Favorite flats?

[alex1fly]

Really gross, worse on bass than guitar. All the extra surface tension makes them stick to my fingers really bad.

Some bass flats are stickier than others, and its different for everybody. A flat set that isn't sticky, however, feels absolutely amazing. So smooth and silky.

[Benjy_26]

Really gross, worse on bass than guitar. All the extra surface tension makes them stick to my fingers really bad.

Weird. Must be a difference in skin chemistry or something. Once broken in, flats are slick as hell for me. Bass or guitar.

[Blille]

Chromes are different IME. When I was gigging pre-covid I put in some good time with Chromes, La Bella Deep Talkin, GHS, and TIs. The Chromes were the highest tension, the stickiest, the least enjoyable to play, and had the least amount of thump. The other three were far superior for a smooth feel and old school thump.

That’s great to know, thanks. I was thinking of trying GHS.

[Benjy_26]

Question:

Does anyone make round core flats for guitar?

I really dig the feel of DR Pure Blues, and I think a lot of it can be attributed to the core wire.

[alex1fly]

That’s great to know, thanks. I was thinking of trying GHS.

No problem. Bass strings are pricey, but the smooth feel is so worth it. It just adds this element of tactile pleasure to the playing experience. Highly recommend. And the long life claim holds true for me - my prized set of La Bellas has lasted me 4 years so far and has been on/off a couple different basses 6 separate times with no issues or degradation of tone. Pretty incredible. To accelerate the break-in process you can add sweat, lotion, chapstick, really anything goopy/oily and let them sit for a couple days and then clean them off. This really does make a difference in cooling down the zing in exchange for smooth thump. But time is important too - they need several weeks, if not longer, at tension and getting played before the vibes (technical term) all align properly. It's a long-term investment for sure, but worthwhile and I'll never not have a bass with flats. Also, the palm mute + thumb pluck is just immense.

GHS was a good set for me. Classic sound and feel. La Bella is a little rounder/more 3D and deader (in a good way), they're a leader for a reason. TIs are similar to La Bellas but with a touch more high end zing and a touch less mids which helps it cut for slap/pop techniques and lower tension. This is primarily my experience with the Fender P Bass through various amps and PAs, though I dabbled with them on a Jazz Bass as well but not as much. Currently I have the TIs on the P Bass with a La Bella D string, as the TI D string unraveled when I was putting the set back on there this last time. Very similar sound except for the differences noted above. I can't tell the difference during recordings or jams, though.

/endrant