Anyone play Flats exclusively in a hard rock, yet "versatile" setting?

[Deathshead]

hey guys, I have been playing bass for about 15 years now, for most of that time I played fenders with rotosound stainless rounds..changing them once a month.

After a small hiatus in playing, I tried a set of Rotosound steve harris flats, great, but WAY too high in tension,

Went down to 45-105s and they are perfect for me.  plus they last!, had a set on a P-bass for over a year and still sound great and are still very brite. 


So after 2 years of running only these roto flats, to me playing a bass with roundwounds now just feels and sounds tinny, brassy, and just cheap.


Anyone running strictly flats? I play a wide spectrum of music, from classic/punk rock, 80s, to jamiroqui style funk, and they are alot more versatile then many make them out to be.

all in all Flats make your bass sound like a bass! with that nice strong fundamental,
and what else sounds better with a pick and a svt with the gain cranked 3/4 up?

[Deathshead]

ha, after doing a little googling it seems that there are like 1000 threads just like mine,

[uwe]

I probably enjoy playing flats more, but the "angry piano sound"-kid in me still rears its roundwound head sometimes. They both have a place.

[bassvirtuoso]

Throughout High School and a few years of college, the hardcore rock/cover bands that I was in was all played on Fender Tapewounds (yes Dave, I know these aren't technically flats, but rounds wrapped in tape)/Chromes. I never had a problem with them at all, and loved the tone I was getting. I only changed off the flats because my college band started covering RHCP and I had a personal problem playing slap tunes on  flats, it didn't feel right to me.

[patman]

I keep 1 Dano w/ flats and 1 w/ rounds (I need flexible rounds for some styles of music)...

Use flats on the EUB, also...I just put a new set of Fender Medium light flats on the EUB, after getting frustrated w/ tapewounds...they feel like bridge cables, but with high action, they reproduce the slap sound better than anything I've found.  They just kind of hit the fingerboard and go thunk.

[rahock]

all in all Flats make your bass sound like a bass!

That is the best description I've heard yet!
For several decades I played nothing but rounds or half rounds. I hated flats and I hated tape wounds even more. I could never picture myself seeing things any different, but something happened about five years ago and I did a 180 degree flip
I think you just said it better than I ever have, "Flats make your bass sound like a bass". That being said, I still appreciate a nice boinky , zingy round wound sound, but that is something I don't really do anymore , so I have become a flats and tapes guy

I play blues , jazz and good ole' straight ahead rock and roll. I have a  Fender 51 P RI and a 70 P , both with D'Addario Crome Flats, Tacoma/Olympia electric / acoustic with La'Bella Tapes, and a strictly acoustic Earthwood with Ernie Ball Bronze Rounds (because it's an Acoustic).
I am very happy with the way everything is working and I can't imagine my tastes in string choice changing. However, I never could forsee myself changing from rounds to flats five years ago either

Rick

[Dave W]

To each his own. But the idea that flats generally have a stronger fundamental is just not true. Having fewer highs doesn't mean you have more lows.

[patman]

I do think you can get a stronger "percussion" or "thud" from flats

[Deathshead]

Throughout High School and a few years of college, the hardcore rock/cover bands that I was in was all played on Fender Tapewounds (yes Dave, I know these aren't technically flats, but rounds wrapped in tape)/Chromes. I never had a problem with them at all, and loved the tone I was getting. I only changed off the flats because my college band started covering RHCP and I had a personal problem playing slap tunes on  flats, it didn't feel right to me.

that sounds right, listen to to the look sharp album, its all tapewounds on a ibanez blazer P/J, awsome tone.

[ramone57]

To each his own. But the idea that flats generally have a stronger fundamental is just not true. Having fewer highs doesn't mean you have more lows.

it's addition by subtraction! 

[Aussie Mark]

Anyone running strictly flats?

Me.  The four bands I play in are a Rolling Stones tribute band, a blues/rock/soul power trio, a Grease & Saturday Night Fever tribute show, and a covers dance band that plays everything from Motown, 70s and 80s disco, through to Anastacia, Ricky Martin and Kylie Minogue.

[Hornisse]

Steve Harris has pretty good tones with them in Iron Maiden.

[Muzikman7]

All I use is flats have for a long time.

[Highlander]

Can't get on with them, but that's just me...

[Hornisse]

I actually have them on my Alembic Series 1.  It came with rounds but I slapped a set of 15 year old Dean Markley Flats on it.  I had them on a Musicman Stingray bass back in the mid 1990's but took them off before selling it.  They sound great on the Alembic.  I wiped them off with some Isopropyl alcohol before putting them on the bass.  The original Series basses came with Pyramid Flats from the factory.  May try those eventually.