What strings for Reggae ? Flats ?

[Funky40]

Heya,

i like to try some Reggae,
and just can´t get into that feel correctly.
I had some listening and i´d guess they use flats, right ?
Mandatory to use flats for reggae ?


i use a *very* modern setup Bass. NO P-Bass or so. (30-32" short- / multi- scale)
Nord BigBlades with East EQ/pre, semi-custom 4 Band. Nickelplated strings
Gives a *very* clear sounding sound.

To Note: NO Amp for me !
homeuse only ! I have a good tube-pre incl. onboard EQ. / also good headphones !

since Pyramid is for me in good reach to order, would i go with Pyramid flats.
just need the thumbs up from here, hehe.

sum up:
1. Flats, right ?
2. mandatory ?
edit: 3. do the flats need to be more "middly" or more "thumby" ?

 

[trothwell]

You might consider tapewound strings also. Pyramid makes a set.

 

[Funky40]

You might consider tapewound strings also. Pyramid makes a set.

ok, sounds my assumption with the flats is correct, then ?
Tapewounds, interesting.
I´ve put on tapewounds on my 4-string fretless early this years, whne i started to play Bass again after a 18 years break. But, i never play that Bass.
Need to check.
( only playing headless, and ideall shortscale / still health issues)

Thanks for the feedback

 

[trothwell]

ok, sounds my assumption with the flats is correct, then ?
Tapewounds, interesting.
I´ve put on tapewounds on my 4-string fretless early this years, whne i started to play Bass again after a 18 years break. But, i never play that Bass.
Need to check.
( only playing headless, and ideall shortscale / still health issues)

Thanks for the feedback

Yeah, I'd probably favor something more flat than round for reggae. To me, tapewound just seems like it would fit better than flatwound, but either would likely be better than roundwound. I'm not familiar with the tone of the Pyramid tapes, though; I think Rotosounds might work well if you can find them.

 

[GwenOnBass]

DR Legend flatwounds here, if I'm not very much mistaken

​

 

[Funky40]

i´m thinking now about to buy a cheap bass just for flatwounds/Reggae experimentation.

would a shortscale do ? ..........30". 4 string.
( i would convert it to headless, so i could use any strings anyway)

Give me please a GO or NO for a 30" shortscale.
Just for Flats and doing/learning the Reggae thing for the better.
( i have health issues, 34" is not a good idea any longer )



i have two 5ers, one has a expensive East EQ, for the other do i have another East EQ set in the mail.
would just be a waiste to put flatwounds on such a bass. Can´t do that.

 

[Lo-E]

Flats are not mandatory. Nothing, in fact, is mandatory.

before investing time, money and effort into new equipment, strings, etcetera, simply roll the treble off until you find a reasonably tubby tone and spend some time getting a good feel for playing the music. Modern equipment and roundwound strings are more than capable of giving you a warm, fat sound and I think you’ll find that your technique and your feel will play a much bigger role in getting a good reggae sound than strings will.

 

[bass12]

Flats are not at all mandatory for reggae. EQ and technique are much more important. Now, if you are going for a specifically old-school reggae aesthetic then flats are a good idea, and you might also want to try placing some foam underneath the strings at the bridge. But, again, flats are not mandatory.

What kind of sound are you after?

 

[Funky40]

simply roll the treble off until you find a reasonably tubby tone and spend some time getting a good feel for playing the music.

yes, in fact i´ve donne this in the meantime !
strange, i have the EQ setup to do so, but it NEVER occured to me to just take all highs out, and mids also to some degree

nevertheless, the whole thing has triggered some GAS now.

 

[Funky40]

What kind of sound are you after?

the reggae sound i listen to is 70s. ( the big Names from back then)

The Amp plays a role too. i have a good tube pre, but i still have to learn to dial in the sound a bit better. (slight overdrive respectivly just saturation)

The Reggae tunes i listen to feel like, as the bass sound as such would lack its tonal information ( the tune of the single notes that are played).

Dialing just the highs and mids out with my EQ gives me the enhanced Bass, but not the feel like the "tonality/Tune" would be shifted towards the backround.
I think flats would help me here.


