jamerson without going flat.

your idol · #1 12-13-2009, 09:05 PM

ok so i have done enough string forum reading using the search function to answer my question to no avail.

im picking up a new to me P bass just to have a dedicated "Jamerson" bass.

i dont like the flats. seems like an awful lot of work just to play at my normal speed my normal way.
rounds just dont get the sound down pat.

i want flat-ish sound and round with a lil bit of flat/smoothness. i want a hybrid that feels like silk, plays like butter and dosent require developing biceps on my fingers to produce a decent amount of sound.
...its alot to ask i know.

i hear halfrounds arent as "smooth" as people would figure them to be right away and by the time they are theyre dead so you may as well have bought flats anyway.

i have used pressure wounds on my jazz and liked them.
is that my solution or do you have better advice.

i humbly wait for enlightenment

Bassist4Life · #2 12-13-2009, 09:09 PM

what is it that you don't like about flats? there are a lot of different kinds of flats out there... just like there are a wide variety of rounds.

your idol · #3 12-13-2009, 09:24 PM

the drag on my fretting hand. when i slide i stick. i love the tone i wish i didnt have to dig in so much to project a little bit more. i use DRs on my other basses curently, hi beams on my P/J and lo riders on my active jazz. both ae pretty rough on my fingers and i like a smoother string just not completely flat.

kugelspot · #4 12-13-2009, 09:33 PM

Fiddle with your EQ until you get it. I was able to get about 70% there using a bass with active single coils strung with rounds using nothing more than the 2 pickup volume controls and the onboard EQ. It was missing some of the initial thump of flatwounds, which unfortunately are impossible to get with rounds.

The trick is not to boost the bass a ton. Boost it a little, but mostly cut treble and boost upper mids

ugly_bassplayer · #5 12-13-2009, 09:36 PM

Just get some flats & be a man.

J. Crawford · #6 12-13-2009, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ugly_bassplayer

Just get some flats & be a man.

This.

Try Sadowsky flats. Theyre bright, and feel like rounds in a sense.

Dead halfrounds are awesome too, I know from experience.

Bassist4Life · #7 12-13-2009, 09:55 PM

TI Jazz Flats... non-stick.

They're nice and supple and non-stick. Have you ever tried them? I've had them on my P-Bass for over 4 years. I hope I never have to change them. They're around $40 for a set (maybe just a little more). That's less that $10/year for strings.

Those strings are magic!

Before the TI's I tried Fender flats... no no no. Those are the opposite of TI's in my opinion. The fenders create a lot of tension on the neck... so much that I thought something was wrong and I had to make several adjustments to my bass to accommodate those strings. They didn't feel "sticky" to me, but their high tension was an issue.

TI's... they're right.

Craig_S · #8 12-13-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by your idol

the drag on my fretting hand. when i slide i stick.

Get some LaBella's. I just got a set of 760FL and they're nice and slick feeling. They're about the same tension as D'Addario XL 170 (maybe a bit less?). I'm liking them a lot. It's that or get a set of Boomers. They lose their life quickly and, as I remember it, sound good dead.

your idol · #9 12-13-2009, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ugly_bassplayer

Just get some flats & be a man.

im dyin' over here on that one. ill just give the flats a rub down with some hot wings and they should be good.

im just looking for SOME kinda texture on my strings. not much but some

your idol · #10 12-13-2009, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Crawford

This.

how you gonna tell me be a man...can you even drive yet sport?!?!

your idol · #11 12-13-2009, 09:59 PM

to the additional 2 posters. la bella and ti's were both high consideration if i decide to be a man and rock flats

J. Crawford · #12 12-13-2009, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by your idol

how you gonna tell me be a man...can you even drive yet sport?!?!

Psch, of course I can drive! My tricycle is right next to me.

Im telling you, dead halfrounds are the stuff.

CapnSev · #13 12-13-2009, 10:48 PM

I second the TI flats. If you can't fly across the fingerboard with those things, something is wrong with you.

seanm · #14 12-13-2009, 11:07 PM

If you want the Jamerson tone you really need flats. I second the LaBella 760FL. Great tone but not the bridge cables the Jamerson set is.

blendermassacre · #15 12-13-2009, 11:43 PM

What about half rounds or pressure wounds or ground wounds?

JimmyM · #16 12-14-2009, 12:53 AM

It's not quite the same, but just use dead rounds if you don't like flats. That's about as close to that sound as you'll get without using flats.

Number27 · #17 12-14-2009, 12:54 AM

dear talkbass,

how can i have my cake, and eat it too?

Stumbo · #18 12-14-2009, 01:08 AM

Flats are smooth. How do your fingers "stick" to them? I've played flats for years and the only time my fingers stick is when my hands are dirty and mix with sweat. I suggest some "Fingerease".

Be sure your hands are clean and dry. Try using soap with a lotion in it. Possibly wiping your hands/bass neck and strings with a terry cloth towel after each song might help.

Mrdak · #19 12-14-2009, 01:15 AM

Another +1 in the TI's
TI Jazz Flats, clean strings, and cleaner hands. You can't go wrong.. You'lle fall in love with the sound of your P.

Jazz Ad · #20 12-14-2009, 01:21 AM

The string mute and P pickup are much more important than flats to nail the Jamerson tone.
I don't use flats and get a satisfying Jamerson impression with my bass and a cloth mute.
Now if you like Jamerson so much that you want to dedicate a bass to his tone, using rounds seems a bit counterproductive.
I think TIs are the worst choice of flats you can make for a Jamerson tone.