Fender 9050 Flats on my Jazz - how should it sound?

[fourstringbliss]

I have an MIA Fender Jazz, J-Retro, stock pups. I want to go flatwound - how should the Fender 9050 flats sound?

[JimmyM]

Great. Not crazy about Fender roundwounds, but I love their flats. I'm very tempted to try it on my Jazz Bass, but I like it so much with rounds that I quickly forget about it.

[Beefbass]

Originally Posted by fourstringbliss

I have an MIA Fender Jazz, J-Retro, stock pups. I want to go flatwound - how should the Fender 9050 flats sound?

In my experience, they should sound really great. I really like the sound of flats on a jazz bass. IMO the Fenders make it sound thick, and fat.

One suggestion; I would go for the ML's, or the L's. The Mediums felt like bridge cables, and did not to my ears, get the same great tone the ML's did.

You may find the opposite to be true though. Give'em a try, see what you think.

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by Beefbass

In my experience, they should sound really great. I really like the sound of flats on a jazz bass. IMO the Fenders make it sound thick, and fat.

One suggestion; I would go for the ML's, or the L's. The Mediums felt like bridge cables, and did not to my ears, get the same great tone the ML's did.

You may find the opposite to be true though. Give'em a try, see what you think.

I have the mediums on the bass right now. How does the string gauge affect the sound/tone?

[JimmyM]

Usually the heavier they are, the fatter the sound. But I find there's diminishing returns on that once you get into the ultra heavy gauges. Like I don't think a .065 G string sounds any better than a .050, but a .050 sounds much better than a .035. I use a .045 G because the .050 only sounds slightly better and it's harder to play, and the .045 is the heaviest gauge I like that I can play easily.