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Fender 9050L's on PBasses?

TC.65

TC.65

Dec 20, 2008
1,013
760
Carbondale IL
#1
Hey all I've read on here quite a bit about how good the 9050L's are on Jazz basses but haven't seen much about them on PBasses. So how are they on a Pbass? I tried a set a couple years ago on my Jazz bass and didn't like them at all! I know I didn't give them time to settle in cause I left them on for about 2 weeks and the traded the bass. So how do they sound on a Pbass?
Thanks for any and all replies.
 
#2
I was going to say I did not like them, but I forgot they went on my PJ and I played it this morning and it sounded pretty good. I just assumed they were the Chromes I have on everything else strung with flats. They did sound pretty wonky out of the bag and it took a while for them to settle, which must have just happened. The Chromes, for me anyways, do not have as dramatic of an issue and I can string them and feel good about going right to a gig.
 
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#3
TC.65 said:
I tried a set a couple years ago on my Jazz bass and didn't like them at all! I know I didn't give them time to settle in cause I left them on for about 2 weeks and the traded the bass. So how do they sound on a Pbass?
Click to expand...

When I tried a brand new set of 9050s on my P bass, I didn't like them because I thought they sounded too bright and even "clangy" for how I wanted my P bass to sound. So, after about 4 wks, I ended up moving them to my J bass and they sounded much better there. There is something about the midrange character of those flats that seem to work better with a J bass somehow.

Having said that, they probably wound have done okay on my P bass if I had kept them on there longer till they were broken in better. The 9050s do take a couple of months to lose that initial clangy brightness.
 
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#5
Bodeeni said:
I was going to say I did not like them, but I forgot they went on my PJ and I played it this morning and it sounded pretty good. I just assumed they were the Chromes I have on everything else strung with flats. They did sound pretty wonky out of the bag and it took a while for them to settle, which must have just happened. The Chromes, for me anyways, do not have as dramatic of an issue and I can string them and feel good about going right to a gig.
Click to expand...

I hear ya about the Chromes. I've got a set on my MIM 2011 PBass and have liked them very much from day one. I've had them for about 3 years now and they just keep getting better with time!
 
#6
TC.65 said:
I hear ya about the Chromes. I've got a set on my MIM 2011 PBass and have liked them very much from day one. I've had them for about 3 years now and they just keep getting better with time!
Click to expand...

The very first set of D'A Chromes (ECB84) I ever tried was on a 2006 MIM P bass, which my son played for the high school jazz band for 3 yrs. They sounded GREAT on that bass. So, when I got my 2008 Highway One Jazz, I put another set of Chromes (ECB84) on it. But they turned out to be just OK. That's when I decided to try the Fender 9050L and found them to be a better match for it.
 
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#7
michael_t said:
The very first set of D'A Chromes (ECB84) I ever tried was on a 2006 MIM P bass, which my son played for the high school jazz band for 3 yrs. They sounded GREAT on that bass. So, when I got my 2008 Highway One Jazz, I put another set of Chromes (ECB84) on it. But they turned out to be just OK. That's when I decided to try the Fender 9050L and found them to be a better match for it.
Click to expand...

Well I have come to the realization over the last few years that my basses pick the strings they like not me. I play only PBasses any more but they all have different pickups and strings so they have some tonal differences while still sounding like PBasses. I've tried but for some reason I just don't get along with Jazz basses. I'm about to put a set of the 9050's on my American Special PBass and see how they sound on it.
 
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#10
TC.65 said:
Hey all I've read on here quite a bit about how good the 9050L's are on Jazz basses but haven't seen much about them on PBasses. So how are they on a Pbass? I tried a set a couple years ago on my Jazz bass and didn't like them at all! I know I didn't give them time to settle in cause I left them on for about 2 weeks and the traded the bass. So how do they sound on a Pbass?
Thanks for any and all replies.
Click to expand...
Just an anecdote: a friend of mine, really talented bassist, had a set of Fender 9050L flatwounds (post-2010, of course), broken in (after the earliest, clangy phase) but still at the height of their growly-flat powers, on a Squier CV Precision with a Seymour-Duncan Quarter Pounder split-P pickup, and they barked like durrty bees on that one. In an extremely good way. So I feel like recommending them if one's P-bass is on the aggressive side.
 
