Why do so many players love flats?

[bassfiddlesteve]

I’m interested in why so many bassists love using flats as a posed to rounds.

Why I use flats:

James Jamerson, Chuck Rainey, Duck Dunn, Paul McCartney, Joe Osborn, Carl Radle, Wilton Felder, Gerald Johnson, Willie Weeks, Peter Cetera, Stu Cook, Charlie McCoy, Carol Kaye, Larry Knechtel, Chas Chandler, Paul Samwell-Smith, Chris Hillman, Monk Montgomery, Tiran Porter, John Deacon, Andy Hess, Berry Oakley, Harvey Brooks, Rick Danko, John Paul Jones, Chris White, John Klingberg, Emory Gordy, Bob Babbitt, Bernard Edwards, Jet Harris, Roger Waters, Bill Wyman, Skip Battin, Tommy Cogbill, Jerry Jemmott, David Hood, Randy Meisner, Jerry Scheff, Tim Bogert, Klaus Voormann, Chip Douglas, Tim Drummond, Glenn Cornick, Bruce Palmer, etc...

Some of these players may have switched to rounds at some point, but they all used flats on the recordings that I like. I also think the fact that I play double bass informs my choice. I like a smooth feeling string with a strong fundamental.

So, do you use flats, rounds, both, something else?

I use both. Right now I have rounds on my Jazz Bass, but flats seem to suit my '72 Precision Bass and Hofner 500/1. The Precision is the only electric bass people have specifically asked for.

- Steve

 

[LBS-bass]

I don't like flats and I don't like rounds. I like pressurewounds which are the best of both worlds for me. A little less traction than rounds, so they don't eat up my hands quite so badly, but they still have definition that flats seem to lack.

But it's really horses for courses - I have one bass strung with flats and I play some blues on it sometimes.

 

[ryco]

I use Chromes on my P. Just has that fundamental rock, blues, R&B goodness.

Use rounds on everything elese, especially active axes. More zing, although I do let them go pretty dead.

Halfies on the fretless so as not to tear up fingerboard - flats are just a little too thumpy and lose some speed trying to pull hard for attack.

 

[Geoff Wood]

I’m interested in why so many bassists love using flats as a posed to rounds.

For me personally, I have never really enjoyed using flats on any of basses. I could never get used to the feel or find a decent tone with them.

So, do you use flats, rounds, both, something else?

Both. But curious as to why people answer 'tone' for flats. Surely 'lack of tone' would be more to the point, akin to tweaking the treble roll-off on rounds.
For me the major attraction of flats is the feel, especially on a fretless. And the attraction of rounds is the tonal posibiities, and precise feel (ie. non-slip).
And tape, half, or 'ground-wound' is a (sometimes) good compromise.

 

[Rev12_11]

Live I only play CCM and P&W and flats sound best in that genre..... At least to my ear. Secondly I hate string noise.

 

[jimmydean]

Flats with the right amp/cab/bass/player=perfection that no man or woman or God can question as being one of the true 8th wonders of the world !

 

[bd2]

I have basses with both. But I chose "flats" in the poll because I haven't played anything but a fretless with flats for the last 4 years.

Why flats? My ear wanted it. Same answer as "Why fretless?"

In short, my fretless with flats is a bare wood board, passive, with a P-style pickup in the sweet spot. With that bass, the tone is literally in my hands. Listen to any song on the first Bad Company record. Then listen to stuff by Tony Franklin, like the song "radioactive" by The Firm. Then listen to anything Carol Kaye recorded with the Wrecking Crew. My point is that I can get tons of stuff out of this set up.

Upside of flats includes: a focused fundamental, no over-tones, wider range of type of initial attack. Of course, if you're playing "Heart of the Sunrise" in a YES cover band those are down-sides.

YMMV. Best bass for metal. Tort pickguard. And carrots.

Carry on TB!

peace

As a fan of Chris Squire, I always liked Rotosound 66s. I play 5-string fretless exclusively and loved the sound of the Rotos and thought slides sounded better with that bit of string noise. The rotos cut through the mix better and gave me that Squire sound. I tend to play a fretless like it is a fretted bass and play jam band type rock. Boz Burrell and Tony Franklin were two of my favorites playing fretless in a rock setting! In the last two years, I tried a set of TI Jazz flats and although I wasn’t sold at first, the guitar player commented on the great tone. I have since switched to TI flats on all my basses except a couple for slap (although those tend to stay in the case). I was also surprised to find the TI flats sound better on slides than the rounds did – it is a different type of string noise but to me, it enhances the slides. And surprisingly the last piece of getting more thump while cutting through the mix better was switching to a Two Notes Le Bass pre-amp! But alas this is a string discussion…

 

[bd2]

You don't mention what kind of bass(es) you have.
I'm not sure that flats are a good match for an active bass, for example. --Cue internet "experts" to say othewise in 5...4...3...2...
However, flats sound best on passive instruments, particularly on a Precision Bass or a Jazz Bass. Actually, a Ricky sounds good with flats, too (viz, Tom Petty in Mudcrutch).
Flats provide a more focused fundamental because they don't have those high, ringing overtones that rounds have - overtones that mix, and diminish, your bass sound with other instruments, like guitar.
Another advantage is there isn't that little buzzing sound from moving your hand up and down the fretboard that you inevitably have with rounds. That is, they're quieter to play, which is especially useful in a studio setting.
The economical issue with flats is that the older they get, the better they sound. I'll keep a set of flats on my P/J Bass for almost two years. Rounds? Maybe a few months.

