Mickyk Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 So come guys get recommending,i'm finding myself wanting to play funk a lot ,so i guess my Yamaha BB424 came from the factory sporting roundwounds although this i'm not totally sure about ,unless someone can enlighten me. Any way if that be the case then i'm in the market for some Flats,so can you recommend me some,but bear in mind i have short arms but long pockets . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 This comes up a lot Fender flats get my vote for cheap cheerful and quite good enough to test the water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzodog Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 [quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1497392107' post='3317870'] This comes up a lot Fender flats get my vote for cheap cheerful and quite good enough to test the water [/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 (edited) You don't want flats for funk, unless you've got James Jamerson skills. Steel roundwounds are the way to go. Edited June 13, 2017 by Cato Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 (edited) [quote name='Cato' timestamp='1497395351' post='3317886'] You don't want flats for funk...... Steel roundwounds are the way to go. [/quote] +1 - no one playing bass from the 70s on would have been seen dead playing with flat wounds and certainly not funk. If you do really want flatwounds then try and avoid those with high tension - Ernie Ball Group 3, Tomastik, Ernie Ball Cobalt flat wounds are all good in this respect in my experience - providing tension similar to roundwounds - no doubt there are others - whilst some makes/types of flat wounds seem to give me a sort of arm wrestling experience owing to the tension they create. Edited June 14, 2017 by drTStingray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 + 1 for Fender flats being a great intro. I'd go for the lightest gauges so you can get used to the tension, so try the 9050L. The Ernie Ball Cobalts flats are also great if you want something that kind of blends rounds with flats. I don't agree with only rounds for funk, depends on the funk and your style. Bernard Edwards had flats on his Stingray, Flea has flats on his Jazz Bass which you'll hear on a few albums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 [quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1497392107' post='3317870'] This comes up a lot Fender flats get my vote for cheap cheerful and quite good enough to test the water [/quote]+2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 [quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1497421142' post='3317915'] + 1 for Fender flats being a great intro. I'd go for the lightest gauges so you can get used to the tension, so try the 9050L. The Ernie Ball Cobalts flats are also great if you want something that kind of blends rounds with flats. I don't agree with only rounds for funk, depends on the funk and your style. Bernard Edwards had flats on his Stingray, Flea has flats on his Jazz Bass which you'll hear on a few albums. [/quote] +3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 [quote name='Mickyk' timestamp='1497391031' post='3317856'] So come guys get recommending,i'm finding myself wanting to play funk a lot ,so i guess my Yamaha BB424 came from the factory sporting roundwounds although this i'm not totally sure about ,unless someone can enlighten me. Any way if that be the case then i'm in the market for some Flats,so can you recommend me some,but bear in mind i have short arms but long pockets . [/quote] Short arms but long pockets? You'll struggle on Vulfpeck's Back Pocket then... Recommendations are plentiful here. Sometimes you may even encounter some common sense! My recommendation? Get some and try them. Cheap (and nasty) ones might not be the best thing for you but be guided by the advice after you search the forum using "flat" and "tapewound" as the main search terms. Cheap does not [i]always[/i] mean nasty. Bear in mind that the two categories of roundwound and flat wound are an oversimplification because some flats sound roundish and some roundwounds sound flatish (usually when they get loaded with finger gunk and nicotine). Borrow or buy some for a try, listen, feel and appreciate the differing qualities of the strings. When you see folk say they [i]can't[/i] get on with certain makes, types, tensions, gauges, coatings etc. please bear in mind that those comments aren't always based on a long term evaluation. If you can adapt to different situations however, you will develop a wider range of skills. Listen and feel. Your ears will tell you about the mids and the highs but only your chest will tell you about the important bit for us bassists, the low end. This will only happen at decent volumes so find a safe practice space to turn it up. Oh and by the way, funk and slap aren't the same thing. The UK in the eighties saw the terms "Jazz/funk" or "fusion" hit the popular charts for the first time. Prior to that it was more of a cult thing. It still is because the charts were full of commercial examples featuring a small set of skills from the genre squeezed into the three and a half minute single format. There wasn't a lot of your actual Jazz or funk. Happy hunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 (edited) I'd suggest GHS Precision Flats. By the way, Louis Johnson recorded some of his early funky stuff with a Stingray and flats. Edit: If you want to sound like a bag of spanners in a washing machine then you'll need the thinnest rounds you can find, but "finger style" funk can easily be played on a bass with flats. As a lot of it was in the early days. Edited June 14, 2017 by chris_b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 [quote name='Mickyk' timestamp='1497391031' post='3317856'] So come guys get recommending,i'm finding myself wanting to play funk a lot ,so i guess my Yamaha BB424 came from the factory sporting roundwounds although this i'm not totally sure about ,unless someone can enlighten me. Any way if that be the case then i'm in the market for some Flats,so can you recommend me some,but bear in mind i have short arms but long pockets . [/quote] There's always folk selling flats they didn't like on the "other items" forum, just pick some up from there and try them for peanuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 This is a good shout [quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1497432098' post='3318019'] There's always folk selling flats they didn't like on the "other items" forum, just pick some up from there and try them for peanuts. [/quote] I got some Ken Smith Slicks the other for £10 as I also have never used flats/halfs and wanted to dip my toe in the less harsh waters. It's difficult to justify £30+ if you aren't sure you'll like them isn't it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 [quote name='Mickyk' timestamp='1497391031' post='3317856'] So come guys get recommending,i'm finding myself wanting to play funk a lot ,so i guess my Yamaha BB424 came from the factory sporting roundwounds although this i'm not totally sure about ,unless someone can enlighten me. Any way if that be the case then i'm in the market for some Flats,so can you recommend me some,but bear in mind i have short arms but long pockets . [/quote] For Funk i would prefer roundwounds but there's nothing wrong about using flats as your BB424 has a bridge pickup to bring up the growl. If i was in your shoes i would go for a set of half-rounds as they have the best of both worlds: the zing of rounds and the smooth feel or flats. BTW, AFAIK Yamaha basses come factory equipped with D'Addario nickel roundwounds, but i may be wrong on this. On a related note, D'Addario makes a very nice set of Halfs, i've used them on a fretless Blazer and sounded awesome, TME (to my ears). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 [quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1497432098' post='3318019'] There's always folk selling flats they didn't like on the "other items" forum, just pick some up from there and try them for peanuts. [/quote] Very True. I have a smashing set of five hard-to-come-by SS DBE flats that came from a forum member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twincam Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Good thing about the fenders is there relatively bright compared to some flats. So they do cover more ground tone wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazy Bass Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 [quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1497432098' post='3318019'] There's always folk selling flats they didn't like on the "other items" forum, just pick some up from there and try them for peanuts. [/quote] Absolutely - try some for a reasonable price to see if the sound suits you before you spend too much - we all know how much bass strings can cost! Flatwounds (and tapewounds - which may also be worth considering) have a very different character to round wounds - they accentuate the fundamental frequency and reduce the harmonics which means they are more focused in the bass end of the mix - great for finger picked funk lines (e.g. Jamerson), and also jazz, but no good at all for slap bass! I have several basses, most with roundwounds but a couple with flats, tapewounds, and one Precision bass with d'Addario half-rounds (which I would definitely recommend) ... they all sound great, and work for different types of music, but there's something about the warmth and depth of the flatwounds which always stands out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 (edited) [quote name='Cato' timestamp='1497395351' post='3317886'] You don't want flats for funk, unless you've got James Jamerson skills. Steel roundwounds are the way to go. [/quote] Depends on your definition of funk. I wouldn't say you needs steel rounds to play this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=qhEdJncolsc Edited June 15, 2017 by dannybuoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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