Trying to find "That Sound"

green_us90 · Post by **green_us90** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 3:00 pm

Bob Young wrote:
5 years ago you almost had to order flats if you wanted them, they are now in all music stores

Yes, when I bought my Gibson EB-3 about ten years ago (have since sold it) it had flats, first time I ever seen flats (Im a young guy at 30). No store in the greater Boston area had them except for GC in Boston, now it seems they are every where.

green_us90 · Post by **green_us90** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 3:05 pm

I am a firm believer that you can't have enough gear, and if money allows, buy duplicates and configue them differently so you can have the best of both worlds.
I decapped my '75 4001, it has Fender nickel round 7250's. Without the cap it has very good bass response and can still clank, though the output is not near what my 97 4003 is, which has D'Addario Chrome flats. Those stings accentuate that bass' tone shape very well IMO, I.E. not not many mids but tons of lows and highs. In fact I have to EQ some mids in to get some extra thump.

Oh yeah, and having an Ampeg to pair with the Ricks helps a lot too!

http://fenderforum.com/userphotos/index ... ecid=15819

86kubicki · Post by **86kubicki** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:29 pm

Jeff - you've always espoused the opinion that basses are tools. I would suggest to you that flatwound (as well as roundwound) strings are types of tools as well. Each allows you to get a distinct sound depending on your tonal preference. I'm a bassist who plays in a wide variety of musical settings and if I'm looking for a bass sound that's solid and fundemental, I reach for a bass with flatwounds. If the situation calls for a brighter tone or if I'm going to be slapping, I use a bass with roundwounds. This is oversimplifying the situation because you can get a wide variety of tones with both types of strings depending on the bass's electronics and the amp you're using. In fact I was just playing my V63 with Pyramid flats through a heavily effected guitar amp - not your typical flatwound sound at all! I guess ultimately my point is, if flats sound good to you and your audience, how can they be anachronistic? Sure you don't see a lot of flatwound strings in stores

86kubicki · Post by **86kubicki** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:34 pm

(cont) ... but you don't see a lot of Rickenbackers either. I think you'll find a lot of guys on this board who use flats who are not stuck in the 60's. As someone who was heavily influenced by the aggressive roundwound sounds of Geddy Lee and Chris Squier, I still love the sound and feel of flats. When it comes to playing bass, I think you need to have a wide variety of tones to complete your musical palette, and for many players that includes flatwound strings.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:49 pm

there will always be a small amount of basses with flats ... sorta like there will always be a few fretless basses ... and I am really glad you guys like them ... because then I don't have to ... somebody else is doing that ... but this forum is really quite retro ... a lot of old guys playing old music ... I don't mean that as an insult ... it is an observation ... heck I'm 50 myself ... I remember when flats were all there was ... it was the only game in town ... all of the basses and most of the guitars in the music stores had flats ... when I got my first set of round wound strings I thought ... Ya ... this is what a bass should sound like ... I have a set of flat wound strings ... I have had them for 5 years ... I own 10 basses and I can't bring myself to even string one bass that way ... I like a lot of attack on the bass ... when ever I need a flat sound I palm mute ... I get the best of both worlds ... also if you let your round wound strings get old enough they will sound just like flats ...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:51 pm

actually I played in a band recently and when I told them about flat wound strings they didn't believe me that such a thing existed ...

86kubicki · Post by **86kubicki** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:58 pm

Hey Jeff - you've got me thinking about a Bass Pod. Which version do you have?

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:28 pm

I have the first version of the pod ... I love it ... I have to have it ... I can't stand playing without it ... a lot of other bass players who hear me play go out and get a pod or something similar ... the price of these on ebay has really come down ...

If you get one then I can help you set it up and use it ... it can be complicated and overwhelming at first ... but it can be simple when you learn it ...

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:44 pm

One of my first posts on the forum was about Rickenbackers being portrayed as 'retro '60's machines'. I play rock that I do not consider retro & I made the argument that Rics are as valid today as they were in the '60's & that the myriad of contemporary artists using them today suggests that Rickenbackers are actually a very contemporary sound.
I am fortunate enough to work in some world class studios & I have learned that a world class gtr or bass, into a world class amp produces a world class sound....nothing more, nothing less!

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 9:50 pm

Jeff, you can do it, I even have one Ric with RW's on it, in fact I was playing it yesterday, I can even put the cap in the circuit which I never even thought of doing until I read something that Sérgio wrote one day.. or are you afraid you might just like them?
Modern flats on a Ric don't have to sound anything like the flats of 1970 unless you specifically buy that type.

scanman17 · Post by **scanman17** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 3:56 am

im having a little trouble picturing the sound a flatwound string will have. i've played only rounds just because i didn't even know there was an option. im thinking the bass pod will help me with my dilemmas. do you think i should just go for a used original one or go for the xt. does anyone have both to let me know what the differences are and if it's enough to fork out an xtra hundred or so. i play with a very aggressive finger attack, and while i know i'd fix some problems by striking the strings less aggressively, i wouldn't have as much fun that way. and that's what all of this is about anyway right? i guess my main question about flats is will the sound possibly be considered a bit dull to me?
and now for something completely different
i'm lefthanded but play what is considered righthanded. i disagree that this is playing righthanded since my left hand is doing all of the brainwork on the bass. just picture holding a baseball bat, and then picture holding your bass. right hand on bottom always felt more comortable to me. i know this is kind of nonsensicle but i just love to argue with people about that.

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 4:38 am

Im with Jeff, nickle roundwounds are the only strings out there for me.

I've tried flats, but took them off in less than an hour.

86kubicki · Post by **86kubicki** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:26 am

You know who's another old fogie who uses flats? Steve Harris from Iron Maiden.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:31 am

The only way you'll know if you will like flats is to try some for a length of time, it took me a while to get the sound I wanted out of them and to find the kind I liked and they are actually very good for aggressive players (I know because I am one) because you have to wrench the sound of out them. Flats are not inherantly dull sounding, dullness is in the player not in the strings. Is early Entwistle's sound dull? My generation was played with tapewound flatwounds which have virtually no brightness at all. If you want bright try Rotosound flats or GHS. The main difference is less twang and a more even response. A lot of misconceptions still abound because of the old low wattage amps in use when they were the only game in town, they sounded muddy because the amps of the day couldn't handle them, now with the good amps of today and Ric 4003's they are very clear and bright if you want it.

thx1955 · Post by **thx1955** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 9:27 am

I agree with you Bob, I've struggled with fllats of and on for a long time on my Rics and it's only rececntly I've found some GHS flats for my 4003 that I'm at long last comfortable with. No flats for the v63 though, sticking to my Ernie Ball Super Slinkies.