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Why use flats?

#21
I'm afraid you're mistaken.

Flats have lower tension than rounds and are easier to play. They are, as she pointed out, easier on the fingers. They sound great feel great, last forever, and provide low tension. I'd say they're infinitely more useful.

Get this:
yesterday I was slapping - on flats - on a Ric - on a TUBE amp! And it sounded fantastic! It's all in your fingers
I use D'Addario Chromes, some other flats have a darker tone.

Anyway, this is my perspective: I hate P-basses, I don't play R&B or classic rock or jazz. I play in one of those modern annoying instrumental math rock bands where growl is the key. I'm a recent flat devotee!


The bottom line is, try them yourself and see what you think!
 
#23
JKT said:
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 :)
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Plus roundwounds are generally cheaper than flats. And you aren't going to put quality strings on a display bass when the strings break. (Which can be fairly often given how much abuse they have to take.) The basses at the music stores aren't strung with Thomastik-Infelds or La Bellas, that's for sure.
 
#24
Ric5 said:
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 ...
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could it have anything to do with the fact that flats are way more expensive.

megadan said:
I'm afraid you're mistaken.

Flats have lower tension than rounds....
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No they don't.
 
#25
JMDT said:
Am I missing something important about flats?
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Absolutely.

Flats are an entirely different sound, feel, hue, for a bass. Both rounds and flats have their place. It's not (or shouldn't be) a "one or the other" scenario. BUT, if you have one bass, then ya gotta decide what to run for a while. For anybody on the fence, I highly recommend Chromes.
 
#26
You can buy flats because they are easier to play (I actually find them marginally harder on the fingers), or because they make less string noise, or because they last so long.

But you *stay* with flats because of the sound.
 
#27
I like both rounds and flats.

My short clip:

When I switched to TI Jazz Flats on my fretless, everyone in the group (yes everyone) - with no knowledge that I had changed strings - committed on my new and improved bass sound. In 40+ years of playing, this was the first time anyone else in the group had ever noticed a "string change"

I like flats for a lot of the reasons already given. i have only been using them for 3 or 4 years. They are very smooth sounding, with plenty of clear thud. And they sing in the middle of the neck.

I was surprised to hear that some think flats are harder on the fingers than rounds. Flats have never brought blood, whereas rounds have cut my fingers more than a couple of times.

Anyway, I have (2) fretless basses, one with rounds, one with flats. I love 'em both.

I think rounds and flats are available in both low, and high tension. Chromes vs TI Jazz Flats / Dr Hi Beams, and Lo Riders?
 
#29
1954bassman said:
I was surprised to hear that some think flats are harder on the fingers than rounds. Flats have never brought blood, whereas rounds have cut my fingers more than a couple of times.
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I find flats are harder on the fingers in a "builds calluses" way, not in a "bloodies fingers" way. I have never cut my fingers on rounds or flats.

I just bought a set of rounds to try on my practice bass just to see what I was missing. While I noticed the "lack of smoothness", I did not find them any harder on my fingers.

I did find I have gotten very sloppy. I have very short fingers and have to shift for even simple walking patterns. I tend to lightly drag my finger on the string. Makes no noise with flats, but is noticeable with rounds.

I have kept practicing with the rounds, even though I prefer the tone of the flats.
 
#30
JMDT said:
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? :ninja::hiding::ninja:
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Turning the tone to zero with rounds doesn't sound quite the same as a bass with flats; I use TI flats and I keep my tone about halfway open. Suitability for slap isn't really an issue for me as I don't slap. As many others have pointed out in this thread, string tension with flats varies a lot by brand: the tension of TI flats is slightly less than the D'Addario medium light rounds I was using before. The difference in tension was only about 5 lbs, so I didn't even have to adjust the truss rod.
 
#31
The TI Jazz Flats are really something special. In no way do they sound like a round. But those mids are beautiful. Contrary to what some will say, they will thump, especially with some foam under the string at the bridge. Without foam, they just plain sing. That is about the only way I can describe them.

If I could only afford one bass, and on any given night I had to go from a old school to modern, then yes, put on some rounds..... you can roll back the tone and stuff some foam in. With some clean technique, you'll get a passable "kinda flat" tone. But since I can afford more than one bass, I keep rounds on a couple, and flats on a couple, and roll in with two basses for the gig. Interestingly enough, I always try to find an excuse to play with the TI strung basses though.... even on the modern stuff. They are a fingerstyle players dream.

Ljazz
 
#33
I have tried Chromes, Ti flats, and Labella deep talking flats on my Jazz in the past month.

While I really like the TI's tone and light touch, I just cant get used to the tension. Very high quality string IMO though.

The Chromes are sorta zingy and have a more comfortabe tension for me, but IMO lack something tonally and kinda muddy up my tone.

The Labellas....feel similar to the Chromes, but have a much crisper tone to them. These strings just have it. Very full, rich tone. A definite upgrade from Chromes IMO :hiding:
 
#34
I use both flats and rounds. As everyone else has said, they have their place and actually do sound great in certain genres such as roots music (blues, gospel, folk, etsc.) and do feel smooth to many people's fingers. They are Usually higher tensioned, but can be found in lighter tension such as the TI's. I use GHS Precision flats on one of my fretlesses and my Dobro type bass and they really sound great. No, they are not for everybody, but they do have their own fans who love them.
Doug
 
#37
spaz21387 said:
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.
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they are: DA half-rounds or GHS brite flats. i am a fan on half rounds. they feel horrible for a few weeks (till the ground edges smooth out), but then they are great, as in, no finger squeak with a round-ish sound. as far as i can tell the "brite flats" (which are not flats) only come in 4-string, which is why i use half rounds.

to further muddy the waters, there is also "pressure wound" strings which are round wound, not ground down, but wound in a way meant to quiet finger squeak ( i believe they are oval shaped). haven't tried them.

i have flats on a p-bass for a blues band and they are perfect for that genre. i recently put flats on my 5-string that i use in a rock band. they are a little dark, not as clear and defined, but still work for me, though i am about to switch back to half-rounds (or maybe try SIT silencers - a pressure wound).
 

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