La Bella Jamersons on a Road Worn P?

Eskimo Spy · #1 06-23-2010, 03:11 PM

I'm thinking about putting La Bella Jamerson flats...

http://elderly.com/accessories/items/0760M.htm

...on a new Road Worn P bass. The P comes with Fender strings gauged:

.045, .065, .080, .100

The La Bella's are, of course, much beefier:

.052, .073, .095, .110

I play GHS Pressurewounds (M7200 -- .044, .062, .084, .106) on my Lakland DJ J-bass now, but I thought the La Bella's would really sound fantastic on a P bass.

So, would it be fine stringing the bass with the La Bella's without a new setup, or should I just take the strings and the new bass when it arrives to my guy and have the setup done?

Thanks!

Jonathan1990 · #2 06-23-2010, 03:17 PM

I don't know if they fit, but if they do, let us (me) know how they sound!

Eskimo Spy · #3 06-23-2010, 03:20 PM

Here's what I read on a site selling them:

"The La Bella Original 1954 Flat Wound "Jamerson" Set is designed for 34 inch scale bass guitars only and specifically not for basses where strings go through the back of the body."

That's the RW P-bass exactly, top load and 34".

lowmid · #4 06-23-2010, 03:25 PM

THey'll fit but you'l probably need a set-up (truss rod and action)

Marton · #5 06-23-2010, 03:25 PM

The Jamersons are very high tension though. You might like them, its depends on what you like. But if you like GHS strings, you should try the precision flats. I use them in light gauge on my 2 P basses and they sounds really good, and they're really cheap for flats.

Eskimo Spy · #6 06-23-2010, 03:28 PM

I ordered a couple of La Bella sets from Elderly, I'll throw a set on and see how it plays. If it drastically changes the action, but they sound great, I'll take it in to Charley's and have it properly set up. Otherwise, I guess I'll try either the pressurewounds or the GHS precision flats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marton

The Jamersons are very high tension though.

What effect would this have on the bass itself? Or is it just a question of them being really taut?

Marton · #7 06-23-2010, 03:31 PM

They'll be harder on the fingers and they'll probably need some truss rod tightening.

John Wentzien · #8 06-23-2010, 03:35 PM

You'll have to tighten the truss rod.....But that's what its for!
I'd say go for it!

Eskimo Spy · #9 06-23-2010, 03:37 PM

Does anyone currently play Jamersons? If so, what's your experience been with them on a P-bass?

John Wentzien · #10 06-23-2010, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eskimo Spy

Does anyone currently play Jamersons? If so, what's your experience been with them on a P-bass?

I think the P and LaBellas are a match made in heaven..
I usually play a Jazz with rounds...but its real nice to pull out the "funk-machine" every once in a while...CLASSIC sound!

IPA · #11 06-23-2010, 03:43 PM

just out of curiosity what would one gain in using this set versus the conventional gauge that wouldn't require adjustments? is the sound/feel really that different?

John Wentzien · #12 06-23-2010, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPA

just out of curiosity what would one gain in using this set versus the conventional gauge that wouldn't require adjustments? is the sound/feel really that different?

The "Phat-Phunk"

John Wentzien · #13 06-23-2010, 03:47 PM

Phil Chen has had the same set on his bass for....wait for it...

40 YEARS!!!!!

guroove · #14 06-23-2010, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eskimo Spy

Does anyone currently play Jamersons? If so, what's your experience been with them on a P-bass?

I put the LaBella Mediums on (.049 - .109) and I didn't like them so much. The tension wasn't that bad, but what was weird was playing a string with such a different profile than what I was used to. They are definitely fat strings, so if you have a tendency to dig in when you play, your right hand fingers will get tired fast if you play hard aggressive music, so this would definitely be exaggerated on the Jamersons.

guroove · #15 06-23-2010, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPA

just out of curiosity what would one gain in using this set versus the conventional gauge that wouldn't require adjustments? is the sound/feel really that different?

The sound is different, and I didn't care for it as much as I thought I would. It's not as deep or bassy as you would think, and there are a lot of mids present, but in a very wooly, dry kind of way. A lot of the snap was gone from the instrument, and they kind of have a very mellow buzz similar to a fretless. I'm sure there's a reason why .045 is "standard guage" these days. If you are playing strictly fingerstyle, and don't like buzz or twang, and have powerful meathooks, then they aren't bad strings. I actually really like LaBella flats, but not in the "Jamerson" gauge.

jumbodbassman · #16 06-23-2010, 03:59 PM

they will sound amazing. they are huge. neck will need a good tightening and action tweaked down otherwise you will feel like you are playing powqer line cables.

Kipaste · #17 06-23-2010, 04:20 PM

I tried the jamersons just out of curiosity. Nice in a painful way. I liked them. But I did go with lighter set of labellas after a while.

daveman50 · #18 06-23-2010, 04:23 PM

Same here - tried a set, had fun with them, but they were not "The Answer" in terms of tone, and the extra tension and size did wear on me -- so I went back.

Colin_D · #19 06-23-2010, 04:38 PM

I've got the Jamerson set on my Highway 1 P right now, and I do like them, they are high tension, but don't seem to be as high-tension as the Fender flats I had on prior to that (9050s iirc) I will say that they are kind of high-tension and floppy at the same time, in that I find them to be kind of "squirrely" under my fingers, they tend to be not physically harder, as in requiring more pressure, but it seems like I have to apply pressure in a more controlled fashion or they try to roll out from under my fingers. Also they are more prone to that flatwound fret clank, at least under my ham-fisted fingers.

I would concur with Guroove, they do have a sound all of their own, not as round in the low end, sort of a mid-range "whump" a *lot* like the sound of an upright on old records (think Willie Dixon on Johnny B. Goode)

They are pretty tiring to play, jamming for about 3 hours with them and my left hand is pretty much done especially if I've been playing down near the nut a lot.

One final thing, as Eskimo Spy pointed out they aren't designed for string-through use. they are *really* huge down by the ball end, they wouldn't fit through the back of the Badass II that was on my Highway 1. I Swapped it for the regular folded metal bridge that was on my MIM Jazz and they went through that ok.

jasper383 · #20 06-23-2010, 06:58 PM

You can really get low on the action with the Jamersons, though, because string travel is less with the higher tension. This helps offset the tension a bit.

I had a set on my MIJ 50s Precision for a while, and loved them. I could get the action super low, crank the amp, and play with a lighter touch, and still get a rich and powerful sound.