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Best Flats for String Through Body only Fender Jazz

#2
I have used the D'addario Chromes with very good results on my string through body only '97 Fender Precision. I have used the extra long scale and they work fine. One time I even used the reg. scale and trimed off some of the silk so the strings would clear the nut. The G.H.S. Precision flats also are a good string and you can get them in the 34-36 scale.
 
#4
In my experience D'addario Chromes are way too high-tension for my taste, almost like an upright. I also feel like the tension is going to damage bass, but many people like them so it's probably just me.

Thomastik Infeld Jazz flats are by far my favorite. They are a bit pricey (any flats are), but darn well worth it. In my fingers...they just feel...like butta. :D


edit: I forgot that the Chromes were heavy gauge. The guy at the store just grabbed the heavy gauge when I asked for Chromes, and at the time I thought they were the norm. Haha took me a while to remember that sorry.
 
#5
The D'addario flatwounds 100-45 are not high tension at all. They feel alot like the 105-50 roundwounds. D'addario does not offer an extra long flat in a heaver gauge than 100-45. Maybe next next to T.I. Jazz Flats they seem heavy but ,they are not. I find the D'addario's very flexable for a flatwound string.
 
#6
david fitch said:
The D'addario flatwounds 100-45 are not high tension at all. They feel alot like the 105-50 roundwounds. D'addario does not offer an extra long flat in a heaver gauge than 100-45. Maybe next next to T.I. Jazz Flats they seem heavy but ,they are not. I find the D'addario's very flexable for a flatwound string.
Click to expand...

+1 Chromes are medium tension strings. Fenders, on the other hand, are high tension!
 
#9
I've got a set of Chromes on a used G&L I picked up a few weeks ago. I assumed they were a little older since the bass was used and I didn't like them at all - a lot of fret noise, kind of bright for flats and some odd overtones. Fortunately I was patient with them and played them quite a bit over the last couple of weeks. Now they're sounding great, including the B string! I guess they must have been new?! I use GHS Precisions on my fretless and love them too, but I've never played them on a fretted bass. Tension between the two feels pretty similar to me.

edit: All right, apparently those "Chromes" are actually LaBella Flats. Just found that out with the help of some fellow TBers (thanks!) So, what I just said about Chromes actually applies to the LaBellas. Sorry!
 
#11
I have a set of chromes on my jazz, they sound nice and crisp with the tone all the way up, and some nice deep tones with it down, but in general i find them not mellow enough for my taste. They do however have a good medium tension to them (i believe they are regular light guage), not too lose but not too tight. If you want flats with some brightness in them, but not as bright as Brite flats, these would work for you. I'm not too big a fan of the feel of them (theyre steel), but they get a good medium sound. I would really like to use labella flats, but alas for some mysterious reason they are all labeled 'not for string through body'
 

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