stringing a fretted bass with flatwound strings

[Leon Transaxle]

Flats on Squier CV 50
Rounds on P Special
Tapewound on Thunder

Edited June 1, 2013 by Leon Transaxle

[molan]

Just be careful how you string them up. Watch out for strings twisting as you wind them on. Can kill a string dead really quickly if they aren't put on properly.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1370031275' post='2095898']
The only reason for not putting flatwounds on any bass, fretted or not, is that you don't like flats for one reason or another.

I have flats on everything.
[/quote]

Me too, I also slap them sometimes. They sound larrygrahameriffic.

[police squad]

[quote name='dand666' timestamp='1370042087' post='2096057']
i have flats on my Hofner, and just about to put some on my Jack Casady.

Love em.
[/quote] Snap, I'm going to do that when I get back from my holiday

[Phil Adams]

The world is flat.

[Telebass]

Flats on P and Mustang. However, went back to bronze rounds on the Kingman.

[Silvia Bluejay]

I have flats on all my basses, regardless of number of strings or presence/absence of frets. They sound great even on the cheapest models, and I don't see myself ever going back to rounds, really.

[EMG456]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1370090064' post='2096344']
I've been thinking about getting some myself , and I am very much of the generation that believed the virtual extinction of flatwound bass strings was a mark of social progress , similar to the eradication of tuberculosis or the development effective hemmorhoid treatments . For thirty years they were the bass playing equivalent of flared trousers ( i.e most right - thinking folks thought they would never make a comeback ) but they have achieved the seemingly impossible and become trendy again .
[/quote]

I actually did LOL at that! Dingus, you really must be the long lost bass playing twin that I never knew I had!

Like you, I have been a flats-free zone for getting close to 40 years and astonishingly even to myself, am now thinking about stringing up a couple of basses with them to see how they go. There are some archetypal flatwound sounds that I would like to have at my disposal now but this would be more akin to using an effect if you like for a particular song or piece.

I would not go back to flats as a default but that's because I like my basses to provide all the frequencies from the very low to the very high and flats simply don't do that. I'm well aware that many disagree with me on these things but hey - I'm happy!

Cheers

Ed

[Dingus]

[quote name='EMG456' timestamp='1370265283' post='2098246']
I actually did LOL at that! Dingus, you really must be the long lost bass playing twin that I never knew I had!

Like you, I have been a flats-free zone for getting close to 40 years and astonishingly even to myself, am now thinking about stringing up a couple of basses with them to see how they go. There are some archetypal flatwound sounds that I would like to have at my disposal now but this would be more akin to using an effect if you like for a particular song or piece.

I would not go back to flats as a default but that's because I like my basses to provide all the frequencies from the very low to the very high and flats simply don't do that. I'm well aware that many disagree with me on these things but hey - I'm happy!

Cheers

Ed
[/quote]

Hi Ed . I came across this the other day , and it has kindled my intrest in trying some flats on one of my basses . This fellow has got some T.I flats on his Fodera and it sounds good to me both slapped and with fingers . Nice and rubbery but not so dead that you would be inaudible playing with a band :

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eOLlJzUWDI[/media]


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOcd6FEdwMs

Maybe flats are just another option people need to have nowadays . Playing with a pick is socially acceptable nowadays , so anything is possible !

Edited June 3, 2013 by Dingus

[xgsjx]

It depends on what sort of sound you want from your bass? If you're after loads of zing & replace the strings every few months, stick with rounds. If you want to get rid of the zings, have a more rounded bassy sound & probably never replace your strings again, get flats.

I put TI flats on mine a few years back & haven't looked back since.

[Twigman]

I am going the other way.
I've used flats for over 20 years. (EB custom & d'Addario Xl Chromes)..
Just last month though I was struggling recording a piece that used some chords. The flats sounded messy and mushy...so I tried some half rounds....what a revelation!
They feel close to flats (maybe a little rougher) but the notes in the chords were distinct and cut through.....
I am a convert to half rounds!

[4 Strings]

[quote name='tappel' timestamp='1370107093' post='2096556']
I have flats (TI's) on two of my basses. They sound fabulous. To me, there's nothing like flats on a P bass.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjm_qcezWIw[/media]

Tom
[/quote]

Really enjoyed that, thanks. Great timing

[4 Strings]

I don't understand the OP question, why would flats be somehow unsuitable for a fretted bass?

[GuitarTart]

Twigman, I'm going to be tearing off the Cleartone "treated" strings that came on my new fretless. The "treatment" seems to consist of a thin layer of black stuff that came off on my fingers in the first week of playing. I'm thinking of half rounds as a way of reducing string whistle while still keeping a degree of sharpness. I've never used half rounds on a fretless before and wondered what make you used that impressed you so much.

Myk

[4 Strings]

[quote name='GuitarTart' timestamp='1370271557' post='2098369']
Twigman, I'm going to be tearing off the Cleartone "treated" strings that came on my new fretless. The "treatment" seems to consist of a thin layer of black stuff that came off on my fingers in the first week of playing. I'm thinking of half rounds as a way of reducing string whistle while still keeping a degree of sharpness. I've never used half rounds on a fretless before and wondered what make you used that impressed you so much.

Myk
[/quote]

I have a set of Picato half rounds on my fretted Sabre. They are fine, recorded with them and they are more towards the flat end of the scale than round.

Oddly though, they are not round wounds which have been ground flat, but round wound inner windings with flat outer winding.

[Twigman]

[quote name='GuitarTart' timestamp='1370271557' post='2098369']
Twigman, I'm going to be tearing off the Cleartone "treated" strings that came on my new fretless. The "treatment" seems to consist of a thin layer of black stuff that came off on my fingers in the first week of playing. I'm thinking of half rounds as a way of reducing string whistle while still keeping a degree of sharpness. I've never used half rounds on a fretless before and wondered what make you used that impressed you so much.

Myk
[/quote]

I am using d'Addarrio ENR71 - light gauge half rounds - i am using them on a fretted bass.

[lefrash]

I'l not lie.... I never thought about putting flats on a fretted bass until a few months ago. I thought I'd try it. First impression was that I loved them. 2 weeks in I hated them. I found it really difficult to grip the strings and I felt I was less accurate. After 3 weeks I was used to them, and now I cant imagine anything else! Absolutely love the way they feel, and the sound you get off them is great!

I dont see me going back to rounds anytime soon.

[GuitarTart]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll probably try the D'Addario set first because I have them and like them on my other guitars. I'll keep the Picato's in mind though.

Myk