My playing sounds still way to much "tune/ note dependend".
but ofcourse: .....playstyle and skills !


i used to play in a Funk band 20 years ago ( just own tunes of us)
and we did some few Reggae and Afro when we got to have singers, and had to create a program for on-stage.
But i´m out of beeing a bassist, and my own feel is totally contrary than how you would do for Reggae.
......beeing a alone at home player, without any band isn´t here from any help.
It makes it quite difficult in fact.



the Reggae Bass i like the most, is kind of playing "against the groove of the song",
creating a "counter movement".
I find some Reggae Bassists have a immensly good feel for groove ! its immens !!

i really think i´ll setup a cheap 4 string shortscale, and experiment with flats.


The feedback is very welcome ! Thanks Guys !

 

[Tubehed]

Flats are not mandatory. Nothing, in fact, is mandatory.

before investing time, money and effort into new equipment, strings, etcetera, simply roll the treble off until you find a reasonably tubby tone and spend some time getting a good feel for playing the music. Modern equipment and roundwound strings are more than capable of giving you a warm, fat sound and I think you’ll find that your technique and your feel will play a much bigger role in getting a good reggae sound than strings will.

This 100%. That's why amps have tone stacks and basses have tone controls. I would add that plucking as close to the neck as you can will enhance that deep, dubby reggae tone.

 

[bass12]

the reggae sound i listen to is 70s. ( the big Names from back then)

The Amp plays a role too. i have a good tube pre, but i still have to learn to dial in the sound a bit better. (slight overdrive respectivly just saturation)

The Reggae tunes i listen to feel like, as the bass sound as such would lack its tonal information ( the tune of the single notes that are played).

Dialing just the highs and mids out with my EQ gives me the enhanced Bass, but not the feel like the "tonality/Tune" would be shifted towards the backround.
I think flats would help me here.


My playing sounds still way to much "tune/ note dependend".
but ofcourse: .....playstyle and skills !


i used to play in a Funk band 20 years ago ( just own tunes of us)
and we did some few Reggae and Afro when we got to have singers, and had to create a program for on-stage.
But i´m out of beeing a bassist, and my own feel is totally contrary than how you would do for Reggae.
......beeing a alone at home player, without any band isn´t here from any help.
It makes it quite difficult in fact.



the Reggae Bass i like the most, is kind of playing "against the groove of the song",
creating a "counter movement".
I find some Reggae Bassists have a immensly good feel for groove ! its immens !!

i really think i´ll setup a cheap 4 string shortscale, and experiment with flats.


The feedback is very welcome ! Thanks Guys !

It does sound as if flats are going to be the best option for you. Also try the foam under the strings trick that I mentioned before. Have fun!

 

[Funky40]

Also try the foam under the strings trick that I mentioned before.

yeah, i have one, ....though, i made it so, - by purpose after a few tests-,
that it just covers the 3 low strings but not the 2 highs.
Had it in for two months and took it out 2 Weeks ago.
....nearly forgot about it.

It does sound as if flats are going to be the best option for you.

i think so. I´ll give them a try the next weeks.

Guess i got my picture together.
Thanks !

 

[bass12]

yeah, i have one, ....though, i made it so, - by purpose after a few tests-,
that it just covers the 3 low strings but not the 2 highs.
Had it in for two months and took it out 2 Weeks ago.
....nearly forgot about it.


i think so. I´ll give them a try the next weeks.

Guess i got my picture together.
Thanks !

Out of curiosity, what part of Switzerland are you in?

 

[Funky40]

Out of curiosity, what part of Switzerland are you in?

Zürich, City

 

[bass12]

Zürich, City

I've been lucky enough to visit Switzerland a number of times but I never spent any significant time in Zurich. I'd love to visit again - Switzerland is an incredibly beautiful country.

 

[StephenR]

Zürich, City

Hey Funky40... cool that you live in Switzerland, what a beautiful country! I went to Albert Schweitzer College in Churwalden, Switzerland back in 1970-71. Churwalden is a small cow-farming village/ski area about 15-20 minutes outside Chur along the road to the Julier Pass. From looking at pictures of Churwalden online it appears that there has been little change since the time I lived there. Spent a week in Zurich as part of the program I was attending, nice city, loved the cathedral with the Chagall stained-glass windows. We also spent a couple of weeks outside of Geneva and I have also traveled through the south of Switzerland and spent time in St. Moritz. It is such a geographically diverse county... have always wanted to go back.

