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Flatwounds


Phil Starr
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[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1340457809' post='1704706']
Well nobody I've spoken to has had a good word to say about flats and nobody playing live round here seems to use them.[/quote]

I wish I'd tried them earlier... definitely prefer them to rounds. :)

Edited by discreet
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I've only recently got into flats as well & really like them on certain basses.

I have found different brands to be really different in feel & tone. Had some D'Addario Chromes and absolutely hated them but then picked up a P bass strung with Thomastic Infelds & thought they were great. On a vintage P & with the tone on the bass wound down there's a great growl from the lower notes.

Have also tried TI's on a '63 Jazz which sounded really nice as well. Had a brief blast on some LaBellas which were good but the ones I used were a bit too heavy gauge for me.

I gigged my old Alleva Coppolo KBP4 with TI's in a soul/funk/disco band once and everyone in the band loved the sound :)

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I'd certainly agree with certain strings and basses going well together.

Anyway my love affair with flats continues, I used them through my little Hartke 10 last night at a gig (DI'd just in case, I needn't have worried) I was stuck in the corner as usual so lots of boundary reinforcement.

It was lovely. I just sat below everyone in the mix, great sound in the soul/poppy stuff but just enough bite for the rockier songs. Unlike the Dean Markley's I didn't overpower everything else so i could actually turn up so the bass was prominent without taking over, which is what i really like to achieve when i am mixing someone else. The audience stayed on their feet all evening so we all enjoyed the warmth.

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I used to like TI Jazz flats but I kept snapping the A. La Bella flats are where it's at for me.

New rounds are more fun than new flats, esp. for novelty. I like brand new rounds, but new flats are a bit odd.

I've always liked my rounds old, I like em new, then they go weird, once settled they're ok. But they give my fingers more of a beating and aren't as "good" as flats.

Does this make sense? I've had a drink :)

Edited by bigjohn
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Can anyone recommend some half flats for an electro/acoustic bass? Can't find any, maybe they don't make them?

Thanks,
Ed

P.S. New (mid life crisis) player, using half flats on my Ibanez SR300 which I love dearly, would like to try some on my Ibanez AEB10 but maybe they don't work on an acoustic?

Edited by Stratosphere
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[quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1340747700' post='1709210']
Anything like the 9120's - and are they OK for 35" scale (Yammy TRB)?

G.
[/quote]
I've never used the 9120s so I can't say.

As for the 35", I don't know but possibly not in ordinary long scale. You can get the La Bellas in extra long but rarely in Europe and will probably need to order direct from La Bella. My Takamine B10 needs an extra long on the E string because of the trapeze tailpiece.

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[quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1340747700' post='1709210']
Anything like the 9120's - and are they OK for 35" scale (Yammy TRB)?

G.
[/quote]
GHS Black Nylons are really sweet, not as huge as Rotosounds & definitely fine for 35" scale, I had them on my Skjold, also strung through on Fenders, no problems, highly recommended. :) They're much smoother/flatter than 9120s, not so shiny or 'plasticy' much nicer strings IMHO.

Cheerz, John

Edited by KiOgon
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I love'em too, using the TI Jazz jobbies at the moment, tried Chromes first but prefer the TI's, the B is way better.

I have a brand new 5-string set of 760FLB LaBella's waiting in the wings too, "just to try for the hell of it".

If I don't like them, I'll stick with the lovely TI's, only downside I find with the TI's is the action needs to be a tad high to stop them buzzing but the low tension sort of compensates for this.

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Picato flats all the way and on everything for me. Had some of their halfs as well but wasnt overly impressed with the string to string consistency - the G sounded like a round, the D and A were lush and the E was just like a full on flat

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Bit of a shout for Status half-wounds. Smooth as you like and appreciably brighter-sounding than the Ernie Ball flats I recently tried on my Blazer.Good value too - £17 for a set of 4: [url="http://www.status-graphite.com/status/frames/index_home.html"]http://www.status-gr...index_home.html[/url]

Edited by solo4652
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I like Status Half-Wounds too.

I was using La Bella's but 3 packs in a row had a totally dead E. Not just dull, but dead, so for full flats I've gone to Rotosounds. I've been a Steve Harris fan forever so I gave them a try and really like them. Didn't go for his mental 50 gauge though!

Different basses work with different strings. My Sandberg gets D'Addario nickel rounds, as does my Streamline. My status fretless gets Status half-wounds, My Energy gets Rotos at the moment. When my MIJ P gets here I'll probably put the Rotos on that and make the Energy my piccolo bass again.

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I've sat on the fence with this for so long my gooch is full of splinters!!

I've experimented with flats a few times and I've loved it for a couple of months, then gone back to rounds, then back to flats and so on...

I've only ever tried Rotosounds and the thing that puts me off of those is the tension. They felt great in C standard though!! Could anyone recommend a flatwound that's good for rock and won't turn your fingerboard into a ski jump?

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Just did a gig using some Chromes bought here, and I loved it.
Loads more top end than I would have thought, nice snap on those slapped bits,pickwork came through the mix easily, very woody deep tone (with a Wizard thumper)and very friendly on the fingers.
Other band members approved.
Then I went and fecked it up for last nights gig by fitting a different pickguard which seems to be shorting out my tone circuit so I ended up using my Jazz with new DR Hi beams on.. Bit of a shock to the fingers and ears again!
Flats for me.
It`s going to be interesting seeing how they settle down.If they stay cool, I`ll fit them to the jazz also.

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[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1341056366' post='1713274']
Just did a gig using some Chromes bought here, and I loved it.
Loads more top end than I would have thought, nice snap on those slapped bits,pickwork came through the mix easily, very woody deep tone (with a Wizard thumper)and very friendly on the fingers.
Other band members approved.
Then I went and fecked it up for last nights gig by fitting a different pickguard which seems to be shorting out my tone circuit so I ended up using my Jazz with new DR Hi beams on.. Bit of a shock to the fingers and ears again!
Flats for me.
It`s going to be interesting seeing how they settle down.If they stay cool, I`ll fit them to the jazz also.
[/quote]I'm considering adding the Thumpers to my old Cort to use for a P-bass sound, It plays well but the sound isn't what i'd like. What do you think?

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I've used both round & flats during my career and like them both. Currently using rounds on both the Jazz and the Yamaha. Having said that however, the only strings I've ever had break on me have been flats.

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[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1340995439' post='1712728']
[url="http://www.lakland.com/direct/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LD&Product_Code=JOSF4&Category_Code=4STRS"]Here you are.[/url]

Don't worry that you're buying from the US - they arrive in about a week, and you don't have to pay any duty.
[/quote]

How do the Laklands compare to others flats like Chromes, EBs etc? I'm using and enjoying Ernie Balls at the moment, I've also tried Picato which were too dark and thumpy for me, TI Jazz flats which were nice but a little too soft feeling for my playing style, and D'addario Chromes which seem very close to the EBs.

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[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1341063732' post='1713381']
I'm considering adding the Thumpers to my old Cort to use for a P-bass sound, It plays well but the sound isn't what i'd like. What do you think?
[/quote]
Hi Phil,I say go for it, they are great sounding pickups, but... I like a dark tone, with less highs and sizzle,so theses pickups and flats are really working for me.
So much so that I`m putting them in a second bass.
If you need that modern top end on your sound, maybe they aren`t for you.

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