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Flatwound string advice


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I've always preferred the sound from the bigger gauge strings. My round wounds were 130 and the TI flats B string on my P bass is 136.

 

My preference is for deeper, warmer tones so I use the thickest strings I can find.

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21 hours ago, chris_b said:

I've always preferred the sound from the bigger gauge strings. My round wounds were 130 and the TI flats B string on my P bass is 136.

 

My preference is for deeper, warmer tones so I use the thickest strings I can find.


You do know that thicker gauge strings doesn't mean warmer tone? 

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On 17/10/2024 at 12:29, Linus27 said:

Why are Dunlop flats so expensive? Surely they can't compete with LaBella or are they so superior?

Dunlops were around £45/£50 when first released but due to inflation, all their prices have rocketed. 
 

Dunlops are more 'modern' than La Bellas but still have that classic flatwound sound. I really enjoy mine on my P bass. 
 

I bought them for $45 when I was last in the US so around £36/£37. 

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12 hours ago, Schnozzalee said:

Anybody else trying half-rounds?

Just my two penn’orth.

I once had a Ray34CA fretless which came strung with D'Addario ENR70, if I remember correctly. 

They were okay, but nothing special. Not utterly bad, but also nothing more than that.

I tried some ENR71 afterwards and hated them from the day one. They were rather dull, a way worse than Chromes. The latter ones weren't even broken in, so quite bright.

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3 hours ago, fretmeister said:

I've ordered some La Bella Low Tension Flats to try.

I've been curious about them for a while so hopefully I like them!

They are on nearly all my basses, a slightly warmer sound compared with the other labellas I’d say ,which suits what I play , they match very well with precisions for that Motown kinda sound, but they certainly don’t lack any brightness if you want to eq them up , look forward to seeing what you think 

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On 30/10/2024 at 18:21, Reggaebass said:

They are on nearly all my basses, a slightly warmer sound compared with the other labellas I’d say ,which suits what I play , they match very well with precisions for that Motown kinda sound, but they certainly don’t lack any brightness if you want to eq them up , look forward to seeing what you think 


I put  them on my Sandberg TT4 this evening.

 

I cleaned them with isopropyl alcohol wipes first to get rid of the manufacturing stickiness. 
I’ve played for about half an hour and they sound very good. Certainly in the same ballpark as DTF but easier to play.

Quite a chewy thick sound which is the sort of thing I really like.

 

I think the truss rod will need a tweak but I’ll let it settle for a day before I do.

 

So far, so good!

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52 minutes ago, fretmeister said:


I put  them on my Sandberg TT4 this evening.

 

I cleaned them with isopropyl alcohol wipes first to get rid of the manufacturing stickiness. 
I’ve played for about half an hour and they sound very good. Certainly in the same ballpark as DTF but easier to play.

Quite a chewy thick sound which is the sort of thing I really like.

 

I think the truss rod will need a tweak but I’ll let it settle for a day before I do.

 

So far, so good!

Good you’re getting on well with them fretmeister, they do the low end very nicely don’t they, I’ve had some of mine on for many years and they still sound really great, if ever I sell a bass I always take them off and put them on my new one , I’ve tried most flats over the years and they are the ones I prefer,

the only ones I’m itching to try now are the Olinto signature flats but haven’t got around to getting any yet 

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1 minute ago, fretmeister said:

My main amp is quite bright and so is that bass so these strings counter that very nicely

That’s cool, sounds ideal 

 

2 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

How long do you find the LTF last? I’ve had 5 years out of DTF before

For me even my oldest ones haven’t changed much over the years, maybe mellowed a bit so I can’t see me changing them, I like heavily played in strings so they will probably outlast me 😁

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7 hours ago, fretmeister said:

I really like TI flats but unfortunately they are nickel so I can't use them.


If you like Thomastik flats, the La Bella LTF are very similar. I will say the La Bella's definitely have more of a traditional flatwound tone compared to TIs. 

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