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Strings on Pre-CBS Fender Bass
- Thread starter Chicken Wing
- Start date
Every Fender bass shipped with flats until 1982.
Pre-CBS strings on my '65 Fender Jazz (bought used in '66) were the Fender's own brand of flat-wounds. In the early 70's I changed to Fender black Tape-Wound strings. But Fender's own brand of flat-wound strings came with them.
That's interesting! I actually prefer, by far, the new Fender flats on my old P-bass to the GHS flats.
No, no. You miss the point entirely. Leo Fender's brand new Precision Electric Bass Guitar wasn't a replacement for anything. It super seceded and super abounded anything that ever came before, or since. It is his life's crowning achievement and his ultimate claim to fame. The ultimate invention from the ultimate musical instrument inventor.
I haven't missed a thing. Viewed from the perspective of 2020, your statement makes sense, but in 1951, I'm sure it didn't look that way at all. We're not talking about what happened over the ensuing decades, we're talking about what his intent was at the time - it was to replace the upright bass with something louder, more portable, and more guitarist friendly.
Escape From the Dog House: Fender's Bass Revolution and The Early Days Of The Fender Precision Bass | Disc Makers Blog are quick references, and the book The Fender Bass, which I have had for many years, also discusses the adaptability to both double bass players and to guitarists doubling gigs.
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“Seeing” a source for iiipopes statement is to take a look at an old Fender bass or pictures of one, no actual reading required. The P bass did have phenolic / composite bridge saddles and it did have muting material under the bridge cover, there is no question about that. Those two items clearly indicate Leo was interested in quick decay / no sustain, with the mute being the most obvious indication.
I would call Leo’s invention a substitute for upright bass, but not necessarily a replacement. There was, and still is, a place for upright bass in a lot of musical applications, but obviously Leo’s invention is used more often & in more circumstances. I think it’s safe to say Leo was looking to develop an alternative to upright bass for multiple reasons.
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THIS.
There was a completely stock 51/52’ P 5at came thru The Horn Trader in OKC off of Western, round 2003. And I mean WITH original strings/mute. Played hard, worn, stashed for the next few decades.
Bruce gave me 5 minutes, through a SS Ampeg combo ...
I was doing unamplified, Lenzer gutstrung upright with some guys around that time. That ol’ P was THAT sound, but way louder, and with way more authority.
It gave me a small glimpse of what a shocker/blessing that must have been for doghouse slingers back then.
As a purchaser of a new pre-CBS bass (yeah, I'm old 
) I can tell you they were flats as were all the Fender guitar strings. You couldn't get that surf guitar sound (with reverb) using round-wounds. They were Fender strings as mentioned and they had blue silk. I remember buying new Fender branded strings (didn't change them often) and they were the same as what came with the bass.
) I can tell you they were flats as were all the Fender guitar strings. You couldn't get that surf guitar sound (with reverb) using round-wounds. They were Fender strings as mentioned and they had blue silk. I remember buying new Fender branded strings (didn't change them often) and they were the same as what came with the bass.
As a purchaser of a new pre-CBS bass (yeah, I'm old
Please tell me you still have it
Yes, but taking into account the variables of what core and wrap wire were available at the time, and the settings of the tension of the winding machines and other variables, to my ears, the original V C Squier strings had an organic woodiness that has not been emulated, duplicated, or adapted since. To my ears, GHS are dark and a little quirky, La Bellas are smooth and consistent, new Fenders have subdued growl, D'Addarios are zing quickly to thump, EB stainless flats a little more subdued than the Fenders, and the rest of them like darts in a round spectrum at various points near or far to the strings mentioned. But none are like the original V C Squier/Fender flats.
I believe V.C. Squier strings also made round wounds strings as well. I think those round wound strings were used on Danelectro Longhorn basses. The sound John Entwistle missed and approached James Howe to experiment with gauges to get the best sounding round wounds.
But I could be wrong
But I could be wrong
I don't have sources to hand, but I'm sure guitar strings were made as both flatwounds and roundwounds at the time Fender brought their bass to the market. Flatwounds were considered a premium option in guitar strings, and were the standard for steel strings for bowed instruments (Since Thomastik introduced them earlier in the 20th century) so it's likely that Fender would have had to specify which construction they wanted when having strings made for their new bass.
They original Fender Strings, were fat, flat and stiff. ... And I wouldn't recommend them. ... I still have a 1966 Kent flatwounds in their original package that I wouldn't use. ... The new flats and much better so, use them. ... My preference are TI Flats and Labella Low Tensions. ...
I had bought a near-mint '65 Jazz and near-mint Ampeg B-15 (with JBL upgrade) from the original owner in 1990. These strings were in the case:
Yep - I love the TI Flats and use them on 3 of my basses today.
