strikes your fancy...If you don't like them on the BB300, there's no law that says you can't take them off. But, at least you'll know...

 

[crucislancer]

I have two Fender MIA Fender P-Basses: one a 2005 and the other a 2006. My 2005 P is strung with GHS Bass Boomers rounds and the 2006 P has D'Addario flats. Since I began playing bass back in 1999, all my basses had been strung with rounds, so it was a feel that I was used to.

I bought my '06 P used back in September of last year and it was already strung with flats. It felt strange at first, and I wasn't too thrilled about the feel of flats. But the more I played it the more I got used to the flats. So I figured, cool, I'll leave one P strung with rounds and the other with flats, for versatility.

Now I think I might like the flats better than the rounds, as far as feel and tone. With the treble rolled back a little ways, I get a growl with the flats that sounds really nice, vs. the same setting of the treble with the rounds. Plus I like it that there is no string noise when sliding my fingers on the flats.

So I've been doing some research on flatwound strings and what bass players like and dislike about them, vs. roundwound strings. LaBella ranks up there as favorites, along with TI's. And there seems to be the opinion that it's OK to have all your basses strung with flats and none with rounds.

BTW, I'm in a cover band that plays classic rock, modern rock, along with a little bit of country. I also have a 1986 Yamaha BB300 strung with GHS Bass Boomers roundwounds, and if I switch my other P to flats, I may just keep the Yammy as is.

Opinions? Advice?

If you feel that your sound will benefit by using flats exclusively, or even almost exclusively, then go for it. You can always switch back later if they don’t work out for you. I do recommend trying out a few different brands of flats, just to get a feel for some of the different types, or read up on the different types. There was an articles in Bass Player magazine recently, either the current issue or the one before it, where they mention a few different brands and their characteristics.

 

[Liam Wald]

Whether or not to switch to flats is such an unbelievably complicated and difficult decision for someone to make on their own it is really best to gather lots of opinions on the world wide web.
Something could go terribly wrong with irreversible consequences. It is a real life or death situation to say the very least.

 

[basspraiser]

I'm a rounds guy through and thorough BUT I will tell you that a set of Sadowski Black Label flat sounds sounds excellent on over of my PJs..

Hate them soloed...BUT in the mix.. It's another thing all together...

 

[Dougie44]

Yes

 

[Jefff]

I played Thomastics exclusively for about 10 years and they were great, the most musical sounding flats ever. But on those occasions, no matter how rare, you want BRIGHT, they just can't do it.

With a good tone pot it is a lot easier to dull a tone than it is to brighten it.

 

[hsech]

I have a P with flats, a P J with flats and a J with flats. I also have a Gibson EB-3 with flats, a Fender Mustang with Flats and a Fender Musicmaster with flats. I vote for flats.

 

[RicoTheBassMan]

Flats are a TB anomaly, still used in the real recording world, but rare in the wild. You need the rounds to cut in a live situation...no matter what you read in here..,

I played rounds for 30+ years before trying flats. I switched before I knew TB existed. If I'm playing with a smaller group, I play a Jazz w/flats. If I'm playing in a line up with multiple guitarists and/or an aggressive keyboard player, I play a PJ w/flats. I often have to be reminded to back off when I'm using the PJ. There is a lot more than strings that determine your volume, tone and the amount of punch you pack. I get that flats aren't for everyone and (arguably) also not for all styles. But don't make such a statement out of ignorance.

 

[blmeier7]

I've got one P with flats and another with rounds. For me, that's the way to go to get all the tones I want.

Like others have mentioned, not all flats are the same. I don't care for the feel of TI flats, and I just purchased a set of LaBellas and didn't care for them either. So you may want to try some to find the feel and tone you are after. DAdarrio Chromes are my favorite.

If you want to try a set of LaBellas that have less than an hour of playing time let me know and we can make a deal.

 

[japhy4529]

No. The End.

 

[LowEndWooly]

Always. The End.