I use Flatwound strings because I absolutely hate the sound of the screech Roundwounds make when I slide up and down the fretboard-I do prefer the slightly muted sound I get also and the lack of friction really helps with my playing.
Flats help the bass to stick out amidst the guitars. Rounds are fine, but they tend to blend in too much with normal guitar strings. Smash by The Offspring and Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden are both testaments to the power of the P bass with flats.
Octave pedals absolutely ROCK on flatwound strings. Honestly, for modulation type effects like chorus I admit roundwounds "shimmer" more but you have to hear how awesome an octave pedal sounds on a jazz bass with flatwounds. Way better tracking and buttery smooth sound.
You can get a good bright tone from flats and I would even say that flats are much fuller and better in the mix than rounds. Also with rounds you can't really get a nice warm tone. That's why I choose flats, tho I play in a rock band.
I've heard a lot of cliff burtons stuff was flats. all the early zeppelin stuff was flats, you gotta think, ALL of the legendary basslines of old, up until like the late 60s (I think) when rounds were invented for bass, were all flatwounds. I adore the way they sit in the mix and stay out of the guitars way while having a certain thump rounds just don't get. I am always surprised when sound guys think I am playing rounds haha. They can definitely come off a lot brighter than you'd think. Also something really special about fuzz on flatwounds when you can blend your signal. In the past I have even put flats on my E and A strings and rounds on D and G if you still want that sparkle for popping or tapping, incidentally the styles that benefit most from rounds, and you can still get your thump on your low root notes. Rounds will pretty much always sound better on a solo bass, but in a group setting, especially with more than one guitar, I say let em have the high frequencies.
I changed to flats some time ago. My impression is that it gives a bit more bottom end, it sounds tighter and fatter. Also it plays more comfortable both fingerstyle and with a pick. I used to play rounds only. Never to late to change. Great video btw! 😉
I love flatwounds, have them on my acoustic bass, just bought a new P baas, has roundwounds on it, so I'll change them for flatwounds, really like the tone, feel and playabillity of flatwounds.
I got some tape-wounds on my acoustic and it sounds almost like an upright. I thought about going stainless steel flats, but worried about ripping the bridge off. What brand/guage you using?
I just got an Ibanez mezzo medium scale bass. It’s super nice and it’s got me even more hooked into playing. Gonna put flats on it for that tone. The shorter scale makes it lack that punch but I feel as if the strings could change that
I used to have the theory that flats on my Jazz, I used mostly Roto Sound and Roto Sound on P bass. Last year I put the D'Addario Cromes on my P and fell in love with them.
I found the same thing. I love a nice set of bright stainless rounds on my Jazz to coax out its nastier zing and clang. I want the opposite on my P bass.
Awesome demonstration man ...I've put flatwounds on my new fender jazz ...and find your presentation very helpful ..ranging from the sound to the actual physical experience of flatwounds
I play nothing but flats on my Jazz ,,, Joe Osborn is my favorite tone....I agree with everything you said, I have owned hi-end Spectors , Warwicks , F-bass and others and always end up back at Fender .
I own 10 basses (just ordered my 11th a used Inca silver Squier CV 60s Jazz Bass) and, all but 3 have flats on them. Flats just sound good in the mix in most cases.
I've heard a lot of cliff burtons stuff was flats. all the early zeppelin stuff was flats, you gotta think, ALL of the legendary basslines of old, up until like the late 60s (I think) when rounds were invented for bass, were all flatwounds. I adore the way they sit in the mix and stay out of the guitars way while having a certain thump rounds just don't get. I am always surprised when sound guys think I am playing rounds haha. They can definitely come off a lot brighter than you'd think. Also something really special about fuzz on flatwounds when you can blend your signal. In the past I have even put flats on my E and A strings and rounds on D and G if you still want that sparkle for popping or tapping, incidentally the styles that benefit most from rounds, and you can still get your thump on your low root notes. Rounds will pretty much always sound better on a solo bass, but in a group setting, especially with more than one guitar, I say let em have the high frequencies. I don't really play slap bass, and if I did I am sure I would feel differently, but flats truly lend themselves to playing fingerstyle. Pretty much the only bass I ever use is my fender precision with flats for any situation. I have a couple others, but they usually stay on their wall mounts. It's really hard to beat.
