1st gig with Stingray & Flats

[orpheus55]

Well, as an old Fender lifer who was dragged into the MM world by my son, I must admit I had a great time with my Stingray last night playing Motown till the cows went home on my 4 string single H Stingray (see sig); Earlier, I had put Stage III flats on it, boosted the bass a tad, backed off the treble only a millimeter, and the sound was tremendous! Just had to share what a great late-life experience the EBMM Ray has proved to be for me.

 

[Powman]

That's great news!

I love the sound of flats for half the stuff I play and round wounds for the other stuff...I am glad to hear that flats work well on a MM bass. Looks like I need to pick up a second Sterling and string it with some flats!!!

 

[phat5]

It hasn't been quite 2 years, when I discovered the Music Man / flatwound combination. Made me feel like a kid again.

 

[bovinehost]

...I am glad to hear that flats work well on a MM bass.

I've gotta try this. Flats, you say? Crazy.

 

[Basspro]

Just go's to show you with EBMM basses flats,rounds,halfs,they all give you great sound.
Man i'm starting to sound like a EBMM rep.

 

[EdFriedland]

Yes, flatwounds... I love them on the 25th 5HH. It brought out the wolf in that axe. But.... one of those classic 2-band SR4s with the mutess.... flats for sure.

 

[LuvMusic]

What flats are you all using? I'm using DR flats on my P bass which I really like. I've got a set of Chromes sitting here that I'm thinking of putting on my SBMM SB14. Thoughts?

 

[Flatwound.]

wow, i just found out about EB flats and those group 1 flats have a huge gauge.
i'd really like to try those now.

having some chromes (105-40) on my 3bd stingray right now, how will they sound in comparison? any experiences?

 

[7broccos]

I played at my church last week with my SR5 H strung with group III flats.The other bassist who I split time with (who by the way is top notch player,always make me sweat a little more!) He plays two nice custom basses made by his luthier.He played my SR5 all maple neck H,rolled off the treble,boosted the mid's and rolled off the bass a little.Talk about BARK ! He was beside himself.I think he was almost drooling and I was wondering if I was going to make lunch with my family. The group III's are smooth on the hands and the tension is really nice. I have slinkys on my Bongo 5HH And slinkys on my fretless SR5 H wich sounds unique. I am truly a blessed man

 

[Randracula]

wow, i just found out about EB flats and those group 1 flats have a huge gauge.
i'd really like to try those now.

having some chromes (105-40) on my 3bd stingray right now, how will they sound in comparison? any experiences?

I honestly don't think you'll be able to tell the difference.

 

[MrMusashi]

i find the tension is the biggest variable

also its so much fun when you find that sound youve been hearing in your head everytime you hum a bassline!

MrM

 

[shakinbacon]

wow, i just found out about EB flats and those group 1 flats have a huge gauge.
i'd really like to try those now.

having some chromes (105-40) on my 3bd stingray right now, how will they sound in comparison? any experiences?

Chromes seemed to have more high end and needed a while to die down (months). EB flats took maybe a day to "mature". The strings are quite similar but have subtle differences in the midrange. I prefer the EB flats as they get closer to the sound in my head. They also stay in tune a very long time.

 

[EdFriedland]

Agreed.

I have tried darker sounding flats on my MM basses, like Lakland Joe Osborns, and DRs - both great strings - but I found they didn't take advantage of the full range of the bass' tonal range. So I switched to the EB flats and they work best for me. They are still warm and fat, but I can still get some high end to keep the bass heard in the mix, and it is easily rolled off if I want super thump. Group III has the best balance of tension for my taste.

 

[Randracula]

Chromes seemed to have more high end and needed a while to die down (months). EB flats took maybe a day to "mature". The strings are quite similar but have subtle differences in the midrange. I prefer the EB flats as they get closer to the sound in my head. They also stay in tune a very long time.

You really think you can tell a difference?

 

[syndrome666]

Chromes rock!!!

What flats are you all using? I'm using DR flats on my P bass which I really like. I've got a set of Chromes sitting here that I'm thinking of putting on my SBMM SB14. Thoughts?

