Best flats for a P poll

[keith1r]

GHS flats are like a well worn set of La Bella’s. Rotosounds are bright. Chromes and Fenders are almost the same

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

TI JF344 for me ... best of the best ..

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

OP: "Looking for smooth feel, not too stiff, not too dull, even output across the set."
Those are the reasons that I use the Dunlops. Great sustain too and flexibility

Flexibility? What? Dunlop? Nah ... definitely not their best property

 

[Deleted member 165050]

While deciding on alternatives I thought I'd give TIJFs another try... I happened to have a spare 364 set which are on the P now. Different gauges to the 344 with heavier G D and A but lighter E. Apart from the E having metal wound round the post they fit pretty well and seem more balanced than a 344 set on this bass and the E is way less boomy. I shall give them a good try tonight.

I'm intrigued by the small but keen following for Dunlops, I may well have to try a set...

 

[Killing Floor]

Hahaha my fretted Ps have TI and my fretless Ps have LaBella because it’s like the tension on fretless. No wrong answer.
Was this just a reason to post that beautiful bass?

 

[Mastermold]

I have 5 P basses all strung with flats as follows:

• ‘64 P with LaBella 760FL
• ‘64 P with D’Addario Chromes
• ‘74 P with D’Addario Chromes
• ‘83 P with Fender 9050s
• ‘08 P with TI flats

The ‘74 came with the Chromes and they sounded great so I never changed them. The others have all worn different strings of various types and they seemed to pick the ones that are on them now. It’s a good illustration of how much variation there can be among different basses of the same kind.

 

[Phaidrus]

Flexibility? What? Dunlop? Nah ... definitely not their best property

I find them quite flexible for flats, certainly more flexible than Fenders, Pyramids and DRs. Lower tension too.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I know this has been done a bazillion times before but it's always good to get a fresh perspective... best flats for a P (that's Precision) not just best flats, but best specifically for a P.

Reason being, I'm looking for some flats for my P and I'm not liking TIs or La Bella LTFs on it. Looking for smooth feel, not too stiff, not too dull, even output across the set.

I will add any suggestions to the list as I see them...

Question:
Are the flats going on the above bass?

 

[Deleted member 165050]

Hahaha my fretted Ps have TI and my fretless Ps have LaBella because it’s like the tension on fretless. No wrong answer.
Was this just a reason to post that beautiful bass?

Actually no I just got it back from the luthier sorting the fingerboard so it's my current favourite and although I love the look of those black tapewounds I feel it deserves better.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

Question:
Are the flats going on the above bass?

Yes! The only P I own at the moment.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Yes! The only P I own at the moment.

Ok, that changes things for my vote
And you're not digging the tapes?

 

[jmattbassplaya]

I’ve used a few different flats over the years and here are my personal thoughts on the matter:

TI’s - very middy and loose tension-wise. Not the most inspiring sounding solo, but they shine in a mix.

Chromes - I’ve used their light gauge a few times and think they feel nice. They sound great solo, but I always find the E string getting lost in a mix.

Pyramid Gold’s - not bad. Very “Macca” sounding on violin basses. Tension is sort of middle of the road in a good way.

Labella LTF - a bit more tension than the TI’s in a good way. They have that thump and warmth that I look for while also being present in a mix.

I still want to give GHS flats a go. They sound nice in a lot of demos.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Yes! The only P I own at the moment.

Okay, so for me on that bass, if you're not digging
the tapes, maybe I'd do in no particular order, TI flats, Pyramid Gold, maybe the Roto 77 but that's starting to get into a heaver string, not a direction I'd go on that bass, but that's just me

If you wanna go all Jaco, Mark Egan on it, get some rounds

I've used both on my fretless P.

PS I wrote this before I saw the above post of yours.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

Ok, that changes things for my vote
And you're not digging the tapes?

Love the look but uneven output with a boomy E and a weak G. A little dull. I'm being picky though, I could live with the tapewounds but just want better.

 

[ShawnG]

I am VERY happy with the Sadowsky Blue Label flats I’ve got in my G&L USA LB-100.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I’ve used a few different flats over the years and here are my personal thoughts on the matter:

TI’s - very middy and loose tension-wise. Not the most inspiring sounding solo, but they shine in a mix.

