Same, I borrowed my kiddo’s bassist’s J and as glorious as the tone is (no doubt)
they were too floppy feeling as I tend to really dig in they just don’t work for me.
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Fender Flats
- Thread starter Eddie Jones
- Start date
they were too floppy feeling as I tend to really dig in they just don’t work for me.
I bought a used ESP Fretless pj a few years back that had the Fender flats. I took a set of Fender tapewounds from my Fender De Luxe Jazz , swapped the 2 & there they remain. Both sound better in this setup.
@michael_t
If only they would make them in standard 45-105 gauge... Or thicker
If they made a heavier, stiffer set I probably would have already tried them.
Sounds like you're describing the D'A Chromes more than the Fender 9050s.
The 9050s are not exactly "old school", but I prefer their low-mid punch and grind (once nicely broken in) over the metallic clank of the Chromes.
Sounds like you're describing the D'A Chromes more than the Fender 9050s.
I definitely hear the metallic "ping" on Fenders but I never used them enough to truly break in. It becomes more pronounced (unusable unless tone is on 0) with a mute. I hear the same sound in Chromes. That being said I love they way both feel, just not my favorite sound.
I just put a set of these on my PBass. It's only the second set of flats Ive ever used (these replaced a set of EB cobalt flats) and I think I prefer the Fenders
I just put back a set of Fender 9050L's on one of my Dano DC59 Pro's, which had worn them for a couple of years. I took them off to "test" a set of very low tension Dogal Jaco CarbonSteel Flats, that I bought for... well, that doesn't matter. They worked surprisingly well, and sounded... a little "bassier" than the Fenders; which was kind of a surprise. I liked them, but... I wound up taking them off, and putting them on a bass that needed the low tension a lot more than the Dano did (which was "not at all"). The Dogal's sounded most excellent on that bass, too; a lot better than I was expecting. The Fenders were reunited with their Dano; and now I have happy fingers; very happy ears; and two happy basses. Life is Goood at Casa Brat...
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After playing more kinds/scales/gauges of flats than you can shake a stick at - for over 50 years? Yeah, I have to agree. TI's are not the Holy Grail of flats. No flats are, IME. I do use them - and I do like them. On one of my 25 basses. That I use for one kind of music. But, for that scenario? I really, really doubt that there's a better flat wound string. Well, the new Dogal Hellborg Flats, maybe... But, I would never use TIJF's on any of my other basses, for any other kind of music. The TI's might work... OK; but the other basses I own, with other flats, work much, much better...
Sorry; have to disagree. I mean, I'm glad you like the TIs, and I'm happy that they work so well - for you. But, they don't work all that well for everyone - or, for every thing. So...
- Floppy. I don't think TIJF's are "floppy"- exactly. What they are - for me - is just a little too supple. Which for me, makes them very hard to play with a pick. I use a pick a lot, and after half a century of playing much, much stiffer flats? TIJF's require such a technique change, that they just aren't worth the bother. Which is why the bass that wears them, is the only bass that is finger-picked, all the time.
- Primitive. Really? I'll give you "simpler", but not "primitive". TI's strings are made like most orchestral instrument strings are - lots of things going on, under that outer wrap. That's why they have those wonderful overtones - and why they're expensive. Which is nice; sometimes, those overtones can be a good thing to have. They're why TIJF's are on my Alembic Epic - and why that's the bass I play Jazz with. But, for the other things I play - like Rockabilly; really vintage R&R, C&W; or Blues? Sorry; I really don't need orchestral overtones; what I need, is Old School Thump. Which, I gotta tell ya; TIJF's just... cannot... do. Those other, "primitive", flats can - in spades... And, here's a little secret; If you like the TI's basic, mid-forward tone, but you could do without a little less "supple"? I have Fender 9050L's on a couple of my basses, and... to my ears? They sound an awful lot like TIJF's - just with less overtones. More "primitive" maybe, but a whole lot less expensive...
