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Switching to flatwounds

#61
Sanchez83 said:
Care to elaborate?
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I've just been told their strings are poor quality as in the alloy is a bad mix and they fail to meet their owner's expectations. I have personally never tried them, I would've thought that fender would produce good strings. Any other opinions?
 
#62
After reading the many flat threads in TB, I recently decided to hop on the wagon, I chose GHS, so far i'm diggin the sound(especially picked) and feel but my hand cramps and gets tired from the extra tension. I had to totaly reset my action.

I would assume that Fender wouldn't put there name on something considered junk, they must just have their own caracter.
 
#63
brotondo said:
After reading the many flat threads in TB, I recently decided to hop on the wagon, I chose GHS, so far i'm diggin the sound(especially picked) and feel but my hand cramps and gets tired from the extra tension. I had to totaly reset my action.

I would assume that Fender wouldn't put there name on something considered junk, they must just have their own caracter.
Click to expand...

I had a similar issue with a set of la Bella's. I switched to sadowsky's black label flats and have been really happy with them. Can't recommend them enough.
 
#65
I just switched to D'addario flats on my Warwick Corvette fretless. Dunno how they will be in the long run, but in the short run they are very nice. Really gives the bass the smooth character it wanted (yes, it did).
 
#66
mongo2 said:
Care to guess who makes Fender flats?
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I'm aware of the fact fender manufactures Fender strings, but I've never tried them and from what other bassists I know have told me that they are not the highest quality strings. I have yet to try them and I will as soon as I change strings.
 
#69
I've used TI flats on and off for many, many years. Just tried a set of DR Legend flats on my 72' P and was impressed. Great projection, even sounding up and down the board. That's something others seem to be missing, even TI's. Getting a flat to be consistent in the low and high registers is a feat.
 
#70
I use Ernie Ball flats on one of my P-basses and I like them a lot. I use the light guage (40-95, I think) and, to me they are right in the middle of the flat spectrum in terms of tone and tension.

Tone-wise, they're not as deep as LaBellas and not as bright as Chromes.
Tension-wise, they're not as loose as TIs and not as tight as Chromes or LaBellas.
For me, they're a really good all-rounder, but they don't seem to get a lot of love here on TB.

My other three basses sporting flats:
Danelectro - LaBella Danelectro flats - nice and thumpy, super-light guage, so not tight.
J-bass - RotoSound 77s - not your typical flats; lots of mids, medium-high tension, not as smooth as some others. They sound great on the Jazz.
'51 P-bass reissue - TI Jazz Flats - Love 'em. Low tension, tons of mids and detail.
 
#71
lfmn16 said:
As far as being looser, it's not like you're playing on cooked spaghetti.
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I tried stringing my bass with cooked spaghetti once. It sounded incredible; very saucy.

It was tough to get used to the low tension, though, and they didn't last at all. The next morning they had gotten cold and they were starting to stick to the fingerboard....
 
#72
Lo-E said:
I use Ernie Ball flats on one of my P-basses and I like them a lot. I use the light guage (40-95, I think) and, to me they are right in the middle of the flat spectrum in terms of tone and tension.

Tone-wise, they're not as deep as LaBellas and not as bright as Chromes.
Tension-wise, they're not as loose as TIs and not as tight as Chromes or LaBellas.
For me, they're a really good all-rounder, but they don't seem to get a lot of love here on TB.

My other three basses sporting flats:
Danelectro - LaBella Danelectro flats - nice and thumpy, super-light guage, so not tight.
J-bass - RotoSound 77s - not your typical flats; lots of mids, medium-high tension, not as smooth as some others. They sound great on the Jazz.
'51 P-bass reissue - TI Jazz Flats - Love 'em. Low tension, tons of mids and detail.
Click to expand...

Thx...I put a 5 string set on my stingray and there just starting to break in
 
#73
Flats have more tonal variation from one brand to another than rounds do, IME/ IMO. I've tried La Bella deep talkin(dark and thumpy), Sadowsky Black Label(brighter) and Ti's(assertive, mid-forward tone and lower tension). Of those I prefer the Ti's for their bright tone and 'growl,' and lower tension. But these qualities are exactly the opposite what most want in a flat, so I'd suggest you try some others first. If I was more into the thumpy tone I'd still be using La Bellas. They are a truly great string.
There is a market here for used flats, so it's not the end of the world if you buy some that you don't like. Happy thumping!
 
#78
I used the Fender Medium Stainless Steel flats for a few years and was real happy with them, then they came packaged differently, and wound with different tape on the end, and the tonal quality went downhill afer a couple of months. That's when I heard that Fender subbed them out to another manufacturer (around 2009). Tried D'Addario XL's and they are ok but nothing to write home about. Gonna check out Roto's next.
 
#80
ghostrider said:
Any suggestions on some durable flatwounds? I'm switching to flats and I was wondering if anyone could give some opinions, criticism, or advice on flatwounds.
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That must have been a retorical question. :D As you see there is endless amounts of opinions, criticism and advice on flats.

Grateful said:
Carvin Flats. Cheap. Thumpy. Not bad for the money. I've had these on a couple of different basses over the years, but none currently.
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Do you know who manufactures Carvin Flats?

BassBob1 said:
I would recommend starting with chromes. They aren't expensive and they are redily available just about anywhere you go if you aren't ordering online. Tone wise and how tight they feel are probably some were in the middle of the flatwound spectrum IMO. If it turns out you like them, great. If not people here can give you other suggestions based on what you did or didn't like about them. I will say they are very bright when brand new, almost roundwound like but that fades very quickly.
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Bingo! That's the best answer, IMO, of this entire thread. While there are countless opinions about what's this, what's that (and I personally respect all the opinions because it's mostly honest, gracious and experience from decades of a slew of working and just fun loving flatheads :D) ultimately your gonna have to strap some flats on and see for yourself, on your OWN bass. There are just too many variables. Starting with your fingers, to your bass. What tension feels right to you OR are willing to "adjust to". Your music style and sound your seeking. How they sound in the mix etc.
My advice is take an affordable first step and see where it leads you. I'm always looking for info on flats and tapewound and am no authority on either. But I know from reading and searching those threads enough to know it can get very opinionated and sometimes information overload. But that's because, again, all the variables through decades of experience.

Jazzdogg said:
Can you describe the sound you're trying to achieve?
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2nd best reply, IMO, of the entire thread!
If you can honestly answer that your gonna get closer to the bullseye here.

leavenone said:
I know this is a little different, but Rotosound's nylon tapewounds are pretty good too, if you are looking for that darker thump...
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I'm gonna strap some Chrome Flats on an MTD KZ5 fretless and see how that goes. I'm interested in Roto tapewounds but concerned that the gauges would mean mod to the nut. Am I wrong on that? :confused:
 

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