Flatwounds for Pbass

[Nfes64]

I have recently purchased an American Standard '08 Precision bass, and put some D'addario chromes on it to replace the flatwounds. I really like the chromes, but i was wondering if there is anything on the market that gives a fuller, richer sound?

I play mainly blues and latin. What do people normally use for these kinds of genres?

I used the search function to find that Sadowskys seem to be highly regarded, but unfortunately they are not accessible easily from the UK.

Thanks,

[bassist4dalord]

Chromes are flatwound, and EXCELLENT on a P-Bass. You have given me Chrome GAS for my P! Darn you! Yeah they are great strings. If you're dissastisfied, play them a lot and they'll break in nicely.

[Holy War]

wow, is your bridge intonated correctly?

Really nice bass by the way

[Nfes64]

Thank you,

Yes, I really do like the chromes, however I made the mistake of buying standard scale, and they're a tad too short as they go through the body.

That's why the bridge is set up so funny, so I need to get another set of strings and was wondering if anything is better than the D'addario Chromes for my style of music.

[CPplaysBASS]

I made the same mistake in regards to the scale of D'addarios ... I gather many have.

You'll get many answers on here ... primarily the forum breaks down into two groups and are divided more by preferred tension than by style of music they play. High tension folks tend to favour Chromes, and less tension will scream the virtues of Thomastik Infeld flats.

Personally, I play everything from rock to country and many songs I play have jazz or latin tinged bass lines (often recorded on double bass on the original recordings).

After several months of burning through many sets of strings, I have 50-100 Fender flats on my '09 MIA P and love it. I have a 45-95 set on my MIA Jazz and 50's P Classic.

The 50-100, in my opinion, deliver full body (ie. deeeeep) tone and have slightly less tension than the Chromes but are still pretty tight with great definition. And you won't have to worry about stringing them through the body.

If you like your current tension but want to try something different, try the Fenders.

The relatively low cost for them are just a bonus, not the main reason to purchase.

Oh, and your saddles look right to me ... on mine, the saddle for the E string is pushed back almost (but not quite to its limit).

[CPplaysBASS]

Above post assumes you want to stay with flats ...

[jopy]

I've heard that it's better to string flats (like your chromes) through the bridge directly rather than through the body. That might help you with the length problem. I have chromes that I used on my fretless jbass for a while, and they do darken up after they're broken in, but they still have some nice high end if you want it.

[BassMaster4s]

That is the definition of "Black Beauty".

[Groover]

I've tried the Sadwosky Flats, Black, Labella Deep Talking Flats, and the Fender Flats on my P.

I like all of them, but unfortunately, I cannot compare them to Chromes as I have never used them.

The Fenders have that nice Thump and deep lows, but I could not get a nice round-wound-like high edgy sound when I wanted it. I know that Flats for you, but Labellas and Sadwoskys do give some of that.

The Sadowsky's are nice, very Round-Wound like response, and decent thump. Very responsive strings.

The Labellas were my favorites for a while, as they do go pretty deep in the lows, and nice high end response, but until broken in, the high seems a tad clanky to me.

I've tried the TIs on Fender Jazz, but can't say how they sound on a P.

[bthiemann80]

I highly recommend GHS Precision flatwound strings. As their name would suggest, they are made for the precision bass, IMO that is.

[LowBSix]

Sadowsky strings ++++++++++++++

https://secure.sadowsky.com/store/index.php?cPath=65_68

[lmfreeman9]

If you want a fuller richer sound then the chromes, I recommend Pyramid Gold but they are very expensive.

[classic57]

Originally Posted by Holy War

wow, is your bridge intonated correctly?

My bridge ended up intonated that way as well on my Sterling. Weird, but that's the best intonation to my ears.

[One Drop]

String them through the bridge, let them break in, and then worry about new strings if you aren't satisfied.

[Nfes64]

Thanks for the advice and complements,

I've broken the Chromes in for about 40-50 hours in total, they are significantly darker then when I first got them, and I'm generally very pleased with their sound.

I've tried stringing them through the bridge, but after playing in that setup for a while I thought the compromise in sustain was too big (I play quite a few performance songs like Parisienne Walkways that do need decent sustain).

Tension wise, they seem about right, but I am intrigued by the T.I.s and the La Bellas, as well as the Fender flats. Has anyone had experience of LaBellas vs Chromes vs Fender flats sound wise (just a quick outline of the difference, CplaysBass has described the Fender flats well enough), and which of them do you prefer?

Also, sound wise, how do the slightly more expensive Pyramid Golds compare?

Many thanks!

[Nasnederis]

Maybe this video will help you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDZJMKfgaCk

[Nfes64]

Originally Posted by Nasnederis

Maybe this video will help you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDZJMKfgaCk

Wow, great video! Thanks, that gives me a very good reference point! Perhaps i'll try out the LaBellas, judging by what has been previously said and this video. Although, on balance, I think I like the tonal characteristics of the Chromes more...

[bhass]

Originally Posted by Nasnederis

Maybe this video will help you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDZJMKfgaCk

Remember that the bass in that demo has foam mutes.

[Joe Smithberger]

If you are looking for sustain, I think you'll find that most other flats sustain less than the Chromes. The LaBellas for sure have less. I don't remember about the TI's.

[Nfes64]

Brilliant, thanks for the advice.