Roundwound Vs. Flatwound Strings - Can you Really Hear the Difference?

[@andertons]

Looks like we forgot to put this video live back in 2019. Enjoy an old episode of All About The Bass with Nathan & lee! The Elite Series has since been discontinued from when this video was filmed, the Fender equivalent would now be the Ultra series. Links can be found in the description. 🤘

[@greatvanzini]

I do like flats for recording sometimes. Especially more melodic stuff. No string scratch.

[@Nektopoulo]

Yeah, the Elite series has been superseded by the Ultra series, I wonder why they dumped the string through body.

[@bobilly]

Miss the dynamic duo 😪

[@zr2700]

Hey Andertons, which flatwound set are used in this video? I’m guessing based on the red silk tips... Are they La bella or Thomastik? Thanks.

[@kenhartman29115]

Judging by the comments, the fans prefer Lee over round wounds or flats.

[@jonhmusic423]

I tried flats for the first time a few years back, and since playing them in a band setup, I've played flats (and tapes) exclusively. I'd still use rounds on at least one bass if I was chasing a super modern tone, but given that I mainly play rock, blues, jazz and old school soul I don't miss them at all

[@Chudhole]

Lee is so good with Nathan and vice versa he should at least come around for a guest appearance!

[@gregpantelides1355]

Do it!!!!!

[@ziggylayneable]

I really like the discoloration in the fingerboard on the darker Bass around the first 2-4 frets below the E & A strings.it lends a lot of character and you could never have your Bass stolen without being able to know instantly it was yours.

[@valendis]

Clearly , the flawounds are a must have on the PBass!

[@badm0t0rf1nger]

All the best to Lee in whatever he's up to these days- you're missed, fella! :) Finding someone who can play as well as Lee could be a lost cause, but hopefully *someone* can be found with suitable energy, & who is comfortable in front of camera, for Nathan to bounce off on the regular. The guitar, bass, & drums jam vids were *epic* & I was hoping for more. LOL

[@davidrobertson4301]

I read his doing a tv show about 4 wheel drives

[@sullyb23511]

​@davidrobertson4301 🤔

[@ruiseartalcorn]

I prefer flats, especially with a pick. I think they sit better in a mix due to not competing so much with the rhythm guitar tracks. Just personal opinion of course :)

[@jkf9167]

Flats and a pick is so good. It's very percussive but it sits right in the mix, and the clicks stick right out. Round wounds with a pick don't sound right to me anymore. Too messy.

[@ruiseartalcorn]

@@jkf9167 I agree 100%

[@jeg1972]

I only play flatwounds. They just give a wonderful 60s vibe

[@JEG69]

I play flatwounds on all my Basses. Sounds heavy af with fuzz and distortion.

[@EdwardBilodeau]

Reminds me of how much I enjoyed the videos with Nathan and Lee together. Hasn't been the same since Lee left.

[@ShadamAran]

I've got a set of fender flat wounds that I bought about 4 years ago and I've never thrown them away, even though I've taken them off my bass to put rounds back on I kept that set. To this day they are my personal favorite feeling sounding and playing strings. If you have never tried some fender flat you are missing out

[@skybluemarshall]

At one time, everyone played flats. Rotosound sold the first roundwounds in 1962. They were mostly used by a few British Invasion bands. In 1966 John Entwistle contacted Rotosound to help them develop a better string, because the E and the A string didn't vibrate properly. John brought his bass to Rotosound's founder, James Howe and together, they realized that the string vibrated in big circles and that the problem was caused by a thin core. Rotosound worked on using a thicker core and producing thicker gauge strings. The results were the 66 Swing Bass roundwound strings. Initially, Rotosound used John Entwistle name to help market their new improved roundwounds and they caught on with many British Invasion bands. By the early 70s, everyone was playing roundwounds and flatwounds began to fall out of favor with Rock musicians. If you want an early 60s or previous sound or a 1960s American sound (especially Soul and Pop) then flatwounds are your best bet. If you want a mid to late 60s British Invasion band sound or a 70s and later sound, then roundwounds are for you.

[@anderstromborgbrstrup4413]

Flats have more attack than rounds, but less sustain. Love my La Bellas on the P Bass😎

[@gabrielalbo6911]

Apart from Bright vs Warm, I also hear a sort of metallic vs rubbery type of sound. I love both, to be honest - I keep my p bass with flats and my jazz with rounds, which I think further accentuates both of the instruments' characters... but on my next vacations I'll try the opposite setup to see what I can get :)

[@Thisisswanbon]

Lee is a huge miss! Him and Nathan really work well together.

