Why use flats?

[JMDT]

Hello, this is my first venture into the strings forum territory.

The other bass player at my church recently started using flats on her bass since she complained that rounds hurt her fingers. I don't get the whole concept of flats. It seems to me that I can get a similar tone to flats when turning my tone or treble knob on my bass to zero with rounds, while there is no way that flats can ever acheive that kind of brightness if need be for funk or slap applications. It seems as though rounds are infinately more versatile. Also, the higher tension makes the flats much more difficult to play. Am I missing something important about flats?

 

[Mushroo]

They don't hurt her fingers!

 

[Phalex]

Am I missing something important about flats?

Yes. Flats have fatass bass tone. They aren't bright and trebly like rounds. Roll off the tone control with flatwound strings, and with the right amplification you can give yourself internal injuries!! Some people just dig that fat bass. I use both flats and rounds depending on which bass I'm using.

 

[Dogbertday]

+1 on her reason... also they are completely different to play on... you may be able to get a similar tone to flats by turning your treble down but you can never make it sound exactly like flats... it used to be the only place you found rounds was in pianos.
it all comes down to what your preference is.

Thought i'd get my 2 cents in before this turned into the inevitable flats v. rounds war

 

[Dogbertday]

I use both for the record... flats on my PBass and rounds on my schector

 

[Joe Gress]

For lot's of people, it's about the sound (rounds will never be able to get that smooth round balanced bass that flats get), the feel of smooth strings instead of rough, and the tension some people like.

 

[Ric5]

I am not a fan of flats ...

go into any music store and look at the basses and see how many are strung with flats ... maybe one ... quite often none ... There was a time when flats were the only strings you could get ... but round wounds have overwhelming won the popularity contest ... there are a few who prefer the flat sound so you can still get them ...

 

[Bardley]

I've got flats on my P-Bass. They sound GREAT. They are not right for every situation, but that's what my other basses are for...
As for the higher tension, it depends on the string. I've tried Fender flats and hated them. They are super stiff. On the other hand, my Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats are awesome. They are super flexible and sound great on my P. They're a bit expensive, but worth every penny and they last forever. Nice and thumpy...

 

[JKT]

I am not a fan of flats ...

go into any music store and look at the basses and see how many are strung with flats ... maybe one ... quite often none ... There was a time when flats were the only strings you could get ... but round wounds have overwhelming won the popularity contest ... there are a few who prefer the flat sound so you can still get them ...

With all respect, these days your average music store is one of the last places to get a handle on what everybody is doing

JKT

 

[Jay Corwin]

I switched to flats about a year ago due to the style of music I was playing at the time (rockabilly, blues, swing). They blow rounds out of the water when it comes to those styles of music. Rounds have thier place, but if you are into old school bass tone....only flats will do. They are way easier to pay BTW.

 

[JKT]

I avoided flats for over thirty years of bass playing. I love them now. For some things. I agree they don't slap well but you won't get every bass player to agree with that statement. The impetus for me in tryin flats was adding a bass to my arsenal that I knew, after talking with many here would sound great with flats. Not only do I dig the fat butt low end but the higher registers have a thick, smooth singing quality to them that rounds do not do in the same way.

When the band breaks it down, I can play a walking line way in 12th fret land and higher that on my p-bass with rounds, would work, but not be nearly as supportive.

JKT

 

[lunarpollen]

short scale bass + neck pickup + Pyramid gold flats = perfect satisfying vintage thumpy bass tone + extreme comfort on the finigertips

not everyone wants to play funk or slap in the first place, and many who do aren't looking for a bright piercing sound.

i have roundwounds on the basses i use for my main band (modern post-punk) and flatwounds on the basses i use for my other stuff (retro '50's/'60's styles)

 

[tolson36]

"""On the other hand, my Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats are awesome. They are super flexible and sound great on my P. They're a bit expensive, but worth every penny and they last forever. Nice and thumpy..."""

agree, flats don't have to be devoid of mids and highs. I also play TIs and feel I EQ them to have as much as I want.

plus--they are super easy on the finners


the comment that they last forever is true---I have one set on my main gigging bass that are over 5 years old.

