Middleman
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Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
Thats what a bass guitar should sound and play like. I gave up on the rotos, half wounds and went back to flatwounds today. I'm sorry but the playability and sound, to me, is what a bass should sound and respond like.
Hope I didn't offend bapu or any other bass players.
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Dave Modisette
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 18:50:55
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You know, I wouldn't mind having a spare bass with flat wounds. I bet a Danelectro Longhorn strung that way would be a perfect retro bass.
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Beepster
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 18:52:59
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Meh. Depends on the style. Different tools for different jobs. I wouldn't want roundwound for laid back fretless stuff and I wouldn't want flatwounds for fretted metal mayhem.
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timidi
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 18:53:40
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kinda like digital vs. analog. sorta kinda maybe.
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Mooch4056
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 19:01:02
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Middleman
Thats what a bass guitar should sound and play like. I gave up on the rotos, half wounds and went back to flatwounds today. I'm sorry but the playability and sound, to me, is what a bass should sound and respond like.
Hope I didn't offend bapu or any other bass players.
I got flat wounds on the 67 Horner. I sometimes use a sponge or a cloth in the bridge of my Ibenez and that will give it a flat wound sound somewhat .... If you play Motown we all know jamesJamerson used flat wound and the sponge technique. It's a great sound. But if your gonna cover a red hot chilli peppers song and slap and pop ... Well ... Then what ...flat wounds don't work None the less ... A agree with you .... James jamerson had a bass tone I appreciate
From Now On Call Me Conquistador!
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Mooch4056
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 19:02:14
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Beepster
Meh. Depends on the style. Different tools for different jobs. I wouldn't want roundwound for laid back fretless stuff and I wouldn't want flatwounds for fretted metal mayhem.
This post was marked as helpful +1
From Now On Call Me Conquistador!
Donate to the cure Bapu Foundation Email: mooch4056@gmail.com for more info
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Beepster
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 19:05:19
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Heh. Much appreciated Mister Mooch.
Perhaps I'm too pragmatic for this thread. ;-)
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craigb
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 19:07:00
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Well, it IS supposed to be smooth! I have Elixers on mine...
Time for all of you to head over to Beyond My DAW!
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tweed guy
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 19:24:45
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I always use flats on my bass. The thing with flats, is that I like to change them every year. When fresh, they have all the tone I want. When they get old I find them too dull. Roundwounds don't sound good to me until until they get old.
The compromise is what they call compression wound or ground wound. It's a cross between the 2 types but I find them hard to locate in many music stores.
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Bub 
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 19:58:13
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I've never used them but I'd like to try.
I'm still using the original round strings on my bass and it's several years old now. I can't get a clear tone out of it any more.
I know nothing about bass strings ... any suggestions on gauge, brand ... etc.?
I do mainly country/country blues type stuff.
"I pulled the head off Elvis, filled Fred up to his pelvis, yaba daba do, the King is gone, and so are you."
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bapu
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 20:16:30
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I have half rounds on my Spacey 5-string bass for E-A-D-G, the low B is round wound.
The uke bass is a ploymer "plastic" type string.
All the others (P-Bass, Line 6 and Alembic.... oh did ever tell you I have an Alembic?) are, well you know.... bass strings.
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The Maillard Reaction
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 20:18:14
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I have flat wounds on everything but the acoustics.
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craigb
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 20:25:35
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I don't have an acoustic anymore, but I would think flat wounds would help with finger noise, no? As for my electrics, they DEFINITELY need round wounds so I can do pick slides. 
Time for all of you to head over to Beyond My DAW!
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michaelhanson
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 20:42:28
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You know, I have always wanted to try a set of Flats on my Rick and I don't know why I have never got around to it. I think I might really like them for my style of music.
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Middleman
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 20:44:18
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Bub
I've never used them but I'd like to try.
I'm still using the original round strings on my bass and it's several years old now. I can't get a clear tone out of it any more.
I know nothing about bass strings ... any suggestions on gauge, brand ... etc.?
