First impression - these have to be the stiffest strings I've ever tried. So far it's easier for me to play an upright than to play these flatwounds. But I will persevere.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
FENDER 9050CL FLATS NOW AVAILABLE AT JUST STRINGS!
- Thread starter iiipopes
- Start date
Well my 9050-5Ms arrived yesterday so I whacked them on my 35" Schecter with a top loading bridge, and they fit perfectly. The silks start about 10mm behind the nut.
It's a 3+2 and I reckon they'd fit on a 4+1. I trimmed the longest (A).
I have 9050-Ls on a fretless and maybe I'm used to the broken in feel, but I think the 5Ms are rougher and stickier. They're fairly bright and have decent sustain. The B string is nice and clear. The tension seems consistent across the strings and not too tight overall, but I'm tuned down to Bb atm. I'll tune up to B for the weekend jam and see how they feel then.
There was a kink near the bridge on a couple of strings from the way they were packaged, but it doesn't have a noteable affect on the sound.
They replace some Circle Ks which have a fuller sound and more sustain (even after four months), but I'll break the Fenders in and see how they go. I'm looking forward to the reduced string noise over rounds (this is the only reason I got them).
It's a 3+2 and I reckon they'd fit on a 4+1. I trimmed the longest (A).
I have 9050-Ls on a fretless and maybe I'm used to the broken in feel, but I think the 5Ms are rougher and stickier. They're fairly bright and have decent sustain. The B string is nice and clear. The tension seems consistent across the strings and not too tight overall, but I'm tuned down to Bb atm. I'll tune up to B for the weekend jam and see how they feel then.
There was a kink near the bridge on a couple of strings from the way they were packaged, but it doesn't have a noteable affect on the sound.
They replace some Circle Ks which have a fuller sound and more sustain (even after four months), but I'll break the Fenders in and see how they go. I'm looking forward to the reduced string noise over rounds (this is the only reason I got them).
Wipe this suckers off after you're finished playing - I did two gigs this weekend and forgot to mop up, now there's some nice brown stains forming!
Ok, so I ordered a 5-string set for my P5, and I have some mixed feelings.
On one hand, the tone is awesome. These strings sound great! Not too trebley, not to muddy, just right. The balance from string to string was nice to, and the B strings was very tight and powerful, even for a .125.
The bad: Tension was high. Yeah, I'm a TI guy, so I ordered the light gauge, but they are still really tight. They also had to be the roughest feeling feeling flats I've ever played. Even my KS Slickrounds were smoother than these.
Verdict: The TIs are back on. The Fenders sound great, just couldn't get past the feel.
On one hand, the tone is awesome. These strings sound great! Not too trebley, not to muddy, just right. The balance from string to string was nice to, and the B strings was very tight and powerful, even for a .125.
The bad: Tension was high. Yeah, I'm a TI guy, so I ordered the light gauge, but they are still really tight. They also had to be the roughest feeling feeling flats I've ever played. Even my KS Slickrounds were smoother than these.
Verdict: The TIs are back on. The Fenders sound great, just couldn't get past the feel.
I'd give these new Fender strings a try. I'm pretty partial though to GHS Precision flats. I also like Pyramid Gold and Thomastik flats. I'd like the fender strings if they have more of an old school thump; something less bright.
Based on my experience you won't like the new Fenders. I like them on my Jazz because they are somewhat bright. Not like the GHS or TIs at all.
^^^^^^ thanks for your two cents. It's hard to know because I hear conflicting things about the Fender flats. It really comes down to someone having to try them out for themselves because many people have a different idea of what mellow or bright is exactly.
I see a lot of people making comments that seem to be confusing on this thread ... this thread is about the new 9050 "CL", Fender flat, which although I have not tried is supposed to be much more like Chromes (??), which I do use ... I think I am seeing quite a few comment on 9050 "L" and "M" ??
If someone who has tried the "CL" and also the "L" and "M" can comment on this it would be appreciated, and could maybe be helpful to clear up the confusion ??
If someone who has tried the "CL" and also the "L" and "M" can comment on this it would be appreciated, and could maybe be helpful to clear up the confusion ??
Sometimes we just have to feed our own knowledge base by spending the money and trying things out for ourselves. It's a good thing.
I have been running a set of 9050-5L for about 6 weeks on my 2008 Fender American Standard Jazz V. I am a fan. I get a growly articulate sound that seems to just work. I was not as happy with the B string when I tried them on my P5, but on the jazz I like it a lot.
To answer my own question, I did some research. It seems the flats are not available as singles, or at least yet. This leaves those wanting singles, especially a B single, to go with GHS flat singles, as they have the nearest alloy to the Fenders.
Has anybody compared these new Fenders to the LaBella 760FL (43-104) flats? I really like the feel of the LaBellas.
The Fenders are smoother feeling than the LaBellas. The tone is a bit less "crisp" and also less "muddy" (the LaBellas have a lot of striking mids going, where the Fenders are flatter response). That's my two cents at least.
To me, the Fenders are more growly and a little less thumpy. I found the Fenders to be more Balanced. On my Fender Jazz V, I also thought the B spoke better with the Fender set.
Ok, I put a set of the CL on my '91 51P. Holy crackers, these things sound almost like Fat Beams. They have that "raw edge" odd harmonic thing (to my ears). The tension is perfect for my rock world.
I had the tone control halfway down and the engineer still commented on how very bright they were when we talked afterwards.
Love the price, love the feel, so far they sound wrong for me. I'll give em a couple weeks to settle down and hope for the best. I really wanted to love these strings.
I've broken two Pyramids in less than a year on different basses so not terribly excited about them in terms of an ongoing relationship. All I want is TIs with a bit more tension.
I had the tone control halfway down and the engineer still commented on how very bright they were when we talked afterwards.
Love the price, love the feel, so far they sound wrong for me. I'll give em a couple weeks to settle down and hope for the best. I really wanted to love these strings.
I've broken two Pyramids in less than a year on different basses so not terribly excited about them in terms of an ongoing relationship. All I want is TIs with a bit more tension.
I bought a few sets but have not tried them yet. My CS 55 is wearing 4 year old 9050M strings (stock strings at the time) and I suspect they'll stay on another 4 years at least, so I'm still trying to decide what other bass to put the new strings on.
Then you might want to check out the new Optima strings, which are made by the same company that used to make the famous Maxima strings back in the 1960's.
