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Flats on a jazz bass

#46
I'm now using ErnieBall flats on my '97 Jazz and I was actually surprised that slapping it will even sound better than when I had the rounds on(the tone is not so bright and metallic). It sounds so much better now and the feel is great with it. You don't have to worry about the scratching sound when you do a slide and the fretwear is ZERO as compared to when I'm using stainless steel roundwounds. I'm simply enjoying it.
 
#47
Try wiping the strings down HARD. It takes all the funky buildup off the strings and makes them ring a little bit more. The "flat part" will mellow out the tone and you will have a truly flat-sounding bass with a tinge of highes.
 
#51
RicPlaya said:
Great clips guys! I am really digging the tone of flats on the j's. Can't wait til mine get here in the mail, they will go on my J, wonder how it will sound with the s-1 switch engaged? :bassist:
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I'm a Flatman all the way! I just put on the Webstrings Detroit Medium Flats, and my jazz bass sounds perfect...like it should. Flats add a great oldschool vibe and really give me more speration form the guitars in a band setting. The S-1 switch really gives the bass a warm round tone, not quite a thumpy as a P, but very nice and fat. The bass ran normal played on the back pick up really gives me a vintage growl.

Flats is what I have been missing..seriously try em!
 
#52
jimmy rocket said:
Pretty Sure Aston Barrett from the Wailers played a Jazz with flats so you could youtube some Marley to get that sound.
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It's worth noting that I keep seeing threads where people ask about reggae tone and they are invariably told "P-bass with flats." But the truth is that FAR more reggae bassists use a jazz with flats.

My fretted Stambaugh just got TI Flats put on it. I'm waiting for them to break in but it is my main bass for my new ambient dub/d'n'b project and it sounds fantastic, especially with the neck pickup soloed.
 
#53
Why stop at flats? Why not have some fun and even try tapewound Rotos? I have a jazz bass with concentric stacked knobs and it's strung with Roto TruBass88 strings... Played with a pick you can get a really meaty, woody sound that'll make your hair stand on edge - studios seem to like it too!
 
#55
I've been torn between rounds and flats for quite some time. So recently I tried stringing my J with flats on the E and A strings, and rounds on the D and G. I love slapping on this setup, mellow but punchy, bright and stingy at the same time! Highly recommended.
 
#58
Out of 4 J's in the house, 3 have flats. Chromes, RotoSound Monel Flats on a f'ess and Jazz flats on my #1 62 RI.

The other two J's have Thomastic Super Alloys. Personally I want both flavors available. The Jazz Falts are the best IMO but the Chromes aren't bad. The Roto's aren't worth buying again.
 
#59
Yeah, I keep wanting flats after all of your responses, but life as a college student doesn't allow me much spare money that I can spend on bass strings :atoz:
On the other hand, I think they would probably work very well for jazz. Sometimes I which I could pull harder on my strings while walking a bass line. I guess I want an aggressive attack but not so aggressive tone?
 
#60
manutabora said:
Yeah, I keep wanting flats after all of your responses, but life as a college student doesn't allow me much spare money that I can spend on bass strings :atoz:
On the other hand, I think they would probably work very well for jazz. Sometimes I which I could pull harder on my strings while walking a bass line. I guess I want an aggressive attack but not so aggressive tone?
Click to expand...

Keep in mind you can keep a set a flats on for years, so you'll spend more initially but make it up in the long run.
 

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