Flats are still useful today. In my opinion, they’re mostly great for soft, acoustic music, and other times, jazz music. I loaded my FrankenSquier customized fretless Jazz Bass with semi-flatwound nickel strings. Having Semi-flats is where I’d go as a fretless bass player.
I like flats, and I hate rounds, but I'm pretty happy with nylon. Mostly because the flats made chords sound a little bit too muddy; with nylon, the notes sound more focused. I guess I'll go back and forth with both, but I suggest everyone to, at least, try a couple of months the nylon, and find what you like
I understand it has its place and purpose, but the thumpy P-Bass-with-flats sound just never hooked me in the same way it did many others. I play a Rickenbacker 4003 with Rotosound Swing Bass 66 stainless steel roundwounds through two amps in stereo "Rick-O-Sound" mode, because I'm an unapologetic prog nerd and I love all that zing, clang, and twang 😁
mori1993 totally get that. I was the same. I started playing music bc I heard a Metallica album. All I did was metal. In the last 10 years, I’ve really started to appreciate some of those classic sounds. I don’t always play the P but I do like it when I do!
I have a vintage Mustang with GHS flatwounds, I play with a pick and it is pure retro heaven, spend a few pennies on some foam for muting and you have that classic 60's tone.
It’s more about the sound and feel you’re going for than what’s “better.” If you’re just starting out, play what feels best and focus on playing. Then experiment with strings as you go.
I like the way flats feel and sound but not what they cost nor the extra string tension since my hands are junk and my bass is a 5 string, so imagine that bridge cable once you get to the B string. I have found a Baxandall design treble cut to give me all the fundamental I want, but also enjoy removing it when I want to have slap time. Upping the cap to 0.1 uf helps too. This is a good demo, covering many ways flats can be useful.
Flats are most definitely a thing, my preferred strings are made by Thomastik Infeld, D'Addario and La Bella. It would actually make more sense if basses came stock with Flats, that way people would start with most fundamental sound and if they desire to get less bassy they could but they would begin with a more functional, supportive tone. Flats is what they use to come with and in my opinion, still should.
Alec M It’s not too old. It is a 2014 American Standard. I think it’s 1.625 but I’m honestly not sure. I just know it felt good when I picked it up. Although, it’s noticeably different than my thinner jazz neck
I think you should have talked about how much of an advantage flatwounds give for slides. After playing flats on my main bass for a long time now, it feels so much harder to get precise, quick slides out of roundwounds
I retired from progressive death metal fifteen years ago and put my guitars away with my dreams. I just recently bought a new 6 string and a 4 string fretless. I found myself just loving the flats on the fretless, and barely playing the 6. I just ordered a set of 6 flats. Can't wait to get them and find out what they can do. Thanks for the video.
It's always awesome to hear about someone getting back into it! Do you have any recordings of yourself before you retired? I love death metal, if you haven't heard/seen Dominic Forest Lapointe play fretless 6 string you need to
I got the flats and some halfrounds. They did not work out for me. Even though it was my intent to stick with mostly subdued grooves and finger style, I just can't lay off the tapping and thumping. I have a fretless 4 and a fretted 6. When it came down to it, I wanted more tone variance when I switched to fretted.
@@justinpayne3308 Yeah I get what you mean about the flats. Depending on the set they can do slap pretty well, but they really don't like bends, vibrato or tapping that much. I do like them for classic rock, fingerstlyle funk and hip hop style sounds though. That's the beauty of having multiple basses.
I love my fingers, my flats love my fingers back, they also love my frets.. Smooth as silk, deep bass, less noise, amazing for thumb picking. Love my flats! Never use anything else
Tried a set of Thomastik Jazz Flats and couldn't get them off my vintage EB-2 fast enough.Way too soft for me,felt like rubber bands.DR Legends are the choice for me.
The differences between one brand to another is also a factor. Rotosound Steve Harris are similar to roundwounds in brightness and then on the other end of the spectrum is for example La bella low tension flexible flats are almost dead, especially old flats. So brand new Rotosounds are totally different than old La bellas.
Yes if it’s steel. I use nickel strings on my fretless basses. I put semi-flat/rounds on my fretless Jazz Bass. Also, my all of fretless bass guitars have ebonol fretboards, which I heard are much stronger than unfinished ebony when it comes to putting roundwound strings.