I do mainly country/country blues type stuff.
Disclaimer: I am a guitar player however I went with .05 to .105 set from D'Addario.
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timidi
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 20:55:18
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FWIW, I've always been a rotosound user. I had flats when I bought my latest jazz bass and it just seemed soggy.
The rotos add a grit.
That said, My bass is on a lower budget level. With a nice bass, it might be a different set of decision factors.
I guess as always, having one of each (roto, flat) bass setup would be ultimate.
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Middleman
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 21:48:10
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Yeah, I'm running an American Jazz Bass. I was just yanking the chain of the thump and snap crowd. I can play that stuff, not well, but mostly what I need is just straightforward bass for the type of material I write. I really like the feel of the smoother string on slides and what not. The ridges on the round wounds have more squeak and slow down subtle slides for me. That's why I was looking for something that would help because I play on occasion and my hand strength is just not there.
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drewfx1
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 22:51:32
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All my basses have roundwounds of one type or another.
Except the one with half-rounds.
And the one with pressure wounds.
And the one with flats.
They all sound like they should.
 In order, then, to discover the limit of deepest tones, it is necessary not only to produce very violent agitations in the air but to give these the form of simple pendular vibrations. - Hermann von Helmholtz, predicting the role of the electric bassist in 1877.
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Middleman
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 23:00:27
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drewfx1
All my basses have roundwounds of one type or another.
Except the one with half-rounds.
And the one with pressure wounds.
And the one with flats.
They all sound like they should.
Best answer.
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craigb
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 23:03:19
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Middleman
drewfx1
All my basses have roundwounds of one type or another.
Except the one with half-rounds.
And the one with pressure wounds.
And the one with flats.
They all sound like they should.
Best answer.
I'm still waiting for someone who's tightly wound to answer. 
Time for all of you to head over to Beyond My DAW!
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chuckebaby
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/02 23:19:09
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Bub
I've never used them but I'd like to try.
I'm still using the original round strings on my bass and it's several years old now. I can't get a clear tone out of it any more.
I know nothing about bass strings ... any suggestions on gauge, brand ... etc.?
I do mainly country/country blues type stuff.
bub,take those babys off and boil them for about 5 minutes(rapid boil) then wrap them in a paper towel wrap the paper towel with tin foil and bake them for about 10 minutes on 200/250 degrees. let them cool and re-string it up. you'll notice an instant snap like they sounded when they were new. this wont last as long as it did when they were new but it gives a week or two of great sounding strings. believe it or not a lot of professional musicians do this because the strings are already stretched out and have a broken in feel to them. this is a fairly known method but not practicle with guitar strings as guitar strings are a lot cheaper in price. try it out.
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Bub
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/03 00:38:04
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Thanks Chuck, I may try that soon.
I got a new-ish guitar last year, Epi Sheraton II ... it has weird strings on it. I don't know what they are. They're round, and if I pinch one and spin it between my fingers it will twist like a piece of thread. I've never felt anything like them.
"I pulled the head off Elvis, filled Fred up to his pelvis, yaba daba do, the King is gone, and so are you."
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chuckebaby
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/03 01:52:51
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Bub
Thanks Chuck, I may try that soon.
I got a new-ish guitar last year, Epi Sheraton II ... it has weird strings on it. I don't know what they are. They're round, and if I pinch one and spin it between my fingers it will twist like a piece of thread. I've never felt anything like them.
love those guitars,ive got two guitars on the same lines but not a sheraton. both mine have the F holes,one is a vox the other a harmony. jazzy,nice feel,how do you like yours? those arent bad,there usualy around 500-700 bucks.
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soens
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/03 06:22:47
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.
post edited by soens - 2013/04/17 23:30:47
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The Maillard Reaction
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/03 08:05:28
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The slap and pop guys often comment that my P-Bass doesn't have round wounds... and before the end of every session they usually have put down their personal bass and started snapping and popping on the house P-Bass with flat wounds.
