Police 1980 - flatwound or roundwound?

[Peter Maxwell Wright]

Hopefully this is the right forum for this question...  Can anyone offer an opinion on whether it sounds like Sting is using flatwounds or roundwounds on his fretless P bass in this video?

They were touring Zenyatta Mondatta at this time, and to me on the album it sounds like they may have been flats (but I'm far from confident), although he may or may not have played this bass on the album.  I haven't ever really played flats with a pick before (and haven't played flats at all for many years), so not confident about judging from the sound.

Thanks for your help

 

 

[Christine]

It's not what you're asking but in 77/78 he was using roundwound RS66

[Peter Maxwell Wright]

9 minutes ago, Christine said:

It's not what you're asking but in 77/78 he was using roundwound RS66

Thanks - do you know if that's on fretless, as well as fretted basses?

[Linus27]

Sounds like flats to me.

[wateroftyne]

IMO rounds. Every now and then he hits the low E (the very last note he plays, for example) and you can hear the round bark.

The rest of the time it doesn't sound a million miles from flats. I think the muting has a lot to do with that.

[hooky_lowdown]

Stings recorded sound won't match his live sound. This is because he often over dubbed using fretted and fretless jazz to get his sound in the studio and played live with his P with Rotosound rounds.

There is lots of info online if you do a search!

[Christine]

3 hours ago, Peter Maxwell Wright said:

Thanks - do you know if that's on fretless, as well as fretted basses?

It was a fretted Jazz bass, identical to mine, that was the only bass he had with him

[CameronJ]

Sounds like rounds to me. No doubt. The muting is what’s causing the confusion.

[chris_b]

IMO, even with the pick there is the distinctive thud of flats.

[CliveT]

On this recording it sounds like flats to me too.  When you get a close up of the bass the strings seem to shine like flats too.

I know he preferred the fretted Jazz for many recording but live I don't think it appeared again until early Synchronicity, until the white Spector took over.