[@RaxFx]

flatwound all the way!!!!!

[@timothybedwards5440]

I've played bass since 1966 my 1970 pbass came with flat wounds changed to round wounds since 2018 went back to flats as I am not a slap player love the flats

[@darkybass]

Lee - the best!

[@hamishsummers8585]

Lee was such a good pairing with Nathan, there was such a nice vibe between them. Would quite like to see a video with Nathan and Matt, think that would work well

[@mdwayne741]

I love these guys.....these 2 do such an amazing job demonstrating gear.

[@dylanzrim1011]

Got a bass with flatwounds it’s had since the 80’s. Super comfortable, has one roundwound on it as a replacement and that one string just pisses me off. Genuinely looking to go flat wind on electric guitar to avoid the rough strings too

[@tomtaylor9731]

First bass I bought had flats on it. Got an absolute bargain as they were pretty much brand new. I've bought 3 more since and put flats on each.

[@stefanherbst9980]

We want Lee back

[@andertons]

Unfortunately this is an old video & Lee no longer films with us, but we hope you enjoy an old classic of All About The Bass! 🤘

[@TheProgGuy]

I really want a shootout between Rounds, Flats and Half Rounds/Groundwounds. I have Flats on my main bass and I love the way they feel, but I feel like I need a bit more brightness when I add a bit of gain (Darkglass B7K Ultra), as flatwounds don't like that. I've heard halfs are a great in between, as you can get the warmth, depth and lack of noise with slides but there's a bit of brightness that will shine through with a bit of grit added.

[@dr.vonfunkulusthecrimsonho6794]

You guys just had a great time making this aye

[@henryb50]

this should have 661k views...I've watched this multiple times and I'm a guitar player...Nathan and Lee talent + chemistry = I'm watching again....LEE where did you disappear to ???

[@romeozulu57]

Lee...get him back!

[@andertons]

Unfortunately, this is an old video & Lee no longer films with us, but we hope you enjoy an old classic of All About The Bass! 🤘

[@richardgreenway8826]

@@andertons why is Lee no longer?

[@gregpantelides1355]

Let’s get a chant going...we want Lee, we want Lee, we want Lee. #WeWantLee

[@plasticpaddy5278]

@@richardgreenway8826 cos he s k'd off back to norf lahndahn, innit

[@stormbringer67]

Nice review of the strings. I am thinking about getting flats for my jazz bass now. They sound great.

[@ziggylayneable]

I could tell these Bass strings apart RIGHT away....The playing from both was SOOOOOOO in the pocket.They sounded really good together. I would really like try that Pino Palladino signature W/Flatwounds......

[@BARTFUNKBASS]

I did *BASS BACKING TRACKS* on my channel. Check it out!

[@sergutiov]

I have and idea for a video, get Pete, Rebea and The Cap10, and the shoot out some classic guitar amp combos, so you get a PRS with a Mesa Boogie (Dual Rec) a Gibson Les Paul with a Marshall (Plexi or JCM), a Fender Strat with a Fender (Reverb Deluxe or Bassman) and a Gretsch with a Vox (AC30) and shoot them out to see which one you guys preffer

[@samstinkeringaround8961]

So I have a Mexican P-bass 2019 , I put roto-sounds flats 105-45 , the main difference I noticed. Slightly tigher string tension , no slide buzz. Meaning the string noise ribbed vs flat. pretty nice. I have a Jackson JS2 with Ernie Ball Slinky's when I want round-wound's I dig the flats

[@spookysocks5914]

That little light spot on the second and third frets of Lee’s bass looks so cool!

[@mycofairbanks3321]

I was sold on the flats the moment I tried them. these are especially liked by those who don't have great technique since the kling and klank kinda goes away. Great comparison guys. Thx for the invaluable info for those who need just a little more demo info, if you know what I mean. Now I have tried may brands of flats... Hint. they are not all the same

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

The Flatwound Strings work equally well on Fretted Bass because they won't scratch the Frets.

[@grizelda4526]

Love you two together. This video was a treat. Ty!

