Does anyone use flats on a Jazz bass?

[Ric5]

Does anyone use flats on a Jazz bass?

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That is against the law where I live ...

 

[Rockbobmel]

Does a spider want a fly?

 

[interp]

I play a 1962 Jazz strung with TI Jazz Flats.

 

[chuck norriss]

plain frozen yogurt?

 

[gjbassist]

Your bass sounds like albacore tuna?

 

[neckdive]

I have TI flats on my fretless Jazz.

 

[Jbassrockboy]

I have just ordered two sets of labella dtf 1954's

Happy to try them out now that I am all hung up on this string thing and as a person of enlightenment through TB....

I have read reviews that the 1954's are no good strung through the body

I also found this to be true with ti's

Can anyone on TB confirm this with regard the labella's ?

I also figure a heavier gauge set will be better for picking. I am concentrating on my pick tone and I am playing an Mia jazz bass

Can anyone comment from experience as to their experience with the 1954's as a string for pick style bass ?

Rossa

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

Me and... Bootsy Collins playing with James Brown...listen to Sex Machine again...pure flats on a Jazz!
Now, you might not realize that roundwound bass strings only appeared in the early 70's, before that guess what kind of strings everyone used on their Jazz Bass?

 

[Ronbassman]

I've never really thought about it. I might give it a try, but I don't want to ruin the already great sounding strings my Jazz bass has now....

You give me no other choice, I'll have to buy another Jazz bass just to try some flats on it!

 

[fretlessguy]

Mine sounded great with GHS P Flats. I just like the Pressurewounds even better.

 

[vin*tone]

No. Nobody. Ever.

 

[newbold]

I had to rip off the chromes and pop in a set of D'Addario Tapewound strings.

Now my bass sounds fantastic, not as muted, not as bleh. I like hearing flats on jazz basses when other people play them but they're too dead for me. I like the extra bloom I didn't get with chromes. but that I get with Tapes.

To each their own. I'll root for you guys though.

 

[tonym]

^

I love the Chromes on my J, but the D'Addario Tapewounds are fantastic! Keep almost becoming my standard string.

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

Why dont basses come stock with flats?

Until the late 70's they all came with flats then the 80's arrived with slappidy-slappida funk, bright pick-strummed PBasses, nasally Jaco Jazz Basses and all those novelty bass sounds for which you did need roundwounds.
I read somewhere that now flatwounds represent around 15% of all bass string sales. Although you really don't need to change them often. So after all that it seems that a majority of bassists still use roundwounds. It answers your question

 

[JimmyM]

Listen, any time someone tells you that you can't do something, give them the finger and try it anyway and make up your own mind about it. This whole "Flats on a P/rounds on a J" nonsense or anything in that vein is the sign of know-nothing nerds reading what someone else said on the internet.

 

[SasquatchDude]

Listen, any time someone tells you that you can't do something, give them the finger and try it anyway and make up your own mind about it. This whole "Flats on a P/rounds on a J" nonsense or anything in that vein is the sign of know-nothing nerds reading what someone else said on the internet.

No kidding?! I woulda thunk the only two tones acceptable on Fenders around here are Old School Motown Thump™ and Jaco Growl®.

 

[JimmyM]

Ya, Talkbass is full of people parroting what they saw on the internet or heard some semi-famous dude say.

 

[N.F.A.]

I use Labella Flats on my jazz. Any bass you hear, on records, before around 1966 or so had flats.

 

[ale29]

Flats on a J? Sure.
1 month old TI flats:
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Maybe it is an acquired taste, as I find flats pleasing on almost every bass (used them on a J, P, MM, even a "modern" kind of bass like a Mayones).
Playing on the G string with new rounds would seem like playing an electric guitar for me now.

 

[casbonano]

I just put chromes on my Jazz. As I said in a prior post, I’ve used chromes on other basses. Immediately I can tell they will give me exactly what I wanted with my Jazz- a nice mellow, round, full and warm tone.

however, immediately that Jazz “sizzle” is also diminished, which is saddening, but most things are trade off.