I got my friend a set of chromes for her fender precision and they sound amazing, kinda like Tiwiggy's bass from Marilyn Manson. I like the sound, the feel and the smoothness so much that I got the same set for my stingray 5. Yeah the 5th string is so brutal looking, it's a .132 guage but sits better than the round .130. Probably the smoothest flats I've tried yet with a lot of low end. I bought Rotosound 77s for my fender jaguar bass and was disapointed at how hollow they are. Do not get rotosounds if you are looking for lowend and more of the mellow sound. Roto 77s are hollow and bright flats and are actually not so smooth like d'addario chromes. My personal experience with flats so far...but do try out the chromes, it's one string I do recommend for that deep mellow sound. They'd sound even nicer on a fretless.

 

[syndrome666]

wow, i just found out about EB flats and those group 1 flats have a huge gauge.
i'd really like to try those now.

having some chromes (105-40) on my 3bd stingray right now, how will they sound in comparison? any experiences?

Never tried the EB flats, but chromes definitely rock the low end of mellow, they need like a week or 2 to break in properly, if you play consistently. I only have a lot of experience with numerous EB rounds which all died on me prematurely, leading me to conclude that I don't like EB strings, but cannot say anything about their flats except that they are much cheaper than d'addario chromes, don't know how they feel or sound, but you get what you pay for. I'm sure they sound good, but how long they'll last you, i do not know. D'addarios never let me down yet and they fit my needs much more than EB so far. Both EB and D'Addario rounds sound similar and play similar, but D'addario's outlast EBs everytime. My guess is that the Chromes would outlast EB flats. I mean (4 string) chromes are 40$ vs 25$ for EB flats (4 string). Hope this helps.

 

[Powman]

EB die on you prematurely??? Define what you mean by die. I have a new set of EB Regular Slinky's on my bass for about 2 months now. They were very bright for the first two months, but now sound perfect. I don't have to roll off the highs as much and there is less finger noise. If this is what you call die, I call that broken in. Shipe those so-called "dead" strings to me, I could use them. Thanks!

 

[Flatwound.]

My guess is that the Chromes would outlast EB flats. I mean (4 string) chromes are 40$ vs 25$ for EB flats (4 string). Hope this helps.

i've never had any experience with EB strings at all. i guess when it comes to flats they all tend to last extremely long.

but the thing is: here, in germany, it's the other way round. chromes ~30€, EB flats 45€.

 

[bassmonkeee]

Never tried the EB flats, but chromes definitely rock the low end of mellow, they need like a week or 2 to break in properly, if you play consistently. I only have a lot of experience with numerous EB rounds which all died on me prematurely, leading me to conclude that I don't like EB strings, but cannot say anything about their flats except that they are much cheaper than d'addario chromes, don't know how they feel or sound, but you get what you pay for. I'm sure they sound good, but how long they'll last you, i do not know. D'addarios never let me down yet and they fit my needs much more than EB so far. Both EB and D'Addario rounds sound similar and play similar, but D'addario's outlast EBs everytime. My guess is that the Chromes would outlast EB flats. I mean (4 string) chromes are 40$ vs 25$ for EB flats (4 string). Hope this helps.

So, you've never actually tried EB flats, but you're basing that they won't last as long as Chromes based on the price? Sometimes it's better not to give an opinion instead of giving one based on pulling things directly out of your ass. At the very least, don't slag a product you don't have any actual experience with based on completely unrelated information.

Having actually used both EB Flats and D'Addario Chromes, I can assure anyone interested that they both last comparably. And, considering that they are flats that we are talking about, "lasting" is a relative term. I've had Chromes that stayed on a bass for three years until I sold it. I've had EB flats on both of my Bongos for about 2 years at this point and they are still going strong.


There are more similarities between Chromes and EB Flats than there are differences. You might even say they come from the same family tree, even if they are on different branches. They both have blue silk, too.

 

[RaginRog]

I've gotta try this. Flats, you say? Crazy.

You exclusively use flats dontcha?