So I’m getting my p-bass properly set up next week. I have a couple of sets of strings available, most notably La Bella Deep Talkin’ 760FM .49-109 flats and Rotosound Swing Bass .50-110 rounds.
I’m eager to put the flats on, but I’m a little hesitant.
Can you play slap bass effectively on flats?
I have .50-105 rounds on my jazz bass, but I don’t necessarily want to switch basses just to do a brief slap line for one song.
What say ye, slap mavens?
I don’t do it often, but kind of want to have the option.
This is not a critical factor, and if the consensus is slap on the jazz, play flats on the p-bass, I’m okay with that. Just wondering what other folks experiences are.
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Not really and esp not on the 760Ms.
Slapping on those is like running a sprint in snowboots.
You won’t dig the sound at all.
Slap on rounds and your sneakers, you’ll be happier.
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Agree with @John_E. You have to play like Larry Graham to make a flat slapping sing, lol. On the other hand, if you are in to slapping try the opitima gold strings. Tapping and slapping dream.
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Truth this is.
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I know this is an extreme example but Les Claypool slaps on a fretless. Does anybody know if he was using flat wounds?
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If you slap on flats you’re probably going to need to pound it like Larry Graham to get a decent transient and tone. Seems like a bad plan to me, when rounds come with the perfect tone for it out of the box.
Picking too, though to a lesser extent.
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I use cobalt flat mediums the slap tone sucks and it feels off trying to slap them YMMV but if you want to pursue slap I’d get rounds for sure
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I have D’Addario chromes on one of my basses, they’re pretty bright for flats but they sound like crap for slapping/popping. They’re pretty stiff too and Larry Graham played with light strings. I have a Jazz bass with rounds pretty much just for slapping. Those labella flats are like aircraft cables 
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