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History of Fender Brand Strings
- Thread starter Linnin
- Start date
hi
i'm a french fan of fender basses and passionate about fender strings and vc squier.
it's not easy for me to find gear in france!!!!!
i should have been born american !!!
great your photos of the factory in mexico you have others?
Seriously, fellas: can a fellow TBer who's on Instagram do me a solid?
I don't do Insta myself, and cannot see the comments to this post by Fender historian Terry Foster:
Can anyone take screenshots to the comments and paste them here?
I expect Foster to have expanded on his curt #notflatwound tag in replies to comments, and I would love to know whatever the heck these no. 90 "pure nickel wrap" strings - the sole available by Fender until the Mastersound flats appeared in the 1959 catalogue - ultimately were.
(Yes, I've read the whole thread. No, I do not believe the definitive answer is in here.)
Thanks in advance!
I don't do Insta myself, and cannot see the comments to this post by Fender historian Terry Foster:
Code:
www.instagram.com/p/CJjwjviHVkI/Can anyone take screenshots to the comments and paste them here?
I expect Foster to have expanded on his curt #notflatwound tag in replies to comments, and I would love to know whatever the heck these no. 90 "pure nickel wrap" strings - the sole available by Fender until the Mastersound flats appeared in the 1959 catalogue - ultimately were.
(Yes, I've read the whole thread. No, I do not believe the definitive answer is in here.)
Thanks in advance!
This was actually discussed some a few months ago. Not sure that anyone arrived at any super interesting conclusions, but it was discussed.
See:https://www.talkbass.com/threads/what-strings-did-early-fender-basses-come-with.1608093/
which references:
Flat wound strings and vintage guitars.
among other related TalkBass threads.
It does appear that Fender was making roundwound bass strings in the 1950s, but also making flatwound bass strings in the 1950s. It's unclear if the roundwound strings ever came stock on any instruments, or how much they were even used, but it certainly appears that they existed.
I'm well aware of all the TB content about the topic, and of that Gear Page thread. I've linked to the exact Instagram post linked there. However, the sole content in the IG post is the image and the one-liner+hashtag. The TGP post references further stuff by Foster, to be found in the comments. Thing is, I can't read them. That's why I asked if a member here can screenshot those comments.This was actually discussed some a few months ago. Not sure that anyone arrived at any super interesting conclusions, but it was discussed.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/what-strings-did-early-fender-basses-come-with.1608093/
which references:
Flat wound strings and vintage guitars.
among other related TalkBass threads.
It does appear that Fender was making roundwound bass strings in the 1950s, but also making flatwound bass strings in the 1950s. It's unclear if the roundwound strings ever came stock on any instruments, or how much they were even used, but it certainly appears that they existed.
I just bought a set of new-old stock vintage Fender flatwound strings I found on eBay.
They are called: Fender Studio Bass 980 M medium gauge, 34” scale, .050, .065, .080, .095.
Pack clearly reads “stainless steel”.
Hope they will produce a nice, clear vintage tone and they will develop less tension than the LaBella 760FL they are supposed to replace on my tired-neck jazz bass.
They are called: Fender Studio Bass 980 M medium gauge, 34” scale, .050, .065, .080, .095.
Pack clearly reads “stainless steel”.
Hope they will produce a nice, clear vintage tone and they will develop less tension than the LaBella 760FL they are supposed to replace on my tired-neck jazz bass.
Would you be able to post a pic of the packaging?
I remember seeing those in the stores when I was starting out....I'm showing my age...lol!
As the gauges are relatively close to each other, I'm going to be fascinated to hear your thoughts on how the individual strings feel. Especially the 95 E in comparison with the 50 G!
Your set was one of the ones listed in the old Ernie Ball pamphlet someone shared on TB recently:
I’ll report as soon as I receive them next week likely
I found this old post replying to a query about Fenders "Studio Bass" strings:
"They had both flatwound and roundwound Studio Bass strings. They were the stock strings on all Fender basses starting around early 1983 or so. The Vintage Series basses shipped with flats while all the others shipped with rounds. I kept the flats on my VS '62 P for about six months. That was a LONG time ago, but my recollection was that they were a nice full sounding flat with a definite note in them, and quite supple. Sort of like TI, but not as low-tension."
"They had both flatwound and roundwound Studio Bass strings. They were the stock strings on all Fender basses starting around early 1983 or so. The Vintage Series basses shipped with flats while all the others shipped with rounds. I kept the flats on my VS '62 P for about six months. That was a LONG time ago, but my recollection was that they were a nice full sounding flat with a definite note in them, and quite supple. Sort of like TI, but not as low-tension."
...It literally isn't! In that list, I mean.
The old No. 80 set (first appeared in the Mastersound Flatwound line in 1959) did have almost identical gauges, though.
The Ernie Ball String Gauge Guide, originally scanned and shared by @rick harper (besides stainless) and then enthusiastically spammed here and there by in this invaluable post of both, is from 1977.
@JTE's post
us
is about Fender Studio Bass roundwounds and flatwounds coming stock on Fender bass models, in or around 1983.However, at one point (June 1979 at the latest),
the 980M Studio Bass flats were Fender "Studio Bass" Strings. At least in the Sixties, the earlier No. 80/ No. 850 sets (at least in the Sixties) had been round-core, like basically all the competition back then.
Less expectedly, even the latest Mexican-made 9050 sets, right until their discontinuance in 2008, were still round-core (*nickel* (unlike Gianni's specific set), as well as hex-core) according to @hasbeen, who designed the following (2010-), hex-core versions.
Last edited:
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Oh blimey, had forgotten that reference numbers get reused for nonidentical products 
There must be a shortage of numbers to choose from. Anyway, oops, sorry.
There must be a shortage of numbers to choose from. Anyway, oops, sorry.
I remember that packaging! Takes me back to the 80s.
hasbeen
Commercial User
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correct sir
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There are two turns of solid core around the ball, as shown in the first couple pictures. I don't know if a two-thread rope qualifies as a rope, and, to the point, I don't know if there is actually a two-wire braiding along the length of the string (it may just be a double turn of core around the ball; or one loop of core, and one of underwinding, looking very similar to the core wire). Do you happen to have a three-quarter view of the broken string end in the last pic?
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