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Flat-wounds: Intonation?


PhilMan99

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Posted

I've seen a lot of comments on flat-wounds these days, but very little on intonation. Can some of the die-hard intonation freaks (like me) comment on modern-day intonation of flat-wounds as compared with round-wounds? "Back in my day" (70's), there was no comparison - intonation on flat-woulds was a "lost-cause". I'm only recently getting back into bass, and have only been using round-wounds out of fear of intonation problems. FYI - I've been using DR & Elixir round-wounds of late.

 

I know personal experimentation would be best, but I've blown my budget on equipment, and I don't have a lot of spare cash to experiment re-stringing my 6-stringer which is all I use these days.

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Posted

The new strings are very different from the old ones.

 

I agree with you, an old set of Fender Flatwounds or LaBella flatwounds can be very hard to intonate.

 

But then again, if you have flats on your bass, you shouldn't be playing anything above the 10th fret so it doesn't really matter.

 

I still have the flats that were on my Jazz bass from '71 to '77. But they're just hanging on a hook in a closet.

Posted

Jeremey...Jeremy...Jeremey!

 

What's all of this "not playing above the 10th fret" with flats stuff, anyway? Tsk tsk...you should know better.

 

I just switched to TI flats (from Acousticores) on my Godin A5 fretless, and love it. I have it set up with a High C, and the feels and tone is superb! Not a problem intonation wise at all. And, the bass still has mwah for days!

BTW...I quite regularly play way above the 10th fret...even with these flats, and, oddly enough, they sound a bit less "strained" up there, too!

 

Max

...it's not the arrow, it's the Indian.
Posted

I have no problems with my set of La Bella 1954 flats. Tuner and amp says perfect, tuner on desk says perfect, ears say perfect. :D

 

All you roundwounders get wit da program. Roundwounds strings is so 80's, dude. :P:P

Posted

Max, I was being ironic.

 

(Not moronic)

 

A lot of the famous flat users played up high.

Knock On Wood

Day Tripper

Come Together

Inner City Blues

 

But TI flats are a pretty different beast from the Labella Jamerson set and today's desired sounds, even when flats seem to be the answer, are pretty different from the sounds we liked in the early 50's.

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