Flat or round
 

which is best? I play country/southern rock and my fingers are killing me by Saturday night:eek:Takes all week to get over it.Some one said the flats are easy er on fingers.......Need input THANKS:hyper:

Flats all the way. Never take them off - mine have been on my Jazz for 15 years. You'll sound like Jamerson.

I Googled this question and it said "ask TALK BASS . COM" and I thought WOW I just happened to be a member on that site How lucky can you get

Thanks jeepers any idea on what brand

Agreed that flats will help with your finger woes. Which ones? That takes a bit longer... What type of Country? What type of tone? What bass/pups? How much do you play? What price point?

My top three (depending on sound needed) are LaBella Deep Talkin', Sadowsky Black Label, and GHS Precision.

The LaBella are the classic Jamerson sound, the Sadowsky are very modern, growly strings with decent fundamental (my favorites for most things except my current gig), and the GHS are pretty much just thud.

I am playing a 1990 j-p 90 usa fender now but I also play a fender usa p bass some times .I like the jp 90 because it weighs less .Everything gets heavy by 2 am ha ha. I play most every weekend at dance type clubs.Just strait out country/southern rock.I like a clean deep bass sound

I'd go with Sadowsky, then. They only took about a fortnight to break in, and never changed their tone for over a year after that. They are not as complex in their tone as the LaBellas, so it will take a little time to get the EQ right (tip: don't over think it, I pushed the mids a touch, dropped the treble a pinch, and was in heaven), but once you do, nothing sounds quite like them, in a good way.

Rocketrocket, I use D'Addario Chromes (.105) on my vintage Jazz. 110's will bow the neck on a Jazz, but 110 will not bow a Precision neck. I have no way to A/B with LaBellas or other brands. They might be better, I just don't know.

La Bella Deep Talkin' 760FL (.100) is lighter gauge than the .105 or .110 yet still sounds full. Easier on the fingers except that G string will get ya every time no matter what gauge!

If tension is an issue, consider Thomastik-Infeld JF344 flats. They call them "jazz flats" but they sound fantastic on a Precision. Low tension, easy to play. Last forever according to the TI lovers. I'm gradually switching over from La Bellas. TIs are not cheap.

P.S. Welcome to TB. You might try posting your question in the Strings forum. You'll get more replies than you can shake a stick at. Of course, some members will get after you to do a search first...

Trustrod will make the neck straighter from your jazz.
No problem.
Flats are the real bass strings from back in the day.

As much as I love flats, I would only use them if the sound is right for a given band or situation. Better to build up callouses with rounds if you prefer the tone, and they might actually help you to get a better fingerstyle tone as a bonus.

Time to put on my Pain Management hat…

Is the pain;

1. In your fingertips?
2. Your fingers?
3. Your palm?
4. Your forearm?
5. A combination of some/all of these?

The pain could be stemming from a number of issues, not just what kind of strings you're using. My next question would be, "What do you do for a living?" since repetitive stress comes in all flavors. Then there's more medical questions that would follow (family history of arthritis, old injuries/surgeries) that I won't ask in an open forum…y'know, privacy of the client and all that. ;)

But, back to the "strings" question…

My first strings were D'Addario Chromes (100's, I believe) and were a good starting point. They were easier on my fingers and had some decent tension and sound. Later, I started trying out different roundwounds, an even lighter set of D'Addario Chromes (95's, I don't recommend them…a little weak, sound-wise) and one set of GHS Nylon Tapewounds (I'd only suggest them if you want a very soft, "woody" thud).

My current favs are the Ernie Ball Cobalts (100's), but I like the very aggressive and punchy sound I get out of them. I don't know if that would work for your professional soundscape. However, since they specialize in strings that are, as they put it, "slinky", but still deliver sonically, perhaps trying a set of their Group II or III's might reduce the pain you're experiencing. I, myself, haven't tried them yet, but it is the foundation for their "string doctrine". I might get some for a build project that's lurking in the back of my mind.

If you want some further advice, pain management-wise, feel free to shoot me a Personal Message.

Good luck!
-Malak the Mad

Been usin' (roundwound) rotosounds for years; I tried some blues steels a couple times, but I always go back to the rotos...

Play more bass, get calluses.