Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have a set of LaBella 760 FL's that are settling in nicely and use the bass for my band which does lots of 70's and 80's acoustic tunes like America, Little River Band, Clapton ect and the Ric with flats sounds great with an acoustic guitar and drums. Just wondering what anyone else is using a Ric with flats for?

As an example, these are the songs I played this past Sunday afternoon at a street festival, using only my 4004L with TI Jazz Flats on it.

CINNAMON GIRL
GOOD TIMES ROLL
I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR
HOLD YOUR HEAD UP (SINGLE)
NO MATTER WHAT
WICKED GAME
ORDINARY WORLD
NO TIME
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU
REVOLUTION
WITCHY WOMAN
HEY JEALOUSY
LET ME ROLL IT
BAND ON THE RUN
WE LET HER DOWN
THE BREAKUP SONG
LONG COOL WOMAN (IN A BLACK DRESS)
DAY TRIPPER
SUFFRAGETTE CITY
JUST WHAT I NEEDED
FOLLOW YOU DOWN
SULTANS OF SWING
KICKS
MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS
SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE
LISTEN TO HER HEART
WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN
A GIRL LIKE YOU
BEDS ARE BURNING
WHITE RABBIT
SOMEBODY TO LOVE
IT'S MY LIFE
BEHIND BLUE EYES
I MELT WITH YOU
HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF
GET BACK
THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
MYSTERIOUS WAYS
AMERICAN GIRL
TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS
ROUND HERE
WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN
CHASING CARS
UPRISING

I had been using D'Addario Chromes on a 4004Cii in a blues band. I've also had flats (also Chromes) on my '75 4001FL, which gets used in several situations, like the blues band I was in, a cover band I'm in doing songs like "Message In A Bottle" by the Police and a few songs by Pearl Jam.
Now I'm contemplating a set of flats to install on my '73 4001, maybe even my V63 for Full Moon Fever, my Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute band.

90's-00's synthy dance pop (La Bouche, etc)

I use flatwounds for almost anything if I can because I love the feel and the "shape" of the tone in the mid-frequency range compared to rounds. Truth is, I rarely miss rounds in a full mix. I think Jeff has illustrated that perfectly well. There are only a few occasions when I really think rounds are necessary. But there are definitely some things only rounds can do. I think the opposite is also true... you can't just roll off your tone knob and say it sounds like flats. That ain't right.

I go for the Fender 9050CL set or, more recently, the LaBella 760FX set. These are the most balanced sets of flats out there and I love their respective sounds.

jps wrote:As an example, these are the songs I played this past Sunday afternoon at a street festival, using only my 4004L with TI Jazz Flats on it.

CINNAMON GIRL
GOOD TIMES ROLL
I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR
HOLD YOUR HEAD UP (SINGLE)
NO MATTER WHAT
WICKED GAME
ORDINARY WORLD
NO TIME
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU
REVOLUTION
WITCHY WOMAN
HEY JEALOUSY
LET ME ROLL IT
BAND ON THE RUN
WE LET HER DOWN
THE BREAKUP SONG
LONG COOL WOMAN (IN A BLACK DRESS)
DAY TRIPPER
SUFFRAGETTE CITY
JUST WHAT I NEEDED
FOLLOW YOU DOWN
SULTANS OF SWING
KICKS
MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS
SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE
LISTEN TO HER HEART
WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN
A GIRL LIKE YOU
BEDS ARE BURNING
WHITE RABBIT
SOMEBODY TO LOVE
IT'S MY LIFE
BEHIND BLUE EYES
I MELT WITH YOU
HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF
GET BACK
THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
MYSTERIOUS WAYS
AMERICAN GIRL
TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS
ROUND HERE
WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN
CHASING CARS
UPRISING

Great and I mean GREAT song list man. Very cool!

Thanks!

I use flats exclusively. Never use rounds any more. TI's and extra light Chromes are my favorites.

I've migrated to using mainly flats over the last 18 months or so. Joining a band that concentrates on '40s/'50s swing was a major factor - rounds just didn't get the thump I was after. The initial switch proved to be an eye-opener - I was surprised at how versatile flats can be. Thus far I'm on the same set of TIs.

I use chromes on almost all my basses and never seen why flats limit what styles you play from folk to grindcore.

I am in 2 different originals bands here. I have found that for my pop punk pyschedelia band,the Caucasians in Crisis,flats do not really get the grind,bite or edge that best suits the band's sound. OOTH, my other group,Snapshot,is led by an acoustic guitar playing singer,with multiple vocal hamonies,drums,and keyboards,(music is probably best described as '70's style pop/rock),and i really love the feel and sound of using my flats-equipped Ric,or the tapewound fretless on the Yamaha for that. Overall,i probably prefer the sound of Rw strings,and feel like i can get a very smooth sound out of them if needed,especially on the laredo's 4002-placed bridge pickup with the tone rolled off.

I played progrock for years so the only type of strings for me were rounds although I did have flats on my little used Ovation Magnum fretless.
About a year ago I started playing in a classic rock band and decided to string my precision with flats.
Loved the big thump so much that I switched over one of my 4001s to flats...
Then I put flats on my 4004cii....

I still have rounds on my Stingray 5 and my Dingwall 6, my Jazz and my C64s.
So right now I have 5 basses with flats and 4 with rounds....but the rounds mostly stay in the cases except when I practice.
I find that by practicing with rounds, it toughens up my fingers and builds the callous....so when I do play a gig with rounds I don't blister.

woodyng wrote:I am in 2 different originals bands here. I have found that for my pop punk pyschedelia band,the Caucasians in Crisis,flats do not really get the grind,bite or edge that best suits the band's sound. OOTH, my other group,Snapshot,is led by an acoustic guitar playing singer,with multiple vocal hamonies,drums,and keyboards,(music is probably best described as '70's style pop/rock),and i really love the feel and sound of using my flats-equipped Ric,or the tapewound fretless on the Yamaha for that. Overall,i probably prefer the sound of Rw strings,and feel like i can get a very smooth sound out of them if needed,especially on the laredo's 4002-placed bridge pickup with the tone rolled off.

You like what you like.. I play in a folk/american band, and a alt rock band, and have played in metal bands and I have always used flats, I've never had a problem cutting though but I also hate that crisp clean sound that a lot of bassists like, when I want more "grind,bite or edge" use some form of distortion, to me rounds sound thin and wimpy making me play harder then I have to to get the some power and punch as rounds.. could just be me sure.. but it works for me.

Right now the only bass I have [around 20 basses] that has RWs is on a Ibanez muttenstine set up for slap.. everything else gets flats.

Flats on everything for everything...
TIs and Maxima(NOT Optima) on the basses and TIs or Chromes on the guitoons (6 and 12).
Surbahar gets Pyramids...

Ahh,Aaron,just noticed you said you used Chromes,which to me,sound like rw strings. I know a lot of people really like them,they definitely have more bite than the type of flats i go for. My CIC band played a guest set at a birthday party this weekend using the featured band's equipment,which in my case was a MIM Fender jazz bass equipped with the old school heavy gauge Fender flats,and the bass sound was very .....plonky. It wasn't bad,but it definitely changed the band sound.(we are a power trio) unfortunately,i didn't even have a pick on hand so i was really thwacking it!