Flatwound strings for Violin bass

[SICbass]

Hi All,

 

I recently acquired a cheap and cheerful Harley Benton Beatlebass for an Amy Winehouse tribute act. I love it, but it's currently strung with some no-name roundwounds.

I've tried looking through a couple of threads here on flatwounds, and frankly my head is spinning. I've used Fender Flats in the past, and they're fine, but I'd like to try something with a bit less tension, vintage sounding, short scale.

Any recommendations?

 

Cheers,

Paul

[JJMotown]

You want tapewounds.

[ezbass]

Built for the job:

 

https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product-category/strings/?_string_scale_length=hofner-beatle-bass

[pete.young]

I have just put a set of Labella Low Tension Flats on my short scale Epiphone Century and I'm very happy with the results. Lower tension than the standard Labellas, vintage sound, not massively expensive. (Technically I have medium scale because of the tailpiece, for a Violin bass I think you'd need the short scale set.)

[SICbass]

1 hour ago, JJMotown said:

You want tapewounds.

 

Hmmm, that's an interetsing idea. I've listened to a couple of vids, and they sound like they have a tiny bit more bite than flats. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something I noticed.

 

One more question:

I was looking at the La Bella 760N-S Black Nylon Tape. La Bella don't seem to offer anything lighter than 60-115. Is it right that tension is generally lower in tapewounds compared to flats? I usually play roundwound 40-95, but I'm not exactly a virtuoso player, so it probably won't bother me that much, would it?

[SICbass]

1 hour ago, ezbass said:

Built for the job:

 

https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product-category/strings/?_string_scale_length=hofner-beatle-bass

 

Thanks for that, it gives me some ideas to follow. I'm in Germany, so I'll probably have to try and source them here. I recently got banged by German Customs for about 30% VAT and Duty when buying an item from the UK. Brextit, anyone?

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, SICbass said:

 

Hmmm, that's an interetsing idea. I've listened to a couple of vids, and they sound like they have a tiny bit more bite than flats. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something I noticed.

 

One more question:

I was looking at the La Bella 760N-S Black Nylon Tape. La Bella don't seem to offer anything lighter than 60-115. Is it right that tension is generally lower in tapewounds compared to flats? I usually play roundwound 40-95, but I'm not exactly a virtuoso player, so it probably won't bother me that much, would it?

Don’t be put off by the gauge on those LaBellas. I normally use 45-100, but my 35” Rob Allen is fitted with the 760n set and they feel no tighter. I have a set of 750n on another bass and they feel a bit too thin; weird.

[SICbass]

3 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Don’t be put off by the gauge on those LaBellas. I normally use 45-100, but my 35” Rob Allen is fitted with the 760n set and they feel no tighter. I have a set of 750n on another bass and they feel a bit too thin; weird.

 

Good to know. Thanks.

[gjones]

Rotosound Tru Bass is what McCartney had on his violin bass. I've just put a set on my Precision and they have a nice attack, which means you don't get lost in the mix.

 

The only problem is they come in one gauge, which is gigantic.

 

I'm not a fan of flatwounds as I find them too woolly and indistinct when they're new.