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Thinking of maybe going for flats…

JimmyO

JimmyO

Dec 15, 2004
435
1,237
Rochester, NY
#1
OK, so other than a reissue Epi Rivoli I owned for a bit a million years ago, I’ve never had a bass strung with flats. Most of my life I’ve played a lot of funk and slap, so rounds have always been my thing.

My current, new band focuses on garage rock and punk, with some cool older stuff thrown in, Beatles, Kinks, etc… I’m also playing with a pick 80% of the time, which is new for me but I’m really enjoying it.

So, of my three main basses, a 1993 MIJ Jazz, a 2022 Rick 4003, and a new Mod Shop Precision, if I were to put flats on one of them, which would you recommend? Or should I consider hybrids? I feel like this is a much bigger commitment than it actually is, so seeking as much input as possible. Thx!
 
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#3
If you're used to rounds, I wouldn't put flats on your J but do consider to wrap the P bass or Ric with 'em. You can probably listen to samples on the interwebs. Flats on a P provide classic and eternal tone as does with the Ric, but more so with the P (especially using a pick).

Good luck
 
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#7
Yeah, I think deep down I know it’s the P that will sound best. But I just got this Mod Shop P, and I love it so gd much as it is with the rounds.

So the thought occurred to me, get an inexpensive backup Precision and take that for a spin with flats for a while to see for myself. And it just so happens I have a couple instruments I don’t really play/need, so I put up a wanted/trade ad to see if I get any bites.
 
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#10
Finally got a P bass back in my life yesterday. Came with a nice set of rounds, and I'm planning on getting a set of flats, too. Takes, what, 5 minutes to change them? Is there some downside to that I'm unaware of?
 
#11
DCErik said:
Finally got a P bass back in my life yesterday. Came with a nice set of rounds, and I'm planning on getting a set of flats, too. Takes, what, 5 minutes to change them? Is there some downside to that I'm unaware of?
Click to expand...

None at all, and I recognize I may be overthinking it. It’s just that I know I love my J, my Rick, and my P as they are with rounds. So deciding which may be converted to flats is a tough decision.
 
#12
JimmyO said:
OK, so other than a reissue Epi Rivoli I owned for a bit a million years ago, I’ve never had a bass strung with flats. Most of my life I’ve played a lot of funk and slap, so rounds have always been my thing.

My current, new band focuses on garage rock and punk, with some cool older stuff thrown in, Beatles, Kinks, etc… I’m also playing with a pick 80% of the time, which is new for me but I’m really enjoying it.

So, of my three main basses, a 1993 MIJ Jazz, a 2022 Rick 4003, and a new Mod Shop Precision, if I were to put flats on one of them, which would you recommend? Or should I consider hybrids? I feel like this is a much bigger commitment than it actually is, so seeking as much input as possible. Thx!
Click to expand...
@JimmyO -
TI flats sound amazing on everything, and have a premium feel waaaay beyond standard. No matter which bass you own or whether you play with fingers or a pick, you'll be blown away. The best part is that you'll only have to buy them once, as they can last for decades.

You can find Thomastik JF344 flats on Amazon for $66, which is only about $20 or so more than many other flats on the market. They're the best value in strings that you'll find. :thumbsup:
 
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#13
nixdad said:
@JimmyO -
TI flats sound amazing on everything, and have a premium feel waaaay beyond standard. No matter which bass you own or whether you play with fingers or a pick, you'll be blown away. The best part is that you'll only have to buy them once, as they can last for decades.

You can find Thomastik JF344 flats on Amazon for $66, which is only about $20 or so more than many other flats on the market. They're the best value in strings that you'll find. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Thanks man, I have been pondering TI’s in general. Curious what the hype is all about. With the high price I wonder if it’s like a single malt scotch. Sure, the $$ 12 year is great, but omfg the $$$$ 18 year is next level.
 
