I put EB Slinky Flats on my Epiphone Thunderbird and I really like them. I still get plenty of top end out of them.
4 Likes
I like those a lot when I have flats. Especially on the 5-string.
3 Likes
For me it depends on the sound I’m looking for. I have LaBellas on both of my PJ’S and the EB’s on my TBird.
2 Likes
I have not ordered flats yet.
I am still in the process of thinning out my herd. Now that i know more what I like to play, I am selling the ones I dont.
I suspect the flats I get first will go on my ESP LTD B-155 5 string. I am going to start playing that more once I get everything settled and moved into a new place next month.
I don’t want to put them on the Stingray 4Hh cuz I struggle to like the sound already, it wont be a good test.
I love the Slinky’s on my Ray 4. I may put them on the Ray 34 after I get it Pleked,
2 Likes
Toby, once you have flats you won’t go back.
Cheers Brian
5 Likes
@T_dub I loved flats on all of my jazz guitars however if I am playing a punk style bass Like the cover you just did I think flats might take away from that aggressive attack that you need to cut the bass through. If you are going for a smoother more mellow approach flats are amazing. I cannot totally speak from the bass perspective though as I have not used them on a bass
5 Likes
Yeah I would have to agree with you there @LesterH.
I have flats on both mine and although I love the sound and feel I have to use some pretty heavy distortion for a really aggressive tone
4 Likes
What is the reason for this? just curious, is it sound or feel. I mean, I can’t feel my fingertips anymore anyway, so IDK if I could even tell you the difference between flats and rounds. LOL, kind of. I mean, my finger tips are heavily built up, I have no pain, and am able to feel the pressure in them, but I do not notice any roughness anymore.
Of course, there is the scratchy sound, that could be a reason to love them.
But I did find that once my technique has gotten better, that I only hear that if I have the treble boosted on my bass, or EQ somewhere in the chain, or on the amp itself, which I rarely do.
2 Likes
Hey Toby, @T_dub
I have rounds on some basses here as well, but the feel and smoothness of the flats is just really nice, and they have a really nice tone as opposed to the sharpness of the rounds.
Cheers Brian
3 Likes
Thanks for the information, I do plan to try them at some point.
3 Likes
(sends hypnotic messages to @T_dub)
GAS GAS GAS GAS. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.
Order flatwounds Order flatwounds Order flatwounds .
You will do what I command.
You will order flatwounds.
You will not remember any of this when you wake up.
Flatwounds will appear at your doorstep.
3 Likes
How did flat wounds suddenly appear in my shopping cart 
ordered
4 Likes
4 Likes
It’s really funny how people’s opinions vary on this one. All the flats I have tried (admittedly on other people’s basses) felt good but kind of “sticky” and much less fast than rounds to me, and I liked the tone on exactly zero of them - they all sounded lifeless and dull to me.
Which I did expect but I was still surprised.
Now - for certain styles, especially vintage, they sound better than rounds IMO. As others have mentioned, nothing sounds like flats on a P-bass, and that’s super evident in your covers as well, Brian. They sound great. You get great classic tone out of yours.
But for what I usually am looking for, it’s just not there with the flats I have tried.
Those EB Slinkies sounded promising though. Unfortualtely I am still two sets of strings deep or I would consider trying them 
(my D’Addarios I currently have on both of my basses are still going strong, so I haven’t even installed my Peter Hook Elites I got back in December yet.)
4 Likes
Hi Howard @howard,
I guess that is why manufacturers make so many different varieties of strings,to confuse us.
I think it comes down to what we think sounds good to us, i have some rounds on a few basses and they are always a lot brighter and have that great attack.
I guess my fingers like the feel of the flats under them a little more than the rounds, and my fender P’s both have great tone with the flats on them.
The Mustang has rounds on it and it is a lot punchier.
I just put Rotosound flats on the Warwick, i haven’t recorded with it yet so i dont know if i will like it with the flats, the rounds worked really well on that though, probably because of its design and pickups, and its active.
cheers Brian
4 Likes
Flats on a Warwick will be really interesting. Their basses are naturally bright and growly and flats would probably do interesting things there.
5 Likes
hahaha
Pardon the little sausage fingers, this angle makes them look about 1/2 size too. 
you can even see a sting indentation in my index finger from sliding.
I just been playing a slide song that I am about to put in Post Your Covers.
5 Likes
I’d just stripped the carb out of the quad bike and got it runnin
Mac 1
Quad 0
Then moved onto the Harley and no joy
Harley 1
Mac 0. 
5 Likes