What flats?

I just got the Vintage VJ74 and am interested in flats? What are flats that you guys have used to get the classic rock sound? The store I got it at threw in some D’addario 40-100 rounds. But I’m thinking the sound I hear in my head is made by flats. Please advise me.

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Hey @EddieJones ,
I run Ernie ball slinky flats on most of my basses, others on the forum swear by other brands.
Flats are probably the closest sound you get to an upright bass, they are not as bright as rounds, and are also really smooth under your fingers,
Hope this helps
Cheers Brian

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I’ve got Fender, Thomastik GHS and Ernie Ball flats on different basses.
I still love the Thomastik ones ( very pricey) but I’ve recently been playing the bass with the Fender ones on a lot.
They’re slightly thinner than the others and possibly a little brighter although they are virtually new.
For rock I am tempted to try the Steve Harris signature flats :thinking:

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If you want a classic sound you cannot go wrong with La Bella Deep Talkin’ Bass flat wound strings. Not only do they have the classic sound, they feel great. I have them on all 3 of my basses.

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I have D’Addario flats on one bass, and la Bells flata on another bass. Both sound great.

What I like in the D’Addario is I can get them in the 45-100 set. La Bella just sound good.

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I like the LaBella Low Tension Flats. To me they sound a little brighter than the Deep Talkin’ Bass. I have them on 2 basses at the moment.

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+1000

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+1000 and 1. Love them (although they are the only flats I’ve used :wink:).

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Anyone ever use the half-rounds or ground wounds? I am probably going to get the LaBella flats but am curious if the half/ground wounds have any merit. Or even the tape wounds. Honestly, what is the difference? Only because they seem to be much cheaper, are Fender flats any good?

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@EddieJones I’ll add a percentage point to the 1000% for LaBella DTB flats and make it 1001%

I have a set of half rounds, which I tried briefly but didn’t fall in love with. They’re supposed to feel and sound somewhere in between flats and rounds, but they just didn’t have a character that found a place in my heart.
Lanny @Lanny uses them on one of his basses and can probably give some additional insight.

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See, now you guys have gotten me thinking about nothing but bass and bass gear all the time. I obsess over things like strings and set-ups and things that seem small at first but when they all come together, sound beautiful. And my new bass is really, really set up well. I am about to sign up for the B2B course probably this weekend so that I can be the next 58, almost 59 year old shaved head, fat, rock god.

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@EddieJones Ed,…… As @PamPurrs Pam mentioned, I do use them on one of my bass’s - “Big Red”, my Yamaha TRBX304 which I also have set up with a Hipshot Kickass Bridge. I typically only use this bass when I want to learn new songs because I’m not too concerned about specific tones as much as I’m focused on creating or playing riffs. Actually, I think that they make pretty good practice strings - at least on Big Red.

I don’t use them so much for recording because they are kind of a mediocre string thats OK as a “flat” and OK as a “round” - just not great either way however, there have been some songs that they worked well on for me.

They are a bit rougher than flats, and be advised that the machining process used to machine down the round tops of the strings can (and does) leave behind small bits of residual microscopic shavings so if you get a set, you should give them a bit if a wipe down before using them…. A little denatured alcohol on a rag works well. I typically follow up with a Hoppes #9 lubricated gun oil field wipes afterwards and have never had a problem with them…

When it comes to strings, they all play differently on different bass’s… I have flats on a couple of my Fenders, but those same flats don’t sound worth a damn on my Ibanez SR500E or my Squire P - yet they sound great on my Fender P and PJ bass’s. It all depends on the electronics and the bridge - at least for what I play….

Hope this helps…. And good luck!

Keep On Thumpin’!
Lanny

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I bit the bullet and ordered some Fender Flats 9050L Stainless 45-100. Cause I am a cheap bastid and got them shipped with tax for under $25.00 from Pitbull. Anyway, if they sound and play good, I am going to step up to LaBella Low Tensions I think. Anyone have any experience with the Fender Flats?

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I have used Fender flats and got me they were okay. I prefer Labellas though.

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I’ll get Labellas when I grow up :laughing:

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Hi @EddieJones ,
@Lanny uses half rounds, so he may be able to provide feedback,:+1:
Cheers Brian

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Keep up @TNKA36 . @Lanny has delivered his sentence in the half rounds :joy:
I like my Fender flats a lot @EddieJones . For a cheaper string they’re easy to play and sound decent.
I love my Thomastik more but they’re over $100 even on sale.
BTW have you checked out the Melbourne Bass Centre strings section? They frequently have stuff on sale and anything over $50 is free post :smiling_imp:

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They came on my Aerodyne.
I gave them a whirl … and took them off and put on La Bellas.
They were ok at best to me.

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I tried these and wasn’t a fan.
I had heard either you love em or hate em.
I guess it’s true.
They were too thin and too bright, almost twangy.
The nylon core is really different from a wire core string, so they do feel very different.

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