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Fender Flats...pretty hard to beat!

Vinnie Boombatz

Vinnie Boombatz

Inactive
May 26, 2010
2,640
5,402
#1
I now have these on two basses in the 9050L variety. One is a Classic 50's Lacquer Precision and a Squier Classic Vibe 60's Jazz. I've run the gamut for the most part with flats...everything from several different sets of La Bellas, GHS precision Flats, TI Jazz Flats, D-Addario Chromes, Dunlop Flats. I have to say the Fenders are a REALLY GOOD flat wound string. Not as thuddy as the GHS and Labellas (I'ma. big fan of GHS Precision Flats, not a fan of Labellas), not as bright as the Dunlops and they don't have that upper mid metallic thing that the D'Addario Chromes. Just a solid, great performer. And all for $21-$22/set?! Seriously, what's not to like?
 
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#2
Vinnie Boombatz said:
I have to say the Fenders are a REALLY GOOD flat wound string. Not as thuddy as the GHS and Labellas (I'ma. big fan of GHS Precision Flats, not a fan of Labellas), not as bright as the Dunlops and they don't have that upper mid metallic thing that the D'Addario Chromes. Just a solid, great performer. And all for $21-$22/set?! Seriously, what's not to like?
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I couldn't agree with you more.

Fender 9050L is what I always recommend to someone just venturing into the world of flats for the first time. Middle-of-the-road (both in tone and playability), all-purpose and affordable - a good place to start.
 
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#6
I'm liking these strings even more. Even though it's only been a couple days, they have actually started to "calm down" and with the tone rolled back a bit on my Precision they're really nice and thumpy. More thump and a little more dynamic but still have this classic or old school flavor to them, and not as thuddy as GHS Precision flats.

I still like GHS Precision Flats, but I'm feeling that these Fenders may take over as my flat of choice. I'll give them a few months and see how they end up breaking in. Like I mentioned before, I also put a set of TI Jazz Flats on another Precision last night. Two totally different P Basses with different pickups, bridges, fretboard material, nut widths, etc (TI's are on an '08 American Standard with rosewood board and Nordstrand NP4, and 9050L's are on a '17 Classic 50's Lacquer P with an SD SPB-1 pickup) The Fenders definitely have more of that old school thump, while still having a tight, punchy low end. The TI's are a great string (this is my third time around with a set of TI's) and even though I like how they feel, they've never really wowed me sonically. Regardless of the bass they're on they seem to lack low end. As everyone knows, they are a bit mid heavy, but that's what they do. I'm going to force myself to just keep them on the bass for several months and see how they evolve. The TI's are a very polite string, while the Fenders are more authoritative, if that makes any sense. And just because it may help others, I only play with my fingers, never use a pick, have a pretty light touch, and always pick between the pickup and end of the fretboard. I never pick anywhere close to the bridge.
 
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#8
CapnSev said:
They're cool strings for sure. They kind of lost me though when they killed the lightest 40-100 set.
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I was using the D'A Chromes 40-60-80-100 before and found the 40G a little too bright and "twangy" compared to the other three. Then switched to the 9050L and found the 45G a lot better balanced with the rest (60-100) both in tone and tension.
 
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#15
Just to add a dissenting opinion to this thread: I gave Fender flats (9050L) a good go about a year ago, and I found them to be quite unpleasant. The grindy tone was a poor sonic fit for my rather mid-forward bass; the strings remained clanky and overly bright for a couple of months (until I finally gave up on them breaking in). Remarkably, run-of-the-mill nickel-plated rounds actually sounded sweeter and mellower! I also found the Fenders uncomfortably stiff under both hands (sort of like Chromes).

Switching to light (.045-.095) GHS flats resolved all these issues. But of course, this is according to my hands/ears experiencing the strings on my bass; it's interesting how differently different basses respond to different strings. (Case in point: with the new-found belief that GHS flats were an ideal string, I also put them on another bass, and they weren't as good on that one...)
 
#16
maturanesa said:
There are smooth flats (like Pyramid) and rougher ones (like rotos)...
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Pyramids and Optima Black Labels are probably the smoothest I’ve ever felt. But Roto 77’s were smooth also, never considered them rough...

fermata said:
Just to add a dissenting opinion to this thread: I gave Fender flats (9050L) a good go about a year ago, and I found them to be quite unpleasant. The grindy tone was a poor sonic fit for my rather mid-forward bass; the strings remained clanky and overly bright for a couple of months (until I finally gave up on them breaking in). Remarkably, run-of-the-mill nickel-plated rounds actually sounded sweeter and mellower! I also found the Fenders uncomfortably stiff under both hands (sort of like Chromes).

Switching to light (.045-.095) GHS flats resolved all these issues. But of course, this is according to my hands/ears experiencing the strings on my bass; it's interesting how differently different basses respond to different strings. (Case in point: with the new-found belief that GHS flats were an ideal string, I also put them on another bass, and they weren't as good on that one...)
Click to expand...

Yup, strings respond differently to different basses. 9050’s, Chromes, Slinky Flats, and Roto 77’s all have a bit of growl/grind, the ability to cut through better, especially on 2 pickup basses. That’s what sets them apart from more traditional flats like La Bella’s, et al. Glad you found the right string.

No substitute for trial and error...
 
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#17
I've found the Fender 9050L's are one of the fastest strings to initially mellow out after a few days. Sure, it will take weeks/months to get them to their sweet spot, but compared to all the other flats I've tried, except for GHS Precision Flats, which are pretty mellow from he get go, the Fenders noticeable mellow over a few days.
 
#18
fermata said:
I gave Fender flats (9050L) a good go about a year ago, and I found them to be quite unpleasant. The grindy tone was a poor sonic fit for my rather mid-forward bass; the strings remained clanky and overly bright for a couple of months (until I finally gave up on them breaking in). Remarkably, run-of-the-mill nickel-plated rounds actually sounded sweeter and mellower! I also found the Fenders uncomfortably stiff under both hands (sort of like Chromes).
Click to expand...

This actually makes good sense. While the Fender 9050 flats can be fairly versatile as an "all-purpose flat", their inherent tonal character may not suit all basses (or players).
 
#19
I've got Fender flats on my Jazz, and for me it's a love/hate relationship. They don't feel as smooth as the DR Legend flats I have on my P, and they tend to be more growly, so if I was playing in a Rush tribute band I'd be all set. I can play Tom Sawyer and sound more like Geddy with these strings. However, I play in a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute, so the Geddy grind isn't as important to me. Now I can get a smoother sound out of Fender flats, so I can still play them just the same. But I'm also thinking of switching at some point in the future.
 

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