Switching from Rounds to Flats Advice

[Kipp Harrington]

Hi,
I have an American Elite Precision bass which I play with D'adario EXL160 50-105. I like em enough but wanted to try some flats, I have a lot of other instruments and can't really afford having a second bass I could have flats on.

On this bass I have a Pure Vintage 63 precision pickup and the stock Jazz bridge. I play mostly finger style and the occasional pick or slap.

I like players like Bernard Edwards, Roger Waters, John Paul Johns, Sting... well the list is long... so it is kind of varied.

So any suggestions on flats or even tapewounds would be very helpful.

Full, punchy, mellow tone = GHS Precision Flats

Tighter sounding with a bit more articulation, tad bit brighter with good punch also, D'addario Chromes

I've played both on my P and prefer the Chromes because I play mainly rock. But the GHS P Flats are fantastic also.

Verdict... you need to try them both; in no particular order.

 

[richwag]

I have tried sooooo many flats....and wish I had splurged for the TI Jazz flats in the beginning. That would have saved me a lot of time and $$. They are by faaaaar the lowest/closest in tension to rounds, sound bright enough to preserve articulation without unwanted sheen/ finger noise, and last a very long time. Chromes sound fine but are ridiculously high tension=not finger friendly at all IMHO.

I agree on Chromes. They are so friggen stiff. Try bending a G string. And they just sound like flats to me. The TI flats have much more mid tones and they're almost loose feeling.

I have a set of Chromes on a bass I don't play much and I picked it up the other day and still don't like them.

I fell in love with my Ti flats immediately. Different strokes I guess.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

IF you go with TI flats, you must have the discipline to WAIT for them to settle down. I bought a set a few years ago and didn’t like them at all. I tried them on several different basses and didn’t like them on anything until I got to my fretless Sigma acoustic bass. They were great for that bass, but I had to have some luthier work done on it and was out of commission for a while.

During that time, I tried the TI flats again on my Pbass. This time I loved them. The difference was that they had a couple years of playing time on them. I’m not saying you will have to wait two years before the strings settle, I’m saying if I would have left them on my Pbass for a few weeks back when I first tried them, I would now have been loving them for about three years....

 

[Paul New]

Yeah, at $135 Can. a set. Ridiculous! That ain't gonna' happen. I'll stick with my rounds......

Yeah, but they are not that bad in real money. Some people change them, I don't. I've had one set on a precision for 15 years, and it's fine.

 

[richwag]

IF you go with TI flats, you must have the discipline to WAIT for them to settle down. I bought a set a few years ago and didn’t like them at all. I tried them on several different basses and didn’t like them on anything until I got to my fretless Sigma acoustic bass. They were great for that bass, but I had to have some luthier work done on it and was out of commission for a while.

During that time, I tried the TI flats again on my Pbass. This time I loved them. The difference was that they had a couple years of playing time on them. I’m not saying you will have to wait two years before the strings settle, I’m saying if I would have left them on my Pbass for a few weeks back when I first tried them, I would now have been loving them for about three years....

Man, I loved them out of the box. How do they change with time?

 

[JEDI BASS]

Put it this way, you should try everything except the Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats, just so you can have that 'where have you been all my life' feeling when you finally do. Some people will slug it out with Chromes (and many prefer them), because they're cheap, and sound and feel really good, if not great. But to me, the TI flats feel a thousand times better under the fingers, and considering their legendary longevity, the price thing isn't a real issue. I like the more mid forward note definition, rather than the Chromes meatier (also muddier) bottom.

THIS RIGHT HERE!!

TIs are all that and then some.. very flexible and great low tension feel! I've tried 11+ different sets by GHS, EBMM, D'Addario, Dunlop, DR, LaBella (Golds, DTF, and LTF), Sadowsky, and some I've forgotten. TIs are my favorite w/ LaBella Low Tensions coming in a close 2nd. The LTFs sound different but feel so good!! They sit in the mix just as good as TIs too.

Other brands can be just as pleasant to play, if the gauges are light enough - .040 to .095 for instance. I prefer a .043 to .107 stainless roundwound set when not playing flats. So, it's not that I'm a light gauges kinda player. I just can't stand a stiff and/or high tension flat. I play 3-4 hour shows and don't need to fight a string or get a workout while playing. I also always recommend EBMM Cobalt or Dunlop flats to folks who want the feel of flats with the sound of roundwounds. They're quite bright, IMO.

 

[JEDI BASS]

You might have to give up some of your slap work, flats just don't do slap well.

Good luck,
Dirk

Try some EBMM Cobalts or Dunlops. They're very slappable!

 

[BaltBass5]

Advice...to each his/her own...but DON’T. Flats suck.

 

[JEDI BASS]

Even though flats can be higher tension than rounds, that same thing can make them easier to setup for super low action.

