Strings....Flats verses Round Wound

[bsee]

A little too judgmental for me.  Players should have what pleases them.  Can't force a blues man to play jazz or reggae artist to do heavy metal.  I do like compromise strings on the Alembic though because you can get most of everything out of them.  Use Chromes or compressed/half round type strings and the tone controls plus the magic in your fingers will get you to all but the farthest reaches of tone in every direction.
 
-bob

[hieronymous]

My point wasn't that EVERYONE should have both - instead, I think that both have their uses. Dead rounds don't sound like flats to me - flats respond differently and sound different. YMMV or course.
 
But I am also enjoying the Alembic compressed strings!

[keurosix]

Hey Harry,
I enjoyed the funky groovin!
Sounds great!
Kris

[svlilioukalani]

Since we are going here, I got to ask. I play frettless. Love a bright punchy tone of my Marcus Miller DR strings. I play a hard slap style and would love to put round wound on my fretless. The problem is I am killing the fretboard. I put GHS pressure wound on my Epic 2 months ago, and am already chewing up the fretboard at the 24th fret. So... will alembic strings have as aggressive a texture as GHS pressure wounds? Just wondring before I drop the $50 on Alembic strings. I really don't like the sound of GHS strings, but don't know if a better string for my style. GHS bright flats do no harm to my bass, but they have no punch, and feel as dead as flat wound srings.

[white_cloud]

For me its rounds always! Even on my fretless basses it was always rounds - I dont think its really a problem on a hard fingerboard that has been well finished!
 
Jaco Pastorius famously always used rounds on his beat up Fender - he coated the f/board in several coats of epoxy resin with  a toothbrush. Uncoventional but effective
 
John.

[adriaan]

Alembic's own strings have an elliptic outer winding, with a less rounded surface, so they should bite less into a fretless fingerboard.

[keurosix]

Gary,  
I have the Alembic strings on my fretless Epic and feel it is a really good string for an active sound with minimal fretboard wear. If you attack the string aggresively and vibrate the string across the width of the board rather than a classic wrist vibrato, you will see some wear no matter what string. I do not like the sound or lack of responsiveness of flatwounds. I  really love roundwounds, but don't want rounds on my fretless. Having Said that, IMO I feel the Alembic string is a good compromise. They really do sound good for me, and have a somewhat roundwound responsiveness without the agressive wear from a true roundwound. If you lose too much top end with this string, you can always boost the Q or preamp treble to compensate.
Kris

[keith_h]

I use D'Addario  Chromes on my fretless. I find them to be very bright, especially for the first few weeks. If I turn the filter full open and flip the Q-switch I can even get a passable slapper sound. I haven't changed mine in a couple of years. I guess I'm blessed that I don't break them.
 
For my fretted basses I use a variety of round wounds. Alembic for the short scale, Dean Markley  NPS round core for the 5-string, D'Addario on my 8-string and GHS Brite Flats (a  half round) on my Fenders. How often I change depends with what I'm doing. If I'm playing out regularly I change them when they start to sounds dead. If I'm in between things I have been known to go until they can't be tuned or my semi-annual neck oiling.  
 
I think what it comes down to is what you think sounds best for the given instrument.
 
Keith

[svlilioukalani]

I love this. I don't know anywhere I can turn to to get an honest answer about my personal issues. I'm going to try some Alembic strings. Will report on what I find as soon as they show up. Thanks for the help!!!!!

[keurosix]

Hey Gary, and a note to all:
There are a few different web companies selling strings, and the cost is competitive. www.juststrings.com sells Alembic sets: 4 string set $25.20; The 5 string set goes for $34.72; The 6 string set: $41.44. Shipping & handling $6.95, so order more than 1 set to make it worthwhile. You should shop around too. I know Bass Central sells strings, and you may get a great price from a local dealer too.
P.S. The Alembic strings feel really nice under the finger, and they last a long time too.
Kris
 
(Message edited by keurosix on July 31, 2008)

[hernan]

I like to use flat strings with my fretless. I tried them on my fretted Philip Kubicki once, but I hated the sound immediately.

[bsee]

Well, one thing I think is a problem is talking about Flats like they are all the same.  There's a huge difference in feel and tone between different brands.  I've tried D'Addario Chromes and LaBella Deep Talkin' Flats.  Outside of being flatwound, these two have very little in common, especially with regard to tone.  
 
I think it's a mistake to try one brand of anything and let it set your mind for the entire genre.