Why I think flatwounds can be so addictive.

armybass

armybass

Jul 19, 2001
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#1
Tone! Duh... But seriously, once you train your ear in on the fundamental and clear away some of the overtones and distractions.... you can truly hear better. Switching to flatwounds and starting singing were the two biggest aids in improving in my musicianship in 35 years of playing. I played a gig last night with a bass with rounds.... could not even make it through the first set. I could not hear my bass anymore. ;)
 
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#5
armybass said:
yes I do agree with that.. but to me... it is the sound. the fundamental pitch is so much stronger and clear to me. in a band setting it focuses you in like a laser beam
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Amen! Amen! Amen!

I went to flats years ago and haven't looked back, as they say, on most of my basses. Every once in a while I put some rounds on something for the fun of it, but the dissatisfaction sets in and the rounds go back in the drawer. There are a few I leave some roundwound on and one or two that have GHS Pressurewounds on (which are amazing), but the rest have flats.

I found after the first time putting them on that this was what I was looking for. FULL tone not boomy, hollow or clanky. I don't want to cut through anything thing--I want everything to sit on the bass. I have no desire to compete by trying to cut through with others are trying to do the same.
 
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#6
For me, flats are a must have for bass. But I also feel the same way about round wounds. Both have their place in my tool box. They both have the ability to do different tones and have different dynamics. And with the design of specific basses, flats can emphasize the characteristics of that bass more than any picking attack. Same goes for the round wounds.
 
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#10
The Flats all have plenty of highs. I’m
using LaBellas, TI’s and GHS and although they may have a thump bottom or pronounced mids they all still have highs on tap. So much so that I still roll off the tone and highs to about 25% and boat as needed. I am really digging the old school flatwound slap tone. I don’t feel that it’s highs that are missing as much as it is the harsh bite that is being tamed.
 
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#11
armybass said:
Tone! Duh... But seriously, once you train your ear in on the fundamental and clear away some of the overtones and distractions.... you can truly hear better. Switching to flatwounds and starting singing were the two biggest aids in improving in my musicianship in 35 years of playing. I played a gig last night with a bass with rounds.... could not even make it through the first set. I could not hear my bass anymore. ;)
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I agree 100%, this could be straight out of my mouth! (only, 45 years of playing here)
 
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#12
armybass said:
yes I do agree with that.. but to me... it is the sound. the fundamental pitch is so much stronger and clear to me. in a band setting it focuses you in like a laser beam
Click to expand...
Funny you should use that analogy, because I'd liken the sound of a crisp round to that of a laser cutting through steel. Ha ;)

Flats are fun, indeed! I always go back and dabble once in a while. Right now I own a set of Chromes and TI Jazz Flats. While the TIs are likely going, the Chromes are right up my alley and are staying on my P clone.
 
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#13
Picton said:
I started on bass with flats, but went to rounds very quickly. I'd gotten used to them playing guitar for years. I missed the zing of my fingers moving across the wraps.

Plus, I like brighter sound.
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Ahh you hit on one of the things I dislike about rounds. Non musical unwanted fingernoise.
In the right context zing and bell like overtones can be useful, but just as often it's one more thing to suppress.
Rock, overdriven, effected, plectrum, or slap style use: the zing is often necessary. Can't imagine Squire, Ox, MM, with flats.
Nor could I imagine Jamerson, Harris, with rounds ringing all over the place.
 
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#14
Also, Tapewounds: the bell overtones are retained without the clangy attack. No surprise as they are rounds under the nylon wrap!
Super smooth feel and a woody upright like attack. Flexible. Warm tone and to the touch.
Lower output due to the roundwounds at their core being of light guage and less magnetic mass, which also makes them flexible and dynamic.
Raise the action a bit, light touch playing thumpy with short sustain. Dig in and they growl like crazy.
 
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#15
Yep, I'm a certified flatwound-o-phile. I recently got a short scale PJ so I could have one bass with flats (Hofner + La Bellas) and one with rounds, but after a month or so, the rounds just weren't doing it for me. Too much twang, not enough fundamental. So now the PJ has a set of GHS Precision flats, and the bass sounds like a bass should (in my book). Can't wait for them to break in over the next several months.
 
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#16
ITs funny so many folks say the GHS Precision Flats need to break in to sound good. I personally love how they sound new... so if they are gonna get better... I am even more excited.
 
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#18
The thing I like about flats is the (generally) more percussive attack and the shorter sustain. To me, especially in a busy mix, it accents the bassline without having to increase volume and leaves space for the other instruments to come through between the notes instead of fighting against a continuous low end wall.
 
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