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#15
When I started playing bass back in 1969, all basses came strung with flat wounds and I don't think round wounds were available. I was playing a Fender p-bass fretless and I strung it with LaBella tapewounds and loved them. Then one night we were playing a club that had hired 2 bands. One heavy southern rock and our band that was more country and classic rock. Their bass player was playing a Ric with a pick with roundwounds through an Acoustic 360. He had the best bass sound I had ever heard. The next day I went and bought a set of Rotosound swingbass roundwounds and put them on my old Fender. The sound opened up like never before and I have never looked back. I have a G&L LB100 Tribute that is strung with flats just in case I get a studio gig that calls for it but, flatwounds just sound dull and lifeless to me. (jmho)
 
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#16
Your mention of Beatles and Kinks covers makes me think Ric, but I don't think there are any bad choices. A P bass is probably the easiest to get a useable tone out of for your application, but a jazz bass is also nice in a not so obvious kind of way (Dead Kennedys and The Stooges both come to mind). If you prefer the tone of rounds, you might want to try EB Cobalt Flats. They're not dead-on for a round, but they're certainly much brighter than your average flat, and they stay pretty bright once you wear them in, plus you can always dampen them with your tone knob and/or a mute of some kind. If you want a more traditional flatwound experience though, I'd probably just defer to whatever else is most recommended here, as my only other flatwound experience has been with Rotosounds, and I wasn't much of a fan personally.
 
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#17
Just put some LaBella Flats on my '76P Bass. unexpected slight fret buzz problem which apparently is due to the increased tension that flats can have over roundwounds, so I now need to do a slight truss rod adjustment.
 
#18
I would put LaBella Deep Talkin Bass Flats on the Mod Shop Precision, either the 760FL or the 760FS (more thump, but also more tension). Another great option are the LaBella Low Tension Flats (LTF, more flexible and less attack).

Remember, flatwound strings need some time to mellow out, and often there is one string that takes longer than the others.

This break-in phase can be demanding on your patience, so resist the urge to end the flatwound experiment immediately. Instead, search for “Eucerin” in this forum, it turns out that a treatment with a certain brand of skin care can accelerate that process.

I used it to great success on the A string on my Mustang (LaBella 760 MUS, same gauge as the 760FL) and the G string on my Jazz Bass (LaBella LTF).
 
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#19
A slightly cheaper alternative to TI’s is the lesser known, but similarly constructed ( round core, silk overlay, nickel wraps) Optima RB 4440L flatwounds that some consider superior to the vaunted TI Jazz fiats.
Strings By Mail is a distributor of Optima strings in the U.S. SBM has the RB 4440L for 20 bucks less than the TI JF344’s. Invalid Link Removed
Interestingly the Optima RB 4440L are a tweaked rehash of the Maxima S4440 which are most noted as the stock strings on Sir Paul’s Ric4001S, which he was given in 1964. He may have used them on some albums. He migrated to Trubass 88’s on the Ric in 1969.
So maybe you could try the Optimas on your Ric. I haven’t tried Optima RB’s myself and nor do I own a Ric. So take what I say with a grain of salt. Flatwounds I can vouch for are La Bella DTF, Fender 9050 ,GHS Precision flats and D’addario XL Chromes. The Chromes are brightest of those I’ve tried. The GHS the darkest.
 
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#20
I can recommend against Thomastik Jazz - they do NOT play well with a pick unless maybe if you're Carol Kaye.
Good starting points for each bass:
P bass: La Bella 760FL or 0760M (extra-high tension) or GHS P Flats for classic Jamerson tone. Rotosound 77 for a Brit rock tone a la John Deacon and Roger Waters.
Rickenbacker: Optima RB Flats for late-Beatles Sir Macca tone. If you're open to tapewounds, he also used Rotosound 88.
J bass: John Entwistle used La Bella on it for My Generation. John Paul Jones used Rotosound 77 with Led Zeppelin.
 
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