sammybee Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I want to try some flats on my 'Ray (a'la Bernard Edwards). Any recommendations for which brand? I used to have a set of Rotosound flats on one of my Jazzes but found the tension quite high and the strings felt as if they were about to snap the neck at any moment. Something I'd like to avoid on my 'Ray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Got Fender Flats 50-100 on my Hayman and they sound great. Nicely balanced across the strings too, and very slick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 [quote name='sammybee' timestamp='1420309368' post='2647942'] I want to try some flats on my 'Ray (a'la Bernard Edwards). Any recommendations for which brand? I used to have a set of Rotosound flats on one of my Jazzes but found the tension quite high and the strings felt as if they were about to snap the neck at any moment. Something I'd like to avoid on my 'Ray. [/quote] Although they are pricey, Thomastik Infeld flats are low tension, comparable to D'addario EXL170 rounds in terms of tension. Tonally TI's are mid prominent but so very very organic, I'd say they sound somewhat similar to a double bass, there's lots of thump and bass but everything is clear and articulate, the best way to describe them is that they are musical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Flats on a Ray?....no, just ...no! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Flats on a ray sound massive,I don't know why more people don't use them, I might get some myself! No idea which brand to use though but the ebmm ones come well regarded afaik? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I guess Ernie Ball flatwounds would be the logical choice, though they're also fairly stiff feeling compared to rounds of the same gauge. They keep a bit of brightness for a long time and have a little less old-school thump than some flats, so they may suit it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I've got Fender flats on two of my basses, the Squier VM P and the Cort B4FL and they sound good on both (one's passive, the other active). The tension's fine and they're pretty slick for fingerstyle. And a great price too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinball Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Rotosound 77's get my vote-retain some brightness and have plenty of thump too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammybee Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Think I might have a go with the Ernie Ball ones, although I'm not going to pull the trigger on them yet so keep the recommendations coming... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Love the GHS Precision flats. Nice tension, and fab tone. Sound like real old-skool flats on record! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 My experience of flats have been: Rotosound - high tension, good sound, can get a fairly near roundwound tone by cranking treble, but still a good thump if backing off the highs D`Addario Chromes - less tension than the Rotos, probably the nearest you can get to roundwound tone imo, but still a good thump if backing off the highs TI Flats - low tension, good sound with lots of mids, again can get near roundwound tones by cranking treble, but still a good thump if backing off the highs GHS Precision Flats - warm, rounded, classic Motowny/thumpy tones, great for flats tone, not good at getting near roundwounds though LaBella Deep Talkin Flats - same as the GHS, but probably more lows/less low mids, great for flats tone, not good at getting near roundwounds though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Status Hotwire flats 40s - 100s on my Ray (though it is a fretless). Plenty of zing and low - medium tension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisanthony1211 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 D`Addario Chromes are great strings, I had some le bella deep talking previously but found them to be a little dead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 [quote name='martthebass' timestamp='1420312376' post='2647997'] Status Hotwire flats 40s - 100s on my Ray (though it is a fretless). Plenty of zing and low - medium tension. [/quote] Yep, it's the tension on a 34" that make these winners for me. I have a set on my Valenti and as far as I'm concerned nothing gets close; they feel great, the black stringers make them look fabulous and they're great value for money. And... they're British. Good for our economy, good for niche bass product manufacturing, fabulous products. You can't lose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I always prefer Chromes on active basses. I've never had a good tone out of flats on a passive bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterkas Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 You must try Chromes. Good price and better sound (imo). I think the sound you can get it's useful in any situation not only a vintage sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee4 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Fender flats are great. I've used them on my Status and on my P copy with great results. Good tension,and the avoid the thin and twangy G that other brands suffer from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinball Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Status halfrounds? Almost flats and great strings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammybee Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) Thanks for all the recommendations - particularly keen to hear from someone that has flats on their (fretted) 'Ray (or sterling, bongo, sabre...) Edited January 3, 2015 by sammybee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisanthony1211 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 [quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1420320893' post='2648122'] Status halfrounds? Almost flats and great strings [/quote] Yeah, forgot about these, very nice strings and very cheap purchased direct from status! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrixn1 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 +1 for Chromes. I have them on my fretted Ray34CA. Ed Friedland has flats on his 4-string Stingray Classic in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlMStrT5A6M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highfox Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) I tried a whole range of flats on my Ray before deciding I really did prefer the sound of it with rounds. Came to the same decision on my Jazz. Enjoy the experiment, that's what it's all about. Edited January 4, 2015 by Highfox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Got D'Addario Chromes om my Sterling SUB 5 - sounds fantastic. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoo Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I've got TI flats on my fretted EBMM SUB and Labella ones on my fretless one. There seems to be a bit more tension to the labella ones, which I think I'm going to prefer but haven't had the bass long enough to know for sure. Might try swapping the two sets over soon to see how they each work on the other bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxx Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Had d'addario chromes on my stingray and found them way too stiff/tight,required a lot of truss rod adjustment to counter the bow, they were 45 guage. Have roto 77s, 40 guage on my precision and they seem to be about right, sound better than the chromes to me as well, although I've not had them on a stingray, I'd say they are good bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.