Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

Can anyone help me out I'm getting a 5 string bass and I'm thinking about getting some of the smooth strings "maybee flatwound" I'm not even sure what they're called do the flatwound strings have a different sound than the roundwound strings.

The music I will be playing will be a verry wide range from bluegrass&southern gospil to more contemporary/pop style ...well a little of everything realy

thanks for the reply,...I'll stick to the round

can't wait to get the bass in it's a Ibanez BTB 405 5-String I picked up on ebay I already got a ashdown blue 180-15 wich is fun with the banjo hooked up to but doesen't have much volume I guess it'll work beter with the bass

Hey also, if you want a brighter sound for the pop, go for some Ernie Ball Super Slinkies. Theyre awesome...totally great sound. Good all around strings.

I also tried a "new" tuning new to me anyway...everything is on the bass it came tuned 5b 4e 3a 2d 1g and i rotated it a little to 5e 4a 3d 2g 1b so the 321 is like the 432 on a banjo...that didn't work to well,the sound was wrong and tough to play also so back to the way it goes

I have used flatwounds for 5 years now and love them. However i play traditional country and rock-a-billy for the most part and don't want a really bright sound. The strings really help me get close to a double bass sound. I push about 350 and 800 hz and get pretty close. I can roll my tone knob up and get a brighter sound for the few rock songs we play, but I don't play any slap. I would think flat woundn't do much for you if you try to slap or pop much. Just thought I would chime in. Good luck. Find you a good guitar store that won't gig ya too much on the price and try both. Might be worth it in the long run.

Thanks cletus, I realy haden't seen anyone use the flat wound strings and I appreciate the insight. Before I didn't pay much attention to bass till I went from playing bluegrass/country gospil music to contemp/modern gospil music 4/4 timing and diferent rythems can be done on banjo some sounds pretty cool but some it's like a big square peg and a lil round hole..lol

I've had a few day's on the bass and I'm liking it pretty well accept for the sore fingers wich I was expecting and a Major reason I was curious about the flatwound strings. I've played that thing till my fingers were sore then I resorted to a flatpick and played some more

I am currently using Dean Markley Blue Steel strings. I have used La Bella Hard Rockin Steels, DR, Earnie Ball and others in the past, but they don't seem to hang on as long as these. I use to use Dean Markley Half and Halfs many years ago. These were ground wound strings. A round wound string with a slight flat surface ground on the top side. These always gave me a great sound, but they are no longer available.

I use the standard 5 string tuning and almost never need the upper register that a 6 string would give. But I'm not playing much jazz these days, mostly country and southern/classic rock.

The best thing to do is to play on basses with many types and manufactures of strings. This isn't always easy to do in most music stores, but some know what is on the store models and can give you direction. It took me many packs to get the string that felt good to me, both feel and tone. And I still experiment, just to make sure I am playing what feels the best.

You may want to get a string dressing. These can help keep the strings clean and promote string life. Some can help with your finger tenderness, but the only real cure is to play. And then play some more.
I haven't felt anything with the tips of my fingers in years and sometimes have very little finger prints in some areas.

You might try these http://www.daddariostrings.com/DADProdu ... CLASS=ACCA

They're called half rounds and they're much like the strings described above. You could easily play any style of music with them. I use them on my fender jazz and they havnt failed me yet. They can handle what ever i throw at them. For future reference though, you might try www.talkbass.com there is a wealth of knowledge there with thousands of members and years of experience.

Thanks ?Que es esto? I'll try t5hose1/2 round when I get strings for the bass. Since it looks like I'll be playing a broad range of styles...I'll bet there a lot like the half and half's forest mentioned. I like th de aderio strings verry well for the banjo.

I'll be checking out the talkbass site too...when it comes to the bass I'm like a dry sponge anything I learn will be more than I know..so far I've learned that it's alot tougher on the fingers so I practice fingerpicking till my pickers are sore and continue with a flatpick till my chordin fingers are sore.Andthe amp I got is too big for practicing at home and a small accoustic get together at a friends...once you turn it up 1/4 it's shaking the walls I think I'll get a small amp for home and leave the 75 pounder at church before my neighbors get too tired of it.