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Hey guys. I love my Roto 77s, currently using a FIngerprint, Mountainking Hugebox II and Elements for dirt. Which might change as I'm in the process of redoing the board a little.

I feel I'm not getting the most out of the Elements. I'm using it for nice dynamic OD, want to say even "amp-like", which works really well with stacking the other two into it and shit like that. However, I feel like it's not grindy enough. When I say grindy, I imagine tones like Rat on bass with not too much gain but that nice ragged, growly, loose distortion. NOT SMOOTH. I feel like I'm getting way too much smooth from the Elements

However, before I start freaking out - do you have an experience with not being able to get that grind with flats? As middy and punchy as the Rotos are, I think they might be to blame here

OR

is it the Elements? Should I get a Rat Tail or Fuck instead? looking for grind and growl, no need for a lot of gain

Flats with dirt always had that "too smooth" sound to me. Need those harmonics.

I use stainless flats on my Jazz. Set on it is something like 12 years old now, maybe more. Still punchy and mean, but broken in nicely.

Gets much snarl - just have to EQ it.

Think it depends more on the PUs than the strings - I play flats mostly for the feel on it. It's "right" - I didn't love the thing until those strings.

Have rounds on my other ones.

Roto 66's.

D.o.S. wrote:Roto 66's.

that's quite literally a 180° turn man from flats to steel rounds?

I truly do love the 77s, the feel of them, how stiff they are, the sound and the dynamic response, the consistency. I fear going back to rounds, man...

You want Grindy, you want Roto 66's. Trust.

I got Optima Flats on my Rickenbacker and D'Addario XL Chromes on my jazz. Both are great with distortion, the Optimas are a little more thump to them, might be the smoothness you are referring to but the Chromes are nice and bright. Might want to check those out if you want to stick with flats.

D.o.S. wrote:You want Grindy, you want Roto 66's. Trust.

I am quite certain I will need a second bass soon anyway. I'll keep those in mind if I decide to keep one supergrindy cheers
Any word on 55's btw?

untilshewokeme wrote:I got Optima Flats on my Rickenbacker and D'Addario XL Chromes on my jazz. Both are great with distortion, the Optimas are a little more thump to them, might be the smoothness you are referring to but the Chromes are nice and bright. Might want to check those out if you want to stick with flats.

Right, I've heard that Chromes are a bit brighter I haven't had the best experience with D'addario strings in the past, but since those were mainly connected with losing sound and dying/rusting really fast, flats should be better.

oh and guys... Ernie Ball is releasing new Slinky Flats that could be the bee's knees... I can't wait to try those if we're ever gonna get them here on the old continent

Haven't tried the 55's, but I'm basically a curmudgeon when it comes to strings. I use Ernie Ball flats and Roto rounds because it's easy and I know how they sound.

See... I know shit about bass strings been playing bass only over a year, lol... Learned really fast I prefer Fender rounds over D'Addarios though

EB flats? What do you play, Group III? (any plans to try the new ones? )

Uhm. I don't know. they have purple tips. I bought them when I needed strings for my wishbass and since I don't break strings I haven't changed them. So I put them on like 4-5 years ago.

IMO Roto's are the WORST flats on the market. I HATE flats for the most part and those things are fucking awful. They kill your effects. I've had them.

So I'd try some chromes. There's no perfect brand, but I generally do not like flats with effects in general. It takes that grind away IMO and experience. Obviously some can still get it, but rounds for life baby.

I've never been satisfied with grindy sounds with flats. They do the thumping heavy fuzz thing amazingly, but even EQd bright I've never quite been able to get good grindy OD tones.

DR Fat Beams stainless steel roundwounds. Best grind on a Fender bass for me.

And would there be some "middle of the road way" that would still give me that fatter sound, would last long with some consistency of tone and have less finger noise but was a bit nastier with dirt?

pure nickels like DR Lo Riders?
GHS Brite Flats?
GHS Pressure Wounds?
D'Addario half rounds?