I just let it take its course... and enjoy watching it happen.
With regards to Ric guiatars... the Ric brand strings are compressed wound, or semi flat. I use them on my Rics.
best regards,
mike
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Bub
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/03 10:54:32
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chuckebaby
Bub
Thanks Chuck, I may try that soon.
I got a new-ish guitar last year, Epi Sheraton II ... it has weird strings on it. I don't know what they are. They're round, and if I pinch one and spin it between my fingers it will twist like a piece of thread. I've never felt anything like them.
love those guitars,ive got two guitars on the same lines but not a sheraton.
both mine have the F holes,one is a vox the other a harmony.
jazzy,nice feel,how do you like yours?
those arent bad,there usualy around 500-700 bucks. I love it. Plays like a dream. I actual prefer playing it over my jap-strat. New it's $700 plus another $125 for the case. I got this one used for $400 w/ Epiphone case. It's like brand new. Like I said, the strings on it are really weird, but it sounds fine.  I'm so worried about wearing the gold finish off that I've learned to play it with my finger locked tight against the pick plate so my hand stays off the strings and hardware. I had been looking for one for years, and I just walked in to a GC I had never been in to before in KC ... and there it was. I've never even considered flatwounds until I got a bass. I never realize how bad that click/clack sound comes through on recordings. Gave me a whole new respect for bass players ... it doesn't seem to be as easy to get a good sound on them as it is with guitar.
"I pulled the head off Elvis, filled Fred up to his pelvis, yaba daba do, the King is gone, and so are you."
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Moshkiae
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/03 11:30:52
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mike_mccue
I have flat wounds on everything but the acoustics.
I've always wondered, if the main reason why I never got better on the bass, was because I could not get the right sound, and never really understood the strings, or learned how to recognize them. I do have Rotos on mine, but that's mostly because of Waters, Entwistle, Jones, than anything else ... but I never really devoted enough time to it ... and thought it was a hassle to learn all that when a synth can do it better, with a lot less trouble!
As a wise Guy once stated from his holy chapala ... none of the hits, none of the time ... prevents you from becoming just another turkey in the middle of all the other turkeys!
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Moshkiae
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/03 11:31:55
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soens
"Bum, bum, bum, Aaaall my basses have round laces..."
...sorry.
And pink ribbons, too? Or G strings?
As a wise Guy once stated from his holy chapala ... none of the hits, none of the time ... prevents you from becoming just another turkey in the middle of all the other turkeys!
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drewfx1
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/03 13:40:00
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Moshkiae
I do have Rotos on mine, but that's mostly because of Waters, Entwistle, Jones, than anything else
Don't automatically assume "Rotosound" means "roundwounds". Though Entwistle and many others made the roundwounds famous, Roger Waters has always used Rotosound Monel Flatwounds, as did JPJ until some point in the mid 70's.
In order, then, to discover the limit of deepest tones, it is necessary not only to produce very violent agitations in the air but to give these the form of simple pendular vibrations. - Hermann von Helmholtz, predicting the role of the electric bassist in 1877.
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michaelhanson
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Re:Flatwounds - I'm sorry but
2013/03/03 16:18:09
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Hey Bub, My ES-335 Dot is the same color. Love mine as well. I find myself playing it more that my Gibson Les Paul Studio. I put a Classic 57 Plus in the bridge. This pick up actually ended up sound just a bit bright, so I roll off a little volume and tone and then it is just right. I ended up leaving the Epi neck pick up in it because I actually prefered the tone I was getting out of the Epi pick up. I don't remember having it come with the strings you are describing, but I have had it for about a year and have gone through numerous string changes by now. If you are a Ernie Ball fan, try out the new Cobalt's, they sound fantastic on this instrument; very lively.  McQ: I have not tried the Ric strings on my 4003, but may have to give them a try as well. I don't change strings to often on the bass, not as much as I probably should.
post edited by MakeShift - 2013/03/03 16:21:10
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