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Flatwounds

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(@taylorr)
Prominent Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 736
Topic starter  

What advantages/disadvantages are there?  How do they do it!?!  Do they take the round wounds and meticulously square off the edges?  What are they exactly?  Will there be any answers?  Tune in next time on "Flatwounds- the Guitar Noise Thread".

aka Izabella


   
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(@anonymous)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8184
 

Here you go Izzy - this should help you out....

Opps I thought you said flatworms - sorry


   
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(@anonymous)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8184
 

What advantages/disadvantages are there?  How do they do it!?!  Do they take the round wounds and meticulously square off the edges?  What are they exactly?  Will there be any answers?  Tune in next time on "Flatwounds- the Guitar Noise Thread".

DUDE, what are you talking about? are you ok today? your not medicated by chance are you?


   
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(@danlasley)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 2118
 

Flatwound bass strings actually have a flat metal strap wrapped around the core instead of smaller guage wires.  This makes them inherently dull, um, er, less bright.  They are also easier on the fingers.  A lot of early bass players used flats on their P-bass, which is redundant beyond undertanding, but it worked for them.

If you want that sound, just turn down your tone control.

Ground-wounds actually grind the ridges off a round-wound string, keeping most of the brightness, while being easier on the fingers.

Read "Tone Loco" in the Bass Lessons section for more details.

-Laz


   
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(@taylorr)
Prominent Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 736
Topic starter  

That is crazy!  CRAZY!  

Hmm, interesting.  Ive heard of them I just had no idea what they were.  Thanks Laz.  Good info to know.

aka Izabella


   
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(@paul-donnelly)
Noble Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 1066
 

I'd say flat wounds are harder on the fingers since they are so much stiffer.  I ought to know, since I play on them daily.  It's a little like a rolled off tone knob, but completely different once you play a lot with both.  Rolled off tone is more rounded, flat wounds have a little more thump to them.  I'm stuck with them since my bass is fretless, but I like them.


   
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(@danlasley)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 2118
 

 I'm stuck with them since my bass is fretless, but I like them.

I have not found this to be true - you can use rounds or grounds on a fretless unless it has a really soft fretboard.  If it's ebony or maple, you're fine.

-Laz


   
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(@gnease)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

Opinions/info on tapewounds?

-=tension & release=-


   
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(@paul-donnelly)
Noble Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 1066
 

The rounds were buzzing (a lot) on my bass, and switching to flat wounds fixed that.  My instrument may just be weird.


   
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(@davidhodge)
Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 4472
 

My bass currently has "nylon tape flatwounds" (gnease and Laz, you both heard it Friday at The Studio) and I like the sound a lot.  It has a very jazzy acoustic tone to it. I know that you engineers out there will be able to describe it more accurately, but there you go...

Peace


   
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(@gnease)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

My bass currently has "nylon tape flatwounds" (gnease and Laz, you both heard it Friday at The Studio) and I like the sound a lot.  

You are assuming a) you played with sufficient volume and b) Laz and I actually have some hearing left.

Seriously, I think the tapewounds sound and work well on your Dano bass, but I'm curious as to what others think about tapewounds for various types of basses, genres and playing styles. I have been considering these for my fretted five-string, but think I may lose a lot of tonal flexibility, plus the ability to effectively slap and pop (you tried this?). OTOH, one of the things I cannot get on my current bass is that nice fretless acoustic mwah attack-- something that probably requires a fretless and would be enhanced by tapes.

IIRC, Laz has black flatwounds on his fretless -- nylon tapes?

-=tension & release=-


   
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(@danlasley)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 2118
 

one of the things I cannot get on my current bass is that nice fretless acoustic mwah attack-- something that probably requires a fretless and would be enhanced by tapes.

Laz has black flatwounds on his fretless -- nylon tapes?

Mwah (a technical term) comes from being fretless.  Having a soft anchor point (your fingertip) messes with the harmonic balance as it takes longer for the string resonances to form.  This works with any strings, and might be better with rounds which are brighter, or might not...

Fender makes both tape-wound and silk-wound.  I have the latter, which are standard roundwounds with thread wrapping them.  They are brighter than the tape-wounds, some of which also have thread over the nylon tape.  Note that these are much fatter and require the intonation to be shifted a lot (1/2-inch!) from standard round-wounds.  However, they look really good over my ebony fretboard...

Read "Tone Loco" for more info.

-Laz


   
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(@petrix)
Estimable Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 118
 

When I bought my bass, it had one flatwound on the bottom E, and I can't afford to replace it. It sounds so horrible, and dull in comparison to the others, which sound so bright and lovely.

"I had these dreams that I would learn to play guitar, maybe cross the country, become a rock star"


   
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(@taylorr)
Prominent Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 736
Topic starter  

I can send an old E of mine if you want.  And if i still have it.  I think its somewhere around here.

aka Izabella


   
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