Which Flat Wounds to Begin With?

[AshInAmsterdam]

The reason for downsizing a gauge from rounds to flats isn't just about the tension - the flats of the same gauge are noticeably thicker which may or may not be an issue for your nut. Why they call them the same gauge I don't know but hey.

I guess they name them after the gauge of the inner string before the flat wrap but that's just silly to me.

Anyway my vote is for D'Addario Chromes in your case 45-100 flavour. I love mine, and they're more enjoyable than any other strings I've tried on other basses.

 

[Klonk]

If price is very important, I could see Fender flats or Chromes being good starting points. If you want a more classic flatwound sound, LaBella DTB 760FL (or FS or FM if you prefer higher tension) are all good, well-proven flats, they have set the standard for many years. I like TIs, but I agree they are not typical flats, neither soundwise nor tension-wise.

And to the OP, yes, most flats are stainless steel. There are some nickel flats, most notably TI flats, Optima flats and Pyramid Gold flats. They are typically more mellow sounding than SS flats. Of those three, TIs have the lowest tension, Pyramid Gold the highest, Optima mid tension, IME.

 

[Jughead6]

I'm generally cheap, and I love flatwounds because I don't have to change strings. Ever. Roundwound "zing" is over-rated

So, I'll add another vote for Fender 9050L's and Daddario Chromes ECB80's as entry level flatwounds with equivalent tension to ML or even M roundwounds. I would add Ernie Ball Group IV's to the list, but IME these take a pretty long time to break in and have a different sound to the Fender and Daddario strings.

 

[SteveCS]

Another vote for Chromes from me.

 

[Timmy-Watts]

Depends on what tone you want. Old school woody thump get Labella. Those also have the smoothest feel. Like glass.

Chromes have more sustain and more midrange and zing like rounds. Decently smooth feel.

I like the EB cobalts these days. They sit more in the middle, and can go either way. A pretty neutral versatile flat. They start out with a slightly rougher feel than Labella and chrome but the smooth out after several hours of ply. Shouldn't be a problem if you're used to stainless less rounds.

With any set of flats I wouldn't go heavier than ~.045-.105. They tend to be higher tension and stiffness and have more mass than equal gauge rounds.

Also don't forget that when you first put flats on, that's not what they'll sound like in the long run, but you'll get the general character right off the bat. Their tone does not change as drastically over their life as rounds do, but they all settle in, and take a while longer to do so, then they last forever. Even the more bright ones. Broken in flats are awesome.

 

[7dollarbologna]

I've been using rounds for 30+ yrs. and I'm going for some flats on my next string change. I'll have to say, TB has really expanded my horizons - thanks everybody!

 

[Linnin]

Get your bass a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day!
Products - BASS PRECISION FLATS™ - GHS

 

[twinjet]

I aim for as close of a double bass tone as possible. What flats might one recommend for an AS P bass?

 

[Toso2121]

Some more:

Wow, great demo. I use LaBella deep Talkin flats on my old PBass. I love the tone. I use Rotosound flats on an old JBass. Definitely brighter and more articulate. I was really impressed with the tone of the Thomastik that you used. I may be switching my PBass soon. Thanks!

 

[Bodeeni]

I also seem to have become a Chrome guy and I use a lighter set 40-100. Has a similar tension to the TIs and rounds. Will break into a very solid flat tone that IMO is not too dull.

 

[rogerbmiller]

I would recommend DR legends. They are pretty low tension and because they are polished they are really easy on your fingers. They also sound really mellow and broken in right out of the box.

 

[theevilplankton]

I switched from D'addario nickels, 45-105 to the Fender 9050 45-100, and there was no tension change in my necks.

Both basses (Rickenbacker 4001) are 42 years old, so I didn't want to shock them too much!

 

[Snibborwocky]

I have Fender 9050M's on my Gretsch and they sound great.

 

[AshInAmsterdam]

I aim for as close of a double bass tone as possible. What flats might one recommend for an AS P bass?

I've heard that Nylon Tapewounds give a very double bass type sound. I can only get them in D'Addario and only in short scale locally, so I'm thinking when I get a short scale bass I will get them - they're also black which is a plus for my tastes. Online of course they're available in other lengths, but I'm settled with my Chromes now.

I borrowed a short scale bass that has what I believe to be tape wounds on (I removed one that sounded dead and it looked kind of like tinsel wrap coming away at the string end) and it has a very thumpy, deep, dead sound compared to my Chromes, that I would liken to a double bass.

 

[Pantone 333]

Wow, great demo. I use LaBella deep Talkin flats on my old PBass. I love the tone. I use Rotosound flats on an old JBass. Definitely brighter and more articulate. I was really impressed with the tone of the Thomastik that you used. I may be switching my PBass soon. Thanks!

That's not me ... I just found that on Youtube. I suck

 

[stonewall]

labella flats love them....anything under a .105 E string too light for me

 

[strictlybass_ic]

Fender flats would satisfy the lower cost requirement, but I'm really not a fan of them and wouldn't recommend them. It's worth a little more money to get a set of Sadowsky Black Label flats. They are by far the best flat out there IMO and only cost another $10-15.

 

[FenderP]

Rotosound RS77 all the way. My string of choice since 1988. I'm the other way - put nice big ropes on there. I have the LE set on my basses.

If you want a slightly different sound but feel (relatively speaking) of flats, look at black nylon tapewound strings like RS88 set (Fender, LaBella, and Galli make 'em too).

 

[chunkstyle]

Here's a cool video as a point of comparison: D'Addario chromes vs TI flats (Disclaimer: it's not me ... although I wish it was)

The second set of strings elicited the most funk face from the player, so take that into consideration.

 

[bassstrangler]

For what it's worth...the Fenders are cheap and seem dull and really lifeless. Rotos seemed the same way to me. The Ernie Ball cobalts are the best I've tried out of the three. I guess I'm a round wound kinda guy though.