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Smooth Flatwounds with Punch?

#41
gary m said:
Maybe, but where else are you going to get a set of LaBellas at Carvin's prices?
Click to expand...

There is some legitimate debate as to weather Carvin Flats are LaBella's or not. They used to be, but I've read some intriguiging posts that they may have switched to GHS.

I got a brand new Carvin in September with flats, and the silk was purple. Also the strings were very smooth and thumpy, but not very bright. I've heard people on here saying that they were GHS and not LaBella's, and their argument seemed to have some merit. I've never used GHS or LaBella's so I cannot confirm or deny but..............

LaBella's say on their website not to use them for thru-body bridges and all Carvin basses have thru-body so they may have changed?????????????
 
#42
Try a set of DR's flatwounds. I can only compare them to D'Addio's Chromes I also use.

They don't have the crisp chime at the end like the XL Chromes do, but they just have their own sound, which is very solid, percussive >thunk!< like Carl Radle's playing with JJ Cale, or Berry Oakly with the Allman's Live Filmore era - I love 'em. Much smoother than XLs, and much lower tension so find them more playable. In fact, its hard to keep my hands off them. To use an over used term, they play buttery smooth - really. When/if they wear out, I will buy them again.
 
#43
man, this subject is so subjective , ive seen roto 77's described as smooth (IMHO theyre rougher than any flats ive tried ) and pyramids described as rough (IMHO the 2 sets I have feel like glass and I can barely see any seams)
 
#44
Giving this thread a bump.

Turns out the NOS Chromes I got are too high tension due to their larger gage.

I am thinking of trying something else again.

At this point its either Sadowsky regular flats or the GHS precision flats.

Again I want a super smooth string, that is punchy and medium tension.

Which set should I go for?
 
#45
::::BASSIST:::: said:
Giving this thread a bump.

Turns out the NOS Chromes I got are too high tension due to their larger gage.

I am thinking of trying something else again.

At this point its either Sadowsky regular flats or the GHS precision flats.

Again I want a super smooth string, that is punchy and medium tension.

Which set should I go for?
Click to expand...

I also find the chromes a little too high tension for my taste.

I used the GHS a long time ago and can't really remember much about them. but the Sadowsky reg flats can be defined as a super smooth string, that is punchy and medium tension. :cool:
I really love them. you won't be dissapointed.
 
#47
i use the ECB80 chromes on a couple of my basses and love 'em. they're low tension, almost as low as TI flats (i have them on three other basses (and love them too).

i used the GHS brite flats for a while, but their E ended up going dull pretty quickly and the rest of them didn't.

i also tried the new Fender 9050L's (light guage) and didn't care for them at all. they had too much tension for being a light gauge string and were way too bright for my taste.

i have some of the older fender flats (light guage .045-.095) on a couple of my p basses and they sound and feel like the flats that fender basses came in the late 60's/early 70's. a little stiffer than the TI's and ECB80's but are very smooth feeling and not as bright. (IMO, they sound awesome)

BTW, i've never had a set of pyramid flats that i didn't like.

YMMV......
 
#48
Ive heard good things about Optima
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and Elites
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but I haven't tried either of them...

The LaBella flats I have on a short-scale six-string are extremely smooth, definitely smoother than the D'A Chromes I have on two of my long-scale four-strings.
 
#50
Fran Diaz said:
I also find the chromes a little too high tension for my taste.

I used the GHS a long time ago and can't really remember much about them. but the Sadowsky reg flats can be defined as a super smooth string, that is punchy and medium tension. :cool:
I really love them. you won't be dissapointed.
Click to expand...
^Cool. :)

I've been reading about Webstrings' "Detroit Flatwounds" and they sound very nice too... especially for $16.99.

I think I'll add those to the list of possibilities.
 
#56
I have Sadowskys on one bass and Fenders on another.

I think that the Sad's feel more "solid" and are smooth as you'd like. I like punch rather than twang and clang - I never seem to need to use the tone to tame them like I do with the Fenders. That said, the Fenders are on a different bass, lighter gauge and newer - but that's my impression of them, the Sad's are more like want I think you'd want, having listened to your group's recordings.

Just my 2c
 
#58
do you guys get the same Rotosound flats in the US that we get in the UK?

There's a couple of guys saying that they're rough, sure its not groundwound or something? They're easily the smoothest string I've ever used.

I've been playing them on the same bass now for 7 months and they're every bit as good as they were when I first fitted them.

Oh yeah, and they're punchy as hell too. that's what i like about them.

If I can get a punchy sound using an Epiphone Goth Thunderbird through a GK 700RB II into a Hartke 215XL then they must be good.
 

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