One other thing. TIJF's are not the only flats that are made like that. Italian Dogal flatwound strings are just as busy, under the outer wrap. And Dogal has been making orchestral strings for even longerthan TI has. Take a look at Dogal's Jonas Hellborg Flats, sometime. The way they're made, makes the TI's look "primitive". But, if you're interested in trying a set? They cost about twice as much as a set of TI Jazz Flats; so, you better be sure you want them...
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You can use the super long scale@michael_t
If only they would make them in standard 45-105 gauge... Or thicker
TIs are def not for pick playing, and "primitive" was not meant to be a bad thing. I also love old school flats, and my P remains strung with LaBella. Fenders do really good with a pick, but for finger style I think they fall short compared to many other flats. It's all subjective though. For me, since I have a 60s style P with LaBellas, I want my Jazz to be different. Tis achieve that without going round. I wouldn't see a point to have a more old school flat on my Jazz when the P already does that sound better. Plus, I dont even like Tis on a P bass, just Jazz. They are Ok on a Stingray too but Cobalts are much better. Im far from a big time TI fanboy but I do think they are by miles the best flat for a Jazz bass if you want to retain growl but still have a super easy to play string.After playing more kinds/scales/gauges of flats than you can shake a stick at - for over 50 years? Yeah, I have to agree. TI's are not the Holy Grail of flats. No flats are, IME. I do use them - and I do like them. On one of my 25 basses. That I use for one kind of music. But, for that scenario? I really, really doubt that there's a better flat wound string. Well, the new Dogal Hellborg Flats, maybe... But, I would never use TIJF's on any of my other basses, for any other kind of music. The TI's might work... OK; but the other basses I own, with other flats, work much, much better...
Sorry; have to disagree. I mean, I'm glad you like the TIs, and I'm happy that they work so well - for you. But, they don't work all that well for everyone - or, for every thing. So...
- Floppy. I don't think TIJF's are "floppy"- exactly. What they are - for me - is just a little too supple. Which for me, makes them very hard to play with a pick. I use a pick a lot, and after half a century of playing much, much stiffer flats? TIJF's require such a technique change, that they just aren't worth the bother. Which is why the bass that wears them, is the only bass that is finger-picked, all the time.
- Primitive. Really? I'll give you "simpler", but not "primitive". TI's strings are made like most orchestral instrument strings are - lots of things going on, under that outer wrap. That's why they have those wonderful overtones - and why they're expensive. Which is nice; sometimes, those overtones can be a good thing to have. Those overtones are why they're on my Alembic Epic - and why that's the bass I play Jazz with. But, for the other things I play - like Rockabilly; really vintage R&R, C&W; or Blues? Sorry; I really don't need orchestral overtones; what I need, is Old School Thump. Which, I gotta tell ya; TIJF's just... cannot... do. Those other, "primitive", flats can - in spades... And, here's a little secret; If you like the TI's basic, mid-forward tone, but you could do without a little less "supple"? I have Fender 9050L's on a couple of my basses, and... to my ears? They sound an awful lot like TIJF's - just with less overtones. More "primitive" maybe, but a whole lot less expensive...
One other thing. TIJF's are not the only flats that are made like that. Italian Dogal flatwound strings are just as busy, under the outer wrap. And Dogal has been making orchestral strings for even longerthan TI has. Take a look at Dogal's Jonas Hellborg Flats, sometime. The way they're made, makes the TI's look "primitive". But, if you're interested in trying a set? They cost about twice the price of a set of TI Jazz Flats; so, you better be sure you want them...
I've gotten a fair amount of grief from a number of people, about the "TIJF's and a pick" thing. It's not that they can't be played with a pick. They certainly can; in fact, I've done it; but, just to see if I actually could. It's simply that, for me, the technique switch from "bridge cable stiff" to "very supple" takes too much time and effort to be worth it. But, yes, you can use a pick on TIJF's, if you want. I simply choose not to... And, yes, I play the Fender Flats with a pick; about 95% of the time. Not because they're too hard to finger pick, but because most of what I play on them just... sounds better with a pick. Like most of what I play, in fact...
