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Fender bass guys with flats, string through the body or bridge?

#41
Killing Floor said:
Was hoping for "El Kabong" brawl story but that's still remarkable nothing else got damaged.
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Sorry, wish the story was more adventurous. If it was a brawl I'm sure the bass would end up in much better shape than me.:roflmao:

And back to the thread theme, remember for the 1st 6 years of it's existence flat wounds & a string thru bridge was the ONLY P bass option.
 
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#42
I have an American Vintage II 1954 that have through-body La Bella's on it.

I also have my USA Jazz that currently has roundwounds. I have an American Ultra Jazz V on the way (due here on Monday!). Once that arrives, the other Jazz will get La Bella gold flats that I string through the body. It had gold flats on it for a long time with no issue.
 
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#43
2saddleslab said:
And back to the thread theme, remember for the 1st 6 years of it's existence flat wounds & a string thru bridge was the ONLY P bass option.
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See post #12 above. Until 58 only the no. 90 set (Pure Nickel Wrap, gauges spelled out in later catalogues as being 053-065-085-115) was around, and Fender historian Terry Foster describes it as #notflatwound
www.instagram.com/p/CJjwjviHVkI/
 
#44
Already been covered but I'll say the same thing. Some strings can be strung through the body and others can't or shouldn't.

I have about 4 single coil P Basses with through body and I use TI Flats. No issues. Been on my basses for years.

You can probably change your bridge. There are bridges with both through body and through bridge stringing.

As for sound difference with through bridge or body.........IMHO.........none!
 
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#46
2saddleslab said:
This was many years ago when I owned my 1st Fender, a Jazz bass. We had just finished our 1st set and I put my bass on a stand. A cueball came flying over from a nearby pool table and hit the G string right at the 12th fret and broke the string in half. Didn't seem to do any damage to the neck or frets though. It did teach me a valuable early lesson though: bring extra strings!!:D
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Ball busts G string, story at eleven
 
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#47
The SCP basses (and various reissues) were string through and roundwounds didn't exist in the mid 1950s.

The Fender AmStd basses were string through only for a while, the last few years the bridge was changed to allow either top loaded or string through. Those and the AmPro basses all ship with rounds, though.

I've had EB Group IV flats on my 53P since I bought it 20 years ago…so far, so good ;)
 
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#49
I have flats on my Fender P and have had them on there since I got it in 2006. I have always had them run through the body. I had SIT "flats" (they aren't really flats) on there for the first 6 years and then switch to Labella Deep Talkin flats, and they are not the ones made specifically for thru body installation. I have never had a problem with them like that.
 
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#50
I know I installed a set years back (- can't remember the brand) and the package actually had a warning not to string through body because of possible damage to the string. Just an FYI there. Apparently many of you have done it without problem though. Interesting to know it has been, and can be done. I think I will continue to string through the bridge. Less break angle (= less potential damage) and no appreciable difference in sound according to you'ze guys so I have my answer.
 
#51
brianrost said:
The SCP basses (and various reissues) were string through and roundwounds didn't exist in the mid 1950s.
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That's what TB insists on, but it's not true. The earliest, and sole (until 1959) Fender bass guitar set, the no. 90, was roundwound (possibly lightly-ground). See my posts above.
JC BASS 91 said:
I had SIT "flats" (they aren't really flats) on there for the first 6 years
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S.I.T. PowerFlats indeed used to be pure nickel groundwounds (I also used them at the time), but now they are real, stainless steel flats.
thmsjordan said:
I know I installed a set years back (- can't remember the brand) and the package actually had a warning not to string through body because of possible damage to the string.
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They had to be La Bellas: I'm not aware of any other brand with such a warning.
 
#53
It's definitely a non-zero issue.. I don't ever bother stringing through the body unless it's something that resonates like a hollow body, or if string through is helping some issue like odd length strings, or a bad break angle causing rattle..
 
#54
I was curious to know if anybody that owns a Fender American Professional ii Jazz Bass V has had any issues with the LaBella 760FS-B-TB set, it's designed for thru-body, I've looked online and it has mentioned that the B string was slightly too short but I thought I would check on this thread.
Would it be better for this particular bass I mentioned above to go thru the bridge instead of thru-body?
 
#55
Aren't flats pretty specific about this? Through-body = extra string length and flats are meant for a specific string length (silks and no trimming at the tuner ends).

I'd be worried about the break-angle myself. Rounds can take that no problem but flats I feel would not be so flexible.
 
#56
Agreed with all posts above that say no problem (unless manufacturer specifically says otherwise). I have used multiple brands on my P's (TI, Cobalts, Chromes, Labella, GHS) — if bass has ferrules, I always string through. Even my Mustang has ferrules and the Labella flats are specifically designed for string-through. No "ragrets."
 
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