I use flats on all 8 of my basses..from my steinberger spirit 5 string to my Alembic mark king deluxe and get a great clear sound from all of them.
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Specific Take on An Age-Old Question
- Thread starter Michael Stanley 2112
- Start date
Yeah, much like you I didn't know what flats were until the 2000's. I played both bass and guitar from the start in the mid 80's to early 90's. Nothing too serious , just garage band stuff and bed room noodling.
Anyway, I had the opportunity to play a P bass at someones rehearsal spot a couple of years ago, and I really like how they felt and sounded. I haven't changed strings on any of my basses in a while, but I definitely would like to have them on at least one bass at the house.
Agree with you on the La Bella tapes. I have them on 3 of my 7 basses. I have La Bella flats on one of my 5string Jazz basses, and love their silky feel and warm tone. I'm going to be putting a set of tapes on my 5 string de-fret (the bass just arrived yesterday... I unpacked it, inspected it, and am preparing to tear the frets off today). I'm with you on the tapes.
I like flats; I like how they sound and most of all like how they feel. I currently have 2 basses (one fretted, one fretless) and it's flats on both of them. I see very little value in "versatility" and "wide tonal spectrum", as long as I have a single tone that works for the music I want to play and makes me enjoy doing it, I'm happy.
Are they stiff like flats? I like the smoothness and feel of Chromes (the only flats I've tried) but they are a little stiff for my liking.
No. In fact the light gauge is a bit flimsy for standard tuning so I tune up a half step. Would definitely rec trying heavier gauges for standard tuning.
They’re pretty cool right? Warm and punchy but can still scratch the round wound itch when I want to.
Chromes are some of highest tension/stiffest flats you can buy. There are many other options in flats that are not as stiff (and sound better IMO).
Good to know. I'll probably give them a shot. I also might try swapping out my Chromes for another flat type. Got any suggestions on others that have a bit more brightness than typical flats like the Chromes do?
I wouldnt call Chromes typical flats, they are pretty bright for flats. If you want flats brighter than Chromes there are really only one or two choices, Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats are probably the brightest flat. The Cobalts kind of split the difference between flats and rounds tone wise so that might be what you are looking for. I dont care for Chromes or Cobalts personally, if I want a string that bright I use roundwounds.
I've got an SR1200 Premium with flats on it. When I bought it it had rounds and I just found them way too harsh and bright. I put some half rounds on it which were pretty good but stupidly broke one and only had some flats available at home. I put them on and they've been on for a few years now. I can still get plenty of brightness from that bass if I want but the flats just make it more "polite" to my ears, which suits the music I play.
For reference, I have a P with flats, a fretless J with tapes and a couple of short scales with half rounds. The only basses I have with rounds are an 8-string (can't get flats for this even if I wanted to) and my most recent el-cheapo project bass which is a Ray clone.
all of my axes sound better with the strings i like if i'm the one playing them. i put rounds on all of mine, but it's the same thing. where strings are concerned: you get to do what you want...i'm pretty sure it's the prevailing "consensus opinion!"
it's fun to have our 'old reliables' but it's also fun to check out the possibilities. play what you like. have some fun updating or finding out what you like these days --- good luck!
Different types of flats have such a HUGE range of different tones and different feel that I find it almost pointless to think of flats as ONE type of strings. With roundwounds it's mostly a matter of more/less bright (and a slightly more supple feel with round core strings). Flats have MUCH wider range of tone/feel than that. As an example take Roto 77 flats, TI Jazz Flats and LaBella Deep Talkin' Flats. These strings are COMPLETELY different and are not even remotely interchangeable IMO. Would you ever use Roto flats and LaBella flats for the same song/genre? I know I wouldn't. Not only do they SOUND different, they also make me PLAY differently. The tension and/or perceived stiffness is completely different. No amount of eq/processing can compensate for that.
For what it's worth (and to specifically answer the OPs question) the best tone I've ever gotten with my Ibanez SR2605 (5-string version of the OPs 2600) is with TI Jazz Flats. So yeah, SR-basses can definitely sound great with flats.
For what it's worth (and to specifically answer the OPs question) the best tone I've ever gotten with my Ibanez SR2605 (5-string version of the OPs 2600) is with TI Jazz Flats. So yeah, SR-basses can definitely sound great with flats.
Honestly, give it a try. As soon as I put them on the difference was incredible. I've only ever tried the Fender Flats but doubt I'll look for anything else. Took a while to get used to the feel, but it was worth persevering. Let us know how you get on.
I am indeed! Moved here 10 years ago for a quieter, more rural way of life (with better weather!) Gigging is a lot slower, but I do get to play in some fantastic outdoor locations... Go back to Glasgow occasionally for a dose of "culture"....
I generally prefer flats. It’s the tone in my head.
I do agree that rounds are a bit more versatile (it’s easier to remove treble than to add it), so if I had one bass, it would have some rounds that I could make work for anything.
I should soon have three basses: a fretted P, a fretted PJ, and a fretless Ibanez SR Portamento.
