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Torn: rounds or flats

P

perkjos

Guest
Mar 10, 2013
140
34
Atlanta
#1
Hi all,

I need suggestions. I have only one bass (lakland 55-60) and I currently use sunbeams. I'm trying to decide if I want to put some TI flats on it. I've used less expensive flats before and the reason I'm only considering TI's is because they seem to be the most versatile flats from what I've read. I play all genres of music, finger pick 95% of the time and slap 5% of the time. I never use a pick. What I like about flats are the feel, the thickness of the sound , the way they cut through the mix, and their longevity. The only thing I like better about rounds is at times I want the attack that flats simply don't have. Money is tight so I don't want to spend $120 on TI's and decide to stick with rounds.

What would you do if you were me?
 
#2
With only one bass I would personally stick with rounds, nickels in my case.

An option could be the La Bella white tapewounds that are relatively bright for tapewounds/flatwounds. They are a bit special though, very slick to the touch, so they are maybe not for everyone.
 
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#8
Also, I recently switched to DR flats (slightly higher tension than Sunbeams) and do miss "the attack that flats simply don't have". To me that's more about the upper limits of dynamic range. Now I can't really snarl when digging in and my peaks aren't quite as intense, but we may be better off now as I might overdo it occassionally (or often). I think the DR flats are a nice transition from rounds, long as you don't mind a bit more tension.
I liked the TIs, and might dig a set if I was only doing fingerstyle, but with the current project requiring so much palm mute picking I never could adjust.
 
#9
interp said:
If you do like them (which is highly probable) they will last you 4-5 times longer that the $40-50 competitors.
Click to expand...
Very true. They could conceivably last forever. Until they somehow unravel, snap, or no longer intonate properly, they'll sound awesome. If those things don't happen, they can last for decades.
 
#10
It might depend on how important your 5% slap requirement is. TI flats suck big time for slap, at least for what I consider good slap tone - Marcus Miller, Daryl Jones, Johnny B. Gayden, etc. You might consider either the 40-95 set of Chromes or 40-100 Sadowsky flats. They still won't have the overtones your Sunbeams provide, but they'll be closer.
 
#11
perkjos said:
What I like about flats are the feel, the thickness of the sound , the way they cut through the mix, and their longevity.

What would you do if you were me?
Click to expand...

I've been on my "rounds vs. flats" journey myself for the last couple of years. And all the things you mentioned above about the flats are exactly what attracted me to them in the first place.

I will be retiring my 5-yr-old set of Chromes (ECB84, 40-60-80-100) next week to switch back to nickel rounds for now as I only own one bass - a Fender Jazz. I will definitely consider using flats again when I get a P bass as my second bass.

By the way, I did try a set of Sunbeams last year and liked them! Very smooth feeling (at least for rounds) with nice warm bottom and not-too-bright top end. I would definitely consider using them again on my Jazz.
 
#12
michael_t said:
I've been on my "rounds vs. flats" journey myself for the last couple of years. And all the things you mentioned above about the flats are exactly what attracted me to them in the first place.

I will be retiring my 5-yr-old set of Chromes (ECB84, 40-60-80-100) next week to switch back to nickel rounds for now as I only own one bass - a Fender Jazz. I will definitely consider using flats again when I get a P bass as my second bass.

By the way, I did try a set of Sunbeams last year and liked them! Very smooth feeling (at least for rounds) with nice warm bottom and not-too-bright top end. I would definitely consider using them again on my Jazz.
Click to expand...
Your comment about the p-bass is part of my dilemma. If I had a few hundred bucks sitting around then I would pick up a squier p and throw flats on it and leave rounds on the j. Maybe I just answered my question: used rounds and buy a cheap p when I can afford one.
 
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#14
perkjos said:
Your comment about the p-bass is part of my dilemma. If I had a few hundred bucks sitting around then I would pick up a squier p and throw flats on it and leave rounds on the j. Maybe I just answered my question: used rounds and buy a cheap p when I can afford one.
Click to expand...

I do regret selling my old MIM P bass, which my son used for three years when he played for the high school jazz band. It sounded great with Chromes on it. Should have kept it for myself when I got him a brand new Ibanez 5-string for his graduation gift.
 
#18
For those who like them, there is no other flatwound string besides TI Jazz Flats. I was not one of them. I greatly prefer Chromes for flatwounds as I felt like TI's sounded like rounds and would never die after 4 months. Chromes sound like rounds new but they lose that zing fairly quickly. But if I only had one bass, especially one like yours, I'd stick with rounds. OTOH, before I settled on one set of strings for my upright, I spent as much as $300 on a set, and that was 9 years ago and the same set would be closer to $400 now. And even the ones I settled on are $180 a set now. So while over $100 for electric bass strings is very high, you get off much easier than you do with upright bass strings ;)
 
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#19
The guitar players always look astounded when I tell them what a set of bass strings cost. They buy packs of ten sets or more cheap online. On the other hand they can change strings every gig or even more if/when they break a string, so I guess that evens things out a bit.
 
#20
perkjos said:
Hi all,

I need suggestions. I have only one bass (lakland 55-60) and I currently use sunbeams. I'm trying to decide if I want to put some TI flats on it. I've used less expensive flats before and the reason I'm only considering TI's is because they seem to be the most versatile flats from what I've read. I play all genres of music, finger pick 95% of the time and slap 5% of the time. I never use a pick. What I like about flats are the feel, the thickness of the sound , the way they cut through the mix, and their longevity. The only thing I like better about rounds is at times I want the attack that flats simply don't have. Money is tight so I don't want to spend $120 on TI's and decide to stick with rounds.

What would you do if you were me?
Click to expand...
If I was you, given what you said, I would go ti flats ... But don't expect your 5% slap to be any good ... Everything else 'should' be sweet. !!

Rossa
 

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