Love Flatwounds, but need a bit more bite - thoughts?

Question

I am a bass player in an instrumental post-rock trio. I have been using, and love, flatwound strings for years. I do a great deal of slides, pickoffs and such. I often use these techniques to build soundscapes and swells. It is important that my clumsy fingers aren't captured in the sound - hence flatwounds.

I have recently wanted to dig in a bit more with some of the stuff we are working on these days. Any suggestions on string types that allow a bit more growl, but still keep the finger contact out of the sound?

Answer 1

You should try Elixir Nickel Plated Steel Bass Strings with a Nanoweb Coating - They are roundwounds with a polymer web coating. The purpose of the coating is to prolong the lifespan of the roundwound strings by preventing any moisture or dirt from reaching the strings, thus preventing corrosion. But the added benefit is a noticeable reduction in fretting-hand finger "squeak" or noise. The sound is not as bright as a brand-new set of roundwounds; a new set of Elixirs sounds "broken-in" and more mellow, but still very much a roundwound sound. These strings are expensive per set, but they save money in the long run because thet don't need replacing nearly as often as regular roundwounds.