Rounds will scratch the fingerboard faster, so it'll need to be sanded down sooner. It's just like wearing out your frets. Either way it takes most people years and years to need the sanding, so make your decision based on tone and playability.
Your Precision Bass sounds great with those flats but I put a Rotosound Steve Harris Signature set of flats on my Precision and my Jazz and they both sounded flat and dead!!! I couldn't get those strings off fast enough!?. I couldn't believe how much I hated them so I went back to stainless steel roundwounds
Not all flat wounds have more tension. I have had Dunlop flats that were about the same tension as the round wounds that I have used. I think TI flats are known to have low tension. (Some say too low.) I tried Chromes and thought that they were pretty stiff but initially pretty bright.
I have played bass for over 40 years and have played both round and flat wound -- but I am little confused on the statement of flat wound being under more tension? I was thinking the opposite would be true?
Allen Portman I don’t know the science, but I know if I play the same gauge string round as flat, the flat is tighter. You can refer to the D’Addario chart I referenced in a comment below. It’s pretty comprehensive. It has all of their strings and the tension for each. The chromes are tighter than the round wound XLs of the same size.
Roundwounds have gaps between the windings that make them more flexible and less dense for a given length and gauge, and therefore lower tension for a given pitch. To go into more detail, you can think of the round windings as packing together like a box full of tennis balls, whereas the rectangular ribbon wire of a flatwound packs together like a neat stack of bricks, little or no gaps. If you look up cross sections of strings you'll see what I mean. That relates back to tension because the more mass is in a string, the more tension it needs to oscillate at a given frequency, AKA tune up to pitch. It's a physics equation.
havr you ever tried GHS bright flats (ground round wound) after my rick4001 god chewed up by Rotosound swing bass strings I found these a good alternate
Wait a minute, Flatwound Strings (they still make them) were invented in 1874 & were originally designed to replace the Gut Strings on bowed stringed instruments cause 1) they last many times as long, & 2) the FLat surface makes playing the string easier.
Lol, I thought the same thing. Yeah, Flats are smooth and you can get low tension like the Thomas Infeld jf 344 I use on a 77 Jazz. They feel beautiful, sound awesome, less wear on the fretboard and frets and on your fingers. 👍
To be fair, the snap and sustain of a brand new set of flats (like these here) doesn't last very long. All the zinginess you get with new flats is going to fade leaving a darker, much thumpier tone than this on average.
there are newer flats (fender, ernie ball cobalt, rotosound, ti jazz flats) which are voiced differently and keep their top end for at least a year. Even Labellas in my experience retained a high frequency "clicky" sound with the tone open, not my thing but it was there and stayed there. To get the mighty Jamerson thump you really have to play them for years on end. For me they have a much longer break in period compared to rounds, and the tone doesn't change/die in a few weeks but more like months actually
I use 'em for all genres. It's how you play them more than the tone difference. Fingers, up or down, thumb downward, pick: both. The good thing is the string sweep and rattle disappear. You're playing music, not mom's pots and pans...😁
I think flatwounds problem is that they don't generally come as standard if you buy a new bass. I only found out about them when I bought a pre-owned bass that came with flatwounds and thought they sounded fantastic.
Just listen to the Joe Jackson album I'm the Man: Graham Maby is pick playing with old flatwounds on an old Ibanez amp with treble full open and it sounds, and it sounds, and it sounds ...JUST F@#& AMAAAZING !! No roundwounds will ever get you that tone.
Bought my first ever bass (PJ, not using J-pickup much) the other day which arrived with roundwounds. I just can't stand that metallic clanky sound. Going to buy flatwounds because that's how a bass should sound like.
@@jlopez219 I went for LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass 760FS. The G string was too long for my 2+2 headstock so I had to wind the string on the tuner (not recommended by manufacturer, only the silk should be winded) but it turned out ok as G string is thin enough so it didn't break. They made E string shorter, if G string was the same length, it would be perfect. I like the sound. So far so good.
Just picked up playing again after 30 years. And my ibanez came with round wounds on it. After about a week I switched to flat wounds. I feel like there easier on my fingers. As for sound quality, not really all that worried about it as I'm relearning to play but once I have a few months buck under my belt I'm sure it's going to matter more then tender fingers. Edit. I also went to a lighter string 45-100 . The ibanez came with 45-105.