Chromes - I’ve used their light gauge a few times and think they feel nice. They sound great solo, but I always find the E string getting lost in a mix.

Pyramid Gold’s - not bad. Very “Macca” sounding on violin basses. Tension is sort of middle of the road in a good way.

Labella LTF - a bit more tension than the TI’s in a good way. They have that thump and warmth that I look for while also being present in a mix.

I still want to give GHS flats a go. They sound nice in a lot of demos.

I've been using the La Bella Jamerson flats on my fretted P for a year or two now, I like them but not for everything. I think the lite gauge Labella's might be good for your bass.

 

[Robscott]

Get the cheapest. Nobody except you will know the difference

 

[DCCat]

Love the look but uneven output with a boomy E and a weak G. A little dull. I'm being picky though, I could live with the tapewounds but just want better.

I'm curious, which tapes are on there now? Labellas or D'Adds, maybe? I did a pretty thorough survey of tapes for various basses last year, including a pretted P and a fretless J, and I came away pretty impressed with the GHS tapes. They're the only ones with flats under the wrap (on the lower 3 strings), but they're brighter than GHS P-flats for some reason. Well-balanced, despite the fact that the G is roundwound, and stiffer than other 50-105 tapes. Nice textured feel, as well -- not quite as nice as the D'Adds or especially the Pyramids, but nicer than most. I'd recommend the Pyramids except that they do have a boomy (or at least powerful) E.

 

[Freekmagnet]

I’ll re-post my flatwound rundown. I haven’t tried a lot of flatwounds, but here’s what I have tried.

I've tried a few different flatwounds, and here's my little rundown:

GHS Precision Flats are a pretty good middle-of-the-road flatwound string. They sound good out of the pack, the tension is about right, and they're relatively inexpensive. My only problem with them is that I've noticed that the frets wear grooves into the string and from that point on the notes never carry very well.

D'Addarrio Chromes are about as bright and clanky-sounding as dropping an open cymbal case down a flight of stairs. I don't even know why they call them flats because they sound like rounds. A lot of guys say, "oh they mellow out after 6 months of steady playing." I say, "bosh." Why wait for a string to sound good when you can get strings that sound great out of the pack?

I will say that unlike most of the strings mentioned in this thread, Chromes are among the few flats you can reliably purchase at Guitar Center. To me, that would largely explain their popularity.

Thomastik-Infeld Flats sound great, but the wet spaghetti noodle vibe is a straight-up buzzkill. I'll refrain from making any jokes about TI's being flaccid. Plus, they're like $70 a pack.

LaBella DTF 760FS are great strings. Classic sound, nice slight scoop in the midrange, bumping bass and highs. My only problem with them is that the tension is a wrist killer. Once I started getting old and having issues with cramping, I couldn't hang with LaBella 760FS any more, Jamerson or no Jamerson. They sound great out of the pack and sound better and better with age.

The Sadowski Black Label Flats were my favorite string of all time. Same basic tone as the LaBella 760FS (BL's were made by LaBella) but without the killer tension. They had a little more mids, which was nice. They only problem is that they don't make them any more, and it is unclear as to weather or not the Blue Label Flats are a suitable direct replacement. I've heard conflicting reports.

Which brings me to the LaBella DTF 760FL. This is the 104 version of the 760FS. Normally, I'm a 105 kind of guy, and I don't want the lighter strings. They were out of the 760FS's at my local bass store, so I bought the 760FL's out of desperation. As it turns out, they sound great. Very similar to the 760FS, but with a tad more mids. And, as an added bonus, the 760FL's don't have the killer tension that the 760FS's have. In fact, I'd say that the tension is maybe slightly, but not significantly lighter than the GHS strings. I barely notice the difference between the 104 and 105 gauge, but may be because the 760FLs are largely fulfilling my flatwound needs in all the other departments.

 

[oren]

I have ten year old TIs on my 78 Precision, and newish Fender 9050s on my PJ. I like them both. The TIs are very well-balanced in tone, while the Fenders are quite aggressive in the mids, but take well to having the tone rolled off.