Flat wound vs round wound?

Nickie

Nickie

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Does anyone have any experience replacing their polymer (Thundergut type) strings on their hollow body UBass, or UBass copy, with round or flat wound strings?
What did you put on?
What were your results?
Did you lose the stand up bass tone?
Were you able to play acoustically with some respectable volume?
Are you happy with them?
 
I think your only option without significant mods to your bass (as kohanmike has done repeatedly) is the round wound set. I put flatwounds on my Gold Tone ME-bass but that is longer scale (23") and the strings are designed for that up to 25". You definitely get more of an electric bass sound, especially plugged in. Am I happy with them? I like the sound but I find my Kala solid body with the Pahoehoe strings much, much easier to play. That could just be the shorter scale I like better but the decreased tension is also a factor. I'm thinking about trying the Thunder Reds on the GT or maybe just move it on. Hmm, you wouldn't be interested in taking it with the flatwounds still on it would you? :p
 
I just did that with a new Aquila ShortBassOne-60 acoustic 23.7" scale which came with Thunder Reds. To be able to fit the 25" scale La Bella/Gold Tone flats, I added a tailpiece, which I attached to the ABS round back body edge. Had to notch the saddle to lower the action and hold the strings in place. I also replaced the black tuners with chrome HipShots. I think it sounds good, different then the poly strings.

Aquila tailpiece chrome 900.jpg


8 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 10 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

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Are there any flatwounds that will work on a Kala solid body Ubass? I just snagged a deal on one off of ebay...
 
Thanks everyone!
We got around this by getting Tammy another bass for Xmas.
She got a Guild acoustic electric bass guitar, with round wound strings.
We're keeping the "rubber" strings on the Kala, for now.
 
UkerDanno said:
Are there any flatwounds that will work on a Kala solid body Ubass? I just snagged a deal on one off of ebay...
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure the answer is "no", not straight out of the package anyway. There are several round wound sets available:
https://kalabrand.com/collections/u-bass-strings

The LaBella set will require some mods to your bass (i.e. "anchors" in the back) as the strings are too long to install directly on a 21" scale instrument.
 
What are those pyramids like? Round wounds?

I ordered some of the Kala round wounds...
 
Tried out the solid body today, it has Pahoehoes on it, it's sounds more solid than my A/E Ubass. I always loved the A/E, but this thing just sounds so much more punchy and solid, not even sure I want to change to steel strings. Still need to figure out the control knobs and which does what. The body and neck seem to be some kind of composite...

IMG_20190105_204241086~2.jpg
 
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