Yep flat wounds and fender precision have done a lot of good stuff. They are mainly for bass players who want to find their place in the group and fill all the gaps. If anything they have too much sustain, so you cant play as many notes as a jazz bass. Long ago the tone knob was bass and treble. Now it called on and off. The bass sound being off
This can be remedied. Polish them smooth with a scotch-brite pad or similar. Same problem with Galli flatwounds when new, almost gave burns. The Smoothest flats I have tried are Labella. GHS and Fender, Sadowsky flatwounds are good too! Don't go straight for Nickel flats like Thomastik (and I think Rotosounds) unless you know thats your thing. Nickel sounds sweet but the low tension (compared to stainless steel) makes them nearly unplayable to me- feel like rubber bands!
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
A P-bass with flats is about the most classic bass tone there is.
That's why I ordered them. This week baby.
I use Flatwound strings because I absolutely hate the sound of the screech Roundwounds make when I slide up and down the fretboard-I do prefer the slightly muted sound I get also and the lack of friction really helps with my playing.
The sound with a pick is THE SOUND. Much more variety of tone than what you would think.
I loved it as well!
Thumb over a pick.
A good player can do it all with fingers with the right technique
@@joedecker3900
No they can’t, there is not any way to replicate the tone of a pick without a pick
@@reneebear3641 It’s all in the finger technique, Geddy Lee did it. Prime example!
Flats help the bass to stick out amidst the guitars. Rounds are fine, but they tend to blend in too much with normal guitar strings. Smash by The Offspring and Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden are both testaments to the power of the P bass with flats.
Agreed!
I love the way flatwounds sound especially slap
The slap tone was perfect. Chuck Rainey set the bar exactly where it needed to be when he did his thing on a p with flats.
beautiful sound! D’Addario Chromes !!
Octave pedals absolutely ROCK on flatwound strings. Honestly, for modulation type effects like chorus I admit roundwounds "shimmer" more but you have to hear how awesome an octave pedal sounds on a jazz bass with flatwounds. Way better tracking and buttery smooth sound.
You can get a good bright tone from flats and I would even say that flats are much fuller and better in the mix than rounds. Also with rounds you can't really get a nice warm tone. That's why I choose flats, tho I play in a rock band.
Ditto
I've heard a lot of cliff burtons stuff was flats. all the early zeppelin stuff was flats, you gotta think, ALL of the legendary basslines of old, up until like the late 60s (I think) when rounds were invented for bass, were all flatwounds. I adore the way they sit in the mix and stay out of the guitars way while having a certain thump rounds just don't get. I am always surprised when sound guys think I am playing rounds haha. They can definitely come off a lot brighter than you'd think. Also something really special about fuzz on flatwounds when you can blend your signal. In the past I have even put flats on my E and A strings and rounds on D and G if you still want that sparkle for popping or tapping, incidentally the styles that benefit most from rounds, and you can still get your thump on your low root notes. Rounds will pretty much always sound better on a solo bass, but in a group setting, especially with more than one guitar, I say let em have the high frequencies.
I've been debating putting Flats on my P-bass, but I'm sold now. Thanx!
3wheelrider Imo flats are the only way to go on a P Bass.
Now I know I’m wrong. I just don’t care.
Flats flats flats
I changed to flats some time ago. My impression is that it gives a bit more bottom end, it sounds tighter and fatter. Also it plays more comfortable both fingerstyle and with a pick. I used to play rounds only. Never to late to change. Great video btw! 😉
Yeah! Mountain Song!
Listening on the toilet.
When I screamed "eeeeyah!" , my wife thought I was Elvising.
Getting old.
Comiiiin down the mountaiiiinn!
I love flatwounds, have them on my acoustic bass, just bought a new P baas, has roundwounds on it, so I'll change them for flatwounds, really like the tone, feel and playabillity of flatwounds.
I got some tape-wounds on my acoustic and it sounds almost like an upright. I thought about going stainless steel flats, but worried about ripping the bridge off. What brand/guage you using?
I like it!! plus,there's no string noise.
I just got an Ibanez mezzo medium scale bass. It’s super nice and it’s got me even more hooked into playing. Gonna put flats on it for that tone. The shorter scale makes it lack that punch but I feel as if the strings could change that
I actually like how the slap sounds...
I have the same Fender...think I'll try flat wounds on it just for that old school sound. Thanks for the inspiration.