[@BARTFUNKBASS]

*I COULD WATCH THEM DAILY LIKE AN EVENING NEWS*

[@robinmorris5416]

Rounds for me. I love the harmonic content, and I feel if I sacrifice my fingertips, and frets then spend days after a gig with sore fingers from high action, and roundwounds, I like for my instrument to make me fight for it. Then at least I have suffered for my art.

[@saturatedneowax]

I just put flatwounds on my bass for the first time and it feels like I’m going to get a burn when I do slides, there’s so much more surface area for friction

[@AnathemaBB]

Thank you for making us relapse with this fix of Lee in those troubling times. -Yeah Man.

[@TheJimboe11]

Try flats on recording. Don’t know why but they just sit right in the mix. I’ve recorded the same songs with P basses with flats and rounds and mostly the flats sounds perfect in the mix.

[@ruiseartalcorn]

TheJimboe11 - In my experience, flats sit better in a mix because they have their own sonic space. Rounds tend to compete with the guitars, whereas flats don't.

[@TheJimboe11]

Ruiseart Alcorn yeah that makes sense to me. All that extra harmonic content on rounds is right in electric guitar territory. Thanks very much👏

[@TheJimboe11]

Toxic Potato yeah very true. They won’t suit every mix. Must admit I was really surprised though 👍

[@blib3786]

Flats have more of the fundamental, while rounds have more overtones.

[@basswanderer2765]

On most of my basses I use round wounds, on this one certain bass I have a set of round wounds that haven’t been changed in about twenty five years, love that old tone.

[@timothymckane6362]

The bigger difference of Roundwound vs. Flatwound is if you hear them on a fretless bass. Roundwounds have a bright tone while a Flatwound has a warm, mellow tone. Also, I'll miss Nathan and Lee being the bass duo on Andertons. I wish Lee the best.

[@charliem.931]

I'm new to these videos and they're so damn enjoyable to watch.

[@johnwelch557]

Both are a must if you play more than one song.......Thanks fellas!

[@EpictheEpicest]

With flatwounds you tend to get more mid and high frequencies, and they choke out the low end a bit. Roundwound gives you more low frequencies and definition. Not a huge difference, but the best comparison examples I can think of is when someone tries to play Motown songs or even Iron Maiden with roundwound strings, it just doesn't sound right.

[@christophercortes9152]

Flatwounds forever

[@user-vt9fo3rq3m]

Just bought the Steve Harris rotosounds. Best I’ve tried so far.

[@richardturner5463]

Miss Lee he is so good with Nathan. The Jaco vid was awesome!

[@abhijithsivanandan3710]

Nathan and Lee♥️ Please bring him back #WewantLee

[@Mark-ry3ij]

Good demo guys, but i want to know if you used the same gauges for both?

[@FRUGALZZZ1]

These guys are genius - just love the energy and expertise - more of the same please!!

[@rhodridavies9426]

I would, but as a 5 string player, a set of flatrwounds cost me over £70 last time! :-P

[@twenty1thirteen]

Can someone please fill me in on what happened with Lee? Thanks!

[@EddieHitler7]

don't think they will ever tell us what actually happened!

[@BARTFUNKBASS]

:(

[@brymills]

He left a year ago tomorrow, works for Stompbox according to Facebook

[@Sad_._Panda]

He's teaching at Stompbox London

[@BARTFUNKBASS]

@@Sad_._Panda I'm not from UK. What's Stompbox London?

[@bertbregdenz2756]

my choice: "labella low tension flats"

[@mlmccollum100]

to me, the flats were a bit meatier on the low end...but both sounded good

[@MrBubbaknight]

Amazing video! Entertaining and informative.

[@keithjackson4990]

I know this video is old but I’ll have to say that La Bella probably had some of the first flatwound bass strings; ie: James Jamerson etc… 1950’s

[@daniellavanderos]

miss you Lee, the best improvisations with Nathan

[@LuckyJack99]

Great seeing these mates jamming on the bass again !!!

[@dadtimejamtime]

At about 0:46 as lee jams his way back down the neck I thought spark effects flew out of his hands but it was just a reflection on the top horn 🤩

[@mclarensmps]

Ahh mannnnnnnnnn, I've been binge watching the Andertons videos during covid, and I just found out Lee's gone. That sucks man, you two were a phenomenal pair!

[@sullyb23511]

Apparently, Phil Lynott used Rotosound Jazz Flats on his P. I never would have guessed, TBH. Can anyone confirm this?

