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What have I done??!!!!!

M

Mr. Mig

Sep 7, 2008
990
11
#1
Ok guys, here is the situation. I have a 79' P Bass that I love and would NEVER get rid of and for as long as I can remember i always used Blue Steel Medium strings. I thought I 'd try something different so I got RotoSound Flatwound Mediums. I always stayed aways from Flat because I was told they were dead sounding, but now that I have tried them I thing they are pretty awesome. I like the Jazzier sound. Mind you they are a little dead for slap and pop playing, but they don't really give any fretboard sounds. "Duller"? yes, but "cleaner". Has this happened to anyone else?? Any other converts to flatwound? Have I walked out on my beloved Blue Steel forever? :crying:
 
#2
Steve Harris from Iron Maiden uses flats as an example and he sounds great.

I play flats on a Sadowsky, Stingray and a 1974 Fender. Flast are easy on your fingers, nail that old school tone (rounds weren't even invented until the mid-'60's) and sound suprisingly good for almost all music. I wouldn't play any RHCP that has lots of slap with flats, but you never know....

BTW... my love affair with flats started only 2 years ago and I am still predominantly a rounds player.
 
#3
I have my p string with flats, has been for about... 8 months now. It's weird, some days I love them, others they sound.... sterile? I think thats the best way. I keep thinking maybe I should upgrade my PU but its a love/hate thing. Its odd.
 
#7
About 2 years ago, I really got into the D'angelo/Pino Palladino sound and bought a '69 P-bass with 10 year old flats on it. I fell in love, and gave up all of my slapping and tapping for my newfound style. 2 years later, I'm playing a lot of gospel gigs that require me to slap, so I have replaced my flatwounds with DR Sunbeams which are very warm and have learned how to get that muted sound with roundwounds. I look back at those two years as a learning experience of feel. If I had a clone of my '69 I would string one with rounds and one with flats because I will always love that flatwound thump, but for live playing, I find rounds to be more versatile. The studio is a much different story....
 
#10
New guy here but been playing a long time. I started out with flatwounds then as I started reading and seeing and playing more got into roundwounds, mostly the classic Rotosounds. I would go back and try flatwounds or half-rounds occasionally but never cared for them after the Rotos. Fast forward to the last few years when I started to hear about Thomastik flatwound's and tried them and fell in love. It's not about the brand, just that I'm glad people are making really good or better flatwounds these days. For me, a slightly old schooler, there's no sound or feel compromise anymore so I'm a flatwounder to stay.

-Bodie
 
#12
I loves me some flats. Roto Monal flats sound phat on my SB-2 and I use Labella 760M's on my SX P blues machine.
The Bella's have to broken in for a few months...

Definitely try some different brands/gauges. It plays havoc with your setup but... IMHO, There is much more variety among flatwound strings in terms of how they each sound than rounds.
You're in a whole new world... and it's flat.
:bassist:
 
#18
Try D'Addario Chromes! They are the most slappable flats out there! They aren't all thud like other flats, they actually have a nice slap tone with your tone or treble knob turned up.
They are also reasonable. Going $25.00 for a four string set, {Iv'e seen them for $21.00 in some places} they are quite a bargain too. You can't beat the bottom, warmth, attack, thud, and beefiness you get with Flats! Go For It!!! :hyper:
 
#19
i was blue steel roundwound player for YEARS.....when i got my schecter a couple years back, i decided to throw some flats on there because i love the way it feels to play my upright. loved it. the bass practically plays itself. dr flats for me......except on my new wish bass. it's got rounds on it and for some reason i love it.
 

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