I used to have the theory that flats on my Jazz, I used mostly Roto Sound and Roto Sound on P bass. Last year I put the D'Addario Cromes on my P and fell in love with them.
I found the same thing. I love a nice set of bright stainless rounds on my Jazz to coax out its nastier zing and clang. I want the opposite on my P bass.
I can't imagine playing any the sorts of songs I like and needing more sustain than that. I'm sold
Nice video.
It'd be great to see videos of Flats on a Jazz Bass too.
Greetings from Uganda 🇺🇬👊🏿❤️
Awesome demonstration man ...I've put flatwounds on my new fender jazz ...and find your presentation very helpful ..ranging from the sound to the actual physical experience of flatwounds
Changing to flatwounds (Chromes) was a revelation for me. I love the rich, solid tone.
I play nothing but flats on my Jazz ,,, Joe Osborn is my favorite tone....I agree with everything you said, I have owned hi-end Spectors , Warwicks , F-bass and others and always end up back at Fender .
Dude....Joe Osborn RULES!
The best thing I ever did, was switch to flatwounds, for my P Bass. The feel and the tone, is exactly what a P Bass should sound like.
I own 10 basses (just ordered my 11th a used Inca silver Squier CV 60s Jazz Bass) and, all but 3 have flats on them. Flats just sound good in the mix in most cases.
Thanks for the video. I love the flats because I seem to play for longer periods of time.
The girth analogy is priceless 🤣
You can imitate the sound of flatwounds by palm muting or putting a bit of foam under the strings at the bridge.
I've heard a lot of cliff burtons stuff was flats. all the early zeppelin stuff was flats, you gotta think, ALL of the legendary basslines of old, up until like the late 60s (I think) when rounds were invented for bass, were all flatwounds. I adore the way they sit in the mix and stay out of the guitars way while having a certain thump rounds just don't get. I am always surprised when sound guys think I am playing rounds haha. They can definitely come off a lot brighter than you'd think. Also something really special about fuzz on flatwounds when you can blend your signal. In the past I have even put flats on my E and A strings and rounds on D and G if you still want that sparkle for popping or tapping, incidentally the styles that benefit most from rounds, and you can still get your thump on your low root notes. Rounds will pretty much always sound better on a solo bass, but in a group setting, especially with more than one guitar, I say let em have the high frequencies. I don't really play slap bass, and if I did I am sure I would feel differently, but flats truly lend themselves to playing fingerstyle. Pretty much the only bass I ever use is my fender precision with flats for any situation. I have a couple others, but they usually stay on their wall mounts. It's really hard to beat.
Absolutely!!!, and God willing always will be.
Flats are perfect in the Mix
That was a quality vid sir. Thank you
I now have flats on my P bass & jazz bass. Really like them on the P bass. I have tapewounds on my Epiphone Les Paul bass.
Flats are still useful today. In my opinion, they’re mostly great for soft, acoustic music, and other times, jazz music. I loaded my FrankenSquier customized fretless Jazz Bass with semi-flatwound nickel strings. Having Semi-flats is where I’d go as a fretless bass player.
I like flats, and I hate rounds, but I'm pretty happy with nylon. Mostly because the flats made chords sound a little bit too muddy; with nylon, the notes sound more focused. I guess I'll go back and forth with both, but I suggest everyone to, at least, try a couple of months the nylon, and find what you like
Love the sound and it punches the mix in almost any style. Like it to RATTLE with excess gain.
I understand it has its place and purpose, but the thumpy P-Bass-with-flats sound just never hooked me in the same way it did many others. I play a Rickenbacker 4003 with Rotosound Swing Bass 66 stainless steel roundwounds through two amps in stereo "Rick-O-Sound" mode, because I'm an unapologetic prog nerd and I love all that zing, clang, and twang 😁
mori1993 totally get that. I was the same. I started playing music bc I heard a Metallica album. All I did was metal. In the last 10 years, I’ve really started to appreciate some of those classic sounds. I don’t always play the P but I do like it when I do!
. Maybe we need a bumper sticker? "flats are where it's at!"
Chromes on my Standard P-bass. Great tone & not so noisy as rounds.
Flats on a short scale
A+++
Can't wait to hear my p bass with flats though
I have a vintage Mustang with GHS flatwounds, I play with a pick and it is pure retro heaven, spend a few pennies on some foam for muting and you have that classic 60's tone.
