What flatwounds for a bit of Zing?

[fretmeister]

I had La Bella deep talking flats on my fretless and I like them a lot - but I could do with a bit more high end zing - closer to rounds.

Any recommendations?

ta

[Clarky]

D'Addario Chromes have a bit more clank and zing IMHO versus TI flats, LaBellas and Pyramid Golds

[Ou7shined]

I've got to put in a good word for Status Hotwires. Tried most of the above but for me the Status shine through.

[fretmeister]

Anyone tried half-wounds or groundwounds?

The D'Addario's look interesting.

[WarPig]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='956972' date='Sep 15 2010, 10:23 AM']I've got to put in a good word for Status Hotwires. Tried most of the above but for me the Status shine through.[/quote]

+1

Especially the half-wounds.

[Clarky]

I think most flats are wound with flat wire/tape, whereas Chromes (and Status too?) are ground down to be flat. Probably explains the slightly different characteristics

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='fretmeister' post='956975' date='Sep 15 2010, 10:27 AM']Anyone tried half-wounds or groundwounds?

The D'Addario's look interesting.[/quote]
I found the D'Addario groundwounds unbearably "sticky" under the fingers, and it didn't wear off even after a few weeks of heavyish playing.

Status half-wounds, on the other hand... awesome. They're currently adorning my fretless SR5. Thump aplenty, but still with growl and zing. And cheap too!

[jezzaboy]

Status do a round wound string that they smooth off so it looks like a flat but is a round. Really good strings, good value as well. In fact I`m popping over there the now..........

Jez

Ps BE beat me too it!

Edited September 15, 2010 by jezzaboy

[fretmeister]

I shall try some Status ones then (As it happens they will be going on a status!)

thanks chaps

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='Clarky' post='956979' date='Sep 15 2010, 10:29 AM']I think most flats are wound with flat wire/tape, whereas Chromes (and Status too?) are ground down to be flat. Probably explains the slightly different characteristics[/quote]
I could be really, really wrong but I think Chromes are proper flats, wound with flat, wide ribbon wire. It then gets heavily polished (but not ground), which could contribute to the clank. And "clank" is definitely the word I'd use for Chromes.

[davebass66]

check out the LaBella Quarter round strings....I put some on my Jazz to replace flats...they sound great, E and A are nice and thumpy but there is a bit of zing in the D and G....they're not cheap at about 40 quid but def worth it!

[JackieMoon]

Rotosound Steve Harris flatwounds might be worth a look too.

[Rayman]

I've always used TI flats. They were great on a Jazz bass for both rock and jazz stuff because you can get a great click and punch from them, plus they're nice and soft and quite low tension so they're nice to play. I found LaBellas a bit darker and rounder sounding. Never tried D'Addario.

[Bigwan]

I remember GarethHughes did some clips of a fretted custom he had for sale with ghs brite flats on it and I thought they sounded really roundwound-esque...

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='Bigwan' post='957153' date='Sep 15 2010, 01:12 PM']I remember GarethHughes did some clips of a fretted custom he had for sale with ghs brite flats on it and I thought they sounded really roundwound-esque...[/quote]
I've always wanted to try some of those, but I don't think they do 5-string sets. Or if they do, they don't bring them into the UK.

[derrenleepoole]

[quote name='fretmeister' post='956975' date='Sep 15 2010, 10:27 AM']Anyone tried half-wounds or groundwounds?

The D'Addario's look interesting.[/quote]

I use Picato 766 strings which are half-round - I use long scale sets on a short scale as they're slightly higher tension than quote IMHO and work a treat. They're a bit sticky to begin with but sound absolutely fine after they've been played in. I find they offer a bit more zing and bite on a fretless as well as fretted. They're only £18 a pack too and are as good as any string I've tried.

[Gareth Hughes]

Yup, D'Addario Chromes have PLENTY of click and zing in them. I've just put an old set, that must have been on three different basses by now, onto a Precision and they still have plenty of life in them. All good.