Good luck working on your reggae chops. I started doing the same during the initial lockdown. I have quite a bit few classic 70s reggae LPs in my collection but tend to gravitate toward the more rootsy artists like Ras Michael and Burning Spear. Also am very fond of the vocal trios like the Mighty Diamonds, Culture etc. Great music! Not sure if this is helpful but one of the guys in the Alembic club plays with Musical Youth, he plays long scale Alembic basses strung with round wounds and tends to roll off all the high end at the bass using the built in low-pass filters.

 

[Funky40]

Churwalden is a small cow-farming village/ski area about 15-20 minutes outside Chur along the road to the Julier Pass

i know Churwalden from skiiing back in the day, since its one of the resorts in better reach from zürich. We had there also a scool camp, i think in summer.
I love the mountains ! ......but long time not see

funny, you are in the bay area.
From age 10 on, was ALL my Dream to leave one day, ....AND: go to California.
What a magical term it was for me. .......California.

Switzerland is changing ! At least Zürich does, and Not to the good.

I'd love to visit again - Switzerland is an incredibly beautiful country.

Montreal ?........haha

Past in the day was allways one city above all others in the play, when it came to, which City out in the World to visit first: In the past, they allways sayed: San Francisco.


I was not too much outside of Switzerland funnily. So i´ve not seen too much.
But: in my live, from all the people i met,......and i was allways able to speech to some degree in French and English, later also Spanish,....and i was allways VERY "contacty",
the biggest impression left to me by the folks i met, came from the folks from Montreal !
Each and any of these People were so special, in such a good way, ....and the way they would talk about their city was even more special.....
I´ve never seen people talk with so much Love and praise for their own city like the ones from Montreal !


Here, if its for one of the bigger Citys, then: "Bern".
Nice people there ! Nice city. Good vibes........and a portal to the inner alps
( The Region called "Berner Oberland" )

Reggae, yeah: Burning Spear........definitly

 

[bikemusic]

A number of Reggae artists used Hofners, like Familyman Barret for one. They are 30" scale, flats, hollow body, which all contribute to that "dub" tone.
Dale Davis with Amy Winehouse covered a bunch of Reggae tunes (Specials). He mostly played a Hofner.

 

[bass12]

i know Churwalden from skiiing back in the day, since its one of the resorts in better reach from zürich. We had there also a scool camp, i think in summer.
I love the mountains ! ......but long time not see

funny, you are in the bay area.
From age 10 on, was ALL my Dream to leave one day, ....AND: go to California.
What a magical term it was for me. .......California.

Switzerland is changing ! At least Zürich does, and Not to the good.



Montreal ?........haha

Past in the day was allways one city above all others in the play, when it came to, which City out in the World to visit first: In the past, they allways sayed: San Francisco.


I was not too much outside of Switzerland funnily. So i´ve not seen too much.
But: in my live, from all the people i met,......and i was allways able to speech to some degree in French and English, later also Spanish,....and i was allways VERY "contacty",
the biggest impression left to me by the folks i met, came from the folks from Montreal !
Each and any of these People were so special, in such a good way, ....and the way they would talk about their city was even more special.....
I´ve never seen people talk with so much Love and praise for their own city like the ones from Montreal !


Here, if its for one of the bigger Citys, then: "Bern".
Nice people there ! Nice city. Good vibes........and a portal to the inner alps
( The Region called "Berner Oberland" )

Reggae, yeah: Burning Spear........definitly

Montreal was a great place to grow up. I feel that the city is past its prime at this point but it’s still a good place to live (although housing costs have gone through the roof). My best friend’s mom is Swiss and I was struck by the Swiss imagery around the home when I was younger (she would also swear in Swiss German when she’d get angry and I always found that kind of amusing). I always wanted to visit Switzerland and I got my first opportunity twenty-five years ago. I’ve visited on three other occasions since then (twice for gigs) and I’d love to go back.