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Fender 9050L's on PBasses?

#44
I have 9050s on my P-bass and they're my favorite flatwound by far. They feel great under my fingers- more flexible than LaBellas and less grabby than GHS- and they don't have the low-E issues or the metallic clank of Chromes. To me they sound exactly like a bass ought to sound- they'll bark if you dig in and they sound fat and smooth when you're playing light.
 
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#46
Well I've put some play time in on the 9050's and they sound and feel really good. They aren't overly bright and have more growl than I expected. They are definitely different than the Chromes and TI's on my other basses and that's a good thing! This set does seem to be more stiff than the set I tried a few years back yet they're very comfortable to play. I'm liking them really well so far. Maybe it was the Jazz bass that I really didn't like more than the strings themselves. They may be a pretty versatile string set.
 
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#48
Yahboy said:
There are different voice between 9050L (45-100) Vs 9050M (55-105).
The 9050L has more modern tone and better MID voice present compare to more woody and full body tone 9050M.
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I really dig the 9050L's on both a P and a J. What's the tension/stiffness like on the 9050M vs the 9050L?
 
#50
hasbeen said:
I was basically looking for a string though that had more flexibility and more definition than old-school flats. I went back and forth with prototype after prototype and was basically having them reduce the diameter of the core wire to get the right flexibility. That also gave them a fatter tone.

Full disclosure: I was really the exact opposite of a flat string guy. I came up in the 70's playing fusion and funk. I always thought flats sounded too thumpy and I was never a "meat and potatoes" bass player. This made me want a flatwound that was warm and fat, but still articulate enough.
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Sounds intriguing and I will order a set for my Pbass right away! Could you please give any information on their tension?
 
#51
Phaidrus said:
Sounds intriguing and I will order a set for my Pbass right away! Could you please give any information on their tension?
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Apologies, but I don't remember. First off, it was quite some time ago. Secondly, I've never been concerned about the tension of a string when playing them or designing them. I cared a great deal about stiffness vs. flexibility, but not tension.
 
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#52
hasbeen said:
Apologies, but I don't remember. First off, it was quite some time ago. Secondly, I've never been concerned about the tension of a string when playing them or designing them. I cared a great deal about stiffness vs. flexibility, but not tension.
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Thanks for replying. Sure, tension and feel are two different although perhaps related things. Be that as it may, I've ordered a 9050L set, it arrived yesterday, I strung one of my two Pbasses with it and I really like the sound. I do hear - at least I think I do - the qualities you tried to include in the redesigned Fender flatwound strings, as mentioned in your old post. Comfortable feel/stiffness, deep round but not muddy tone with a bit of bounce (namely not a flat thud/thump but a more 3-dimensional sound) and good definition. Tone, output/volume, and feel (in the sense of stiffness) is very balanced between the strings. Actual tension must be rather low too, roughly like a roundwound set of equivalent gauges (46-60-80-100). Very pleased with the strings, which will only get better with time, I suppose. And I really like the green silks!
 
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#53
Phaidrus said:
Thanks for replying. Sure, tension and feel are two different although perhaps related things. Be that as it may, I've ordered a 9050L set, it arrived yesterday, I strung one of my two Pbasses with it and I really like the sound. I do hear - at least I think I do - the qualities you tried to include in the redesigned Fender flatwound strings, as mentioned in your old post. Comfortable feel/stiffness, deep round but not muddy tone with a bit of bounce (namely not a flat thud/thump but a more 3-dimensional sound) and good definition. Tone, output/volume, and feel (in the sense of stiffness) is very balanced between the strings. Actual tension must be rather low too, roughly like a roundwound set of equivalent gauges (46-60-80-100). Very pleased with the strings, which will only get better with time, I suppose. And I really like the green silks!
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They take a bit of time to break in, more than a few weeks.
 
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#55
Phaidrus said:
Thanks for replying. Sure, tension and feel are two different although perhaps related things. Be that as it may, I've ordered a 9050L set, it arrived yesterday, I strung one of my two Pbasses with it and I really like the sound. I do hear - at least I think I do - the qualities you tried to include in the redesigned Fender flatwound strings, as mentioned in your old post. Comfortable feel/stiffness, deep round but not muddy tone with a bit of bounce (namely not a flat thud/thump but a more 3-dimensional sound) and good definition. Tone, output/volume, and feel (in the sense of stiffness) is very balanced between the strings. Actual tension must be rather low too, roughly like a roundwound set of equivalent gauges (46-60-80-100). Very pleased with the strings, which will only get better with time, I suppose. And I really like the green silks!
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Yes, with gigging about once a month, band rehearsal about once a month, and a couple hours per week of personal woodshedding, they will take as much as a few months to a year to settle in. Obviously, quicker if the schedule is more frequent.
 
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#60
iiipopes said:
Here's the deal with 9050's: they do have growl. They are not your father's round, woody tone flats. Whether they will work on any given bass depends entirely on the resonance of the body of the bass. I have tried them on everything: maple, ash, asian mahogany, alder. To my ears, they work best on a neutral alder body with a bolt on neck, rosewood fingerboard. A bass of these characteristics tends to have a slight dip in the natural resonance of the instrument @ 400 Hz, which gives clarity and definition to the 9050's. Maple overworks the growl; ash and mahogany have tonal signatures that do not seem to be compatible with the 9050's: ash, again to my ears, seems to draw the life out of them, and asian mahogany, having a different midrange resonance, makes them sound nasal to me.

Your mileage may vary. Rock on.
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Flats with growl? That makes it interesting!:thumbsup:

Poplar is supposed to be tonally similar to alder and laurel to rosewood isn’t it?
 

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