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#11
HaphAsSard said:
Just an anecdote: a friend of mine, really talented bassist, had a set of Fender 9050L flatwounds (post-2010, of course), broken in (after the earliest, clangy phase) but still at the height of their growly-flat powers, on a Squier CV Precision with a Seymour-Duncan Quarter Pounder split-P pickup, and they barked like durrty bees on that one. In an extremely good way. So I feel like recommending them if one's P-bass is on the aggressive side.
Click to expand...

My 2011 PBass with the SD QP's wears the Chromes and really likes them. I'm putting the 9050's on my American Special PBass with the Fender PV 63 pickup. I'll see how that combo pairs up.
 
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#12
I've got 9050L on my '63 P reissue. They were included with the case candy. I really dig 'em. I like that they have more mids than the LaBella 760FL I was using before I got this bass. The break in period seemingly took forever but I think they're my favorite strings when fully broken in. I love they way they feel. Not too loose, not too stiff. Just perfect, I think. There's tons of flats I've never tried, but my reference point is LaBella 760FL, 760FS, TI Jazz Flats, Chromes ECB81, and Optima RB4440.
 
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#13
I had some on a Tele Bass I built a few years ago. I thought they were pretty solid. I was really surprised by them the first time I played with others. Solid strings, and they do change pretty drastically for the better. Don’t discount Pyramid!
 
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#15
I have the M's on my BB5000, I love them - using the P pickup only, move close to the neck and they get uprighty, move in front of the pickup and they get Motowny move behind and they bark like a PO'd terrier. Dig in and they really bark, play with the side of the finger and they get smooth as butter. I love to get all Rocco with them - clear 16ths well defined and still good fundamental. I think they have more mids and useful mids... articulate strings
 
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#16
Well I put them on my PBass a while ago and so far I'm really liking them! Just played them a few minutes but they sound much better from what I remember when I had them on the Jazz bass. Will let them settle overnight and see if I need to tweak the truss rod or action. I do have a question tho. The silk is on the saddle only on the E string. Is this a problem? Do I need to try to cut it back or is it fine as is? Thanks for any help on this as I've never had this happen before.
 
#17
TC.65 said:
Well I put them on my PBass a while ago and so far I'm really liking them! Just played them a few minutes but they sound much better from what I remember when I had them on the Jazz bass. Will let them settle overnight and see if I need to tweak the truss rod or action. I do have a question tho. The silk is on the saddle only on the E string. Is this a problem? Do I need to try to cut it back or is it fine as is? Thanks for any help on this as I've never had this happen before.
Click to expand...
The silk is on the saddle for at least one of the strings on my bass (bridge cover, can't remember which) and it isn't a problem at all. The intonation has stayed perfect for 28 months now.
 
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#18
'78 P-Bass 1.JPG I had 9050L's on my '78 P-Bass for several years. This picture was taken shortly before I took them off the bass; which is why the bridge cover/mute is also off. I have to say right up front: Fender 9050's are VERY nice flats. If you need your P-Bass to be versatile, and you want a modern flat with decent highs; a good bottom end; and super mids? Then, IMO these strings are for you. The only reason the 9050's came off this bass is because I have 22 others; the last thing I need from most of them is versatility. What I want from my P-Bass is Old School Rock/Rockabilly/Motown thump; and, IMO, that's about the one thing 9050's on a P-Bass don't do really well. So, the P-Bass wears flats that do give me the thump I want; and, as for that set of 9050s?
Eastwood Magnum.jpg They're on my Eastwood Magnum bass - lookin' good, and, with mini humbuckers, sounding even better... DC-59 2.JPG One of my Dano DC59 Pros wears them, too. On a plywood/Masonite semi-hollow bodied bass? Fender 9050's can thump with the best of them...:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
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