Advice on putting Fender Medium stainless flat wounds on J bass.

[Duffy]

I want to put a new set of Fender 55 - 105 stainless flatwounds on my new affinity J bass w original strings on it. I like flatwound tone.

Any advice on this idea or should I put them on my P bass that has old flatwounds on it? They still work great though.

The flatwounds on the J might smooth it out a little for that mellow full bass tone I love.

Any ideas or experience with J basses and flatwounds. Suppose that there is a long long tradition of using flatwounds on J basses becaause of the jazz players musical history.

Thanks in advance.

Duffy
Winfield, Pa.

[awall]

I put flats on a jazz a year ago and couldn't be happier with the sound. I kept a deluxe jazz strung up with steel rounds for variety and last week I broke down and put flats on it too. I just never played it after I started diggin' flats. I use Fender Light flats. I play Blues, R&B, old school Soul and funk.
Al

[Duffy]

Thanks for the feedback. Think I'll put them on my J bass because the rounds on my new Peavey Zodiac are brand new, put on by me a week ago when I bought it.

BUT, I can get a heavy set for the Peavey for 19 dollars from a local store I do a lot of business with.

What do you think? Heavy, medium like I nave for the J, or lights for the P J?

Advice appreciated.

Duffy
Winfield, Pa.

[awall]

I'm using lights now, but I might go to medium at the next change. Who knows when that will be, these things seem to last forever. The Fender lights are pretty stiff.
Al

[One Drop]

The Medium Lights (ML) are a good balance of thump, note and tension, IMO. The Ms are really thumpy and bassy and lack some of that midrange detail I like.

[Mastermold]

Yeah go with the ML set, not the M set. Too much tension with the M set, especially on a Jazz neck.

[Duffy]

I have 55 - 105 and I think they are mediums. Didn't see Fender medium lights, just lights 45 - 95 or close to that.

I was thinking the lights would not have the thump I want.

I have a P bass with flats that has one of the strings hanging on their by the hex core only, windings gone just toward the nut from the peg. Probably won't last long that way anyway.

I want to put these 55 - 105's on the Squire affinity Jazz bass with old original roundwounds on it. Get some great Jazz bass tone.

Do you think the affinity J bass will handle the 55 - 105's alright. The tech at the place I deal with said they would be the strings to put on.

Maybe I should see what the Fender site has to say, if anything. They seem to be pretty moot on the subject of bass string weights and the tone descriptions seem to be identical.

I don't want to mess up the J bass neck. Period. I had even been thinking about heavy's for it or my Peavey Zodiac P J. I think the P J has a slightly, very slightly beefier neck but it is a J style neck not a P style. The Peavey has brand new D'dario 55 - 105 round wounds that I put on it the day I bought it about a week ago and it sounds awesome, just like my five string Schecter Stilletto Elite V. Almost no discernable difference.

Imagine an old Squire affinity P bass sounding as good as an expensive Schecter active electronics with EMG humbuckers? Hard to believe and I always though Squires were a poor substitute for a decent instrument.

I have a few Squire guitars that are awesome: a new metallic white pearl Deluxe strat; a new antique sunburst Classic Vibe 50's strat, an older Std Squire strat trans satin crimson with two duncan designed chrome plated humbuckers and a solid mahogany body (130 dollars) used with the plastic still on it and zero scratches or signs of use; and a Squire Std "Cherry Burst" sss strat with staggered polepieces, brand new. All are awesome and have the bridge tone mod done to them, except the HB of course.

I also have an awesome still stock Hwy One ssh that may soon be getting a pearly gates HB bridge pup and two Texas Special single coils. My two SX strats also sound phenonomenal with mods, stainless block string saddles and Wilkinson locking tuners.

I also have an old strat that I highly modded with SD humbucking single coils and a pearl black pickguard on a naturally mildly relic'd black body with rosewood neck and Fender spertzel type locking tuners. This is an incredible guitar in all respects with a highly highly flammed maple banded neck and all new electronics and it is an affinity w rosewood board, cost 25 dollars, it's light and hot and plays super well with tone that doesn't sound like the full sized SD HB's, neck hot rails, mid 'lil 59, and bridge JB Jr. Incredible. and looks awesome.

So, how about the 55 - 105 stainless steel Fender flat wounds on the brand new Squire Jazz bass? Can the neck handle this weight like the tech said it could. I think that's whats on it now but round wound.

Hoping for some great feedback,

Duffy

[One Drop]

The MLs have a .100 E string.

http://www.fender.com/products//sear...tno=0739050003

The Ms are very high tension, and might or might not be fine on a given J neck. You won't know until you try it, though.

Believe me, there is a big tonal difference between the Ms and the lighter gauges. They are all relatively inexpensive for flats, and you should be able to find a set for under 20 bucks very easily, online or in shops.

To answer your original question, flats on a J are wonderful. I like Labellas, Sadowskys, and Fender 9050 MLs best, but it's all personal taste.

[Duffy]

My 9050s Medium ss flats are still unopened and I can call in the morning and see if they have the medium lights. No problem. It's too late to mess with it and I have tomorrow off.

Thanks, One Drop, of the advice.

Duffy

[One Drop]

No sweat, hope it works for you.

[ironrat]

D'Addario Chromes Medium Light