Why do so many players love flats?

[dave64o]

Both.

I have a pair of Stingray 5HH's that are my co-number ones - one with rounds and one with flats. Both basses work very well in my band's playlist and I usually take both to a gig and use each for two sets (I only switch basses between sets unless I have an emergency that forces me to switch).

At tonight's gig, I'm doing something a little different and taking the Stingray with rounds and my L-2500, which has flats.

My other basses are a mix of flats and rounds.

I don't think either type string is inherently better than the other and I enjoy mixing and matching. That's one of the things that makes bass life more fun!

 

[conttador]

There’s a time and place for both. I like flats for R&B, reggae and some Jazz. Rounds for just about anything too.

 

[OnTheDownLow]

I like the tone. Having the same feel as cello and upright bass is an additional bonus.

I agree, as the years have gone on I do my best to make my electric bass sound as close to an upright as I can. That's what I'm personally after, call me a traditionalist in the bass world but that's really where it's at.

 

[JKB1957]

Classic sound, especially on a P bass through an old Ampeg. Which I have. But, I also have a couple of RICs with Rotosounds, which also give a classic sound.

 

[darwin-bass]

Both for me

P with TI Jazz Flats - The flats dampen the sustain just a bit making it easier for each note in a busy passage to stand out. They last forever. They feel great under the fingers. Played with a pick they brighten up nicely for rock stuff. Higher risk of being buried in a live mix so I have to be careful where I use them.

'Ray with rounds - Works for everything. Great sound with a pick. More aggressive sounding for the up tempo in-your-face sorts of stuff. Upper mid response helps the bass cut through a live mix.

 

[REV]

For years and years I used round wound strings and sometimes I struggled to find a tone that I felt fit whatever band I happened to be playing in at the time. One day at a recording session as we were working on the bass sound the producer said something about how he thought flatwound strings would work really well for the song we were working on. I hadn't really thought about flatwound strings in years. I had to order the strings online because no store in the area carried them. I started with D'addario Chromes but I gradually worked my way to Labella Low Tension flats. Flatwound strings changed the way I played the bass and I think the producer sensed this. Also the first time I used them on a gig I found it really easy to dial in a tone I liked. Most of my basses have flats on them now.

 

[Jefenator]

IME flats can be very musical and fit in more situations than you might expect. (My 6-string currently sports flats and I have no urge to go back.) Lack of string noise & sliding squeal can be a major plus, as can the absence of distracting overtones you sometimes get with rounds.
Flats are their own world and the appeal of some of the deader, thuddy versions can be limiting. The extra heavy 1954 style from Labella has this "medicine ball" quality that thumps like nothing else but also plays like the proverbial brick $#!&house.
You might have an easier transition if you ease in with one of the many brighter and/or lower tension options like Chromes or Thomastik.

 

[Killing Floor]

1) there is no best string.
2) see 1.
3) see 2.
4) round wound bass strings represent over 90% of electric bass strings sold retail and nearly every new bass is sold with round strings because bass builders and bass string manufacturers do not concur with TalkBass.

I play TI flats on some basses, LaBella flats on my fretlesses, LaBella tapes on my ABGs, I’d consider them flats for this thread. And I use DR or Dunlop bright rounds on the rest. Playing time is about 50-50 if I’m honest. Fit the song.

 

[-Stingray]

Flats = very focused mids. I play them with the tone on my passive basses wide open. Helps my bass sit extremely well in the mix. Plus, I love how they feel under my fingers.

 

[Jay2U]

I've got flatwounds on my BEAD tuned Ibanez. I like the feel of a flatwound B much more than the feel of a fat roundwound. Pedals take care of the tone.
My other two basses have roundwounds on. Those are tuned EADG and DGCF most of the time.

 

[kodiakblair]

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

It's a simple thing for me, I don't like bass to sound bright and zingy.

Rounds were quite widely available when I started playing but my word strings were expensive ; a week's apprentice wage expense. Folks played strings until they broke so if they strung with rounds those rounds likely were dead
The amps/cabs used weren't that great either.

These were the conditions during my formative years which in turn shaped how I prefer to hear bass.

 

[GregT]

Flats are the sound in my head. With TI Flats on my Precision, I can set the neck perfectly straight with no relief and lower the action down rediculously low for nearly effortless playing without any buzzing. My low E is 1/16in at the 12th fret. For me, it can't get any better.

 

[GrapeBass]

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?

Started out loving rounds but half-wounds ruled for many years... then I acquired a P that had been wrapped with some really old Chromes and immediately fell in love. My 2 jazzes (one fretless) have Fender 9050L on 'em and one P has flats the other w/rotosound rounds. My custom J/P/J bass still has the half-wounds.

As many have said, it depends on the bass.

I love flats because of attack and quality of sound, they seem to cut through but give good sonic space to other instruments as well.

Rounds are awesome if you need to be more aggressive.

I voted both

 

[Nephilymbass]

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?

I like both. My Dingwall has rounds, my fender has flats. I change the rounds pretty regularly, I’ll keep flats for like two years. They both have their own vibe and work differently in the mix depending on how dense the mix is. I prefer rounds for small bands like 3-4 piece rock bands , flats for bigger bands like when I was playing big band stuff with a horn section. I totally get why bands like Snarky puppy have bass players that love flats.

 

[Albert Ross]

I've got rounds on most of my basses, but a couple of them just sound better to me with flats. I'm not stuck on any particular brand, gauge, or type of strings and I'm down to try anything that looks and/or sounds interesting.

 

[micguy]

There are indeed folks that love flats. They absolutely do exist, but....if you ask string makers (who know how many (or rather few)) sets of flats get sold, they are a smaller bunch than you'd think from what you read on here.

They're a minority, but a vocal one. There are a lot more of us that have tried flats, and....just not our thing. There was one song I did a couple years ago, where I thought to myself "flats would be nice here" - one song for one gig, out of about 1000 gigs.

 

[HMZ]

I have flats on a Jazz bass and round wound on another jazz and my P bass. If i had another P bass it would have flats on it.

 

[P. Aaron]

After nearly 2 decades of either DR Sunbeams (Dimension Dlx 5) or DR Low Rider Nickels (Precision V), they are both sporting EB Cobalt Flats. As is my garbage parts fretless JB.

Why?

They are uncannily good at delivering a thump, solid bass tones, and they're easier (physically) to play than the Dunlops and Labella's I had previously tried.

If my choices were limited to traditionally wound flat strings, I'd likely be rocking' the DR's but the Cobalt Flats have something really special about them that makes them easy to play and get and enjoyable tone and playing time from them.

 

[ctmullins]

They feel great.

They sound nice in the bedroom.

On stage, my tone disappears.

Rounds for me, thanks.

 

[Ric5]

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?

I have a lot of basses ... none have flats

I am old enough to remember a time when all basses had flats ... then I got my first set of rounds and I went "Ya Baby!!"