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Bought my first five string and need flatwound strings

edbnuts

edbnuts

Feb 5, 2012
49
24
Massachusetts
#1
Hello,
On my four strings basses I've either used Fender 9050 or the Chromes ECB82. I'm looking for flatwounds for my Squier five string, and the roundwound gauges on it now are 45-125. Fender does not make a five string set and the Chromes ECB81-5 are 45-132. It's the 132 I'm concerned with. Looking at other options, I found ghs Precision Flats m3050-5 (45-126) and the Brite Flats m3075-5 (49-129). I'm leaning Precision Flats but the Brite Flats' tone description sounds like something I'd be interested in. If I replace the 125 with Brite Flats 129 or Chromes 132 will I risk damaging the nut?

Thanks
 
#2
edbnuts said:
If I replace the 125 with Brite Flats 129 or Chromes 132 will I risk damaging the nut?
Click to expand...
I don't think so. Most 5-string basses can take .130 or even .135 for the B with no issues.

If you you like the tonal quality of the Fender 9050, I would suggest the Ernie Ball Stainless Steel Flats (45-65-80-100-130) for something "semi-modern". GHS Precision Flats are more "old-school" and very different from the Fender 9050.

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#7
Wfrance3 said:
I like my Labella LTFs I play 4 and 5 and have those on both. I know, not very imaginative...
I did just become aware of these:
Not sure how long they've been around but wanted to put it out there.
From what I heard on the video I watched, they seem to be modern string with vintage leanings..
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LTF-5a's play really nice to me, and sound great on my LTD B205FL.

Side note - they were the only flats I could easily find where the B string would fit through the hole in the bridge. The EB 2810's would not get through - nothing bigger than the stock .125 round was going to work. So unfortunately I don't have an option on how they feel or sound, but I do have an unused set in my "spare bass stuff" box.
 
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#9
Nah, you won’t hurt anything but a dramatic change in gauge may require a full set up, which may include adjusting the nut depths. Enjoy!

PS If you’re looking for bright flats, checkout EB Cobalts. For mellower vibes, DR Legend are great. I’ve also really enjoyed GHS Pressurewound for flavors in between flat and round.
 
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#10
edbnuts said:
Hello,
On my four strings basses I've either used Fender 9050 or the Chromes ECB82. I'm looking for flatwounds for my Squier five string, and the roundwound gauges on it now are 45-125. Fender does not make a five string set and the Chromes ECB81-5 are 45-132. It's the 132 I'm concerned with. Looking at other options, I found ghs Precision Flats m3050-5 (45-126) and the Brite Flats m3075-5 (49-129). I'm leaning Precision Flats but the Brite Flats' tone description sounds like something I'd be interested in. If I replace the 125 with Brite Flats 129 or Chromes 132 will I risk damaging the nut?

Thanks
Click to expand...
You won't damage the nut if it doesn't quite fit unless you try to force it in. Most likely it'll fit though without issue as nuts are usually not form-fit tightly to each string, and if not you can easily file the nut slot out lightly to get there- an old round wound string in a similar or slightly larger gauge can be a decent file for this purpose if you don't own actual nut files (just takes a bit longer). Just file the top of the slot until the new string will sit on the bottom and don't make the slot deeper (which would potentially cause issues).

Agreed with the above that the Precision flats are mellower than either the Fender or Chromes flats (and LaBella DTF flats are as well), and Brite Flats aren't true flats (though you might like them, personally I found them pretty uninspiring and lacking qualities I prefer from either flats or rounds). EB Slinky/Cobalt flats are nice if you want a true flat with a brighter tone though their B string is .130.
 
#11
Lighter or heavier gauge B-string will depend very much on personal taste/technique and what kind of music you play. There will usually be compromises either way. The B-string will always be struggling with the laws of physics. GENERALLY a lighter gauge B-string will be too floppy for some players, while a heavier gauge G-string can have issues with "out of tune" overtones in higher frets. The best way to find out what works for you out is to try a couple of different sets yourself.

The GHS Brite Flats that you seem to be interested in are very unique strings. Most bass players seem to hate them. I hated them at first too. Out of the box they are stiff, unarticulate, they have a "sticky" feel and (IMO) a very poor tone with clanky highs that seemed kinda disconnected from the mids/lows. But I kept them on a bass for a couple of years and played them from time to time. Suddenly I realized that I actually liked them. A lot! The stickyness disappeared relatively fast. The tone mellowed out over time into a very unique "dry" tone. This will probably happen a LOT faster if you play them more regularly than I did. When I try to describe them I always think of that characteristic "dry", mellow 70s slap tone (before everyone started using a much brighter tone for slap). They're not my favorite strings, and I expect they will be very hit-or-miss for most players, but I'm actually surprised by how much better I like them after they mellowed out. The stiffness is still there, but this means they can handle a very low action. In fact, they NEED a lower action than most strings to be playable IMO. They're a bit like Roto 77 flats in that respect (but tonally completely different). But the GHS Brite Flats aren't flatwounds. They're groundwounds, so don't expect them to sound or respond dynamically like flats.
 
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#13
edbnuts said:
Hello,
On my four strings basses I've either used Fender 9050 or the Chromes ECB82. I'm looking for flatwounds for my Squier five string, and the roundwound gauges on it now are 45-125. Fender does not make a five string set and the Chromes ECB81-5 are 45-132. It's the 132 I'm concerned with. Looking at other options, I found ghs Precision Flats m3050-5 (45-126) and the Brite Flats m3075-5 (49-129). I'm leaning Precision Flats but the Brite Flats' tone description sounds like something I'd be interested in. If I replace the 125 with Brite Flats 129 or Chromes 132 will I risk damaging the nut?

Thanks
Click to expand...

If you need juicy crisp flatwound sound, can't go wrong with EB 2816 !
 
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#15
Depends on the vibe you're going for. Strings like LaBella Olinto flats or "Jamerson" flats have more of that old Motown vibe where Chromes are the "I hate flats" flats. They have a brighter character. I use Chromes on one of my 5ers.
 

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