FLATWOUNDS… top load or thru-body?

[Greg.Bassman]

Hi all.

I’ve been online to look for a set of flatwounds. Opinions are mixed regarding top load or thru-body; with some companies like labella cautioning against it, whilst others such as daddario say that it is fine. I wondered if someone could help clear this up for me please?

The general idea seems to be that flatwounds are not suitable for basses with ‘thru-body’ stringing as they don’t like being pulled over tight angles. However, I have also read that this depends on gauge and the size of the break angle. If possible, I would like to keep the thru-body option as I feel that it transfers string vibration to the body more reliably and efficiently. The bass that I am using is a yamaha bb1024, which a incorporates a diagonal 45º angle stringing method, as opposed to the traditional vertical (90º), which places less stress on the strings.

Do you think that the smaller 45º break angle on my yamaha combined with, say, a set of D’Addario ECB80 Chromes 40-95 (D’Addario's lightest flatwound bass strings) would work fine?

Thanks.

Edited July 14, 2018 by Greg.Bassman

[chris_b]

If D'Addario say you can string through the body and you want to use D'Addario strings, what's the problem? Did you see D'Addario confirming this or was it on the "internet"? Drop them an email and get the facts.

Personally I've strung through body and through bridge and I don't hear enough of a difference between the two to make me string through the body.

[Frank Blank]

I play a Rob Allen Mouse 30. On Rob’s site he says...

 Mb-2, Mouse 30 and Deep 4/5 basses are designed with La Bella 760n (flatwound) strings in mind.

...the Mouse 30 Is strung through-body. I don’t think he would have designed the guitar this way if through-body stringing was problematic in any way.

[Grangur]

There was a Q&A feature in Bass Guitar mag. They asked 10 leading luthiers. 1 question was on stringing through bodies. They were all of the same view; it makes zero difference. What matters is you have a good break angle. String through is snake-oil.

[franzbassist]

La Bella nylon flats are fine through body.

Regular La Bella steel flats are not, which is why they also make specific through body flats (designed differently with a thinner core for the first 4" or so of the ball end).  Pyramid steel flats are fine through body too, but not tried any othe

Edited July 14, 2018 by walbassist

[chris_b]

I'd suggest that whatever Fender heard when they were making the first string-through designs has been superseded by the amazing pickup and electrics available on all basses these days.