On the string threads there is very little talk about basses. I just got a shiny new bass, but the round wounds feel so dang weird to me. Can I swtich to flats? Would that be appropriate for surf/rock type music?
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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »
Bass Strings Flat or Round?
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Joined: Jul 05, 2006 Posts: 969 
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Posted on Mar 31 2007 12:31 PM
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Joined: Apr 05, 2006 Posts: 1547 Bethlehem, GA
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Posted on Mar 31 2007 01:03 PM
Yes, and yes. Put on some of these... http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/juststrings_1944_58577124 ... and you'll never go back to roundwounds ever again. —Jack Booth The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005), 2025 |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on Mar 31 2007 01:14 PM
What would Woody know? He doesn't even put covers on his Jazz bass... But yes, Woody is very correct and he is 100 times better at bass than me. Maybe some of it has to do with my covers being in the way... and my sucking at bass. I'm actually a really big fan of the D'Addario Chromes for bass. I don't really like them for surf and I think the Thomastiks are a hundred times better, but the bass ones are great and once they get broken in they feel incredible. Haven't tried out Thomastiks on bass though. |
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Joined: Apr 05, 2006 Posts: 1547 Bethlehem, GA
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Posted on Mar 31 2007 02:53 PM
Hey, Jake, I actually ordered a bridge cover for the one that is missing from my Jazz bass, but Angela Instruments was out of stock. I'll get one on eBay. You have shamed me into at least looking like a proper surf bassist. My friend Mitch, who replaced me when I left The Surge in '04, turned me on to the TI flats. They are fantastic strings. I even have them on the Martin bass I use in the acoustic surf trio. I tried the LaBella "James Jamerson" flats on my '65 P-Bass, but they were too way heavy for me (.052-.110), and I didn't like the way they sounded. Very muddy and farty, at least on that bass. My recording bass is a Hot Rod Precision which currently has a set of Ernie Ball flats given to me by Mitch that sound good, too. But when they go dead, I'll install a set of TI's. —Jack Booth The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005), 2025 |
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Joined: Jul 05, 2006 Posts: 969
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Posted on Mar 31 2007 03:42 PM
just out of curisoty how long do those TI's last, 50 bucks is kinda pricey for strings? Are they dipped in gold? |
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Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on Mar 31 2007 04:16 PM
The guitar strings are actually dipped in gold, I don't know about the bass strings though. Flatwound bass strings are going to last you a very very long time. |
Joined: Mar 15, 2006 Posts: 1487 San Francisco
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Posted on Mar 31 2007 04:43 PM
Speaking from personal experience, Really, flats sound better after a few months on the bass - they settle in and get a much cleaner "thump". ~B~ |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1054 Chicago IL.
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Posted on Mar 31 2007 04:47 PM
I think roundwound strings on a bass guitar sound terrible. —"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there" https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/ |
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Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on Mar 31 2007 04:55 PM
They feel worse to play than they sound in my opinion. Which isn't saying they sound good. |
Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 69 Chicago |
Posted on Apr 01 2007 11:02 PM
Flatwound strings on a bass will last as long as you can play, provided they don't break. Bill Aqua was witness to 2 occasions were I broke the "D" on my bass while bending half a step. These were Pyramid strings, and I really like how the sound, but they are fairly inconsistent in terms of feel and timbre from string to string. After breaking a string while practicing recently, I order some Labella 760FLs. I already bought some Labella flats for my Bass VI, so I figured I'd give them a try on my Jazz Basses. Sho 'nough, the sound (once slightly dead) is a bit more "correct" upon listening tests. The Pyramids have a slight bump in the mids that I always thought was attributable to where I pick the string. I never quite liked that sound 100%, but who the hell listens to me when I got a guitar player like Bill and a drummer like Alex in the band? Anyway, the Labellas don't have that mid bump, have a bit more "click" and a smoother fundamental, not to mention they are noticeably louder than the Pyramids. They are slightly lower in tension, which is nice, but are stainless steel as opposed to Pyramids being nickel. I fear stainless steel my be harder on the frets, but I'm not chickin' pickin' or anything like that, so I'm sure fret wear won't be a problem. Again, I hear a more period appropriate tone with the Labellas. Maybe I'll get some feedback when our next record comes out this year... Roundwound strings on a bass is like a nightmare for my ears. |
Joined: May 20, 2006 Posts: 2174 PacNW (Vancouver, Wa U.S.A.)
