McCartney w/o flats? Sacrilege?

[KenOnBass]

I just can't get myself to put flats on my V63. I turn the tone control all the way down and palm mute to the max. Is that close enough for all you McC purists? I get a nice muffled tone with subdued bite. I don't want to put flats on it, 'cause I know then I'll be jonesing for a Ric with rounds. A bit of context...I'm aiming for a Abbey Road play-a-long tone for a project that I'm working on. But, I still want to rock to a Squire-ish tone w/o having to change basses. Can anyone really tell when it's recorded. What would Paul do?

[pflash4001]

I understand the respect for McC, but he's not the one playing on the project. I think a more important question for you would be what would YOU do.

[kiramdear]

Try working with the tone and volume controls on the instrument and amp, there's a lot you can find there to disguise that roundwound sound, a good EQ would help. If you have a studio there's another level of control.

I think Paul would make the most creative use of whatever was at hand and leave the rest to his engineers, truthfully. He probably hasn't thought about strings in decades.

[MaplegloMatt]

I too love Paul's tone (and flats) but when my 4001 was my only stage bass in a cover band, I used GHS Brite Flats or D'Adario Half Rounds for a compromise. But it's just that....a compromise and may not give you enough round wound sound when you want it.

Also, if you listen to later Wings stuff, circa '79-'80, Paul was using a Yamaha BB1200 that I'm pretty sure was strung with rounds and the tone is pure McCartney, not a typical round wound sound. It just proves that it's a lot more than the stings that give him his fantastic tone.

[SamBailler]

By the time you switch to neck pickup only, roll off all of the top and then jam a cloth or some other soft material under the strings at the bridge (not the bridge mute - too rubbery) it won't matter what kind of strings are on the bass.

[ricmic]

Ken, Macca is the reason I picked up a bass for the first time in 1969. I still marvel at his tone and style. I, like you, prefer rounds. i have always strung my basses with rounds, and will continue to do so. Bro, play it the way you feel it. Rounds or flats, doesn't matter. Play it the way you feel it. It'll be great, trust me. Mark

[teeder]

This is simple and I can't believe no one else has suggested it.
You need two basses!

[ricmic]

Kevin, I think you're on to something there. Mark

[rikk]

You have to go for what works for YOU and not worry about so-and-so uses this or that. All things may not be equal in the equation here. There are many ways to "get a sound." Speaking of flats on a V63...I just picked up one with flats on it. I gave it the ol' college try but I put rounds on it with in 3 days. Just could not live without the clank.

[shamustwin]

I think the palm muting will go a long way!

[KenOnBass]

I think you're right. Besides the challenge of making rounds sound different is bound to improve my technique!

[scott_s]

Just imagine you stole them out of a piano, like McCartney claimed to do in the early days.

- Scott

[rickfan63]

When I had my V63, I used Rotosound 77 and D'Addario Chromes flats on it with a SansAmp Bass Driver through a Hartke 400 wt head and a 1x15 cab and a pick. The sound was a good reproduction of the bass tone on "The End" on Abbey Road. Nice subtle overdrive growl with out being over bearing, plus a nice top end without the brittleness. Got lots and lots of compliments on the tone. It's just not the same using RW's though. Neither one has the character of the other IMHO.

Use what works for you and go with it.

[T.A.R.]

I'm for the RAS syndrome

[gearhed289]

I agree that you'll be fine with the right settings and palm muting. BUT - I have to say, there's something about flats that you can't totally reproduce with anything but... flats! Just last night I tracked a new song of mine with my one flatwound equipped bass - a '73 Guild JSII. I seriously considered putting flats on my CS, cause I really wanted to use a Ric on the track, but the Guild has its own mojo that I dig, so I spared myself the trouble. BTW - I am LOVING Guitar Rig 4 for recording bass, and I'm a hard core, miked tube amp purist.