Agreed, just changed to them on my Cort Action Junior, sounds much better and less slide sound.
Excellent vid. Thx for posting! Buying my first bass this week and want that Pino sound. Will def try flats on my Fender P/J.
U will love flatwounds
Roundwound, VS Flatwound, VS Tapewound for a short scale bass. I'm just starting out so I have no idea as to what would be better.
It’s more about the sound and feel you’re going for than what’s “better.” If you’re just starting out, play what feels best and focus on playing. Then experiment with strings as you go.
@@guitarnoodles7576 Thanks for your input
I like the way flats feel and sound but not what they cost nor the extra string tension since my hands are junk and my bass is a 5 string, so imagine that bridge cable once you get to the B string. I have found a Baxandall design treble cut to give me all the fundamental I want, but also enjoy removing it when I want to have slap time. Upping the cap to 0.1 uf helps too.
This is a good demo, covering many ways flats can be useful.
Cost is higher, but mostly, you can keep em there for the rest of the life and they only age, apard rounds which sounds dead later.
I love flats, but I'm old. My ideal slap tone on electric bass is early Larry Graham, jazz bass with tape-wound.
Paul McCartney used Flatwounds too.
still does, man...
John deacon too
@@bigkoby he only used them in 1969
@WannaBeatle what are your opinions on chrome flatwounds?
I prefer the flat wounds cus I like.to cover motown and stax
Flats are most definitely a thing, my preferred strings are made by Thomastik Infeld, D'Addario and La Bella. It would actually make more sense if basses came stock with Flats, that way people would start with most fundamental sound and if they desire to get less bassy they could but they would begin with a more functional, supportive tone. Flats is what they use to come with and in my opinion, still should.
Price savings fro new instruments. Rounds are cheaper, also better suited for slap kinda.
Thanks for posting. I have been a roundwound advocate. But after watching your video, I will give these Daddario's a go.
Great vid and I love my flatties and btw Happy Girthday 😂
Sounds great
Flatwounds are the bomb!
Love the video and great sound, what year is the P and nut width ?
Alec M It’s not too old. It is a 2014 American Standard. I think it’s 1.625 but I’m honestly not sure. I just know it felt good when I picked it up. Although, it’s noticeably different than my thinner jazz neck
Yes, they sound great
I think you should have talked about how much of an advantage flatwounds give for slides. After playing flats on my main bass for a long time now, it feels so much harder to get precise, quick slides out of roundwounds
If I didn't slap, I'd probably use flats at all times. I love the higher tension, easy and silent slides and it just feels good.
Great tutorial. Aloha from Hawaii.
Slap with flat rounds on a P-Bass sounds like the Seinfeld theme
the first little blues line you did sounded similar to Jaco Pastorius - The Chicken
I retired from progressive death metal fifteen years ago and put my guitars away with my dreams. I just recently bought a new 6 string and a 4 string fretless. I found myself just loving the flats on the fretless, and barely playing the 6. I just ordered a set of 6 flats. Can't wait to get them and find out what they can do.
Thanks for the video.
It's always awesome to hear about someone getting back into it! Do you have any recordings of yourself before you retired? I love death metal, if you haven't heard/seen Dominic Forest Lapointe play fretless 6 string you need to
I loaned my zoom my neighbors son. Never saw it again.
I got the flats and some halfrounds. They did not work out for me. Even though it was my intent to stick with mostly subdued grooves and finger style, I just can't lay off the tapping and thumping. I have a fretless 4 and a fretted 6. When it came down to it, I wanted more tone variance when I switched to fretted.
@@joshstarkey8883 I actually recently watched a couple videos. Pretty , pretty , pretty good.
@@justinpayne3308 Yeah I get what you mean about the flats. Depending on the set they can do slap pretty well, but they really don't like bends, vibrato or tapping that much. I do like them for classic rock, fingerstlyle funk and hip hop style sounds though. That's the beauty of having multiple basses.
My squier jaguar has a set of daddario flats and it's an absolute little killer. Very focused, yet girthy sound. Suits almost anything
Found best of both with EB cobalt flats
I love those strings
I love my fingers, my flats love my fingers back, they also love my frets.. Smooth as silk, deep bass, less noise, amazing for thumb picking. Love my flats! Never use anything else
Great video. Love flats, what brand are these?
