La Bella Jamersons won't fit in the tuning post

[Etingi]

I have an OLP MM2 with what I believe to be stock tuners. I bought a set of the La Bella 0760M flats, 52-73-95-110, and the low E won't fit into the hole at the top of the tuner post. Is there a way I can strip the covering off to squeeze it in? Is my only option to make the hole larger somehow? New tuners?

[D.Don]

Get a nice lil set of needle files, that usually does the trick (I have filed both bridges and a few tuners on all of my basses to make labellas fit..)

D.Don

[Etingi]

Thanks. I tried a file but it was slow going, so I ended up drilling instead.

The strings sound great though. I read something from one guy on here who said they're really balanced, and I agree. The G finally thumps! They're really not as hard to play as one might expect either. I chose these over TI Jazz flats and am not regretting it a bit.

[Etingi]

Sorry for the double post, but I have one more problem. The intonation on the low E is about 10 percent sharp on my Korg CA30 tuner, but I have the saddle far back enough (just about the entire way) that the uneven windings on the ball end of the string will be the area breaking over the saddle if I move it back any farther. Is it ok for this part to go on top of the saddle, and if not, any suggestions on how to get the intonation just a little more flat? All the other strings are fine.

[bassman10096]

I chose these over TI Jazz flats and am not regretting it a bit.

Wow. Pretty noticable difference in feel, huh? I liked the Jamersons for their sound but wound up pretty tired playing the E string. The Deep Talkin Flats were a good compromise.

Also, check your nut. Are all the strings sitting solidly in the notches? If not, your strings aren't going to sound right.

the uneven windings on the ball end of the string will be the area breaking over the saddle

Others may have more expert opinions on this, but when that has happened to me (at the nut or the bridge) I've adjusted the intonation till correct and, if the sound was OK, left it be. At the nut, you should trim any silk in the way or it will mute the string slightly (not necessarily a bad thing for traditional E string thump).

[Number27]

whats the tension like on the jamersons? with such a huge gauge is it like having your bass strung with iron bars? i'm looking into new flats for my new p/j (sick of chromes)

[Etingi]

Thanks bassman, I'll just move the saddle back to where it needs to be for the intonation and see how it goes. I just didn't want to hurt the string since they're expensive.

Number27, the Jamersons are high tension for sure because of the flat winding and gauge, no doubt about that. It's not unplayable though. I wouldn't recommend it if you have small hands or are used to lighter-than-regular gauge strings. The whole "iron bars" or "bridge cables" description is just an interesting expression that while somewhat accurate and justified due to the size of the strings is also obviously an exaggeration. The size and tension doesn't bother me - in fact, I like how they feel. I used to use 13-60 custom sets on guitar though too, so I just prefer the feel and sound of big strings in general. I mean there's not much I can definitively say about them because it comes down to preference. They definitely sound incredibly deep and powerful though. I had to tighten all the little screws on my bass because the amount of resonance was making some things rattle from the amount of vibration.
Also, I've read some things about how they encourage you to play in a thumpy way near the neck like Jamerson, and while they sound awesome for that purpose, I've also been digging the way they sound playing Rush songs while fingering near the bridge. I think it sounds really cool playing chords higher up the neck too (with the right touch) because of the possible depth to the tone. They aren't entirely one-dimensional like some may suggest.
I've also only had them on my bass for a few days now though, so the high end may die off drastically in the next couple months. I can't say for sure.