RIght. Olinto flats with 107 gauge E are comparable to my fingers to DTF standard gauge set for tension. I run Diadarrio chrome lights on another bass-100 gauge E-and they are higher tension than DTFs for me. I actually prefer higher tension. I consider Diadarrio chrome-Roto 77-Labella Gold to be high tension. Dunlop-DTFs/Olinto medium. Labella low tension-Thomastik-on the low tension side. This is going by feel-no actual testing. All on similar P-basses.
I use LaBella 760 flats. I absolutely love them and love how they sound. Can be soft and you can really thump it! The way I got used to him was playing until my fingers would get super tender and then I would just use a pick. Any time I’m having to practice several songs like 20 I will just use a pic to save my finger so to speak for the actual show.
In my opinion, all the classic bass player such as Donald Duck Dunn and James Jamison used very similar strings. I don’t know if they use these exactly but I love the sound of that era and that type of music so there is no going back for me.
Finger ease does help. I just kept doing this for basically a year and now I can play continually without getting blisters however, if you play hard, yes they’ll make your fingers tender. It just takes time to build up those calluses.
It’s interesting to see everyone styles, and how everyone likes their own set of strings for their own reasons in their own tonality. So I would recommend you find someone in this group that plays very similar type of music. See what kind of strings they like and why they like them for that style of music. In my opinion, you cannot go wrong with La Bella 760 deep talking bass strings.
Fender Player Plus Active Precision Bass with a fender Rumble 100
Sound is amazing!
In six years on bass I have never once been even remotely close to getting blisters from roundwounds, and most of the songs I play are 140+ bpm punk and post-punk style songs with driving basslines that go hard. My callouses I acquired from bass are minimal (guitar is way way worse pain, like 10x).
So yeah, it sounds like flats are harder on your fingers 
1 Like
Easily, 3. months in now and I’ve still only got about 2 - 2.5 hrs a day in me before it feels like those strings are hitting nerve endings. I barely have calouses on either hand 2 years into playing bass.
I really think it’s the tension, if you have a lower tension flat I think you’re fine - not a flat thing specifically. But no empirical data to back up my claim
2 Likes
I agree. I’ve played a lot of different flats, but I never really gelled with any of them until I played TI Jazz Flats. Yes, TI Jazz strings (flats and rounds) are lower tension by design and materials, but their windings are also the smoothest I’ve felt. Besides their relative tension difference, that tactile smoothness is what makes the most positive difference from other strings. For me, they’re a pure joy to play.
2 Likes
Never heard this one before, but then again, I stopped playing flatwounds when I discovered GHS and D’Addario black tapewounds…smooth as silk, perfect tension, incredible tone, and they look great!
Maybe. Bear in mind that I have also played a stainless steel roundwound set with a second D string as the G string (and the rest heavy-normal gauge too). That caused me no issues and was definitely higher tension than any reasonable flats.
1 Like
Different people, different strings, not surprising not necessarily the same results.