Roundwound or Flatwound?

[Bass_Medic_05]

Re: Roundwound or Flatwound?

I'm using flat wounds, because I like the warm tones I get for the music I am playing, and I like how my fingers glide up and down the neck with ease. But it depends what style of music you are playing and what you like, for me right now its flat wounds

 

[BlueTalon]

Re: Roundwound or Flatwound?

Rounds, cuz I cant afford dropping more cash on a stringchange than i spend on the average pickup swap (used CL scores)... Have no words of praise for Ernie Ball rounds, but at $17 -5 (string club GC) = $12, not a whole lotta other tolerable options available

Check out http://www.bassstringsonline.com. Some good deals there, check the D'Addario prices. I prefer D'Addario over Ernie Ball any day.

 

[BlueTalon]

Re: Roundwound or Flatwound?

To answer the OP...

The first bass I ever had was an Epiphone semi-hollow body ES-335 look-alike. It was great to learn on, but as I got more experience, I got really frustrated trying to get a good tone out of it. After some time, the strings got worn, and one of the strings started fraying. I picked at it, and it started to completely unravel, or so it seemed.

Turns out they were tape-wound strings, and it was just the tape coming off. Underneath were some virgin roundwounds, and listening to that tone compared to previously felt like ear-plugs were being removed from my ears. I have been playing on rounds ever since*.

I did get annoyed by finger-squeak, and I tried half/groundwounds in an attempt to deal with it, but I really wasn't impressed with them, especially for the price. Eventually I found that the more I played, the less extra noise I made. It's the result of speed and strength and decisiveness that comes from competence, that comes with lots of practice and playing.

The noise is not eliminated, but it is rendered insignificant. Kinda like singers with microphones -- the less experience they have, the more breathing you're going to hear. You'll still hear it sometimes with experienced singers, but it is inconsequential in the music.


*I did get a set of flats for a fretless I am eventually going to build.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Roundwound or Flatwound?

Check out http://www.bassstringsonline.com. Some good deals there, check the D'Addario prices. I prefer D'Addario over Ernie Ball any day.

Wouldnt voluntarily touch D'Adds unless someone paid me to...cheap ernies are kinda bad too, but not so bad as to feel like an idiot paying for them. At 12 bucks, its economy value for money.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Roundwound or Flatwound?

Daddario (and San Dimas High School Football) rules!

 

[BlueTalon]

Re: Roundwound or Flatwound?

I use D'Addario and DR coated strings almost exclusively. In the last couple years, I tried Ernie Ball Cobalts and GHS Boomers, and couldn't stand either one.

 

[Kais]

Re: Roundwound or Flatwound?

flatwounds! I've been searching for that deep thump from my bass, Squier Bronco Bass, but with the maple neck, roundwounds, and single coil pickup, it was way too trebly and whatnot. First thing was to switch pickups to the spb-3 pickups, then installed a set of chromes. Wow! What a difference, say what you will about squier, but this bass sounds like a champ to me

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: Roundwound or Flatwound?

I like flats mostly, but like everything in music, its all about context.

Yep. Usually the musical context for me playing bass is blues or folk, so the flats fill things out nicely for me. I certainly can understand that they may lack in other musical situations.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Roundwound or Flatwound?

flatwounds! I've been searching for that deep thump from my bass, Squier Bronco Bass, but with the maple neck, roundwounds, and single coil pickup, it was way too trebly and whatnot. First thing was to switch pickups to the spb-3 pickups, then installed a set of chromes. Wow! What a difference, say what you will about squier, but this bass sounds like a champ to me

Those things are great, even stock. They really don't need anything replaced except the strings and the tuners IMO. What every short scale bass needs first thing, though, is a set of 110 strings (or heavier, if you can find them). Not that there's anything wrong with a pickup swap. I just don't think the stock pickups contributed to the trebly tone. Mine was plenty bassy.

 

[Kais]

Re: Roundwound or Flatwound?

Those things are great, even stock. They really don't need anything replaced except the strings and the tuners IMO. What every short scale bass needs first thing, though, is a set of 110 strings (or heavier, if you can find them). Not that there's anything wrong with a pickup swap. I just don't think the stock pickups contributed to the trebly tone. Mine was plenty bassy.

It's actually a really good deal for a bass. Yeah I put 105 flatwounds, made a big difference. IMO the stock pickup sucks, it's actually the same pu they slap on squier strats. The spb-3 was probably the best upgrade. The tuners aren't too bad, keep decent tune. I want to change the nut asap