[@ernestochang1744]

Rob chapman can tell if your guitar is black or red just by being blindfolded so this test is invalind because both bass guitars are painted differently

[@OlettaLiano]

Personally, I like the roundwounds. I tried flats, and they just didn't feel right to me.

[@mylo4060]

Same here. I like them as an option but not all the time

[@BeesWaxMinder]

Oletta Liano (lovely name BTW) do you play R0CK or even Overdriven styles? I kinda do & suspect that FlatWounds might not suit..?

[@Ben_Mdws]

Whatever Lee is doing now, he should post a KZbin video so we can all tell him how we much miss him on the Anderton’s channel.

[@jorgepenah]

The people want more Lee and Nathan videos!

[@SerjBassist]

The "yeah" count has decreased substantially ever since Lee left.

[@TraneFrancks]

"All that jiggery-pokery" - If you have active basses in passive mode with the tone all the way up, is that passive-aggressive? Edited to add: I have always used roundwound on my '62 RI fretless Jazz and the '77 maple blank-plank P Bass. Alas, the rounds have ruined the fingerboard on the P and it needs some serious refin work. Next time I string up the bad boys, I'll be giving flats a shot.

[@MerLew]

What instrument cables are those?

[@ClintHalliday]

That lil ditty at 9:52 thats It Im getting some roundwounds!!

[@yeoldefoxeh254]

Obviously there is a huge difference. In tone, in playability and in the way they wear the hell out (or not) of frets and fingerboards.

[@vladimirvalentine4065]

On a related note, what do you guys think of these new STRINGJOY strings for the guitar?

[@maxenceluage]

OMG I was wrong the whole time... I will get my flatwound strings right away. Thanks.

[@marklloyd3762]

These two lads are so entertaining

[@3cardmonty602]

Lee is the Captain’s illegitimate son

[@SteveSchuffert]

GHS does a string that feels like a flat, sounds like a wound. Very, very cool string. Try that one.

[@eliseoborrerobass]

After all, when was the last time you didn't like a song because the bass player was using the wrong string? To me flats sound like old rounds, but this maybe is a good thing for some people!

[@lf170]

Great playing, as always. What strings are the flats being used?

[@lf170]

Never mind, missed it at the end.

[@pauljoseph8707]

What is the guage of that flatwound string?

[@jean-pierrethouin2404]

Sounds like you are having FUN...

[@mcspankies1799]

Wait so is lee no longer doing bass videos or videos all together?

[@BARTFUNKBASS]

No..

[@romeou4965]

Cobalt or chrome flats?

[@TheCommander2112]

I love this video thank you

[@zoltanballa-farkas3663]

What happened with Skinny Lee?

[@danielroos5426]

KZbin needs a WOW button

[@johna5747]

Need to do some more videos like the one with Ole...How to do technics.

[@killroy123]

Unfortunately this is an old video & Lee no longer films with us, but we hope you enjoy an old classic of All About The Bass! 🤘

[@thomas_the_cat]

good ol days... hope they can find someone new with the same level of chemistry with nathan

[@edwardmcwilliams8371]

for someone who plays more rock based genres with a pick. roundwounds are the only way to go.

[@samstinkeringaround8961]

Love you guys , I really like the bass off"s

[@josepharmenta7889]

I play a j bass , flats all the way, but I like the low warmth tone

[@olavjorvik94]

This is cruel :'( You can't post video of Lee so much later. We all miss him.

[@sageofsong]

Fat vs roundwound. My favorite comparison

[@mikeuk4130]

That's a bit fatist/roundist, but it's my favourite too!

[@sgtmac62]

Yep! Try a set of roto-sound round wounds. Bark!

[@defectivetoaster7713]

I always thought the only real difference was in how the strings feel or that scratchy left hand sound

[@davidrobertson4301]

I was hoping he was coming back

[@SmlzBam]

how have i only just realised that nathan is mark kings younger brother and is the guitarist in level 42

[@el_kammeroni]

F*ck me! I absolutely had no idea, we both seem to be slow heads, haha! Thats amazing information

[@baratastudio1982]

Love it !!!

[@shinerstef]

Awe that's nice to see a couple of bass players enjoying their instruments. 👀🙈😂😂

[@JEG69]

Try daddario chrome flatwounds next