Low Tension Flats - Such a thing?

[xray]

I put LaBella flats on an old jazz bass and must say they need a lot of muscle to maneuver. I've only tried the original '54 (these things are like re-bar) and Deep Talkn regs- although I must say they sound great I think my fingers need something with less tension.

Jamerson must have had some strong fingers!

[SoVeryTired]

Originally Posted by xray

I put LaBella flats on an old jazz bass and must say they need a lot of muscle to maneuver. I've only tried the original '54 (these things are like re-bar) and Deep Talkn regs- although I must say they sound great I think my fingers need something with less tension.

Jamerson must have had some strong fingers!

TI have a rep as the lowest tension flats.

[CnB77]

Originally Posted by SoVeryTired

TI have a rep as the lowest tension flats.

Yup

[old-fashioned]

Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats have the lowest tension. They are my favourite flats but I have to say that they will sound quite different from the La Bellas you've tried. Less thump, more mids and they are more musical to my ears.

[bassclef112]

TI flats to my ears are the most musical sounding flats out there.

Having said that, they are also so low in tension that my heavy handed technique cannot deal with them. It's like playing rubber bands. If you have a light touch they'll suit you well.

Great flatwound strings with LOW tension.

I wish they were stiffer.

[jasper383]

If you like the La Bella sound, try the La Bella 760FL or 760FX sets. They are a lot lighter in feel than the Jamersons.

The 760FX set is very close to the TI Jazz Flats in feel, imo.

[gary m]

GHS Flats sound like what you're describing in terms of sound and tension.

[tsverrir]

TI Flats. Great strings. Not cheap but they last decades.

[corndog]

Chromes Super Light 40-95 are pretty low tension.

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by corndog

Chromes Super Light 40-95 are pretty low tension.

Yes they are like rounds and sound good too.

[Fuzzbass]

Originally Posted by SoVeryTired

TI have a rep as the lowest tension flats.

Indeed. If I haven't played them in awhile, it takes me awhile to get used to the low tension.

They are expensive, but probably my favorite flatwound for tone.

[sharkbait130]

Let's not forget that Jamerson started on a fairly low end stand up bass. Bad action and pretty high tension are the norm for those things. I've heard stories that some other bassists played his P bass (The one with the warped neck) and said they needed help to hit a Bb on it lol. Does anyone know if it ever turned up after it was stolen?

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Lowest Tension and most flexible flats are Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats.