funky8884 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 I have only tried TI's on a Ric and am looking for some flats for my Thunderbird. Has anyone out there compared different flats ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Not got much experience with flats but have just strung my P bass up with a set of D'Addario Chromes. Very pleased, plenty of oomph and to my ears a decent level of brightness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len_derby Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 (edited) [quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1335901534' post='1637850'] Not got much experience with flats but have just strung my P bass up with a set of D'Addario Chromes. Very pleased, plenty of oomph and to my ears a decent level of brightness. [/quote] Ha ha! Now I've got that same set to try courtesy of Mr Gary Mac! Edited May 1, 2012 by Len_derby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Rotos 77 are quite bright in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funky8884 Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 I do mean tape wound flats, although I have been tempted to buy some half rounds. I did read the monels are quit bright for a flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Except for some of the nylon tapewounds, which may be nylon over roundwound, the brightest true flatwound strings I have tried, and I've tried them all over the past 36 years I've played electric bass, are the new Fender 9050CL set, 45-60-80-105. They have it all: bright when you use a bridge pickup, growly when you need them to be, mellow when you want them to be, absolutely consistent in tone both up the neck and string-to-string. They're economical, and they last nearly forever as bass strings go. These are the strings that switched me from a roundwound bloke. When you really did into them, depending on how you pick, pluck or strum, you can get a subdued growl that is not that far removed from Rotosound Swingbass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PURPOLARIS Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I've just ordered a set of chromes but since reading this have ordered a set of the Fenders to try too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Vader Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 +1 on the fenders, i use the 9050s, and they are ace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 D'addario Chromes. Got them on my P and J basses. They give me plenty of snappy brightness and they seem to retain that too. Try the 50-105 as they're what I use and they have done the job so well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 (edited) Im using Chromes at the moment as well. I've also got a set of TI's. To me the Chromes are closest to round wounds but with that flats thump. I tend to use the Chromes as transitional flats, when im bored with round wounds but dont want to jump straight to the TI's. In fact i rarely use the TI's now. I really miss the tone of a nice new set of nickels so i tend to go back to rounds after a month or two, sometimes less. Edited May 3, 2012 by dave_bass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTaff Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 (edited) What are they new Fender 9050's like for tension and lifespan? I tried the old ones years ago and found them way to tight compared to the 7050 rounds and after a few months I could already hear the E going dead, no impressed at all. Edited May 2, 2012 by MrTaff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 D`addario Chromes. To me they sound very roundwound, but are in flat form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 I began using flats about 18 months ago as I was fed up of the roughness of rounds. I've been using Rotos and they are fantastic and the strings I put on all my basses now. Punchy, growly and fantastic when slapped. To be honest, when I play people do a double take as they think I'm using slightly used rounds. They don't change between out of the box and 18 months later. Still sound exactly the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I find that I love Chromes or Ernie Balls for the first 3 months, then they get a touch darker than I want. They still sound good after this, but it becomes more of a classic flatwound sound than the flat/round hybrid other players describe. This experience has been repeated over several sets. For those three months, they have plenty of growl for my needs. I don't know if this happens for everyone else or if my body chemistry just knackers them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrinkleygit Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 (edited) I have had both Ti & D'ad chromes on fretted & fretless in the past, the thomastics seem "woodier" in tone compared to the chromes, D'ad chromes every time for me . Edited May 6, 2012 by wrinkleygit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 [quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1336208406' post='1642425'] I find that I love Chromes or Ernie Balls for the first 3 months, then they get a touch darker than I want. They still sound good after this, but it becomes more of a classic flatwound sound than the flat/round hybrid other players describe. This experience has been repeated over several sets. For those three months, they have plenty of growl for my needs. I don't know if this happens for everyone else or if my body chemistry just knackers them! [/quote] I dont have the same issue but the end result is the same. After the past 4 gigs using Chromes they are coming off this week and a set of EXL's are going back on. I really dont know what it is about flats that always forces me to do this. I like them when i put them on, and as its the same set i dont think its the tone changing, I could be that after a few gigs i realise im missing something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 (edited) [quote name='MrTaff' timestamp='1335968792' post='1638799'] What are they new Fender 9050's like for tension and lifespan? I tried the old ones years ago and found them way to tight compared to the 7050 rounds and after a few months I could already hear the E going dead, no impressed at all. [/quote] Like all flats, they have a tad more tension than rounds of the same gauge because of the flatwound outer wrap having more mass (no space between the windings). But the particular set I play, the 9050CL, 45-60-80-105, is particularly well balanced, so you don't notice a tad more tension. And since the middle strings are one step lighter, instead of the 65-85 of most "medium" sets, it's just about the same overall. As far as life, well, I've had my current set going on two years now, albeit I gig more with double bass than electric bass at this stage of my playing. I've always been really prone to killing E strings, sometimes changing just the E string both nights of a weekend gig, even though the rest of the set is fine, and this one lasts the longest I've ever had in 36+ years of playing bass and trying every string out there. If you look closely, the outer wrap is ever so slightly narrower, and therefore the string is more flexible and retains its overtone colour much longer. Also, I don't know about pricing in the UK, but in the USA the "street" price is very economical compared to the cost of some of the more esoteric "boutique" strings. Edited May 10, 2012 by iiipopes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTaff Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Thanks, looks like it's time to try another set, just be sure we're both talking about the same strings, it's the ones is this package, not the old ones with the white P on the package [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ze58g.jpg[/IMG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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