MIM 50's Precision Bass- Flats too dark?

[slobake]

Been playing bass for about 6 months in a small church, I bought an older beat up MIM Precision and that keeps having issues. On Friday I purchased a MIM 50's Precison Bass. I love this bass , it has a sweet warm tone . The wide maple neck is awsome and I'm starting to love the smaller vintage frets.
I had GHS 3050 flats on my standard Precision great tone and I like the way they treat my fingers.
The people at the music store said the flats would make the bass sound too dark and muddy. I don't get it, I know the original Precisions where made to be played with flats.
Anyone else ever experience this? I know the real answer is whatever sounds good to me. But I also know there are a lot of experienced bassists on T.B and I respect thier feedback.
Oh, and I just like talking to other bass players.

[mikkejohansson]

I think the best lesson is never to listen to people in music stores.

I'm no flats expert by any means, but Chromes are said to be as bright as many rounds but with the "flats feel and sound", so...

[yamark]

Love a 50's P with flats

[CPplaysBASS]

I have Fender flats (same guage, same everything, even changed the strings at the same time) on both my '09 MIA Fender P-bass with rosewood finger board and my 50's P Classic.

The 50's P classic is deeper, sweeter, warmer ... I want to say "brighter", but I don't mean in terms of treble. The tone definitely has more presence and cuts though (steamrolls through actually). Definitely a match made in heaven. Do it ... now!!!! lol

Edit: reading this back to myself, I seem to be using contradicting terms to describe the tone ... warmer, deeper, yet cuts through. What I mean to say, everytime I use my 50's P with any amp (e.g. at a rehearsal place that provides the amp), the tone is just there without any fuss. That particular bass with flats has such a strong character on it's own, and sits in a mix so nicely, virtually no amp can screw it up in my experience.

I also love my '09 MIA with flats, especially with my own amp settings, but getting an awesome tone is not as "instant" when using other amps.

[slobake]

Originally Posted by mikkejohansson

I think the best lesson is never to listen to people in music stores.

I'm no flats expert by any means, but Chromes are said to be as bright as many rounds but with the "flats feel and sound", so...

Thanks Mike, I'll take that lesson to heart. BTW the way I paired my new bass with a GK MB115. Between the two I get nice sweet, fat thump.

[Jeff K]

Don't listen to them. Flats sound killer on my '50s Classic. I've had them (Chromes) on for years. This bass was MADE for flats...

[Dave Bassincus]

Does Steve Harris from Iron Maiden sound dark and muddy? He uses flats on a P-Bass too. I personally love flats on everything - they just feel more comfortable to me.

[lpdeluxe]

I put Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats on my Classic '50s P as soon as I got it home from the store. Great, present, unmistakable P sound. I think the person who said "don't listen to guys in music stores" got it right. You're probably hearing the opinion of a keyboard player or a trombonist.

[Tevatron]

I have a 2009 MIM Precision that I keep LaBella 760FS flats on. I love the way it sounds! There is no reason you should not try flats your new P if you liked them on your old P.

[TN WOODMAN]

Of all opinions and disagreements possible regarding basses, flats on this particular p bass is a home truth-unarguable. The only decision to make is which flats do you prefer.

Chromes, T-I s, and La Bellas are all good choices. Try to play before you buy if possible, when you do find a flat you like, leave 'em on and they will get even better with time.

[soulman969]

Originally Posted by slobake

Been playing bass for about 6 months in a small church, I bought an older beat up MIM Precision and that keeps having issues. On Friday I purchased a MIM 50's Precison Bass. I love this bass , it has a sweet warm tone . The wide maple neck is awsome and I'm starting to love the smaller vintage frets.
I had GHS 3050 flats on my standard Precision great tone and I like the way they treat my fingers.
The people at the music store said the flats would make the bass sound too dark and muddy. I don't get it, I know the original Precisions where made to be played with flats.
Anyone else ever experience this? I know the real answer is whatever sounds good to me. But I also know there are a lot of experienced bassists on T.B and I respect thier feedback.
Oh, and I just like talking to other bass players.

What music store and what people and were any of them bassists, sound guys or even alive when 50's PBasses were manufactured? They don't know what they're talking about.

In the first place all PBasses came with back then were flats and since most of us never changed what came on the basses we bought that's what we played and it's the sound you here on any Motown recording, Memphis Stax, Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and God knows how many other pieces of music recorded in the 50's and 60's.

In the second place there are all kinds of different flats for sale. Some brighter than others and the maple neck on your PBass will add to it's brightness all by itself. So there is a whole world of strings to chose from to get just the tone that you want whether it's flats, rounds or something in between.

Personally I wouln't play anything else on a PBass but flats but that's me. Send an email of to Jason at BassStringsOnline.com and speak with another bassist who knows a whole lot more about strings and PBasses than the people at whatever music store you go to and think about giving your business to somebody who'll get you what you need not tell you a bunch of BS.

[rtslinger]

Dark and muddy what planet is that guy from? Smooth and warm is my finding

[bassbully]

FWIW I was in a music store a Mom and Pop type a year ago and just wondered if he had any flats..so i asked. The old guy who runs the store replied "Flats? Nobody plays flats anymore except old farts or jazz players, what you want is rounds

I played a nice MIM 50's P for three years( great bass)
with chromes and she had awesome tone. Don't listen to them, Flats and a P bass go together like PB&J

[makkE]

Labellas+50's Squier :

180 Bpm Funk backing track | free to download |

Bass might be mixed a tad loud..

Those store clerks are retarded

[kakao]

I also play in a small church. I love Chrome on my MIA pbass but people don't like it very much. So when I play with them I bring my other bass with round on it. Try flat with the band and ask for feedback. If they like it, go for it!

[tdub0199]

I have Chromes on three of my basses and they don't sound muddy at all, infact they are pretty bright sounding.....

[christle]

MIM 50s Classic and TI Jazz Flats = Heaven for me. Great sound and all the sound guys I have worked with have loved that bass. Find another music store...

[Muckaluck]

I'm gonna second, third and fourth what everyone else is saying. I really don't get this idea that flats are muddy. Perhaps it came from experience with new solid state amps in the 70's and 80's. When people were used to the natural compression of tube amps and they switched to a wider, uncompressed sound with solid state, it might have sounded a bit muddy. I guess with the snappyness of roundwound strings that problem would have been remedied.

Straight and naked through the board, flats have solid definition and warm presence. I have never found a sound so perfect as big, thick flatwounds, preamp channel just approaching breakup and a p bass pickup. Warm, thick and present, not dark and muddy.

[AdamR]

Im a stainless steel round guys but I recently strung my P bass up with some Jazz 77s and love it.

[christle]

Originally Posted by AdamR

Im a stainless steel round guys but I recently strung my P bass up with some Jazz 77s and love it.

All other basses have SS Rounds on them. The 50s Classic just begs for flats!