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What is your favorite flatwound?

#122
Dirk Rockbottom said:
I would like to get some opinions on flatwounds. I have tried mainly chromes and stainless steel including LaBella Deep Talkin', D'Addario and GHS. My problem is that the chromes sound too hollow and clangy and the stainless steel sound too dead. I would like something bright but not clangy, deep but not dead. Rounds are too rough for me and hurt my fingertips. They also sound too raspy. But if someone could recommend a roundwound with a smoother tone, I might reconsider. The DR nickel plated steels are close but still don't totally do it for me. Thanks, Dirk
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been using la bella flats since 1966. never did me wrong. never broke one. put some more deep talking recently and they are very bright. stainless
 
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#124
20190922_153722.jpg
Aqualung60 said:
+ This. I've tried many flats but always come back to the 9050L's.
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++ My Fender American Professional with Fender Pure Vintage '63s and a 920D wiring harness with CTS pots and a 47 Sprague orange drop cap loves the 9050s and so do I. I play through a Markbass 102 Little Marcus and can get plenty bright, and dirty if need be.
 
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#129
brother21 said:
D'Addario Chrome's- Question is how long do we leave them on? My P bass has the same set from 5yrs ago. Remembering when I changed them the "new brighter" sound didn't last very long maybe 3 months. They still sound good. I can't imagine swamping out $40 flats for flats very often.
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Yes, my D'Addario chromes are starting to mellow now since posting this thread. I guess patience is a virtue. I like a mixed set. Medium lights on the E and A. Mediums on the D and G. Have them on my FJ. GHS Stainless on the Lakland Skyline gives a nice old school thump.
 
#135
jj4001 said:
Fender 9050L for me so far. Best feeling flat I've tried. Perfect stiffness for me. They went through a couple tonally questionable phases through the break-in period, but I love how they sound on a P now that they're almost two years old. They have a presence in the mids that I was missing from LaBella 760FL.

Had .045-.100 (I think) Chromes on an '85 4003. Those strings were great on that bass. Sounded like an earthquake.

I had TIs on a '80 4001 for a while but I had to pull the plug. Best tone, but too loose for me. Only flat I've tried that sounds great right out of the box. If I had them on my #1 bass then I could get used to them. Having them on a backup didn't work for me. That said, I can definitely understand why people love these strings so much.

That 4001 is being setup now with Optima Red Box flats. Nickle wrap and round core like TI. Reading about them a little around here has me hoping they're similarly stiff as Fender 9050L. Excited to try them out.
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When you say "loose" I assume you are referring to low tension. If so, what don't you like about low tension? Do they buzz the frets if you pick too hard? Just curious.
 
#136
Low Main said:
I use different flats for different situations. And a set of flats can sound different when strung on different basses. I found a few brands of flats I liked and got them matched to the right basses (IMO).
Some basses just don't like flats at all. I have a Yamaha BB-414 that hid under the bed and cried when I put flats on it, but when I restrung it with rounds, it was completely reborn.
Brands I like: LaBella, Thomastik, D'Addario, Sadowsky, DR, (used to like Rotosounds but something happened to the quality)
Also like tapewounds of various brands.
Also like groundwounds, Pressurewounds, Half Rounds, etc.
Flatwound brands I don't like: Dean Markley, GHS, Fender (I'll edit the post if I can think of a few others).
The Chromes don't sound great on a resonant bass, like a hollowbody. But they sound decent on something like a P Bass, especially after they are broken in and have lost the zing.
If you can learn to like Chromes, they are often the only flatwound string that you can walk into a music store and buy off the rack. The designated generic people's choice.
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Funny!
 
#139
Dirk Rockbottom said:
When you say "loose" I assume you are referring to low tension. If so, what don't you like about low tension? Do they buzz the frets if you pick too hard? Just curious.
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Clank. Especially on that bass. It takes a lighter approach to control the TIs. It's not a bad thing at all. It was fun when I had the chance to really play that bass and get the feel of those strings. Then I'd play a bunch of gigs on a different bass and have to kind of start all over again. I do prefer flats on the lower tension or lighter gauge side (especially my left hand), but these were a bridge too far for me (and my right hand).

They didn't cause any fretbuzz. They did, however, rattle against the pickup cover if I really snapped at the strings (like when you're playing Rio!). Really can't blame the strings for the basses' idiosyncrasies, though.
 
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