Flats on a jazz?

[Greenman72]

Anybody ever put flatwound strings on a Jazz bass?

I have a Sire Marcus Miller V3P. But I don't really like it, because I play with a pick (yellow Tortex), and the single pickups have a very bright sound, even with the tone turned all the way down. I was going to get rid of it, but then I thought....what happens when you put flats on a jazz?

 

[LoTone]

If you try flatwounds then, the next question will be, which brand and model do you try? Not all flatwound strings sound the same. For example, I have a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt flatwounds on one of my Jazz Basses and it is a perfect fit. That is one example of a good combo for me. If you try one model of flatwound strings and it does not work for you, don't dismissed flats immediately. You might have to try a few sets from different manufacturers before you find the one that best fit your Jazz Bass. It is a journey. Enjoy!

 

[BGroovy]

TI Jazz Flats on a Jazz are classic. Flats on a jazz are very common, i've run them for 20+ years across a number of jazz basses.

Currently I have DR Legends on my Jazz Ultra. Love it. They're slightly brighter flats than the LaBellas I run on my P Basses.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Same topic, further down this page:

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/flatwounds-on-a-jazz-bass.1664651/

 

[michael_t]

I actually like flats on a J than on a P. One of my three J's wears Fender 9050L and I love that combo!

Not all flats sound equally as good on a J, though. Make your selection carefully.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Anybody ever put flatwound strings on a Jazz bass?

Nice to see a thread about something that's never been discussed before on TB.

Here are a few jam recordings of Rare Blend with my old '03 AV '62 Jazz Bass with fresh TI JFs on it.







Proof that I actually did own said bass.

 

[silky smoove]

I've gone on a recent journey with a Jazz bass and various flats and tapes. I started with La Bella DTB flats and despite keeping them on this bass for a couple years, I never loved the results. I swapped them out for TI Jazz Flats and liked the tone but hated the feel. I put the La Bellas back on, but still hated them. I swapped them out for Dogal JH172 flats after reading that they were similar to TIs but with slightly more tension. I did not find this to be the case at all. All the same problems as TIs, and possibly even less tension. I once again put the La Bellas back on, and once again I hated the results. After having good results with La Bella black nylon tapes on a different bass I grabbed a set from a seller on Amazon that had them listed for an absurdly low price. What arrived was the lighter gauge option as opposed to the heavier which I had ordered. I should have just returned them, but decided that for how crazy low the price was I should just give them a shot. They were comparable tension to TIs and Dogals, which is too light for me even though I typically prefer a lower tension string. They came off, but I wasn't about to put the La Bellas flats back on. After reading many reviews I decided to give Fender 9050Ls a try. These are finally a flat that I like on this bass. They have a nice balance of frequency response, string tension, and overall feel. They don't feel quite as balanced volume-wise from string-to-string as the La Bellas, but the tone is SOOOOO much better that I don't really care.

 

[Ketbass]

I've gone on a recent journey with a Jazz bass and various flats and tapes. I started with La Bella DTB flats and despite keeping them on this bass for a couple years, I never loved the results. I swapped them out for TI Jazz Flats and liked the tone but hated the feel. I put the La Bellas back on, but still hated them. I swapped them out for Dogal JH172 flats after reading that they were similar to TIs but with slightly more tension. I did not find this to be the case at all. All the same problems as TIs, and possibly even less tension. I once again put the La Bellas back on, and once again I hated the results. After having good results with La Bella black nylon tapes on a different bass I grabbed a set from a seller on Amazon that had them listed for an absurdly low price. What arrived was the lighter gauge option as opposed to the heavier which I had ordered. I should have just returned them, but decided that for how crazy low the price was I should just give them a shot. They were comparable tension to TIs and Dogals, which is too light for me even though I typically prefer a lower tension string. They came off, but I wasn't about to put the La Bellas flats back on. After reading many reviews I decided to give Fender 9050Ls a try. These are finally a flat that I like on this bass. They have a nice balance of frequency response, string tension, and overall feel. They don't feel quite as balanced volume-wise from string-to-string as the La Bellas, but the tone is SOOOOO much better that I don't really care.

Well I guess it was good you weren’t experimenting on a double bass, lol. All those string changes would cost more than your bass. I’m a TI Jazz flats guy. Have them on both Ken Smith BSR6’s and a Fender Jazz. They play diffently on the Jazz than on the KS’s, but I don’t play the Jazz bass very often as I’m not much of a Fender guy, but that’s a different discussion. To your original question, I think yes, it will change the sound and feel of your Sire. You might try a pair of half-rounds too. It might be a good compromise.

 

[silky smoove]

To your original question, I think yes, it will change the sound and feel of your Sire.

A bit of a misquote here. I didn't have an original question as I'm not the OP. Carry on!

 

[Swerve]

Flats on a Jazz, what?!

Kidding. Flats sound great on a Jazz. I prefer flats on a P, rounds on a J personally, because I love that growl you get on a J a la Geddy Lee and Jaco.

BUT if I had multiple Jazz basses I would absolutely string one with flats to sound like Laura Lee.

Which flats? GHS Precision flats are my favorite for a P but for a J i'd probably get something a bit brighter or middle of the pack like Dunlops or Fenders.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

Until 2-3 years ago, the only flats I had on Jazz were EB Cobalts.
Now ALL my Jazz Basses wear flats.

TIs are just magic.
Chromes & Dunlops are also in the mix - just depends on the bass, and your preference...

 

[RGerhart]

Yes, tried it on my 4-string Fender, and missed rounds after a couple of practice sessions. The flats took away the 'bite' that I had come to love from a J. Also tried it on a 5-string J I had, and absolutely hated it. I have tried multiple times with different brands and gauges and have to come to accept that flats are not meant to be for a B string. Waaaaaay too undefined.

 

[Dana R Gregory]

I used DiDarrio Light Gauge Chromes on a fretless J bass and loved them. They were very comfortable on my fingers and I got all the tones I wanted.

 

[Mike N]

I used a J with flats tuned BEAD in a female fronted modern country band and it worked well.

 

[MCS4]

All three of the "tried it" options are accurate representations of the way I have felt trying various flats on various j-style basses over the years.

The main examples that first come to mind:

• Love flats (Chromes or Fender Flats) on my Zon VB-4;
• Never enjoyed flats (various) on my trusty Carvin LB70;
• Didn't enjoy my first attempts at using flats on my Carvin B4 (probably Chromes or Fender Flats) after converting it to fretless, but for whatever reason I've enjoyed LaBella Low Tension Flats on it recently.

 

[ElectricBass72]

2 of my 3 Jazz basses have Ernie Ball Cobalt flats on them. Fender 60's Vintera and Sire Marcus Miller V5 fretless.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I used a J with flats tuned BEAD in a female fronted modern country band and it worked well.

Why don't you think this would it have worked just as well with a male-fronted modern country band?

 

[Pyrrho Epoche]

I use flats exclusively on my MIM Jazz. I have SIT on it now and they sound great.

Recorded this over the weekend. Alternating pick and fingers. Sounds better with decent headphones. I am just learning to record myself, so....

 

[silky smoove]

Why don't you think this would it have worked just as well with a male-fronted modern country band?

They made no claim that it wouldn’t.

 

[Jeff Scott]

They made no claim that it wouldn’t.

Of course, so why did they have to specify the gender/sex of the front-singer(s)? That should make no difference as to how the strings sounded within the band.