Gavin Sadler Thanks! daddario chromes.
Yes. They are still a thing. Hopefully I have helped answer your question.
alan duncan 😂
Try Thomastik Jazz Flats. They are very flexible strings. They last a very long time and feel great
Tried a set of Thomastik Jazz Flats and couldn't get them off my vintage EB-2 fast enough.Way too soft for me,felt like rubber bands.DR Legends are the choice for me.
The differences between one brand to another is also a factor. Rotosound Steve Harris are similar to roundwounds in brightness and then on the other end of the spectrum is for example La bella low tension flexible flats are almost dead, especially old flats. So brand new Rotosounds are totally different than old La bellas.
Does roundwound strings damage fretless bass fretboard?
Churchbass3 NTG typically they are much easier on the fretboard than roundwound since they have no grooves
Yes if it’s steel. I use nickel strings on my fretless basses. I put semi-flat/rounds on my fretless Jazz Bass. Also, my all of fretless bass guitars have ebonol fretboards, which I heard are much stronger than unfinished ebony when it comes to putting roundwound strings.
maybe after like 50 years
Rounds will scratch the fingerboard faster, so it'll need to be sanded down sooner. It's just like wearing out your frets. Either way it takes most people years and years to need the sanding, so make your decision based on tone and playability.
Yes, I also enjoy the girth, especially when listening to Motown music.
I heard a guy play slap with flats on a musicman and it was wicked funky
Cool:) I didn't know that they were doing nowadays flats to match/sound like rounds:))))
Your Precision Bass sounds great with those flats but I put a Rotosound Steve Harris Signature set of flats on my Precision and my Jazz and they both sounded flat and dead!!! I couldn't get those strings off fast enough!?. I couldn't believe how much I hated them so I went back to stainless steel roundwounds
Some flats have a seriously gnarly "break in" period. That may have been the case here.
Yeah I agree, some brands need months before sounding great
Not all flat wounds have more tension. I have had Dunlop flats that were about the same tension as the round wounds that I have used. I think TI flats are known to have low tension. (Some say too low.) I tried Chromes and thought that they were pretty stiff but initially pretty bright.
What gauge Flatwounds do you prefer?
I have played bass for over 40 years and have played both round and flat wound -- but I am little confused on the statement of flat wound being under more tension? I was thinking the opposite would be true?
Allen Portman I don’t know the science, but I know if I play the same gauge string round as flat, the flat is tighter. You can refer to the D’Addario chart I referenced in a comment below. It’s pretty comprehensive. It has all of their strings and the tension for each. The chromes are tighter than the round wound XLs of the same size.
I appreciate the information I had just always thought the opposite. Thanks!
Roundwounds have gaps between the windings that make them more flexible and less dense for a given length and gauge, and therefore lower tension for a given pitch.
To go into more detail, you can think of the round windings as packing together like a box full of tennis balls, whereas the rectangular ribbon wire of a flatwound packs together like a neat stack of bricks, little or no gaps. If you look up cross sections of strings you'll see what I mean. That relates back to tension because the more mass is in a string, the more tension it needs to oscillate at a given frequency, AKA tune up to pitch. It's a physics equation.
havr you ever tried GHS bright flats (ground round wound) after my rick4001 god chewed up by Rotosound swing bass strings I found these a good alternate
I haven’t. I’ll have to check them out.
P-bass with flats is THE classic rock bass sound. Phil Lynott, Roger Waters, John Deacon, Roger Glover, Steve Harris, Geezer Butler, etc.
Is this flatwounds gauge similar too roundwound?
gnaaa14 yes. 40-100.
Wait a minute, Flatwound Strings (they still make them) were invented in 1874 & were originally designed to replace the Gut Strings on bowed stringed instruments cause 1) they last many times as long, & 2) the FLat surface makes playing the string easier.
Lol, I thought the same thing.
Yeah, Flats are smooth and you can get low tension like the Thomas Infeld jf 344 I use on a 77 Jazz.
They feel beautiful, sound awesome, less wear on the fretboard and frets and on your fingers. 👍
@@mrbungle7586 Flatwound strings were invented by Hamilton
I want to try flats so much! I think theyll be easier on my fingers.