I had a maple P with Fenders that I played with a pick for a more "rock" tone - it was perfect. When I would switch to fingerstyle on that same bass, would be very "meh". I love the feel of Fender flats though. They feel so smooth and they setup super low, never sticky, never fret buzz.I've gotten a fair amount of grief from a number of people, about the "TIJF's and a pick" thing. It's not that they can't be played with a pick. They certainly can; in fact, I've done it; but, just to see if I actually could. It's simply that, for me, the technique switch from "bridge cable stiff" to "very supple" takes too much time and effort to be worth it. But, yes, you can use a pick on TIJF's, if you want. I simply choose not to... And, yes, I play the Fender Flats with a pick; about 95% of the time. Not because they're too hard to finger pick, but because most of what I play on them just... sounds better with a pick. Like most of what I play, in fact...
I don’t normally chime in on string discussions except to ask questions. But, I have to say that I really like the Fender flats on my one Jazz bass. I’ve had TIs on that Jazz and a Precision for several years. They are nice, but to me, TI's are not the be all and end all.
I got tired of them on the Jazz and put rounds on for a change. I missed the flats, and based on @michael_t review on these strings, I gave them a try. I really like them on the Jazz bass that they’re on. They are a perfect match IMO. I even had a bass-playing friend who doesn’t normally like flats rave about how good they sound and feel on this bass.
I now have LaBella DTF on my Precision, and they are there to stay. I liked the TI's, but I’m not crazy about how floppy they are.
I got tired of them on the Jazz and put rounds on for a change. I missed the flats, and based on @michael_t review on these strings, I gave them a try. I really like them on the Jazz bass that they’re on. They are a perfect match IMO. I even had a bass-playing friend who doesn’t normally like flats rave about how good they sound and feel on this bass.
I now have LaBella DTF on my Precision, and they are there to stay. I liked the TI's, but I’m not crazy about how floppy they are.
Labella on a precision just can’t be beat. I think I tried pretty much every other flat except Dunlop and DR. I keep LTFs on my precision. I’m not a fan of TIs on a p. I find them too loose for playing over the pickup and not thumpy or woody enough.
Just curious, on the jazz, do you anchor and play finger style over the bridge pickup?
I will sometimes want to stray from TIs on my Jazz, get a bit bored, but then I listen in a recorded mix and the sound is so good just like my favorite tone on other records. It’s like “oh damn that was me playing??”
TI needs to make a 105 version of their flats. They would sell like mad and would be insane on a P.
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Depending on what I’m playing. Usually I play with my thumb on the bridge pickup so I’m plucking anywhere between the bridge and neck pickup, but if I want that Jaco-esk sound, I’ll play over the bridge pickup. I also pluck with my thumb, and thumb over the neck pickup, or even up to the neck.
Just a quick update...
I don't have my second Jazz bass yet, but I've decided to go ahead and reunite my Highway One Jazz with the 9050L.
Here they are... Gorgeous in Green.
Looks good! I have to admit that one of the reasons I like them is the green silk color. 
A couple of things regarding the new 9050L I just installed...
Going from GHS Pressurewound 44-106 in DGCF (148 lbs. in total tension) to 9050L in EADG, I expected a fair amount of setup tweaks. But as it turns out, all it took was a quarter turn of the truss rod and minor intonation adjustments.
I've always insisted on cleaning brand new flats with an alcohol wipe before installation to get rid of any gunk from the factory. Fender 9050s and D'Addario Chromes in particular are notorious for being sticky when new. After a thorough wipedown they feel just as smooth as any flats should be.
Here's what ended up on the alcohol wipe...
Going from GHS Pressurewound 44-106 in DGCF (148 lbs. in total tension) to 9050L in EADG, I expected a fair amount of setup tweaks. But as it turns out, all it took was a quarter turn of the truss rod and minor intonation adjustments.
I've always insisted on cleaning brand new flats with an alcohol wipe before installation to get rid of any gunk from the factory. Fender 9050s and D'Addario Chromes in particular are notorious for being sticky when new. After a thorough wipedown they feel just as smooth as any flats should be.
Here's what ended up on the alcohol wipe...
