70s fender precision basses with factory flats

[Bass4ThePublic]

Roundwounds didn't really become popular until the '80s. The '70s were still mostly (not exclusively) flats.

Not that I was there… but if you look at amp development and string development throughout the 1970’s you can see that most of the influential bassists were playing roto 66 rounds, as the trend was to make your bass guitar as trebly as possible. I’ve also spent a lot of time simply talking to people who were there. Yeah flats were popular especially to a lot of country guys but every single one of them mentioned rotosound rounds as being very prominent back then.

But again… I wasn’t there…

 

[brianrost]

Roundwounds didn't really become popular until the '80s.

In which universe was this true?

 

[wolfkeller]

Alot of back and forth on this. I'd be most interesting in guys who where playing out in that era and were plugged into the scene they played in as opposed to guys who just played at home or didn't live through that. I was born in 73 so I have no idea but 20 years from now I could tell someone what the trends and common things were in 24

 

[Pier_]

Dee Dee Ramone played flats.

I'm not sure about it, I've always thought so, but some time ago I saw the pictures of a P belonged to Dee Dee, claimed to have the strings he used, and they looked like Roto Swing66, and somewhere I red that he used them.

however, Nevermind The Bollocks by Sex Pistols is recorded with Rotosound Jazz 77, as for Seventeen Seconds by The Cure.

 

[wolfkeller]

I'm not sure about it, I've always thought so, but some time ago I saw the pictures of a P belonged to Dee Dee, claimed to have the strings he used, and they looked like Roto Swing66, and somewhere I red that he used them.

however, Nevermind The Bollocks by Sex Pistols is recorded with Rotosound Jazz 77, as for Seventeen Seconds by The Cure.

Where did you come about that information about the sex pistols?

 

[deff]

Alot of back and forth on this. I'd be most interesting in guys who where playing out in that era and were plugged into the scene they played in as opposed to guys who just played at home or didn't live through that. I was born in 73 so I have no idea but 20 years from now I could tell someone what the trends and common things were in 24

I was born in 64 so first strtaed playing in punk bands in the late 70's early 80's. I think you have to look at this on a case by case basis. I was for the most part using Rotosounds but I was trying to sound like this or Rainey from Discharge



Not like this... which is probably flats. I bet so much of what you hear on early records is just people playing straight into the board on dead strings. Half the time it wouldn't make any difference if it was flats or rounds.

 

[wolfkeller]

I was born in 64 so first strtaed playing in punk bands in the late 70's early 80's. I think you have to look at this on a case by case basis. I was for the most part using Rotosounds but I was trying to sound like this or Rainey from Discharge



Not like this... which is probably flats. I bet so much of what you hear on early records is just people playing straight into the board on dead strings. Half the time it wouldn't make any difference if it was flats or rounds.

I didn't know that guys recorded direct back then. And yeah, a dead set of strings run DI would definitely sound like that

 

[Boneless]

In which universe was this true?

In the same universe where flats are not the most popular string nowadays, although judging by a lot of en vogue music and "forum trends" you would think that flats are the new normal. In the '70s, flats still *were* the norm. I specifically said that it wasn't exclusively flats, and there certainly was a trend towards brighter bass, but it really kicked in at the tail end of the '70s. Punk rock would have been played on whatever was commonplace at the time, and I wouldn't exclude basses with a hodgepodge of strings (break one, replace it with whatever).

 

[Pier_]

Where did you come about that information about the sex pistols?

first of all the Rotosound website that mentions "Nevermind the Bollocks" as recorded with the Jazz77, and then I red about Glen Matlock using flats.

Jazz Bass 77 Standard | 45-105 • Rotosound Music Strings

Monel Flatwound Electric Bass Guitar Strings (45 65 80 105)

www.rotosound.com

 

[wolfkeller]

first of all the Rotosound website that mentions "Nevermind the Bollocks" as recorded with the Jazz77, and then I red about Glen Matlock using flats.

Jazz Bass 77 Standard | 45-105 • Rotosound Music Strings

Monel Flatwound Electric Bass Guitar Strings (45 65 80 105)

www.rotosound.com

Ok, gotcha. Glenn didn't record it though, Steve Jones did bass tracks far as I know.

 

[klejst]

Great stuff and tone! It's amazing how many players actually do use flats and still get that great punch.

 

[Engle]

I was born in 64 so first strtaed playing in punk bands in the late 70's early 80's. I think you have to look at this on a case by case basis. I was for the most part using Rotosounds but I was trying to sound like this or Rainey from Discharge



Not like this... which is probably flats. I bet so much of what you hear on early records is just people playing straight into the board on dead strings. Half the time it wouldn't make any difference if it was flats or rounds.

Same here - born in 64 and played hardcore in the early 80's. In my case I managed to get an Aria Pro II SB600. I was using Rotosound RS66 and Bass Boomers IIRC, going for more of a Klaus Flouride tone.
I managed to save some audio and put it here:

unknownfibres

Listen to unknownfibres | SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.

soundcloud.com

 

[Pier_]

Ok, gotcha. Glenn didn't record it though, Steve Jones did bass tracks far as I know.

the tracks that came out as singles were recorded by Glen, the others on the album by Jones

 

[wolfkeller]

the tracks that came out as singles were recorded by Glen, the others on the album by Jones

Really? I've never heard this.

 

[Pier_]

Really? I've never heard this.

I guess that it's one of those informations that we can't take for sure 100%. it seems that Anarchy In the UK is the only one that's surely recorded by Matlock. however, listening to the full album, is clearly noticeable that some tracks "sound better" then others, in terms of recording quality.
I red somewhere that those released as singles were recorded when Matlock was still in the band, the rest is recorded by Jones and the studio director at the time.

 

[oren]

I was playing actively in the mid ‘70s, using rounds exclusively. I usually used Boomers, sometimes Rotos or Dean Markley, including playing in some late 70s punk. This was me recorded in 78 or 79 on a 78 P bass (which I still have) with Boomers.

 

[wolfkeller]

I was playing actively in the mid ‘70s, using rounds exclusively. I usually used Boomers, sometimes Rotos or Dean Markley, including playing in some late 70s punk. This was me recorded in 78 or 79 on a 78 P bass (which I still have) with Boomers.

Very cool

 

[devnulljp]

I have just found out some of my favorite Punk records were recorded on Rickenbacker basses
The Clash...The Jam , first few albums and singles

And Bruce Foxton's Rickenbacker was an Ibanez in the early days.

He still sounds like himself on a PBass though

 

[bobalu]

It's so strange to think that it was like that being that all I know is rounds. Its like only knowing streaming music and never having owned a record or cassette or cd

................. or 8 track!

 

[REV]

In my punk days I was really into a band called the Rezillos. The bass players name was Mysterious. He had a great tone that I always wanted to cop but never did. (I was using rounds at the time.) Many years later I was in this music store and they had a bass that had flatwounds on it and for a laugh I tried it out and there was the sound I had been looking for for so many years. I started switch most of my basses to flats after that. I still don't sound like Mysterious but I really like using flatwounds.