Flatwound questions

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='thebeat' post='751199' date='Feb 19 2010, 06:11 PM'][b]And i have a 51p with Ti's strung though the body and have encountered no problems whatsoever[/b]...and yes. they are more flexy than La Bellas, but i prefer the sound of the La Bellas to the TI's, as said above, the TI's are VERY middy.[/quote]
+1

[iconic]

I have Ernine Ball Group III flatties on RBX-374 and simply adore them...[i]they feel like silk on the fingers[/i] and boy do they make that bass growl...so much that if I just been playing my VMJ and plug the RBX, in I have to turn the bass down on the amp to stop the room singing along too...PC, printer, tables, other guitar strings etc and they all sing better than me


"Flat chrome plated steel wire wrapped around a hex shaped tin plated steel wire. Provides a smooth feel and mellow sound."....[b]mellow [/b]really would be the last word to describe them!

Edited February 20, 2010 by iconic

[Hit&Run]

I decided to go for status hotwires on the fretless and LaBellas on the SX P bass in the end.

Unfortunately the D string from the LaBellas snapped at the machinehead before it was tuned up to pitch. I emailed LaBella on Saturday morning about this, and today a replacement D string landed up. I bought the Labellas from Stringbusters.com, and they've sorted me out quickly & easily. I recommend stringbusters.com, as do many on here, because their service is top drawer. And they were cheaper than some other sites I looked on as well.

A lot of people had mentioned that the LaBellas have a high string tension, or apparent high string tension. Is it likely that I'll need to tweak the truss rod a little now I've got all 4 strings on the bass?

Thanks,
H&R

[Spoombung]

I got these from Stringstar:



I wanted a sort of plunking Serge Gainsborg sound with my Dano for some songs. First time I've really tried them and I've gotta say I'm not that impressed - they were expensive (£40), they're dull and boring - and I will be going back to rounds ASAP. Plus they said they'd fit shortscale but they don't - they're far too long.

[artisan]

[quote name='iconic' post='751745' date='Feb 20 2010, 02:11 PM']I have Ernine Ball Group III flatties on RBX-374 and simply adore them...[i]they feel like silk on the fingers[/i] and boy do they make that bass growl...so much that if I just been playing my VMJ and plug the RBX, in I have to turn the bass down on the amp to stop the room singing along too...PC, printer, tables, other guitar strings etc and they all sing better than me


"Flat chrome plated steel wire wrapped around a hex shaped tin plated steel wire. Provides a smooth feel and mellow sound."....[b]mellow [/b]really would be the last word to describe them![/quote]


+1 i absolutley love EB flats,my stingray is has group II's on it & it really kicks arse.
they have a very nice smooth non sticky feel,sound fantastic & are a joy to play,they're very good for slap playing too.
i've tried many brands & imho these are by far the best & only string i'll use.
i've never strung through body with them though but i have a feeling they may not like it though.

[wateroftyne]

Just some advice to the OP... Flats generally sound terrible in a solo bass situation, but bear with them.

There's been times at bass bashes where my basses have been grumbling and huffing away, while the round-strung bass next-door has been singing like a canary. I've come away wanting to bin flats and go back to rounds...

...but they're not about that. What's important is how they sit in a mix, which IMO is... perfectly.

[Twigman]

[quote name='iconic' post='751745' date='Feb 20 2010, 01:11 PM']I have Ernine Ball Group III flatties on RBX-374 and simply adore them...[i]they feel like silk on the fingers[/i] and boy do they make that bass growl...[/quote]

I just put some Ernie Ball group III flatwounds 100/85/65/45 on my 83 JV P and I can safely say they are the best sounding and playing string I have ever used....

I LOVE THEM

[Hit&Run]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='762831' date='Mar 3 2010, 12:22 PM']Just some advice to the OP... Flats generally sound terrible in a solo bass situation, but bear with them.[/quote]
I thought that my LaBellas sounded sweet when playing solo (& unamplified), but then got a bit lost in the mix at last weeks rehearsal. Or so I thought. It was a louder than usual rehearsal.

I thought they (the flats) were maybe a bit too bassy, but the lead guitarist reckoned they were too trebley!

Do flats take a bit of time to 'bed in' then? And how long will this take before I reach the 'promised land' roughly?

As an aside, once the Labellas were on my SX P bass, I found I could lower the action quite a bit on the bass, certainly lower than with the rounds that were on it previously. Is this a common by-product of stringing up with flats, ie lower action? Is it because they cause less fret buzz?