[Balcro]

Try this link to a video and see what you think.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE5R3rUoU58&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE5R3rUoU58...feature=related[/url]

The pressurewounds are the first stop off from standard roundwounds.

Balcro.

[The Burpster]

As an ardent D'add user a few points above worth clarifying -

Chromes are a flatwound tape and not ground or polished.

1/2 rounds are roundwound ground to be flat.

Chromes are quite bright when they are new but mellow out after use (yum!). 1/2 rounds give more of a roundwound sund but in my experience are very abrasive on your fingers and the fretboard. As they are even brighter than the Chromes they arent really my cup of tea.

Another worth considering is GHS polished flats, I found these very nice to play but brighter in tone than the chromes could be just what your lokking for?

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='The Burpster' post='958028' date='Sep 16 2010, 09:31 AM']Chromes are a flatwound tape and not ground or polished.[/quote]
From [url="http://store.daddario.com/category/145852/ECB80_Set_Long_Scale_40-95"]D'Addario's own website[/url]:
[quote]The strings are wound using an outer flattened, "ribbon" wire [b]which is then polished to an incredibly smooth finish[/b].[/quote]
(My bold, obviously.)

[The Burpster]

BE, I'll take that on the chin if thats what they state, however do you use them...?

I've lost count of the number of sets I've used and I'm yet to to open a pack that I would consider polished. They are wonderful, wonderful strings, but my idea of polished is clearly different to thiers. They are also covered in ucky packing oil that needs to be cleaned off and leaves a black residue on the cloth that you use. A small price to pay for the wonderful tone they produce, but I would challenge their claim when compared to other products. (GHS - DR - Optima)

The GHS polished flats are however, brite and spangly when you open them - like they have been polished. They are smoother too.

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='The Burpster' post='959076' date='Sep 17 2010, 07:34 AM']BE, I'll take that on the chin if thats what they state, however do you use them...?[/quote]
I do. There's a set on the Hondo right now, and they were my string of choice on my old Ibanez BTB. And I agree with all of this...

[quote name='The Burpster' post='959076' date='Sep 17 2010, 07:34 AM']I've lost count of the number of sets I've used and I'm yet to to open a pack that I would consider polished. They are wonderful, wonderful strings, but my idea of polished is clearly different to thiers. They are also covered in ucky packing oil that needs to be cleaned off and leaves a black residue on the cloth that you use. A small price to pay for the wonderful tone they produce, but I would challenge their claim when compared to other products. (GHS - DR - Optima)[/quote]
They're clearly not [i]visually[/i] polished, but the [i]feel[/i] is a lot smoother than something like La Bellas or TIs, both of which I consider pretty smooth. I can't really feel the windings on Chromes. I assume the original finish on the outer ribbon winding is pretty rough, so they polish it to smooth... but certainly not gleaming.

The first time I opened a pack of Chromes, I thought they must be an old set that had been knocking around for years and they'd corroded. They were a sort of gunmetal grey. After a quick Google image search, I realised that they're supposed to look like that, whacked them on and loved them. They're not perfect for every bass, but (IMO, obviously) they work really well with P-type tones or very polite pickups. I've found them a bit clanky on other basses, where I've preferred La Bellas or TIs.

It's an expensive habit, trying out different flats. Especially on 5-strings.

[artisan]

anybody tried Ernie Ball flats ?
i absolutley love them,a set of group iv flats on a jazz bass & i'm a very happy man.
they are good for slapping too.

[jimbaby]

Hi
I put a set of 45-100 chromes on my p-bass last week, terrific sound but the extra tension means I will have to get used to it or lower the action.
Regards
Jim

[The Burpster]

[quote name='jimbaby' post='961009' date='Sep 19 2010, 10:58 AM']Hi
I put a set of 45-100 chromes on my p-bass last week, terrific sound but the extra tension means I will have to get used to it or lower the action.
Regards
Jim[/quote]

Lower the action Jim, really enjoy those puppies. (athough 105s are better IMHO).