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Flats are simply a tool to get a specific tone. I normally play roundwound 45-105s for my Arias for a middy sound but I have a P bass with flats when I need a muted thumpy sound.
Flats are great, but in my world unless you have an almost perfect mix they are easily buried. Bright zingy SS's for me, only because it works better in the mix, and I like a lot of clang.
If I'm playing nothing but "straight" bass I prefer flats. If I'm doing something more adventurous, such as slap or a lot of bends, etc., it has to be rounds.
You're right on either type has their merit. Neither is superior. This is why we need more than 1 bass.
Or 4 or 5..lol!
Sometimes flats are the right tool for the job. If you're a hobbyist or only do "your thing", then there's no need to feel or think you should embrace them. If you're a pro or work for hire in any capacity, then having a set or a bass with flats sitting around is a good idea - regardless of how you feel about them in your preferred musical context. Being able to say "I've got just the tool for that job" goes a long way toward staying busy as a player.
I've tried TI flats, tapewounds and various roundwounds....my 2 fans are SIT powerwounds and GHS pressurewounds.
Hmm... let's see: 1. Nickel round wound; 2. Stainless Steel round wound; 3. Flat wound; 4. Half/Compressed wound; 5. Tape wound. So, yeah... that's about 4 or 5 (since 1 & 2 are both round wounds). Did I forget any?
Could be more though, if we would diverse them... (pure nickel RW; phosphor bronze RW; 80/20 bronze RW; various coated RW; various white tapes; round core variants of those; ...)
I got a Stingray and although it's the dog's wotsits it is hard to tame that beast, it is way noisy. I put flats on it and it just took the edge of it for me. It still cuts through the mix like no other bass but it no longer sounds like it's about to throw a con rod. Only thing, you can't slap and pop with flats, it's just too tame. But for everything else, I love them! And like a lot of guys have said, they feel good under your fingers. I would still play rounds though, both have their place
Hmm... let's see: 1. Nickel round wound; 2. Stainless Steel round wound; 3. Flat wound; 4. Half/Compressed wound; 5. Tape wound. So, yeah... that's about 4 or 5 (since 1 & 2 are both round wounds). Did I forget any?
Could be more though, if we would diverse them... (pure nickel RW; phosphor bronze RW; 80/20 bronze RW; various coated RW; various white tapes; round core variants of those; ...)
A never ending list of possibilities.. although I am certain my marriage ending possibility at #4 would be more definite.
When I started playing bass back in 1965 flatwound strings were the ONLY choice. There were no roundwound strings yet. I played the original flats that my '65 Jazz Bass came with for a number of years and then replaced them with a set of Fender black nylon-taped flatwounds. My bass was stolen in 1976 and I didn't get another Jazz until 1985. It came with round wound strings.
I then put on a set of Markley Blue Steel roundwound strings and liked those a lot. Really enjoyed the bright sound. After a couple of Blue-steel sets, I then put on a set DR Black Beauty strings, which are also roundwounds. I liked those a lot and have played those for a few years. They're not quite as bright as the Blue Steel strings but still a great sound and I liked the black against my white bass. I've worn that pair about out now as they no longer really look black. The back of each string has a really bright mark where they hit the fret, and the front of each string is pretty badly faded up to about the 9th fret. So I thought I should probably put on a new set.
My concern with flatwounds is that they might not have any brightness to them. A lot of them just don't have any upper harmonics in their sound. I've heard some side by side comparisons of LaBella's black nylon tape flatwounds with different flats and also with round wounds. That comparison made me think I might try a pair as they weren't dead in the upper harmonics like a lot of flatwounds are. So, I ordered a set of LaBella White Nylon Tape wound strings from here at the TalkBass store (supporting members get 15% off!). Just put them on yesterday and for the first time in 42 years I have flatwounds on my bass again.
They are super-smooth of course, which is a little weird after playing roundwounds for so long. I have to be a little careful with hand-shifts as it's easy to shift too far, I presume because tactile feedback is so different. So far they sound bright enough for me but I've only played them through my audio interface into headphones at this point. I have rehearsal with the rest of the group tomorrow night, so I'll have a better idea on how they sound after that.
Not all fats are created equal.
I have Chromes on one bass it really fattens up the tone and helps this bass sit in the mix nicely.
I have Thomastik Infeld's on another. These increased the sustain, they mellowed out the tone... they make the bass absolutely sing.
There are others that I prefer round wounds on.
Just like I believe there's a place for a P bass, a Jazz bass, a Soapbar bass, an active bass and a passive bass... there is a place for flats and round wounds.
I have Chromes on one bass it really fattens up the tone and helps this bass sit in the mix nicely.
I have Thomastik Infeld's on another. These increased the sustain, they mellowed out the tone... they make the bass absolutely sing.
There are others that I prefer round wounds on.
Just like I believe there's a place for a P bass, a Jazz bass, a Soapbar bass, an active bass and a passive bass... there is a place for flats and round wounds.
For B-string purposes, I've been quite happy with Sadowsky Black Label flats, on both 34" and 35" basses but they no longer are available. I have one set salted away, and it's getting time to change out on my main fretless (I ebb and flow on fretless, but would estimate I'm getting 400+ hours of playing time with the Sadowsky strings before I want to change them, and it's been difficulty keeping them in tune, rather than timbre changes, that goads me to do so when I do). In a thumper vein, I've also had good results with DR flats. I also have a set of Dunlop flats on deck, which I'm going to try out on a fretless I keep in a remote location for periodic use.
One thing on the Sadowsky strings - they say don't install them body-through, but I've done so on 34" and 35" basses (only the B -string), and had no problems. YMMV...
They seem a lot more practical than heels. Especially those stiletto heels women used to wear. For utility and looks, however, I prefer boots (weather permitting).
That’s intelligent and well-balanced content. You better get off now!
Same strings here in the TalkBass store. Same price, free shipping, no tax in most states.
TalkBass.com > Gold Flats > La Bella 760FGS Deep Talkin' Bass Gold Flats - Standard