Hi, dude! Could you tell us which gauge and strings brand are you using. I bet that's problably La Bella, isn't it?
JOSÉ DÁRIO LEANDRO D’Addario chromes 45-105
Thanks
To be fair, the snap and sustain of a brand new set of flats (like these here) doesn't last very long. All the zinginess you get with new flats is going to fade leaving a darker, much thumpier tone than this on average.
I think that's where the magic starts to happen, old flats have character.
there are newer flats (fender, ernie ball cobalt, rotosound, ti jazz flats) which are voiced differently and keep their top end for at least a year. Even Labellas in my experience retained a high frequency "clicky" sound with the tone open, not my thing but it was there and stayed there. To get the mighty Jamerson thump you really have to play them for years on end.
For me they have a much longer break in period compared to rounds, and the tone doesn't change/die in a few weeks but more like months actually
3 basses, 3 sets of flats!
Flats sound brighter on a maple neck ! SteveBaggett
what kind of flats are on your bass ?
Flatwounds are great with a pick
I use 'em for all genres. It's how you play them more than the tone difference. Fingers, up or down, thumb downward, pick: both. The good thing is the string sweep and rattle disappear. You're playing music, not mom's pots and pans...😁
I think flatwounds problem is that they don't generally come as standard if you buy a new bass. I only found out about them when I bought a pre-owned bass that came with flatwounds and thought they sounded fantastic.
Just listen to the Joe Jackson album I'm the Man: Graham Maby is pick playing with old flatwounds on an old Ibanez amp with treble full open and it sounds, and it sounds, and it sounds ...JUST F@#& AMAAAZING !! No roundwounds will ever get you that tone.
Really glad to hear someone mention Graham Maby in these comments.The man is a master of creativity and igniting a track.
Bought my first ever bass (PJ, not using J-pickup much) the other day which arrived with roundwounds. I just can't stand that metallic clanky sound. Going to buy flatwounds because that's how a bass should sound like.
discoHR I’m about to do the same. Deciding on which flats to get. Leaning towards the D’Addario Chromes
@@jlopez219 I went for LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass 760FS. The G string was too long for my 2+2 headstock so I had to wind the string on the tuner (not recommended by manufacturer, only the silk should be winded) but it turned out ok as G string is thin enough so it didn't break. They made E string shorter, if G string was the same length, it would be perfect. I like the sound. So far so good.
😂 Mountain Song, the first thing I play when I grab a bass 😁
Just picked up playing again after 30 years. And my ibanez came with round wounds on it. After about a week I switched to flat wounds. I feel like there easier on my fingers. As for sound quality, not really all that worried about it as I'm relearning to play but once I have a few months buck under my belt I'm sure it's going to matter more then tender fingers.
Edit. I also went to a lighter string 45-100 . The ibanez came with 45-105.
Flats or round wound strings both sound great on a P bass.
Is that a fretted or fretless bass
Churchbass3 NTG fretted. I used to play fretless a lot but haven’t touched one in years
Yep flat wounds and fender precision have done a lot of good stuff. They are mainly for bass players who want to find their place in the group and fill all the gaps. If anything they have too much sustain, so you cant play as many notes as a jazz bass. Long ago the tone knob was bass and treble. Now it called on and off. The bass sound being off
Tried the Chromes ... Too gummy for my taste. Need something smoother and doesn't hold up my fingers
KJ la Bella flats. 1954 set is what i use.
My Dreamteam: Yamaha BB 234 + Labella Low Tension Flatwounds
Camanda von Lehm I can respect that. I find the LT set loses note clarity when they get “broken in”.
This can be remedied. Polish them smooth with a scotch-brite pad or similar. Same problem with Galli flatwounds when new, almost gave burns.
The Smoothest flats I have tried are Labella. GHS and Fender, Sadowsky flatwounds are good too!
Don't go straight for Nickel flats like Thomastik (and I think Rotosounds) unless you know thats your thing. Nickel sounds sweet but the low tension (compared to stainless steel) makes them nearly unplayable to me- feel like rubber bands!
GHS Precision Flats, Dunlop Flats, La Bella
i love and use flatwounds....for me roundwounds can burn in hell!
Don't forget, "And Rot"!
luca castellaro 🤣🤣
Boy, that escalated quickly!
Flats on electric bass is THE original recipe.
Yes
opps I missed that lol sorry I see it now