The fretless SR has Chromes and they sound great with it (I definitely prefer the tone of flats on a fretless over rounds), and the fretted P will have flats as well. The PJ will be my only one with rounds, which I do think work better for 70’s funk and prog rock/metal (at least for the tones I like for those styles).
I do agree that rounds are a bit more versatile (it’s easier to remove treble than to add it), so if I had one bass, it would have some rounds that I could make work for anything.
I should soon have three basses: a fretted P, a fretted PJ, and a fretless Ibanez SR Portamento.
The fretless SR has Chromes and they sound great with it (I definitely prefer the tone of flats on a fretless over rounds), and the fretted P will have flats as well. The PJ will be my only one with rounds, which I do think work better for 70’s funk and prog rock/metal (at least for the tones I like for those styles).
I used flats from 1965 until 1976 when my Jazz was stolen. I finally replaced it with the '82 Jazz I've used since 1985. It came with Dean Markley Blue Steel round-wounds and I replaced them twice over the years. Then for my 4th set of strings on that bass I went with the DR Black Beauty strings, which were more evenly balanced string to string than the Blue Steel's were. Eventually my Black Beauty strings became Mottled Gray Not-So-Good Looking strings, with very bright stripes on the back where the strings hit the frets.
Then about 4 or 5-years ago I tried a set of the LaBella White Tape Wound Strings because I saw a demo of the black ones that sounded really good. They make Black tapes, White tapes, White on a copper core, and White on a gold core. The white ones are semi-opaque so you can see what color the cores are. The Black tapes are opaque and are the darkest sounding of the bunch. The White tapes are the brightest sounding and the white with copper core and white with gold core are in between the two. I play an '82 Olympic White Jazz (passive) and I love the sound of these LaBella White Tape Wound strings. They have a lot of the brightness of the round wounds without being thin or brittle sounding. They also are the best balanced strings I've used.
I used to avoid using the first, second, or even 3rd fret of the D or G strings because they sounded thin. Instead I'd use the 7th fret of the previous string for a fuller sound. I don't do that with these. If it's more convenient to fret the note inside those first three frets on the D and G strings, I do it. There is a difference in the sound, but not a big difference. I really like and recommend these LaBella Tape Wound strings.
On my basses, I have gone through the entire spectrum over the decades:
1) flats on all the basses;
2) rounds on all the basses;
3) nylon tapes on all the basses.
Over the years, as I listened to what strings to my ears interacted better with each bass, and experimenting with various brands and gauges of each of the types, I gravitated towards different sets that to my ears sounded good on each different bass, and coordinated the combinations with the types of gigs I play each bass for. I have also tried just about everything out there at one time or another when each particular company's brand or model was a new set. So the following list is a distillation of playing dozens of different makes, models, and gauges through the decades. For example, and this just a sample of a few of the basses I now have, including a significant stash of sets in reserve, the following to serve the foreseeable future (read: until a string company changes or discontinues something and I have to safari all over again):
1) Custom PJ-style fanned fret bass: GHS Super Steels light custom gauges;
2) Ibby SRA305 with custom 33-inch scale neck: D'A XL170BT + 130;
3) Rickenbacker 4002 (yes, "2," not "1" or "3"): NOS GHS Progressives 45-60-80-105 then probably to Pressurewounds when the Progs finally die unless GHS resumes production;
4) Squier Jaguar H slightly modded: La Bella 760FL-M (already discontinued; working on two packages NOS in reserve);
5) Mitchell short scale PJ: GHS Balanced Nickels;
6) Squier Tele VM (may be selling later this year) Optima RB flats.
And a few other rather new projects I am still experimenting with.
1) flats on all the basses;
2) rounds on all the basses;
3) nylon tapes on all the basses.
Over the years, as I listened to what strings to my ears interacted better with each bass, and experimenting with various brands and gauges of each of the types, I gravitated towards different sets that to my ears sounded good on each different bass, and coordinated the combinations with the types of gigs I play each bass for. I have also tried just about everything out there at one time or another when each particular company's brand or model was a new set. So the following list is a distillation of playing dozens of different makes, models, and gauges through the decades. For example, and this just a sample of a few of the basses I now have, including a significant stash of sets in reserve, the following to serve the foreseeable future (read: until a string company changes or discontinues something and I have to safari all over again):
1) Custom PJ-style fanned fret bass: GHS Super Steels light custom gauges;
2) Ibby SRA305 with custom 33-inch scale neck: D'A XL170BT + 130;
3) Rickenbacker 4002 (yes, "2," not "1" or "3"): NOS GHS Progressives 45-60-80-105 then probably to Pressurewounds when the Progs finally die unless GHS resumes production;
4) Squier Jaguar H slightly modded: La Bella 760FL-M (already discontinued; working on two packages NOS in reserve);
5) Mitchell short scale PJ: GHS Balanced Nickels;
6) Squier Tele VM (may be selling later this year) Optima RB flats.
And a few other rather new projects I am still experimenting with.
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