What is your favorite flatwound?

[e-flat]

My Top 5 Flats:
- TIs
- Dogal Traditional Vintage
- Optima RB
- Pyramid Gold
- La Bella Low Tension

There are lots of great flats these days, but for what you describe I’d suggest that you try some TIs. Optima are a good option too if you want a tad more tension.

 

[russellh86]

TIs and Labella Low Tension for long scale basses and Dunlop’s for my short scale

 

[Wfrance3]

Labella LTFs

 

[Dirk Rockbottom]

Roto 77s.

What gauge? 105?

 

[J-Mags]

I think you might like Ernie Ball Slinky flats. They sound more like rounds than flats. They feel a little rough when new, but then smooth out.

The various flavors of GHS nickel-wound rounds, from Pressurewounds to Balanced Nickel to Boomers have a lot of low and mid with an easy high end, but sounds fully round. My favorite is Boomers, but if you want a smooth feel, the Pressurewounds be are great too.

I play primary with a pick and don't like the sound of a pick on a roundwound string. Otherwise, I'd be playing one of those two.

 

[Bander]

I haven't spanned the entire market, but D'Addario and GHS are always consistent, high quality and fresh. There are brands that I avoid, due poor packaging/corrosion, unstable pitch qualities, unreliable thru the years.

 

[InnerBass]

After trying a ton of different flats and not being completely happy with any of them, I've settled on Black Diamond flats for the A / D / G strings and a TI Jazz Flat for the E string.
The Black Diamond strings are amazing, but the E string is way too muddy for me.
So I slapped a TI Jazz Flat E string on and - "Ding!" - that was the ticket.
IMHO, it now sounds like a perfectly matched set of flat wound strings.

My 2 bucks

 

[-Asdfgh-]

TIs. Although I have some cheap 'Olympia' brand ones to try.

 

[Dirk Rockbottom]

I think you might like Ernie Ball Slinky flats. They sound more like rounds than flats. They feel a little rough when new, but then smooth out.

The various flavors of GHS nickel-wound rounds, from Pressurewounds to Balanced Nickel to Boomers have a lot of low and mid with an easy high end, but sounds fully round. My favorite is Boomers, but if you want a smooth feel, the Pressurewounds be are great too.

I play primary with a pick and don't like the sound of a pick on a roundwound string. Otherwise, I'd be playing one of those two.

I think you might like Ernie Ball Slinky flats. They sound more like rounds than flats. They feel a little rough when new, but then smooth out.

The various flavors of GHS nickel-wound rounds, from Pressurewounds to Balanced Nickel to Boomers have a lot of low and mid with an easy high end, but sounds fully round. My favorite is Boomers, but if you want a smooth feel, the Pressurewounds be are great too.

I play primary with a pick and don't like the sound of a pick on a roundwound string. Otherwise, I'd be playing one of those two.

I've been playing more with a pick lately. Walking blues lines for me are better with fingers, but I find the pick gives more punch and better for accuracy especially in fast tempos. Thanks.

 

[keith1r]

 

[Linnin]

You should give GHS Balanced Nickels a try. They are pure nickel strings and have a smooth feel for a round wound string. They give the full fundamental without sounding dead or too thumpy. I used too use only flats but these are all that I use now.

It's the 'Sound of Bourbon'.

 

[devnulljp]

Roto 77s.

I haven't tried those. Was a Rotosound rounds guy for decades but never thought to try the flats when I switched over on the PBass.
I like Thomastiks and DR flats. Chromes in a pinch (actually, the short scale Chromes were perfect on my short scale EB0).

 

[GrapeBass]

I haven't tried those. Was a Rotosound rounds guy for decades but never thought to try the flats when I switched over on the PBass.
I like Thomastiks and DR flats. Chromes in a pinch (actually, the short scale Chromes were perfect on my short scale EB0).

I was a D'Addario Half Wound guy until I acquired a P-Bass that has old, worn in Chromes... now I installed Fender 9050Ls on my MiM Ash Jazz Bass, they're just beginning to break in (1 mo.) and I must admit, they are punchy as hell, articulate and 'demanding.'

 

[Dirk Rockbottom]

After trying a ton of different flats and not being completely happy with any of them, I've settled on Black Diamond flats for the A / D / G strings and a TI Jazz Flat for the E string.
The Black Diamond strings are amazing, but the E string is way too muddy for me.
So I slapped a TI Jazz Flat E string on and - "Ding!" - that was the ticket.
IMHO, it now sounds like a perfectly matched set of flat wound strings.

My 2 bucks

Interesting. TI's are ridiculously expensive.

Well, now I know why the TI's are so expensive. IMO they sound way better than all the other ones. Don't care much for the Rotosounds. It was a toss-up between the other 3. This was very helpful. I guess I got to get out my wallet and spend some money on a set of TI's. Thanks! ☺

 

[fermata]

TI Jazz Rounds are the string you’re describing. After several years of flat wound use, I’ve switched to these, and I’m not looking back.

 

[InnerBass]

Interesting. TI's are ridiculously expensive.
Well, now I know why the TI's are so expensive. IMO they sound way better than all the other ones. Don't care much for the Rotosounds. It was a toss-up between the other 3. This was very helpful. I guess I got to get out my wallet and spend some money on a set of TI's. Thanks! ☺

The TI’s are great strings and my fingers/hands absolutely love them. Some people find them a bit too “middy” and I think I know what they mean. I prefer the word “articulate”. They have great definition and feel wonderful. I find the Black Diamonds have more tonal depth than the TI ‘s without the high tension. But they’re still really articulate.
But the Black Diamond E strings are to me stiff and muddy, which is really a bummer. The TI E string seems to blend with the BD flats seamlessly.

It may be a case of making lemonade out of a lemon - but it definitely works for me

 

[mrm56]

Ti are the go to.. but when i need/want down there ol school bass tone.. its pyramid, like no other.

 

[waynobass]

Ernie Ball Cobalts. A totally different sound than most flats. Brighter like a round.

Ernie Ball cobalt flats forever!!! I no longer bother with any other flat.

 

[Smokey Lynx]

Tapewounds are a good suggestion to try
Chromes have a scooped mid sound which some might describe as hollow .
Their treble top end is too much for me soloed , but fits well when playing with other instruments.
The Chromes take a while to break in.
The gauge is just right since they are a little bit high tension.
I tried the GHS Precision Flats and they were a good match on my Fender American Standard Precision bass, ....but not my Epiphone El Kapitan .
The light set was just too light for me , I changed the 3rd and 4th strings to my usual .80 and .105 after a few weeks.

 

[PWRL]

TIs most of all. I do like Chromes and D'Addario tapes (which are flat) on the right basses, too.