Just a quick review of my long-delayed switch from rounds to flats. I have used Dean Markley Blue Steels since they first came out. I bought a used Stingray 5 last year that just happened to have DMBS already installed, and fairly new. I didn't quite care for them on the Stingray--they were a little thin, loose, noisy, and clanky. But I hated to change them, as they were so new. And I wasn't sure what the gauges were, so since it was unclear what my starting point was, I finally decided to just make the switch to flats. I quickly decided on the La Bella 760FL-B Deep Talkin' 5 String Flat Wound Light in gauges .043 - .060 - .082 - .104 - .128. The TI's just promised to be too low tension for my style. The Ernie Ball Group III 2810 set was my second choice, as reviews noted they were suited for the Stingray in the midrange. I figured one could not go wrong with the classic La Bellas though, and they have good tension, thus my final decision.
The sound wasn't changed as much as I expected. It mainly seemed to tighten up overall. The extra tension cured the clankiness. The string noise is much better. And they stayed in tune great over the weekend. I'm playing mainly country, so they fit right in, but they would sound fine on rock as well. I'm still missing a little bit of the high end, but I didn't really expect to cure that with flats.
All in all just a note to those hesitant to dramatically alter their sound--these don't seem to do it. They just bring you a touch of that flatwound sound and good playability on top of that. Don't be afraid to give them a try. They're not just for P-bass any more!
The sound wasn't changed as much as I expected. It mainly seemed to tighten up overall. The extra tension cured the clankiness. The string noise is much better. And they stayed in tune great over the weekend. I'm playing mainly country, so they fit right in, but they would sound fine on rock as well. I'm still missing a little bit of the high end, but I didn't really expect to cure that with flats.
All in all just a note to those hesitant to dramatically alter their sound--these don't seem to do it. They just bring you a touch of that flatwound sound and good playability on top of that. Don't be afraid to give them a try. They're not just for P-bass any more!
