Flatwound Curious

If you don’t like flats and try them it would be cheap just a set. The problem will come when you like them, then it will cost you a lot to change, lol.

Tapewound/ Nylon wound are a great alternative. TI Jazz flat is on another league altogether.

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Yeah. Flats aren’t my bag but if I wanted to use them I would go all in with T-I or LaBella and just skip any hybrids.

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This^^^

TI Jazz flats are superb. Yes, they do cost, but they last virtually forever and their playability makes ‘em worth every penny.

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Hi tim. I run the Bella deep talking flats on all three of my guitars. Will never go back to round wound strings again.

Flat round strings have to be measured and installed precisely. If you’re not familiar with how to do this, give the techs at la Bella a call and talk to them first. If you get them too long they will break. You only wrap the silk portion of the string around your tuner, not the flat wound part…

Take a couple of minutes and make a call, figure out how to do this before you order. You won’t regret it.

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They have a sizing guide on their website that is very straightforward too. @JustTim - IF you go with LaBella and IF your bass your putting them in is string-through (not the Aerodyne) then it’s a different string due to what @ronnielyons is mentioning but on the ball side. ( Note at least for future reference).

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So I’m pretty new here…but,

I found I was spending a lot of time with the treble rolled full down on either or both my SR300e &/or Rumble 40, both of which have quite powerful tone controls. This was with as delivered round wounds (new bass in January), D’Addario as far as I know. I decided I was a good candidate for flats, so I bought a set of LaBella Low Tension Flats. And the EA&D string are just what I had in mind, I get a more useful range of tones, I looooove the lack of finger noise, all good. However, the danged G string is a whole different animal. I decided the one in the pack was so loosely wound it was possibly defective. Sent LaBella a picture they sent me another G in a day or two. Nice customer support. And this G is not quite as loosely wound, but still distinctly different than the EA&D, which are essentially wrapped tight, flush, smooth. And both the G strings sound like round wounds on a twangy country tele, not flats on a bass, and certainly not belonging on the same bass as the other three strings they are supposed to play with. So I am so far pretty underwhelmed. I will likely write LaBella again soon and inquire politely if this was expected behavior. Perhaps I’d be happier with the DTBs. Or maybe they are having trouble wrapping Gs correctly and that’s the root problem. Sheer speculation.

The tension on the LTFs is really, seriously low. Lower than the D’Addario rounds. Had to adjust the truss rod about 1/4 turn.

The guide on the website is pretty easy to follow as far as installation. No string through… get the right length for your bass, they tell you exactly how to measure. Installation very straight forward.

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TI flats are the bomb but I’m using Fender flats atm which were a cheaper option

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Fender are my 2nd favorite flats behind TI’s. Good strings and cheap too

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:+1:

Well impressed with them, expensive, but great with the Dragons Heart pick :wink:

Foo Fighters Sample
(like a minute clipped from earlier)

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I also use Dragons Heart picks when I play with a pick. I used them when I played guitar and loved them.

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Original ones are not cheap! But they’re so good! Last ages too. Love the different edges on them to play around with :slightly_smiling_face: GT I got to try.

Did notice they do Wyverns heart now too, thinner, more regular I guess, that are a lot cheaper

Wyverns are not that good to me. Much thinner. I like the originals that I have. Using the hard compound on bass is the ticket.

Haha, I seem to like about 0.8mm sometimes too, for whatever reason :joy:

I am actually considering putting flats on my Stingray Special. It has Ernie Ball rounds on it from the factory and they are okay, I just prefer the feel of flats. I have some Rotosound 77’s and some D’Addario Chromes and some Fenders that aren’t on a bass at the moment. Should I leave the rounds on the Stingray and if not, which flats of the ones I have would you put on it?

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Not trying to step on @EddieJones’s questions above, but for what it’s worth, the GHS Pressurewounds are also “meh”. At least they were for me, on the Aerodyne.

I have a set of EB Super Slinky Flatwounds on the way. They were the least expensive I could find, with the quickest Amazon shipping. They should be here tomorrow.

Fenders

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And the light green silks match my Emerald Frost Stingray :grinning:

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Sounds like a plan

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Ok, ok. Ok. Ok, so… ok.

Playing my Aerodyne with flats is a… revelation. I just put the EB Super Slinky flats on it, and it is amazing. I wish I’d have put them on before I did my shootout… but then again, flats vs. rounds wouldn’t make for an apples-to-apples comparison.

But oh my gosh, what a smooth tone. So nice. And there’s still significant top-end as well.

I’m blown away.

But from this point forward, the Aerodyne will remain on flats, and the San Dimas will remain on rounds. No more rounds on the Aerodyne.

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You really shouldn’t talk in such definitive statements. Even we all know that’s not a thing for you, how do you not? Lolololol.

Welcome to the flat world! It’s a deep dark place.

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