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Posted on Apr 01 2007 11:38 PM
Flatwounds suck IMO, flatwounds were the only things around till the late 60s, flatwounds break more often and when they age they realllly age and thier tone drops, I have been playing electric and upright for more then 16 years and I only use roundwounds for electric bass and flatwounds for semi acousitc bass's like Hofner, Baldwin, Danelectro ect, man I haven't changed my roundwounds on my 63' p-bass in over 5 years and they are still rockin and they age very well and sound vintage on the other hand I'm always changing the flatwounds off my Hofner & Baldwin, flatwounds don't last, I use Rotosound for electric bass and Hofner for semi acoustic bass's, for upright I use gut. And for guitar I use roundwounds 46s-9s, Bill Aqua and Jake thought I used a thicker gauge and flatwounds but nop -Kyle Beyond The Surf YouTube channel |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3546 mojave desert, california
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Posted on Apr 02 2007 10:07 AM
I like both types of strings, but for different reasons. I like the roundwound "boing and twang and boom" of Rotosounds on a fretted instruments, especially Fenders and Gibsons. Roundwounds have a real nice tone when played with a pick. Additionally, roundwounds have a real nice "presence" or "up-front" quality about their tone, and I like that sort of thing. Lately, I have switched to Rotosound Nickel...smoother on the fingers, and a less-harsh tone than the Rotosound Stainless... Flatwounds sound nice and "woody" on a fretless, and also on eclectic instruments, such as Mosrite and Ampeg basses. Flatwounds have a real nice "thunk" to them, and go well with vintage first-wave style bass playing. I like the old school LaBella's, as well as Thomastiks, and D'Addario flats. Suprisingly enough, Rotosound also make a nice set of flatwounds. -dp |
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Joined: Mar 06, 2007 Posts: 524 Bay City (Michigan) |
Posted on Apr 02 2007 05:28 PM
I've never tried flatwounds, but they are on my list of strings to try out. I've used alot of roundwounds, and I've tried a set of stainless steel strings. I like the round wounds, as you can use them for a lot of styles of music, but the stainless steel I think are just too bright. I like the stiffness of stainless steels, since I don't like being able to push the string off my fretboard when I'm bending. I guess I'll try some Chrome flatwounds on my bass next though. —I am super sweet |
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Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 69 Chicago |
Posted on Apr 03 2007 01:08 PM
Chromes are too high-tension for their respective gauges... |
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Joined: Mar 06, 2007 Posts: 524 Bay City (Michigan) |
Posted on Apr 03 2007 09:18 PM
Yes, from what I've heard, you go down one size, and it's about the same. Although, from what I've heard the fender flats are even higher tension than that. —I am super sweet |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 25710 Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Apr 07 2007 08:04 PM
the one thing besides tone I noticed when switching from roundwounds to Flatwounds was how much longer I could play without my finger tips hurting. Jeff(bigtikidude) —Jeff(bigtikidude) |
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Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3546 mojave desert, california
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Posted on Apr 07 2007 10:18 PM
jeff,jeff,jeff,jeff,jeff: ...didn't you get the memo? Sore fingers is what bass playin's ALL about! ...sore fingers turned into bloody hamburger meat, and all the cool groupies who don't dig the lead guitar players, the drummers, the rhythm guitar players or the keyboardists... yep, being a bassplayer sure has its perks...
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Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on Apr 07 2007 10:43 PM
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 25710 Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Apr 08 2007 12:30 PM
Jeff(bigtikidude) |
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 25710 Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Apr 08 2007 12:30 PM
oh and nice bass too, Jeff(bigtikidude) —Jeff(bigtikidude) |
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