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Flats for my Pbass?
- Thread starter TC.65
- Start date
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+1 (sort of) for TI Jazz flats.
I love the feel of them and like the sound of them on my P-bass when I finger pluck.
Trouble is, when playing with a pick they have a terrible "thud" that I can't seem to EQ out without affecting the rest of my sound too much.
I've tried different picks, even rubber ones, but the thud's still there, albeit to varying degrees.
+1 (sort of) for TI Jazz flats.
I love the feel of them and like the sound of them on my P-bass when I finger pluck.
Trouble is, when playing with a pick they have a terrible "thud" that I can't seem to EQ out without affecting the rest of my sound too much.
I've tried different picks, even rubber ones, but the thud's still there, albeit to varying degrees.
My answer is a little different but I think you should try Fender Nylon Tapewound 9120's. They are round wound string but they are wrapped with an outer coating of black nylon "tape". They have a smooth flat wound feel to them, they are VERY low tension despite being .55-.110, and they retain some of the brightness of conventional round wound strings while having the mellow warmth of a flat. They are a bit bright at first but mellow over a week or so. I've had the same set on my fretless jazz bass for three years and like most flats they get better with age. They're $20-25 depending on where you buy them.
I used chromes on my Pbass for years and was satisfied. I switched to Labella 760 and they nail that Jamerson/Babbitt/Duck tone for me. I still have TIs on my Lakland Hollowbody. Try all of them.
Flat wound on a P-bass, Absolutely rocks. Get D'Addario long scale 34" plus. nickel. Your entire life will change. If you already play fairly good, Flatwounds will put a smile on your face. And do not be fooled by others that think flatwounds are Jazz only items, They help your picking or slap styles. I thought my P-bass was way cool untill I put on Flatwounds, then My Hagstrom Beluga came totally alive aswell. Ok some players are paper boys, yes these cost about twice as much, but its money spent you will never regret.
'1-TI-Flats, My favorite strings
2- New Fender 9050 flats, they are like chromes, but very balanced.
3-GHS Precision Flats. a good all around set.
4- La Bella great tone, high tension.
It depends on wich set of Labella's you have on. I have a Fender Cabronite with Labella's 760fl's and a Squier 50s pbass with Chromes on and the Labella's are way less tension than the Chromes. Action is about the same for both so the comparison is pretty fair. But in the end it's always personal preference.
Flats would work well for all or any of those. BTW, I recommend GHS Precision Flats, vey smooth, plays easy, nice tone, decent price.
No reason NOT to go with flats if those are your genres, IMO. Especially if the country is classic/old school variety.
I like Chromes,if your worried about the cost of flats you shouldnt sweat it because they last forever and sound better as they age so you wont be replacing them as often as you would rounds,I have flats on all my babys ,dont think I'll ever have to replace them...
My favorite flats are the TIs for the sound, no doubt at all, however, I must say that I like the tension of the La Bellas better in terms of playability. The tension is not super high - just firm, especially in comparison to the TIs.
Note that the low tension TIs will require higher relief than the LaBellas.
I have the LaBella 760FLs on my USA P and it is magic - that perfect P sound. The TIs are on everthing else - My MIM Jazz, Furys, Hofner and Hagstrom and on my Ibanez 5 string.
Note that the low tension TIs will require higher relief than the LaBellas.
I have the LaBella 760FLs on my USA P and it is magic - that perfect P sound. The TIs are on everthing else - My MIM Jazz, Furys, Hofner and Hagstrom and on my Ibanez 5 string.
I've had Fender 9050s on my squire p-bass for a while now and love them. Fresh outta the box they're as bright as any roundwound string I've used and feel great on the fingers. After a week or so they mellowed to a wonderful tone without loosing too much high end sparkle.
I have LaBellas on my passive P5 and I love that tone. Those will be staying there.
I've just put Sadowsky light gauge flats on my active P/J (replacing Chromes) and that tone is just magic. They really seem to combine the best of the LaBella tone with some higher end that responds well to different eq settings and effects. The tension is lower than the LaBellas, but not so soft like TI's (arguably my least favorite flat due to extremely low tension and extremely high price). Sadowsky does make a Medium gauge if you want higher tension. IMHO, they sound great finger-style and with picks.
TB'er Jason runs Bassstringsonline.com and that is the place to get all your strings!
I've just put Sadowsky light gauge flats on my active P/J (replacing Chromes) and that tone is just magic. They really seem to combine the best of the LaBella tone with some higher end that responds well to different eq settings and effects. The tension is lower than the LaBellas, but not so soft like TI's (arguably my least favorite flat due to extremely low tension and extremely high price). Sadowsky does make a Medium gauge if you want higher tension. IMHO, they sound great finger-style and with picks.
TB'er Jason runs Bassstringsonline.com and that is the place to get all your strings!
