Flats - why do many rave about them

[Velarian]

34 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

As mentioned... Adagio Flats... £13 is the Magic Offer Price... Got em on a P and my Acoustic... Regular Standard Tension... Loverly... 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FLATWOUND-Bass-Guitar-Strings-Set-45-100-RRP-29-99-Fretless-Jazz-ADAGIO-PRO-/332636490116?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

Good shout on the “offer” price.

[Geek99]

48 minutes ago, Velarian said:

Good shout on the “offer” price.

What about these from same vendor ? 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FLATWOUND-Bass-Guitar-Strings-Gauge-45-Power-Swing-Set-Light-Medium-Olympia-/332486029353?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

[Velarian]

7 hours ago, Geek99 said:

What about these from same vendor ? 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FLATWOUND-Bass-Guitar-Strings-Gauge-45-Power-Swing-Set-Light-Medium-Olympia-/332486029353?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Not seen those before. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re the same as the adagios in a different packet. I’ve no need for any more at the moment as I’ve got a set of La Bella low tension flats winging their way to me, otherwise I’d try them for comparison. 

[Reggaebass]

1 hour ago, Velarian said:

I’ve got a set of La Bella low tension flats winging their way to me

Really great strings mr V, over the years I’ve slowly changed nearly all my basses to those, lovely tone and feel once they are played in, and they suit what I play 

[Chienmortbb]

11 hours ago, Geek99 said:

What about these from same vendor ? 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FLATWOUND-Bass-Guitar-Strings-Gauge-45-Power-Swing-Set-Light-Medium-Olympia-/332486029353?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

I have tried them and while not amazing they are perfectly fine and as good or better than some name brands. Made in  Korea http://olympiakorea.cafe24.com/wp/?cat=59

[Boodang]

17 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

I have tried them and while not amazing they are perfectly fine and as good or better than some name brands. Made in  Korea http://olympiakorea.cafe24.com/wp/?cat=59

With so much choice these days, and as strings are an essential ingredient in your tone and playability, why settle for less than amazing?!

[Supernaut]

I tried Adagio rounds years ago and they were piggin' awful! 

[Stub Mandrel]

Does anyone here use flats on a 6-string guitar?

 

My first electric came with a set on it around '79, I haven't played them since.

[Geek99]

3 hours ago, Boodang said:

With so much choice these days, and as strings are an essential ingredient in your tone and playability, why settle for less than amazing?!

Perhaps because some of us have a budget, small children to feed and clothe, and limited practice time that makes amazing strings likely to lose their sparkle before they get used much ? 

[Boodang]

1 minute ago, Geek99 said:

Perhaps because some of us have a budget, small children to feed and clothe, and limited practice time that makes amazing strings likely to lose their sparkle before they get used much ? 

Fair point!

[Geek99]

2 minutes ago, Boodang said:

Fair point!

Not to labour the point but I recently got my basses out of storage a mere four years after we moved in. Making our home habitable for my partner and children has meant non stop DIY. I’m still playing the Warwick red round wounds they got put away wearing (basses, not kids) and so £14 a set for new flats looks pretty good, I don’t have any way to justify spending £50 on a single set of strings when we still need to find a tiler and pay him

[Boodang]

If string budget it tight, a compelling argument for that Jameson tone... put a set of flats on and never, ever change them!

[Rodders]

I switched to flats 5 years ago and have been enjoying them ever since (La Bella  or GHS mostly, I never liked the zing of rounds or the string noise, not my thing at all. 

I do use NPS rounds on fretless but it is an overall softer sound. 

 

I always have the tone full up on my P and tend to cut through just fine, I aim for somewhere between a woody and gritty sound.

[Boodang]

On 01/12/2021 at 16:04, Supernaut said:

I have never enjoyed flats. They never cut through in a mix and I don't feel they add much to your tone. Rounds 4 life. 

I have never enjoyed rounds. They never cut through in a mix and I don't feel they add much to your tone. Flats 4 life!

Edited December 3, 2021 by Boodang

[yorks5stringer]

On 29/11/2021 at 18:04, BassAdder27 said:

At nearly £50 a set I need to be fairly certain they offer me something I can’t get from Rounds 

Last time I bought Fender Flats 2-3 years ago they were about £25  (OK now £30)

[nilebodgers]

I’m keen to try flats on my J. I’m doing a load of jazz lessons at the moment and the twangy G of the rounds on there just sounds wrong. I can roll off the roundwound edge from the other strings with the tone control, but there is no fixing the different character of the G.

[Reggaebass]

4 minutes ago, nilebodgers said:

I’m keen to try flats on my J. I’m doing a load of jazz lessons at the moment and the twangy G of the rounds on there just sounds wrong. I can roll off the roundwound edge from the other strings with the tone control, but there is no fixing the different character of the G.

Jazz isn’t something I play but I would say flats would go well, they aren’t as dull as some say they are, just a bit warmer sounding 

[Linus27]

I've played rounds on my basses for about 30 years. I hated flats, they sounded dull, lifeless and I hated the tension. Then about 5 years ago, OBBM suggested I tried a set of Rotosound Jazz Bass flats on my Precision and oh boy, 100% converted. Tension very similar to my Elite Stadium Rounds and what a gorgeous tone. They sound even better in a full band mix. Full, punchy and lots of definition. I now use them on my fretless Precision and I love them.

 

I did try them on a Jazz but I wasn't as impressed and as mentioned by Chris, I missed the full dynamic range. Will be trying g them on my fretless Sti gray soon.

 

In terms of low tension and flats that feel very similar to rounds, what other makes are there?

[Boodang]

In terms of low tension the Galli Synthesis are good.... in fact they are sooo buttery. Currently have them on my Squier jazz, I started a thread on them over in 'misc' including a clip.

[Stub Mandrel]

Are they good for metal.

[Simon C]

Some of the answers made me smile.  

 

I'd only ever played rounds.  Then my Jazz fretless arrived with flats on it.  They are really smooth to play and the fretless sounds good.  I like them and they'll be staying on the bass.  Will I be putting them on my fretted G&L L2000? No , It's such a versatile bass and with rounds sounds great. 

 

So for me it's horses for courses. 

[Thunderbird]

Silly question but doesn't fitting flats to basses such as stingrays and jazz's kind of defeat the point of having a bright sounding barking bass? I know it's personal taste but genuinely interested 👍

[Chienmortbb]

12 minutes ago, Thunderbird said:

Silly question but doesn't fitting flats to basses such as stingrays and jazz's kind of defeat the point of having a bright sounding barking bass? I know it's personal taste but genuinely interested 👍

I cannot see the point of flats on Js or 'rays but then I can't see the point of Js or 'rays. On a serious note, their are two reasons for flats, smoothness of the string and that old school sound. I suppose you could add wear on a fretless. So although less useful on StingJays, they do have some merit.

[Chienmortbb]

On 02/12/2021 at 13:09, Stub Mandrel said:

Does anyone here use flats on a 6-string guitar?

 

My first electric came with a set on it around '79, I haven't played them since.

I had an old Hofner Guitar that had flats on when I bought it, No string noise, hardly any noise at all. They were used a lot by Jazz guitarists (is that word allowed?).

[ped]

24 minutes ago, Thunderbird said:

Silly question but doesn't fitting flats to basses such as stingrays and jazz's kind of defeat the point of having a bright sounding barking bass? I know it's personal taste but genuinely interested 👍

Flats can sound really bright, just a different sort of timbre. On a ray you get a nice sound, with some rich detail. Lots of the stingrays you hear in 70s funk are on flats.