Thanks,
H&R

[redstriper]

[quote name='Hit&Run' post='767754' date='Mar 8 2010, 11:43 AM']I thought that my LaBellas sounded sweet when playing solo (& unamplified), but then got a bit lost in the mix at last weeks rehearsal. Or so I thought. It was a louder than usual rehearsal.
[color="#000000"]Flats don't cut through like rounds, the tone is generally deeper and less middly - I recommend increasing the volume.[/color]

I thought they (the flats) were maybe a bit too bassy, but the lead guitarist reckoned they were too trebley!
[color="#000000"]Experiment with eq at high volume.[/color]

Do flats take a bit of time to 'bed in' then? And how long will this take before I reach the 'promised land' roughly?
[color="#000000"]Depends how much you play, it usually takes at least 6 months for me to get rid of the brightness and about 3 years to reach perfection.[/color]

As an aside, once the Labellas were on my SX P bass, I found I could lower the action quite a bit on the bass, certainly lower than with the rounds that were on it previously. Is this a common by-product of stringing up with flats, ie lower action? Is it because they cause less fret buzz?
[color="#000000"]Higher gauge = lower action and flats are not as rattley as rounds anyway.[/color][/quote]

[iconic]

whoops, yes I forgot to add...yes totally agree you can really slap those Ernie Ball flatties too, you get a very bright pop from the G string...I just sold my RBX-374 with the EB's onboard...so my BB614 slap monster is gonna get a set of those Group III's too.....

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='Hit&Run' post='767754' date='Mar 8 2010, 11:43 AM']I thought that my LaBellas sounded sweet when playing solo (& unamplified), but then got a bit lost in the mix at last weeks rehearsal. Or so I thought. It was a louder than usual rehearsal.[/quote]
They need to be EQ'd a bit differently to rounds... maybe back a bit of low end off a bit, and push the mids..?

It'll be a while before they break in anyway...

[nick]

[quote name='iconic' post='768301' date='Mar 8 2010, 06:24 PM']whoops, yes I forgot to add...yes totally agree you can really slap those Ernie Ball flatties too, you get a very bright pop from the G string...I just sold my RBX-374 with the EB's onboard...so my BB614 slap monster is gonna get a set of those Group III's too.....[/quote]

Love the slap tone from Chromes too.

[Hit&Run]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='768303' date='Mar 8 2010, 06:25 PM']It'll be a while before they break in anyway...[/quote]
Apparently 3 years or so. At least it'll save me buying loads of roundwounds!

I just want evrything today, but I guess there's some things that you just can't rush.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='Hit&Run' post='768344' date='Mar 8 2010, 06:59 PM']Apparently 3 years or so. At least it'll save me buying loads of roundwounds!

I just want evrything today, but I guess there's some things that you just can't rush.[/quote]
Heh... they start to sound OK to my ears after five or six gigs... and then they start to sound better and better.

[redstriper]

[quote name='Hit&Run' post='768344' date='Mar 8 2010, 06:59 PM']Apparently 3 years or so. At least it'll save me buying loads of roundwounds!

I just want evrything today, but I guess there's some things that you just can't rush.[/quote]

Flats may not be your thing by the sound of it - if you like the tone of new rounds, then you should forget flats cos they'll never do that.
The older they get, the duller they sound, which suits me fine but may be you're idea of toneless mud !

[sdgrsr400]

I've just got a set of Status HotWire [b]half[/b]-rounds: very smooth and easy to play, nice sound, good value. Worth a try if fully flat doesn't completely work out for you.

[hagguy]

[quote name='iconic' post='768301' date='Mar 8 2010, 06:24 PM']whoops, yes I forgot to add...yes totally agree you can really slap those Ernie Ball flatties too, you get a very bright pop from the G string...I just sold my RBX-374 with the EB's onboard...so my BB614 slap monster is gonna get a set of those Group III's too.....[/quote]


i've been really interested in flats for a while aswell, heard theres nothing compares to the feel
on the left hand, but if you can slap on them they sound ideal but im not a fan of ernie ball strings
the rounds i had on my 5 felt rough are the flats smoother? any other flats that are good for slapping?

[redstriper]

I find TIs quite slappable - but I try to resist

[iconic]

[quote name='hagguy' post='768684' date='Mar 8 2010, 11:18 PM']i've been really interested in flats for a while aswell, heard theres nothing compares to the feel
on the left hand, but if you can slap on them they sound ideal but im not a fan of ernie ball strings
the rounds i had on my 5 felt rough are the flats smoother? any other flats that are good for slapping?[/quote]


the feel is amazing, they have a silky feeling and not at all sticky....they can encourage you to do too many slides though!

[hagguy]

feck it im gonna order some looking for nice n smooth but can slap
without sounding dead, think it will come down to price in the end
i hate gettin dear stuff and not gettin any use out of it, im a bit of a cheapskate that way. lol!

[Ou7shined]

TI's are definitely slappable.

[Ou7shined]

But my favourites for now remain Status HW's.

[xgsjx]

I find when I slap on the TIs they lose a slight ammount of bottom compared to rounds but nothing drastic.
They sound brilliant if slapping with a filter on. Especially if you do short slides on some notes.

[foal30]

I think Chromes are well good
after about a month on the Bass they are ready

I have not tried TI

[Hit&Run]

[quote name='redstriper' post='768352' date='Mar 8 2010, 07:06 PM']Flats may not be your thing by the sound of it - if you like the tone of new rounds, then you should forget flats cos they'll never do that.
The older they get, the duller they sound, which suits me fine but may be you're idea of toneless mud ![/quote]
I'm not that massive a fan of box-fresh rounds, I like low end, and I knew the flats would sound different.
With more time, playing and EQ tweaking I'll be a lot more qualified to judge the sound of the strings.

I have got some rotosound pressure wound on a fretless, which are like a half rounds, I think. They feel a bit rougher on the fingers than the flats.