The time has come, the Walrus said.....

[pete1000]

....To talk of many things.
Of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax, and using flat-wound strings....

I am at the stage where Flats are my next big step. My aged fingers & frets will thank me.
But before taking the plunge, I am seeking knowledge from the collective Knucklehead masses.
After 25 odd years of using 45-100 Slinkys on the SR4, which gauge flats should I start with? (In light of the warm, fuzzy feeling this company gives me via this forum, only EB branded strings considered...)
How much sustain will I lose going from rounds to flats?
Any thing else I should know?
Much thanks in advance,
Pete.

 

[oli@bass]

As you, I've been playing Super Slinky sets on all my EBMMs, so I went for the Group III set on the fretless SR. And it feels perfect to me.

 

[five7]

I put flatwounds on and couldn't stand them. They were very blah sounding and slippery. I have been playing for 35 years and will never try flatwounds again! They have no tone.

 

[rhythmCity944]

I put flatwounds on and couldn't stand them. They were very blah sounding and slippery. I have been playing for 35 years and will never try flatwounds again! They have no tone.

my dad has said the same thing my whole life...wonder why there are flats still on his '62 Fender bass VI that have also been on there since the early 70s...

 

[bovinehost]

Group IIIs for the win.

And as far as flats sounding 'blah'......well, first, I don't buy it (it's really an opinion question rather than a scientific finding, let's face it) and second, it really depends on what you're looking for.

As Dave LaRue said to me after eyeing my Bongo, "Oh....it has flats." Quickly followed with, "Which are great for your gig........"

Exactly. Dave has a pretty modern tone going and it works in the context of his gig. Even though I play Bongos, what I want (and what I get) is more of an old school tone and a major ingredient in achieving that is - flatwound strings.

I'm pretty sure no one walks away from one of our shows thinking, "That bass sounded 'blah'." (They might think a lot of other things, but not that!)
As I've often said, "I might suck, but my tone is great."

If you want zing and treble and all that modern stuff, then you want rounds. I went from string to string for many years - decades! - without realizing that what I really and truly wanted was a good set of flats. When I re-discovered them, it was a light-bulb moment.

A return to those thrilling days of yesteryear, as it were.

I'd be the last person to recommend flatwounds for everyone. They do work for me, that much I'm sure of, but I guess I'd have to give them up if I were in, say, a Yes tribute band. They wouldn't work for that, nor do they apparently work for Dave LaRue.

So my answer to "Should I try flats?" is always another question: "What is it you're looking for?"

Jack

 

[nashman]

I recently tried flats for the first time. I have Regular Slinkies on my Ray and put flats on my "other" bass. I chose EB Group III's. It's a relatively inexpensive option to explore.

I like the sound of rounds - and flats - so having rounds/flats two different basses adds versatility and choice.

The flats really reduce string noise - and are easy to play from that perspective. I find that I have to be careful with my fret hand technique - I found myself getting "lazy" using flats in that there's little string noise "penalty" for sliding along the strings - which quickly becomes apparent when switching back to rounds.

They are a bit "slippery" and on occasion I have found my fret hand fingers slipping off the string to the side - nothing that can't be corrected with technique.

I was expecting a HUGE difference in tone - and was pleasantly surprized that although they are different, they are not THAT much different - you get more thump but less zing - old school.

Flats also last a very long time. They also retain their original sound longer since they don't get dirt, oil etc caught between the windings like rounds.

I recommned you give a set of EB Group III's a try.

 

[T-bone]

I echo the sentiments of both Jack and nashman. I put Group III's on my buttercream and these 53 year old fingers thank me every night after a 3 hour rehearsal or gig.

Then again, sound of round is mighty powerful.

tbone

 

[Russel]

...pansies.

Real men and 18 year olds know rounds are the only way to go.



seriously though, Jack's right. What do you want?

Might be worth it if you have more than one bass to string one with flats and one with rounds, to give yourself some time to learn how to use them and maybe let them grow on you a little.

 

[AtomicPunk]

The problem for me with flats is I felt like I couldn't "feel" the string. Tone was just OK, but it was the feel of them that I couldn't get past.

 

[five7]

Old school is my 65 fender fretless that I have a set of 30 year old rotosounds on!

 

[bovinehost]

Old school is my 65 fender fretless that I have a set of 30 year old rotosounds on!

That's basically what I used to do - just leave rounds on until they were dead. I liked dead rounds, but after a while the intonation can (doesn't always, but CAN) get weird. Plus, I'm not all that good at remembering to wipe strings down after a sweaty session, so....

And I used to use Rotos, too - the round ones! On a Rickenbacker! No wonder my hearing is shot.

But what I get now is that old school warmth with a modern, powerful EQ section - and no intonation weirdness.

But see? Even we old guys have our differences.

What sort of flats did you try and not like?

Jack

 

[MrMusashi]

flats are fun!
good ole motown thump, slippery feeling that makes you think youre playing a fretless and the best part.. they last forever

flats are not for everybody, but give it a try.. dig out standing in the shadows of motown book and enjoy a sound closer to what james jamerson had!
now if i only had a fliptop amp as well id be in motown heaven

MrM

 

[Aussie Mark]

Flats on everything here for the past 15 years or so

 

[oli@bass]

If you want zing and treble and all that modern stuff, then you want rounds.

Steve Harris would probably disagree...


Me, on my StingRays I like rounds on frets and flats on fretless. But I also have one off brand fretted bass permanently strung with flats and it sounds perfect that way.