School me some more:

[chet]

What's the deal with flatwound strings? Why do some of you use them?

[bobthecanadian]

smoother sound

less noise

because that's the way Wes did it.

[chet]

Wes played bass?

[4mal]

Originally Posted by chet

What's the deal with flatwound strings? Why do some of you use them?

In relation to Round wounds, Flat wounds tend to
1. emphasize the fundamental
2. ring less
3. sustain less

That all conspires to get an electric more in the realm of the upright bass. It's not real close of course, but closer than with rounds. In conjunction with a bolt on design like the P or J, you get a big percussive attack followed by a rather short decay making that P or J with flats near ideal for a root - V or walking bass kinda player.

For my roots rock gig - a Fender with flats just does it. When we break out the Surf music, I switch to rounds as the extra sustain and ring and harmonic's work to my advantage there.

Other's can chime in about how there is less fret wear with flats or they feel better on your fingers - to me that is all secondary. It's about the tone and the attack.

There are also ground wounds which tend to fall in the middle somewhere. The D'Addario Half Round, is a string I used for many years. Big body and big attack like the flat but a bit of zing and ring on top as well. I stopped using them a few years back. It seems like D'Addario changed the formulation of the steel to something that doesn't agree with my sweat making the strings unconfortable for me now.

Another is the GHs Brite flat which as I now understand is a round wound, ground entirely flat - coulda fooled me - it feels just like a flat when I'm playing it. I'm not sure I see where the brite part comes in. These came to me on a bass so i have no idea how old they are. I do like them though.

[Big Tony]

Originally Posted by 4mal

...there is less fret wear with rounds or they feel better on your fingers...

You mean flats, right?

/ Tony

[4mal]

Originally Posted by Big Tony

You mean flats, right?

/ Tony

yup. Thanks for pointing that out ...

[telejake]

GHS Bright Flats are a good compromise. I use them on fretless basses. They still have a bright sound and have very little fretware.

[Tim Armstrong]

Another cool thing about flats is that, when you pluck them with a pick, you get that classic 60s thing happening....

Cheers, Tim

[Booman]

Can't add much to what 4 and Tim said. A fresh set of rounds on my P produces the "piano" tone I like for rock and fusion. Flats on my J type mellow the single coils just enough for blues/roots/alt country. I too worry less about fret wear and more about tone and feel. Though roto's can chew like a beaver..

[JohnnyCrash]

Like said before... generally speaking, flatwounds have a smoother, jazzy, almost upright sound. Flatwounds on a fretless is as close as you'll get to an acoustic upright on an electric.

I prefer roundwounds. They've got that "clang" and "kerang" when you dig in with a pick. You can also always dial back some attack/aggressiveness with the Tone knob or amp or play without a pick.

I mostly play hard rock though.

[maxvintage]

Originally Posted by JohnnyCrash

Like said before... generally speaking, flatwounds have a smoother, jazzy, almost upright sound. Flatwounds on a fretless is as close as you'll get to an acoustic upright on an electric.

I prefer roundwounds. They've got that "clang" and "kerang" when you dig in with a pick. You can also always dial back some attack/aggressiveness with the Tone knob or amp or play without a pick.

I mostly play hard rock though.

Flatwounds have a percussive "thump" to them that's really cool. before about 1975, flats were almost all you heard. Classic Motown? Flats. Anything recorded at Stax? flats. Most disco tunes in the 70s were flats. Personally I dislike the zingy sound of rounds and use either flats or polished nickel rounds that I let go dead. My goal is to have my bass sound as little like a guitar as possible

[0le FUZZY]

...I like the thump rather than the ring !

...I alwayz use flat or semi-flat strings on bass.

[Tim Armstrong]

Originally Posted by 0le FUZZY

...I like the thump rather than the ring !

...I alwayz use flat or semi-flat strings on bass.

Me too!

Cheers, Tim

[chet]

What do you think McCartney used with the Beatles?

[slauson slim]

Supposedly Pyramid Gold nickel flats on the Hofner.

I use Golds on my '62 precision. Softer feel, great tone - expensive at $70 a set, but they last forever.

[giginthesky]

flatwounds have a more upright sound. i use them on my fretless basses so they don't chew up the fretboard as much. roundwounds can really tear up a fingerboard. also, i used to use them maxima golds. they were the ****. they lasted forever.

[martini]

Originally Posted by chet

What do you think McCartney used with the Beatles?

This is from a McCartney interview from the late Nineties:
" I'm the least technically minded person you could meet. A guy came up to me in Mannys music store in New York and asked; "Hey Paul, what strings did you use with the Beatles?".....long shiny ones, I replied. I was'nt being funny, I genuinly did'nt know."

[beep.click]

You get more girls, with flatwounds.

Just kidding... bass players never get the girls.

[bobthecanadian]

Originally Posted by chet

Wes played bass?

DOH!!! I was hoping that one would slip by. I shouldn't read so late at night and try to post witty comments.

However, imagine if he did? That would have been fun.

Bob