 

[rfclef]

Flats on my Epiphone Viola Beatle ... love to use it to play with my school Jazz band and any classic rock/blues type stuff. ROunds on my others. Just depends on what you want...

 

[Kyon`]

Well I love flats, again they're fat bottom, massive tone, but never too piercing to my ears. Something I can never get with rounds. There's just more presence with TI flats in the mids too. Not grindy but clear tones. They also feel a lot better, and hell with right technique just about anything can be done on them. Though if I'm doing something heavily centered around slap or taping or musicals that require some more modern sounding zing zag I would hit up the rounds right away. Just depends what music calls for I guess, usually flats can fill the job though.

 

[pjmuck]

I also use flats and rounds depending on the bass and situation. For certain applications, flats cannot be beat. I have a 10 year old set of D'Addario Chromes on my '72 P, and it nails that fat old school Jamerson thump. It is not a given that flats are higher tension than rounds (ever tried TIs?), and I use different brands/gauges of flats as well depending on the bass/tone I'm going for. TIs were actually too low tension for me EXCEPT on my Tele bass, which they feel great on (maybe it has something to do with them being strung through the body?).

 

[unclekebm]

warm, thick, full and fat...

 

[tZer]

I have flats on one bass and rounds on another. There are times when flats give you the sound you need that the rounds can't do - and vice-versa.

For me, getting a 70's funk sound is much easier with flats on a Jazz bass. You get that thumpy, bumpy, round sound as opposed to that crispy, crunchy, zingy sound. Rolling off the high frequencies on rounds just make rounds sound less bright - not like flats.

As for the finger hurting - I can see that if she's not got the calluses built up. But I've found that flats are more like rubbing your fingers on a gym floor - LOTS of friction. The rounds, even though they're rougher, don't provide as much consistent surface area and therefore don't 'heat up' or rub the way rounds do to your finger tips.

 

[spaz21387]

Im not a fan of flats. I just prefer that punchy growl that rounds have. Flats sound cool on some basses. I like the fact that they wont damage your frets but thats not enough to keep me using them. For a while now I have wanted to try out the strings that are wound like rounds and then sanded to be smooth like flats. They must have an interesting tone. I cant remember what they are called im sure someone will know what they are called and they might be another option for you to check out.

 

[OZMDD]

+1 on the "music stores aren't a good indicator of what's going on" statement. I could make the same argument that SS Crate and Peavey amps must be the "best" to own since they far outnumber the alternatives in music stores across the land. Music stores sell what the LCD consumer is most likely to buy, and that hardly represents the aficionado or working pro.
Roundwounds are great for many things, but certainly do NOT replicate a Flat by simply rolling-off the treble. The reasons are innumerable...

Regarding tension, I've found that you should drop a string gauge (smaller) when you switch to flats anyway. IMHO

I only used flats on my fretless Jazz for 10+ years, then had to throw a set of Flats on my gig bass in an emergency about 8 years ago, and I've never looked back. Couldn't believe how well they worked for the deep, punchy, dark tone I prefer. Not total retro, but in that direction. Think Lenny Kravitz's "MAMA SAID" CD meets Tommy Shannon on SRV's "Couldn't Stand the Weather" for a general comparison. I always expected them to be muddy and undefined, but that's just wrong-headed. I still love rounds on my Steinberger and the MM SUB5, but every other bass I own has converted.

Lastly, the growl is really a product of the pickups and amp, IMHO. I can get a wicked, punchy and bright growl out of my B15N or my Mesa D-180 with any FW bass, even my Danelectro Longhorn with only the neck lipstick-tube. Its all about attack and gain.

Of course, i could be totally wrong...