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Using rounds like flats

G

geddy402

Jul 20, 2012
583
108
#1
So I'm thinking of leaving my rounds on my p bass indefinitely. Everyone talks about flats and how they've had them on they bass for years, but had anyone done this with rounds?

I know one of the main purposes of using round is for the brighter tone but the set I have on my p bass have mellowed out nicely by still have some bite. Would it be weird if I left them on for a long time? Is there anything structurally with rounds that will cause them to fail before flats? I'm thinking there is and I'm going to break a string at a pretty inconvenient time...

There's probably a reason why flats are more expensive...
 
#2
Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden does this with our Boomers; the only time he changes them is when they break.

As far as cost difference, there are a couple more steps that go into making flats over rounds as well as the ribbon wire used, which translates into higher cost.
 
#3
My opinion regarding strings is as long as they sound how you want them to sound, keep them. If you like how they sound and they haven't broken yet, it doesn't matter if they're 20 years old, they haven't "failed". While rounds sound different after the same amount of time as old flats (rounds tend to lose their character and flats tend to settle in to theirs) it's all personal preference.
 
#6
Old rounds are great, they can be prone to breakage and also losing intonation or tuning stability. I had a set of Hi Beams last me over 2 years before the E broke. I took them off and cleaned them a few times which may have compromised them slightly.
 
#7
My experience with really old rounds: the tuning/intonation problem and a super deadness that just isn't pleasing. There just seems to be a point, somewhere between month 10 and month 20, where they just give up the ghost in a really bad way. I have been going 4 to 6 months with DR Sunbeams and that seems good to me.

I have no personal experience with flats.
 
#8
WoodyG3 said:
I have heard that older strings can sometimes develop problems with uneven intonation along the length of the string. I've had rounds on a bass for well over a year and have not had this problem, though.
Click to expand...

Yeah, although, in defence of rounds, this happens with flats as well. While this has never happened to me with TI flats, I have had this happen with Roto 77s and my guess is that it could happen with other flats (even though it is a know issue with the rotos).

I will agree with fourstringdrums, use what you like the sound of.
 
#13
I dont care for rounds once they get all scummy and dead sounding, I have a set of Labella flats that I've been playing for ten years and they still sound great. Just pony up for a decent set of flats if thats the tone your after. Rounds sound better when there newer and have that trebly tone, thats the reason they made them that way.
 
#14
I have the original 10 year old rounds on a Fender P/J.
It works great for that classic thump or playing along with acoustic guitar.
I purposefully have basses with varying degrees of string deadness for particular recorded sounds.
I also have basses that I like to keep new, fresh, bright 'n zingy strings on for those trebly recorded tones too.
 
#15
Before I changed to flats I had the same set of rounds on my bass for over 5 years, and I was gigging pretty regularly all that time as well. Never had any problems at all with sounds or intonation or anything like that.
 
#18
Before I switched to flats about 10 years ago, I had a Jazz bass with Fender pure nickel rounds that I left on for many years. I generally liked the tone but they never sounded like flats. They developed a sort of hollow thud and lacked the punch and clarity that old flats can give you. Never really had any issues with intonation but they certainly hit a peak at some point and then went down hill in terms of tone. To me good flatwounds (I prefer La Bella) just get better with age.

Flatwound Strings Review
 
#19
Tuning and intonation problems with a lack of tone has been my experience with old rounds, but I was into the roto sound so I was biased. I would have to leave a set of rounds on for a while and compare with the flats I use now to compare the difference.
 

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