Rich Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I love the sound of flats on a P (who doesn't?**) and would like to get the same noise from my bitsa P -- the trouble is, I absolutely hate the [i]feel[/i] of flatwound strings. Detest and loathe it. Eucchh. They feel, I dunno, slimy or something, and just make me want to wash my hands. I'm not even mad keen on groundwounds/halfwands/pressurewounds -- I like to feel proper windings under my fingers. So, what I'm getting at is this: other than sticking a set of rounds on and waiting for 20 years, is there any way of getting the strings to [i]sound like[/i] flats without actually [i]being[/i] flats? ** [size=2]intended to be purely rhetorical, I am fully aware that many people don't [/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Have you tried tape-wounds? Unfortunately round-wounds never sound like flats no matter how long you leave them on the bass. And if it's a fretted bass all that happens is that you eventually wear away the windings where they come in contact with the frets and end up with strings that won't play in tune anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Funnily enough, I'm the other way around. After about 10 years of getting used to flats on DBs, EUBs and guitars, I find myself hating the feeling (and sound) of rounds on anything I pick up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Yes, old, very well played in, and heavy gauge rounds get very close to flats. In fact it's my preferred string option on P-Bass also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobVbass Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 [quote][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Yes, old, very well played in, and heavy gauge rounds get very close to flats. In fact it's my preferred string option on P-Bass also. [/font][/color][/quote] same here - in fact I've just taken my La Bella flats off and put on a set of RS66s that I bought in 2008 and played to death. They sound brilliant almost the same as flats but with a gnat's willy more bite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Rotosound steel or nickel rounds is your answer. I`m pretty much the same usually, where I just leave them on til they have just a nice warm rounded thud. Different in my current band, I need roundwound twang but far prefer that warm Precision flat sound. Ok it`s not exactly there, but it gets darn close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I have a 32" scale 80s Squier Precision, which I absolutely love. With flats it is remarkable but, as a few others have said, I need a little more to it. Less clank, more bite. A few months after I bought it I noticed some med. scale strings for sale on here - Dr Low Beams, used, cut for a 4 in line headstock. Got chatting to the seller (Hi Ted... ) and mentioned they were going on a med. scale Precision. It transpired that my bass used to be his a few owners back (he still regrets selling it) and that was the bass the strings had been fitted too. Bass and strings are now re-united and present me with a rich, thuddy-with-a-hint-of-bite creamy goodness sound. Doncha love a happy ending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) Rotosound flats are quite textured feeling for flatwounds, maybe not quite in round territory but I'd say they don't really have that polished, slippery feel that most flats do. I found this picture on a czech bass forum which illustrates this quite well: Edited August 20, 2015 by Beer of the Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LayDownThaFunk Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 SIT Silencers but it won't get flat flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepbass5 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 love the Status half wounds, recently tried a bass with D'addario chromes well impressed with the feel and may well try a set soon, the tension seemed right and think that has a lot to do with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 I've found that both Chromes and TIs still keep some bite, even after years, so maybe there's eq in there somewhere also. Th TIs are about two years old - barely run in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.I. Joe Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 [quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1440087629' post='2848210'] Rotosound flats are quite textured feeling for flatwounds, maybe not quite in round territory but I'd say they don't really have that polished, slippery feel that most flats do. I found this picture on a czech bass forum which illustrates this quite well: [/quote] Oh my, look at those DRs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.I. Joe Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 (edited) Back on topic. Try using some foam damping at the bridge. I picked up a roll of extra thick self-adhesive weatherstrip from Home Hardware for about £3; stick some on the underside of the bridge ashtray and away you go! If you don't have the ashtray on your bass then you could stick some onto the bass itself underneath the strings, as tight as you can to the bridge saddles, or take the Carol Kaye approach: Edited August 21, 2015 by D.I. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmachine2112 Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 The other way is to get a piece of foam and trim it till it just touches the strings and no more.Takes a few attempts to get right. Carol Kaye/Bob Babbit aproach. Great for recording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 (edited) - Edited February 22, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.I. Joe Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 [quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1440414569' post='2850390'] I'm sure a judicious application of peanut butter could get you where to need to be. Would that count as relic'ing strings?! [/quote] I assume that smooth would be preferred? And is crunchy best for Metal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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