Which Flat Wounds to Begin With?

[HaphAsSard]

@AshInAmsterdam: user @Pier_ made a thread about nominal vs. real gauges:
Real Gauge of Bass Strings - real gauge vs advertised gauge

Maybe in your specific case there were different real gauges involved. I'm not sure it can be generalised to all rounds vs. flats of same official gauge.
What is likely to have more impact as far as real tension (and consequently setup) and perceived stiffness (both tension proper and, perhaps more importantly, rigidity of the string, as perceived by the player) is the fact flats have less gaps, as mentioned above.

 

[wallawallabob]

Over the past 3 years, I have tried a ton of flats and tapes on Ps and Js. I have not tried TIs.

I have settled on LA Bella tapes.

For flats, i like both La Bella and RS77 and have 2 strung w each at the moment.

(FYI, so you can calibrate, I only use RS 66LD or LDN for rounds and I've been at this at a high professional level starting 40+ years ago, though i now would classify myself as being at a semi-professional level.)

+1 - Labella Tapes are my favorite woody fretless thump.

 

[pbass2]

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

Me too. I just switched from Labella FMs to FSs as an experiment and I like how the set is balanced, but that's as light as I could ever go and have it still "feel" right. Granted, I'm going for classic pbass/Labella vibe (though the Jamerson set was too far to the other extreme for me!). I like it to FEEL a bit thumpy, not just sound thumpy!

 

[static0verdrive]

If you like the brightness of SS RW as I do, stick with SS for your flats (they won't be as bright as RW but nickel flats are DEAD sounding if you're used to SS RW). I LOVE La Bella Low Tension Flexible Flats. They're steel, light gauge, and round-core rather than hex, so more flexible than some other flats.

 

[macmanlou]

Start with the best, TIs. If you wanted to know if you liked steak would you start with the cheap stuff? Flats are not the place to try to save money.

And TIs are generally a wee bit lighter in tension than similarly gauged rounds. I've set up a number of basses with them and have had to loosen the truss rod just a little (about 1/8 turn or so) on about half of them. I think LaBella tried to mimic TIs with their recent "Flexible Flats", but IMO the TIs have better tone. TIs are nickel alloy and LaBellas are stainless steel. TIs cost more but I've seen sets last 10 years or more.

 

[eldorado2001]

+1
Fender 9050L or 9050ML.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

There are two extremes in flats in terms of tone. I would suggest trying each and something in between.

GHS is an example of very thumpy
Daddario is an example of very bright
LaBella is sort of in between

I have tried many others but these are the three I would suggest starting with.

I recently put a set of Rotosound 77s on a P. I would say they fall somewhere between the LaBellas and the D' Addarios. They have been on now for about 2 months and are really settling in. I did not have to do a truss rod adjustment. I've been watching the relief, but it has stayed consistent. The P is a Squier CV 60s.

 

[ptensioned]

As an entry into flats, I'll add my vote for Sadowskis. They may nor be as readily available as the D'Addarios or Fenders, but I fend them to be smoother feeling and not as stiff. For me, the biggest obstacle to flats is I like a supple feeling string with a mellower tone (my go-to rounds are DR Sunbeams .45-.100, for some reference). In fact, the only strings I've hated instantly and removed right away are the Rotosound 77's. Hated the stiffness, tension and general lifelessness in them. Obviously personal preference plays in here. If you like high tension strings, ignore my opinion.

I'll also add, though, that I didn't get TI's for ages, mostly because I couldn't justify spending that much on a set of strings. When I got my '63 Jazz, I splurged on a set, as I figured the best deserves the best. I instantly understood why people love them so much, and went right back and bought another set for my Road Worn Jazz. If you like your strings supple, and you find that flats work for you, don't be afraid to grab some because of the price. They're totally worth it.

 

[swarfrat]

0.100 is 0.100" all day long, be they round/flat/rubber/lead. It would be confusing to try to label all strings by their equivalent tension or stiffness compared to some other "standard" gauge.

 

[JKB1957]

I use GHS Precision Flats on my P-Basses. Great old school sound. Add some foam under the strings by the bridge, close your eyes, and pretend it's 1965. Keep the groove.

 

[Gideon352]

I use GHS Precision Flats on my P-Basses. Great old school sound. Add some foam under the strings by the bridge, close your eyes, and pretend it's 1965. Keep the groove.

I just came back to this thread after some thought to say that I'd go with GHS Precision Flats. In my opinion, they're a great example of flats that sound even (regarding the highs and lows / low mids) right out of the package.

 

[Pantone 333]

I've communicated with this dude via Youtube. I know he uses Pyramid flats. He demonstrates them very well:

 

[1stnamebassist]

I'm not sure what they are called, but a few weeks ago I was at a guitar center and there was a Music Man Stingray double H that had these black - almost plastic feeling - strings on them and they were really smooth like flats.

It gave the stingray this amazing thump and organic tone.

Maybe these will sound familiar to someone?

That sounds like tapewounds, probably Labella or Daddario although there are others, like fender, Ghs and rotosound. It's just the first two seem to be the most popular. They are round wound strings with a plastic coating. They last a long time like flats, are low tension, and have a smooth bottom end and retain some nice highs and clarity. Also no finger noise. I prefer Daddario's mainly because you shouldn't need to file the nut like you may with others, plus a bonus is they sound fantastic!

 

[Logic_11]

Buy all of them and then see which one is good for you

 

[-Asdfgh-]

TI flats are great and last a long time, but they are NOT typical flats. They have a strong mid range and a VERY low tension. They're also much more expensive than other flats. They have a singing quality that I haven't heard in another string. I love them.

That being said, I'd definitely recommend some LaBella 760fl strings for a first foray into flats. Very old school and thumpy. They sound and feel great on my fretless P bass.

TIs are about the same tension as a typical .100 to .40 roundwound set (based on the truss rod adjustments required), so the OP may not notice a huge jump in tension. They are round core, so they might feel a bit less stiff, though, so more like Sunbeams in .100 to .40, which I have on a bass, and seem very similar in stiffness.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I see you like my favorite roundwound. Blue Steels are one of the best IMHO.

They are what I started on until they became hard to get in the UK for some reason, and I swapped to Rotosound SM66N nickels.

 

[bassliner50]

Ok, with the aid of advice given here on TB, I have pulled the trigger on La Bella 760FL. $30 offer accepted on Reverb.com I will give them a go. Looking forward to an assertive Jamerson like thump!

 

[michael_t]

Ok, with the aid of advice given here on TB, I have pulled the trigger on La Bella 760FL.

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[RobBrochu]

My all time favorite flats are the Labella 760FL's.

However, I am interested in trying the new Ernie Ball Flats. Just don't know if they'll be too stiff or not.

I'm not an advanced player, but I just put a set of Ernie Ball Flats on my P-Bass and absolutely love them. I've tried D'addarios and now Balls and I think I like the Balls better.

 

[petrus61]

Ok, with the aid of advice given here on TB, I have pulled the trigger on La Bella 760FL. $30 offer accepted on Reverb.com I will give them a go. Looking forward to an assertive Jamerson like thump!

Good choice! I just decided to revisit these as they were the Labellas I started on. I've been playing the FS for a good while now and after giving my DR Sunbeams another short lived moonlighting phase (still my favorite rounds on a P bass) I decided I'd try something a touch lighter. I ordered mine from BassStringsOnline as they appear to be in stock and with the apparently reinstated free shipping, came to $29.95! I think you'll be very happy. After trying almost everything, they are my go to brand for flats.