First set of flats

[norvegicusbass]

I have been unhappy with the tone of my bass for a while now and the "brightness" of my roundwound strings ( especially the G string ) so want to buy my first set of flats. I think flats are the way to go to achieve the silky smooth deep tone I am after.Thing is I am rock bottom skint so want a half decent set that is good value for the cash. My guitar isnt great so no point going straight for the gold standard flats I just need a sort of cheap starter set, any ideas?

[Wylie]

I recommend GHS flats. About $25 here. Considered against the high price of a lot of flats, I thought these were a good value, and the sound (on my jazz) was fabulous.

[paul torch]

Try status

[MarkG3]

I use d'addario chromes, you can get them off ebay which is a bit cheaper

[waldemar]

I picked up a set of these a short while ago. Someone on here had written very favourably about them, I was curious anyway so thought I'd take a punt. Not being a flat-wound player I haven't got anything to compare the brand to, but they feel good under finger and sound pretty decent too:

http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/601-picato_4_string_stainless_steel_flatwound_bass_strings_45_105_

w./

[Beer of the Bass]

From my experience of them, Picato are firmly at the thumpy end of things, though not bad if that's what you want. They're actually too dark and thuddy for me - I much prefer D'Addario Chromes, or Ernie Balls, which I suspect may be Chromes in a different packet.

[mike257]

I've had Webstrings Detroit flats before, they seem to be pretty reasonably priced and for my first set of flats I had no complaints. Got a set of Rotosound on at the moment, little bit more expensive but also seem to do the job. I'm no string expert but have been happy with both.

[Blademan_98]

I tried a cheap set of Rotosounds and didn't like them.

My thomastik infeld jazz flats are of similar price but are 100 times better!

I have them on my Jazz and my Rogue and they sound fantastic.

[Delberthot]

I've had my Roto flats on my Thunderbird for about a year now, I think, and still love them.

I am able to still get a very bright tone, something resembling fretless sounds or an impressive honk.


Where you play can also influence to tone. I play right up at the bridge and use a lot of staccato notes to give my sound added punch

[Cat Burrito]

Why not advertise for a second hand hardly used set here? I've picked up a bunch of sets here really cheap over the years. I think the Fender ones are ok if you do go new

[benebass]

Status flats are really good value, but are pretty old school & thumpy. Might not be what you're looking for if you're new to flats, but I like them.

La Bella or Thomastik tend to be the best all-rounders I've used. Chromes are much brighter - they sound like roundwounds at first, but they mellow with age. Unfortunately, all of these sets cost a lot more than rounds - I've found it an expensive business trying out flats!

Cheers,

B.

Edited February 1, 2012 by benebass

[4 Strings]

Keep an eye on the recycle section, 3 sets have just gone there, also used sets they appear in the for sale section. s/h flats are more acceptable than s/h rounds.

[artisan]

i have Fender 55 - 105 flats on both of my basses & love 'em to bits especially as £17.95 delivered.

[norvegicusbass]

Thanks for all your answers some good info there. Benebass I am from Newcastle Upon -Tyne also

[benebass]

[quote name='norvegicusbass' timestamp='1324652523' post='1476714']
Thanks for all your answers some good info there. Benebass I am from Newcastle Upon -Tyne also
[/quote]

Small world! Unfortunately I had a clear out a while ago, so don't have any spare flats sitting around at the mo. I think you'll find some on here soon though & I've found stuff on [url="http://www.gumtree.com/newcastle"]http://www.gumtree.com/newcastle[/url] or [url="http://uk.freecycle.org/"]http://uk.freecycle.org/[/url] in the past...

Cheers,

B.

[nick]

[i]Another recommendation for Status flats. I've converted to them from La Bellas, find them a bit more focused in the mids & they're about half the price.[/i]
[i]Webstrings are good also, old school thumpy tone.[/i]

[acidbass]

+1 here for La Bella flats. I have them on a fretted Jazz and a fretless P/J bass and they sound amazing on both, I especially love the thud with the neck pickup solo'ed, very Motown-esque.

[ead]

I've moved to Picato now as I prefer them and they're also reasonably wallet friendly at about £18.

[jezzaboy]

Why not go for the Status half wounds? They are rounds that have been smoothed to make them between a flat and a round. They are great strings for the price. Their flats are excellent value as well. But strings are such a personal thing you would need to get a set and find out for yourself.

Jez

[size="2"][color="#ffffff"]HHalf-wound strings start off as regular round-wound then have the outer edges of the round wrap ground down slightly. This produces a string with a smooth feel and a tone somewhere between a round-wound and flat-wound string.
Ideal for a warmer tone and fretless basses to preserve the fingerboard finish.alf-wound strings start off as regular round-wound then have the outer edges of the round wrap ground down slightly. This produces a string with a smooth fHalf-wound strings start off as regular round-wound then have the outer edges of the round wrap ground down slightly. This produces a string with a smooth feel and a tone somewhere between a round-wound and flat-wound string.
Ideal for a warmer tone and fretless basses to preserve the fingerboard finish.eel and a tone somewhere between a round-wound and flat-wound string.
Ideal for a warmer tone and fretless basses to preserve the fingerboard finish.[/color][/size]

[gareth]

Here's a recent carol kaye facebook comment that may help you

GEAR I'VE USED....over the years. Hello Martin, nice to hear from you and thank-you for your nice
message. I've always played elec. bass with a HARD PICK, sort of tear-drop shaped pick on medium-gauge flatwound strings -- I only use the THOMASTIK JAZZ FLATWOUND strings which get that same sound and feel, only BETTER - these are fantastic long-life great-sounding flatwounds, the finest!

And I...

[Telebass]

Another vote for TI Jazz Flats. Don't use anything else now.
They are not cheap, but if you like them, you'll be playing them for years if you look after them.

Edited December 27, 2011 by Telebass

[norvegicusbass]

Well my first set of flats came (Fender Stainless Steel 9050CL .45-.105 ) and I fitted them right away. Happy with the feel under the fingers but still a tad zingy. Does this fade with time? I am sure strings like this must mellow over a few weeks.

[daz]

I just got a set of[b] [url="http://www.status-graphite.com/"]Status[/url] [/b]own make, flats, only £20 inc p & p which is good for flats. They dont just buy some strings in and label them Status either. They wind their own, in house. All types of strings and lengths, they even sell singles too.

Edited January 5, 2012 by daz

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='norvegicusbass' timestamp='1325087639' post='1479685']
Well my first set of flats came (Fender Stainless Steel 9050CL .45-.105 ) and I fitted them right away. Happy with the feel under the fingers but still a tad zingy. Does this fade with time? I am sure strings like this must mellow over a few weeks.
[/quote]
Many of us flattists prefer when the sring has aged a little (or even a lot). Be patient.

[daz]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1325751245' post='1486933']
Many of us flattists prefer when the sring has aged a little (or even a lot). .
[/quote]

Like James Jamerson. he liked his strings a week or two old.