When I started playing bass in 1965, flatwound strings -- heavy ones, at that -- were the only choice. Roundwounds became available sometime in the late '60s, but they didn't become really popular until Chris Squire and his Rotosound-strung Rickenbacker bass made a big breakthrough in the early '70s. I switched to Rotosounds in 1972 and stayed with them for almost 25 years before trying some other brands of rounds. However, over the last three years I've switched back to using flatwounds most of the time (although I keep rounds on one bass). I find the current crop of flatwounds -- Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats and D'Addario Chromes are two popular brands -- have plenty of presence and don't "sound dead," which has always been the knock against flats. And flats aren't just for jazz: Nate Query of the Decemerists, for example, runs Lakland Joe Osborn Flats on his Lakland USA JO bass. So I'm wondering -- how many of you play flats these days? What bass do you load them on, and what styles of music do you play? What do you like about flats vs. rounds, and vice versa?

I consider flatwounds to be normal, and
roundwounds to be special purpose. Maybe
I'm stuck in the late 60's ? But, I was
not yet playing back then !

Sometimes I like to hear RW on a FL bass.
I also consider FL normal and fretted to
be special purpose !

I don't have any bass heros to emulate,
and the litany of 'hero' names has very
little [or zero] resonance with me. I'm
just doing what I do. Most of what I do
is in a duo with 'Ms Diva' on KB, so I
also don't get involved in the need to
"cut thru the mix". The only times I'm
playing with loud drums and geetars is
when I'm just sitting in or jamming out
but I've still not found myself buried
in the mix. Or maybe I am "buried", by
the standards of so many players whose
need to stand out leads them to always
feel they are "lost in the mix".

Since I play to support the music, I've
never had a problem with FL and flats.
I'm not playing FL to be Jaco or to be
different. I'm a klutz, and I make too
much "mechanical" noise playing RWs on
a fretted bass ! Of course if I played
with loud drums and geetars, I wouldn't
have an audible noise problem anyway !

Well, I haven't tried roundwounds on my upright yet...but when it comes to electric I'm a roundwound kind of guy.

I think it comes from feeling that an electric bass shouldn't sound too much like an upright. I'm not looking to be Jaco (although it'd be nice to have his chops, for sure!) but they feel like two different departments. I want my electric to sound and feel electric on the track. I just don't feel like I'm getting that sound out of flats just yet, but I keep coming back to them from time to time to try them out again, partly because I hear guys like Nate Query or Juan Alderete get such a nice full sound out of them, and they aren't even using half rounds. True flats!

I also get the feeling that I've still got a lot to learn here, particularly about finesse. I'm only 21 and just starting to feel like I'm getting a hold of the bass.

Shack, I don't know anyone using roundwounds on upright, but I don't know everyone You'll gete very vehement arguments against using rounds on a fretless, but Jaco did, and I'm pretty sure Tony Levin does as well. If you want to start an argument among bassists, there are three sure ways:
Say flats are better than rounds
Say fingers are better than a pick
Say tubes are better than solid state

Haha! I've only been through two of those arguments thus far. Do I get a prize once I survive the third?

On a side note, there was a really cool piece I had the pleasure to play by David Erb that required me to use a pick on my upright with it amplified. It's worth a try, just to see what it sounds like, and pinch harmonics can really sing on those long strings!

A pick on upright. Cool. I'll have to try that on my EUB. Next step -- bass solo played with drumsticks by the drummer. I had drumstick tip dents in my old Fender when that was still fashionable. Works bewtter on upright. I'm still amazed that Tony Levin can play with those "Funk Fingers" he invented.

Thanx. Now I have a name to blame !

While I do play RWs now and then, I
think of them as special purpose or a
novelty effect item. Bass strings are
spozed to be smooth. It's really just
obvious. Smooth string, smooth tone.
Rat tail string, rat tail tone [just as a
novelty ... only every now and then].

One novelty use I really dig is RWs
for FL. Then I don't get rat tail tone.
It's the mix of metal frets with RW
strings that hits me as ratty. I must
point out that I have no snare drum
or geetard noise to mask that raspy
metal on metal effect. In a typical
club/bar band I never hear the stuff
that bugs me about RWs with frets,
and then I might get into the bassy
tone of RWs ... minus the ratty stuff.

Well, I play flats (LaBellas and Chromes), with a pick, through solid state amp. Tell me about violent arguments

Keep carrying the fire, brother!

Someone has actually done that exact thing, sort of.

Les Claypool plays what is basically an electric washtub bass with a drum stick, he calls this contraption a whamola.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whamola

I prefer rounds on fretted and flat or half-rounds on fretless.

I currently have D'addario Half-rounds and my 6 string fretless, I play mostly heavier rock music so I find the half rounds are a bit brighter and more appropriate for the style then flat rounds. But round-wounds eat up the fretboard, uck!

`

You can find loads of comment that it
will be many many years before RW's
would chew up your FB enuf to impair
it's function. Well, I'm "standing here"
to tell you that I bought a 5 yr old FL5
with a pau ferro FB that needed rather
significant planing to refurbish it to a
playable condition. Ruts were deeep !

Was it played by an 800 lb gorilla ? I
didn't get it directly from its previous
player, so that's a wild card. But, it is
clearly NOT gospel truth when the RW
fans get preachy. Pau ferro is equally
hard as ebony, even tho it lacks that
"dry" sound that only ebony offers.


`

`
Innerressin link. Looking at the Whamola, I'm
feeling that there needs to also be something
like a Bass WhamoBanjo. A banjo head, IMHO,
would assure a truly washtubby voice.

I'm gonna try a stick on my EUB. I just got a
set of Salsa Sticks. They have no tapered end.
IOW both ends are the same [two thick ends].

`

ctargia, I know all to well what you're talking about. I've played it! He had it with him when I was working the All Good festival in WV, and he plays there every year. It's one heck of an interesting contraption, but it's not as hard to play as it might look. Just don't expect to be making any kind of melodic noises on it right away.

Also, if you should ever meet him and hear him yell "POTATO!" at you, that means you're supposed to hold out your fist. He doesn't do handshakes.

Did I mention that he's a bit weird?

I don't want to know what you should hold out if he yells "banana!"

If he's angry enough to yell banana, you deserve what you get. =P