Very true, even with lower tension sets. I just removed my favorite roundwound 43-107 D'Addario ProSteels from a bass. I had taken care of a few high frets that I found, polished them all up and basically made the neck feel like silk. But, the ProSteels were still buzzing more than I liked w/ higher action and more relief. I replaced them with TIs and gave the neck barely any relief... it's practically dead straight. I slammed the action down at the saddles. The TIs barely buzz at all and, being flats, the buzz is a non-issue that will not be heard through my amp in a live setting.

 

[TuneIn]

so, real players here, who play bass, say repeatedly flats suck, and the crockers support the OP to spend money on a variety of poopy sounding strings. Some things never change here...on talkbass...

 

[richwag]

so, real players here, who play bass, say repeatedly flats suck, and the crockers support the OP to spend money on a variety of poopy sounding strings. Some things never change here...on talkbass...

Someone had an opinion I don't like and I'm an expert. Did I get that right?

And yea, no good bassists ever played flats did they? I mean, James Jamison, what a total wanker.

 

[ricknote]

Well I’ve only used 2 sets of flats. D’Addario Chromes and Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats. The Chromes are fairly inexpensive while the Jazz Flats are rather pricey. I like em both. I’ll say the Chromes are kinda boring sounding and are less flexible but sure are smooth. The Jazz Flats sound very distinct with a rich midrange character and are loosey goosey.

My two favorite flats as well.

 

[Doug4321]

so, real players here, who play bass, say repeatedly flats suck, and the crockers support the OP to spend money on a variety of poopy sounding strings. Some things never change here...on talkbass...

Someone should do a poll:
Crocker, flats cool
Crocker, flats poopy
Real player, flats cool
Real player, flats poopy

 

[Yahboy]

I have the chromes on my fretless Corvette tuned to 'Solo' tuning, i.e. F#, B, E, A, and they sound amazing.

Having used Chromes on the fretless StingRay for a couple of years I thought I would give EB Cobalt Flats a go. They don't feel like a flat and the are incredibly bright. I don't know if I 'love' them yet - they've only been on 2 weeks - but I very much like them right now. They don't really feel like flats due to the 'open' windings (compare the top image below to the Chromes in the second image), and they certainly don't sound like them. The transients are really fast and the harmonics really pop out - very much 'round' in character but with a stronger mid-focus that suits the fretless well. I've no idea if they improve or just die off with age.

View attachment 4116616
View attachment 4116617

The curent batch of Cobalt flat has tighter winding gap than earlier one.

 

[dusterdan70]

I’d recommend GHS Precision Flats...

I also really like Pyramid flats but not to start your foray into flats. A lot of players are turned off by the initial tonal imbalance and take them off before the magic happens.

Interestingly, I was disappointed in my first set of precision flats for the very reason you mention about the pyramids; particularly on the A and D strings there was soo much treble sounded like SS rounds! Popped on a set of Rotosound RS77LD’s and voila, perfect balance once again. To each they’re own

 

[JEDI BASS]

About the growl and roundwound tone EB cobalt flat, I prefer loaded on Jazz bass over pbass because the mid voice from cobalt flat has great match with scoop J tone while both pickup run.

That's what I have my Cobalts on my Bartolini loaded J bass.

 

[JEDI BASS]

so, real players here, who play bass, say repeatedly flats suck, and the crockers support the OP to spend money on a variety of poopy sounding strings. Some things never change here...on talkbass...

I'm a real player, been one for 31 years now. Since joining TB 13 years ago, I've experienced the opposite of what you say... from real players. They told me to try flats and that they were great. I was stubborn and stuck the same steel roundwounds on every bass I bought. I did try Chromes a few times and hated them! Anyways, I'm glad I listened to the real players, during my Covid break from gigging, and bought 15 or so different sets of flats. I doubt I'll ever go back to playing solely steel roundwounds. I always seem to grab one of the 11 or so basses that have flats and leave the other 19 gathering dust.

My opinion and experience: flats sound better, feel better, low tension or flexible flats play easier (lower action/buzz free setups), and they don't chew up the frets or fretboards. What's not to love?

 

[lowplaces]

like players like Bernard Edwards, Roger Waters, John Paul Johns, Sting... well the list is long... so it is kind of varied.

Roto 77's rock on a P Bass imo.

 

[lowplaces]

I think most of those guys played Rotosound Jazz Flats 77 at one time or another.

Ha, I replied and now see you already said the same thing !

 

[JEDI BASS]

Roto 77's rock on a P Bass imo.

That's one flat I haven't tried yet. I've been turned off to the brand since I got disgusted with their Sheehan signature strings, back in 1990. They were $35 per set at the local store when other sets were $15. That's comparable to TI prices today. I bought a few sets, and they always died within just a few days. I haven't played a Rotosound since.