looking for Flatwound advice, Tapewound

[longfinger]

Hi there,

I have a MIM Jazz bass that I'm happy with. It's still strung with the original Fender 9050M (.055 .070 .090 .105) flatwound strings described here

http://www.fender.com/features/strings/#bass_strings

These are about 3 years old and still sounding good. However, I find that my left hand fingers are starting to hurt when I practice quick 8th notes. The strings seem too stiff.

I'm about the bring this bass in for a professional setup and I'm choosing the pack of strings I want the tech to set the bass up for.

My ideas are of these 3 flatwounds and 1 tapewound.

Lighter gauge Fender flats...9050L (.045 .060 .080 .100) or
or 9050ML (.050 .065 .085 .100)

D'Addario Medium Chromes ECB82 (.050 .070 .085 .105)

or perhaps the Fender Tapewound 9120M (.058 .072 .092 .110)

The lighter Fenders should be easier on the fingers, but will the thin G's be too twangy?

Does anyone know if the D'Addario Mediums will feel easier on the fingers because they are chrome plated and slighter lighter gauge than the Fender Stainless Steel Mediums?

It seems by reading on the net that the Fender 9120 tapewounds are flatwound with a nylon winding, as opposed to the Nylon Filament Roundwound which are not currently listed on Fender's site.

On my Ibanez fretted bass, I've had D'Addario Flats (blue windings), and Rotosound Tru Bass 88 Black nylon. The Roto's do feel softer on the hands, but don't sound as deep. I had a bum E string, and the pack was expensive, almost twice the price of a Fender 9120 Nylon, so I'm not eager to retry those strings. I have not tried these yet on my Fender Jazz fretless.

I want a deep, mellow tone, good for jazz, folk music, traditional latin; in many ways, to mimic a double bass, when I prefer to carry and use the electric bass. I want to be able to "get around" the fingerboard more easily than the OEM Fender flats allow me too.

any tips?
thanks in advance.

[jasper383]

The lighter Fenders will be a bit tangier, but will settle down over time. They will always be a bit brighter than the set you have now.

If you want the dark thump that heavy flats get you, higher gauges are pretty much the only way to go. There is no free lunch.

Tapewounds won't ever sound much like flats. They have their own sound that you might like. They also will be much easier on your hands.


The only strings I might suggest that will be easier on your hands, yet sound anything at all like the Fenders you have now are the La Bella 760FL set.

[longfinger]

Thanks,

I ended up going with the D'Addario Medium Chromes ECB82 (.050 .070 .085 .105).

The tech did an amazing job optimizing the bass with proper setup. It's a lot easier to play now, and feels so much better. The strings still sound new, but very nice nonetheless. The Chromes are more flexible than the Fender flats, and a reason could be that their winding is narrower and so the string has more points to bend than do the Fender flats.

I'm happy.

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by longfinger

I want a deep, mellow tone, good for jazz, folk music, traditional latin; in many ways, to mimic a double bass, when I prefer to carry and use the electric bass. I want to be able to "get around" the fingerboard more easily than the OEM Fender flats allow me too.

I use LaBella 760N nylon tapewound strings for all that and more.

[crab]

take a look at the GHS Brite Flats 45 - 108 $21.60 at juststrings.com

[lmfreeman9]

The tapewounds especially the LaBellas or Pyramids do the best job of approximating an upright sound. They are less dense and with less sustain then flatwounds.

[longfinger]

Thanks for the input. I've got the Chromes 50-105 on now. They'll stay on for quite some time. Next time I restring/setup I'll look into some of the other strings you all have mentioned.

It's funny how a lot of the promotional material mention tapewounds for the 'upright sound' on electric bass guitar, yet on an actual upright, steel flatwounds are the standard. The only player I can think of off the top of my head using tapewounds on upright is Ron Carter (Labella 7710), and his sound is that of a big fretless electric bass guitar.