Not trying to be an “Internet Expert” but offering my opinion based on my switch a couple years back to TI jazz flats. All my basses are active 5-string fretless (except my 4-string Warwick fretless that still has Roto 66s), and I was surprised how well they sounded with those TI flats. For the 40 years before that, it was only various rounds for that clear Chris Squire tone…

 

[LowActionHero]

I voted BOTH, I like the feel of Flats, especially on fretless basses.
But I have Rounds on all my fretted basses right now.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

I loved flats above all for the feel and absence of zing.

But I needed to find a more "perfect" low E, which led me to a lot of brands. I let the clarity/purity of low E be a bedrock requirement.

But the moment I recognized Roto 66 on a P bass they went straight to #1 and I just got used to them. Took about a month. And also, liking their broken-in tone really sealed the deal.

Then, deciding to accept strings that aren't the most "perfect" (as I had previously defined it) freed me to go back and accept the "imperfection" of some flats, in return for their famous and delicious tone flavoring.

Strings that have added flavoring (familiar from old records) that I probably never want to live without:
-rounds: Roto 66
-flats: La Bella, GHS Precision
-honorable mention: GHS PW, because they can sound very close to either Roto 66 or GHS Precision, with tone knob.

Strings that make the clearest low E and have the least added "flavor":
-rounds: Dogal Hellborg (probably the most pure and beautiful of all bass strings)
-flats: Cobalts

So I still love flats, but for their tone, which for me now easily trumps "feel and absence of zing".

 

[Koldunya]

My only experience with flats is with the GHS Precisions on my fretless GWB35. I like them, and I'm curious to try more. But those purple silks tho...

I've honestly never tried them on a fretted bass, but I might be convinced, and with the sort of playing I do on my SRC6 I'm actually rather curious to put flats on it if I can find them for a 30" scale in the right gauges for a Bass VI (I'm sure they are out there, I know La Bella makes them for sure).

Dogal Hellborg

For the price these better sound f'ing magical I better hear angels, sunshine, birds chirping, and rainbows all at once like some sort of Disney movie.

 

[HaphAsSard]

with the sort of playing I do on my SRC6 I'm actually rather curious to put flats on it if I can find them for a 30" scale in the right gauges for a Bass VI (I'm sure they are out there, I know La Bella makes them for sure).

Make sure you double-check the required length: the SRC6 is 30" plus through-body, which brings minimum length to, what, 32.5"? 33"? Maximum length (ball to E-string tuning post) is, I'm guessing based on pics, 1-1/2 inch more.
The La Bella bass VI set is 35.5" long ball to taper; GHS short-scale strings (the 4-string set may be augmented with two Precision guitar flats) are 32.75", their medium-scale sets 35.5"; Pyramid makes two bass VI sets, one with 33" length (and a very thin low E), one in standard Fender/Squier length (again 35.5" - set VI2595F).

 

[Koldunya]

Make sure you double-check the required length: the SRC6 is 30" plus through-body, which brings minimum length to, what, 32.5"? 33"? Maximum length (ball to E-string tuning post) is, I'm guessing based on pics, 1-1/2 inch more.
The La Bella bass VI set is 35.5" long ball to taper; GHS short-scale strings (the 4-string set may be augmented with two Precision guitar flats) are 32.75", their medium-scale sets 35.5"; Pyramid makes two bass VI sets, one with 33" length (and a very thin low E), one in standard Fender/Squier length (again 35.5" - set VI2595F).

Thanks. Reminds me of all the fun I've had using string manufacturer specs and then getting strings that do not match that at all, and ending up with either strings with the main winding wrapping around the peg, or the winding ending up before the nut (not just on the SRC6, either). I guess when strings are handmade, there's a margin of error... so now I try not to buy strings if it will be a close call numbers-wise.

 

[MegaSwing]

I just love me some Fender 9050ML flats. They do everything I want: fat AND clear.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

Dogal Hellborg (probably the most pure and beautiful of all bass strings)

For the price these better sound f'ing magical I better hear angels, sunshine, birds chirping, and rainbows all at once like some sort of Disney movie.

Funny, I wanted to say something just like that but didn't want to make a scene, you know.

 

[Koldunya]

Funny, I wanted to say something just like that but didn't want to make a scene, you know.

I'm not necessarily knocking them, but there was definitely some sticker shock for sure. The construction method does seem rather unique and novel. I am a bendy player, and those bends on the video were very big >_>

 

[flangemonkey84]

I play a lot of old school country/R&B gigs and I always have a P-bass with flats for that reason. They just have a roundness and "sound" that can't be easily described that rounds just lack. Keep in mind too that as with rounds "flats" are not not just one flavor as they would have been 40 years ago, there are so many different varieties and sub categories that can (allegedly) give you more tonal choices in flats now its not even funny.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Yup

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Oh and...

 

[icefly]

Why do so many players love flats?

Why not use flats?

 

[GritGatsby]

Ok, what are some recs for someone who is interested in trying out flats?

Long story short, always played rounds, love worn in rounds. Just what I've always played.

I do have flats on my musicmaster, but that bass it has always been a struggle with me to really connect with. I bought the strings on a lark, couldn't even tell you what they were. They were relatively cheap and whatever they had at the little music shop in Hoboken.

So maybe I should try a new pair, maybe that's what's holding that little guy back. Any suggestions?