BassAdder60 Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 Interested to what your reason for swopping to Flatwounds was Mine was seeking a warmer tone with thump even when using a pick The other benefits came later ie longevity and smoothness etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 (edited) My reasons initially were to lose the brittle high end that I am not keen on and also lose the rough feel of rounds. But key to my total immersion in flats was finding the right ones for me. Not all flats are created equal. My epiphany was trying TI Flats which, for me, have it all. They are bright but not brittle, smooth but not glassy and I love the low tension. Edited February 22, 2022 by Paul S spelling 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 I always struggled to get a sound I was happy with using rounds (although I use rounds on my fretless basses). With flats I run the tone knob full up and really enjoy the woody/gritty tone I get, just started using a pick too which opens up another sound that I like. The higher tension of flats also works better for me as well as the smooth feel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 1 hour ago, Rodders said: I always struggled to get a sound I was happy with using rounds (although I use rounds on my fretless basses). With flats I run the tone knob full up and really enjoy the woody/gritty tone I get, just started using a pick too which opens up another sound that I like. The higher tension of flats also works better for me as well as the smooth feel. Yes I hear the woody tone of the bass, it sounds more like a bass to me on flats. Warm depth to the sound and allows pick playing too without sounding thin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Chaos Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 Ever tried ground wounds? love my flats but these are pretty cool too, a dif vibe but decent. Defo like these more than round wound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 I’m swopping back to roundwounds as I miss the zing and clarity in my rock band I can see the advantages of them but I miss the roughness of rounds from a finger plucking sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 Peer pressure. 🙃 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 I did a direct comparison with Happy Jack's Lull bass and his sounded better! I finally tracked down the difference. . . . his bass had flats, mine had rounds. As soon as I put a set of GHS flats on my bass I got that nice, big, warm thump. I hadn't used flats since the early 70's and my current set of TI's are now on my PJ5 for good. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 Every time I`ve tried flats I like them for a while, then realise I miss the clarity & top-end of rounds. I`ve tried all the usual supsects re brightest flats and none of them work out. I suppose if I were a Jazz/Stingray/active-bass player flats would work fine for me, but as I`m a Precision man through & through I can`t get what I need from them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 I’m not sure I would ever have tried flats except I bought a bass that had a set fitted. I really liked the comfort and the lack of finger squeak and I ended up going flats-only for several years. More recently I wanted to go back to rounds on one bass, tried and liked Elixirs, and now 2 of my 3 basses have those on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 No one tone is the BEST. Sometimes you need the sound or round-wounds and sometimes you need the sounds of flats. You use what the music dictates. A good bassist will know that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 21 minutes ago, BigRedX said: No one tone is the BEST. Sometimes you need the sound or round-wounds and sometimes you need the sounds of flats. You use what the music dictates. A good bassist will know that. Or you can look at it from the other direction. . . . We have to work at sounding the best we can sound. Some of the top players only play either flats or rounds, not both. A good bassist will use the gear that makes the sound he wants to make. Many of these guys don't follow the music but make the music fit around them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 Unless you are the songwriter, arranger or producer, as a musician you should fit around the music. Musicians with a "signature sound" will have been picked specifically for that sound by the songwriter/arranger/producer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilly Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 I recently put a set of XL chromes on a fender player P bass. Feel stupid that I haven't done this years ago. Sound gorgeous through my little bastard. I'd still use rounds with my usual band though for the zing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 8 hours ago, BigRedX said: Unless you are the songwriter, arranger or producer, as a musician you should fit around the music. Musicians with a "signature sound" will have been picked specifically for that sound by the songwriter/arranger/producer. Definitely, in my last 3 bands my tone has been quite different, chosen to suit both the music style and fit with the other instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 I've been using flats for over 20 years. I love the feel of (light) flats and the tone. For the last 10 years my main go-to flats were TI JF-344 on long sclaes and JF-324 on short/medium scales but more recently I've been trying various sets of strings to see what works best on newly acquired basses. I feel that my thunderbirds sound best with a bit more top and Ernie Ball Cobalt flats (the lightest set) are pretty much perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandad Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 Discovered flats accidently and I've never looked back. . The smooth feel . The warm tone . The longevity. They suit me down to the ground. I'd recommend all to give them a try, they may or may not be your thing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 I bought a set of flats in 2002, and I've since bought a villa in the Algarve with the money I saved on not buying rounds. 1 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 22 hours ago, BigRedX said: Unless you are the songwriter, arranger or producer, as a musician you should fit around the music. Musicians with a "signature sound" will have been picked specifically for that sound by the songwriter/arranger/producer. This is an excellent reason to have multiple basses, some with flats and some with rounds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 Q. What made me swap to flats? A. Forgetting to take online enthusiasm with a pinch of salt Q. What made me swap back to rounds? A. Accepting that they don't make the noise I want to make 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted February 27, 2022 Share Posted February 27, 2022 There are flats and there are flats. I do keep a P bass strung with old La Bellas, but I put Cobalts on my 5 and Chromes on my J bass. Chromes seem to suit a J particularly well. They have plenty of brightness and the warmth is there when you need it. The higher tension enables me to use a lighter gauge and the longevity, smoothness under the fingers and reduced wear on frets is a bonus. I find flats age more gradually. Rounds tend to be bright until suddenly, they're not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 The question on which this thread is predicated is disturbingly like "when did you stop beating your wife?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 I think in an ideal world we would 2 of each of our basses, one with rounds, one with flats 😁 I've had LaBella Cooper Tapes on my bass for a good while and I do miss the top end of rounds sometimes but appreciate the consistency of tapes/flats. Currently putting together a P Bass which I want to be my flats bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 I love flats on my P and find it a very calming and warm sound to play in the evening at home through my headphone/backbeat setup. It's like putting on an old jumper. I go through phases where I'll focus on one bass more than the rest, and I'm very much finding my Stingray my go-to (with rounds) for stuff in general, and then I can lean to the P if I want that sound or towards the J if I want to do more slappity slap nonsense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 I was a fan of flats, particularly D'addario Chromes, until we started using IEMs. No matter how I EQ'd them they just sounded wooly and liefeless. Back to nickel EXLs and happy again I still have Chromes on my LA Lakers jazz bass as this is the bass I use for rehearsals and we a regular practice studio with use backline for those. It means that I never have to change them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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