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Flatwound Club

#481
michael_t said:
Just as an update, I'm here to share the last six months of my string journey...

Aug 2015 - My Fender Jazz, my only bass at the time, had been wearing the Fender 9050L for five months. After reading so many rave reviews, I decided to try the GHS Pressurewound (44-58-80-102) to spice things up a bit. They turn out to be a great match for my J with just enough round-ish tone to bring out the growl without the typical zing of rounds.

Sept 2015 - I finally acquired a long-awaited P bass (2014 Fender Am Std) and decided to go for the classic thump by dressing it up with a set of La Bella 760FL. Wow, there's the HUGE bottom people always talk about!

Oct 2015 - Again, based on rave reviews, I get an itch for trying out a set of the Sadowsky Flats Lite (40-100) on my J. Very disappointing mainly because my J has always been very fussy with the 40G, which always ends up sounding too "twangy". Back to the GHS Pressurewound after two weeks.

Dec 2015 - After three months with the La Bella 760FL, I decided my new P was sounding a bit too bottom-heavy for my taste, ie too much thump and not enough punch. A P bass with La Bella flats is great for that old-school Motown vibe but I wanted something a bit lighter and more articulate for a clear and punchy tone. Here comes the Sadowsky Lite and BINGO! I've found a perfect match!

Feb 2016 - After six months with the Pressurewounds, I get a sudden urge to put flats on my J again, this time the 3-mth-old 760FL that had come off of the P. An interesting combination, to say the least, these La Bellas made my J sound like a completely different bass. I even got comments from a couple of people (a vocalist and an audio tech) about my J sounding "full and meaty" and "thick and juicy". Then I realized my J was actually sounding too much like a P-bass-wannabe.

Mar 2016 - I finally decided to put the 5-mth-old Fender 9050L back on my J and you know what, this feels like home. Sure, my J sounds mellower with them than with the Pressurewounds, but it still sounds like a J with a hint of grrrowl and lots of purrr.

I think it's time for me to come to terms with the simple fact I'm a die-hard flatwound junkie. :D
Click to expand...

Broke in Labella 760L make my CV jazz stock neck pup sound like another kind of P vibe.
 
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#482
Help!! Ok so I have an american p bass that I put DR flatwound strings on. Hated them. They didn't make the bass speak well to me. The Roundwound DR high beams sound good to me. I have a set of half rounds I may try on it. Can anyone give me a good suggestion of flats to put on this. I'm thinking LaBella, or GHS. I don't really like chromes.
 
#483
Sam Dingle said:
Help!! Ok so I have an american p bass that I put DR flatwound strings on. Hated them. They didn't make the bass speak well to me. The Roundwound DR high beams sound good to me. I have a set of half rounds I may try on it. Can anyone give me a good suggestion of flats to put on this. I'm thinking LaBella, or GHS. I don't really like chromes.
Click to expand...

I currently have a set of Sadowsky Black Label Flats Lite (40-100) on my Am Std P and love them. Highly recommended.
My second favorite is the Fender 9050L (45-60-80-100).

These two are not quite as old-school as either the La Bella or the DR, but not as bright and clanky as the Chromes.
 
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#484
Can anyone recommend me a good low-B flatwound string, preferably high tension ? For me me Labella's are 'it' for the the top 4 strings but the B is terribly inconsistent, the B on the set I've just installed is floppy and weak.

Appreciate it might possibly be the bass itself but I don't think so as the set I removed (half rounds, unknown brand) did not exhibit the same problem.

So please hit me with your recommended B string brands (and if they're high tension, and comparable in tone to a labella set, so much the better).
 
#486
BigBeatNut said:
Can anyone recommend me a good low-B flatwound string, preferably high tension ? For me me Labella's are 'it' for the the top 4 strings but the B is terribly inconsistent, the B on the set I've just installed is floppy and weak.

Appreciate it might possibly be the bass itself but I don't think so as the set I removed (half rounds, unknown brand) did not exhibit the same problem.

So please hit me with your recommended B string brands (and if they're high tension, and comparable in tone to a labella set, so much the better).
Click to expand...

Nobody ? Why don't I make it simpler.

5-stringers: What's your favourite flatwound set ?
 
#487
BigBeatNut said:
Nobody ? Why don't I make it simpler.

5-stringers: What's your favourite flatwound set ?
Click to expand...

I use one of three sets on my fivers (I play only flats) and I much prefer high tension:

1) EBMM Group 1 flats (0.055-0.110 four string set with an added .130 low B);
2) LaBella 1954s (0.052-0.128); and
3) EBMM Cobalt Slinky flats (0.055-0.110 four string set with an added .130 low B).

The EBMM flats are the ones I have the most experience with and are my usual go-to strings. I've found most prepackaged five string sets are much too light for my tastes, so I end up adding a low B to heavy four string sets. Bassstringsonline.com is great for this.

What is your bass? I found adding an additional string retainer to the Bs on my P5s tightened them up considerably. I noticed the B on my Dimensions was great and used the same stealth retainer.
 
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#488
HeavyDuty said:
I use one of three sets on my fivers (I play only flats) and I much prefer high tension:

1) EBMM Group 1 flats (0.055-0.110 four string set with an added .130 low B);
2) LaBella 1954s (0.052-0.128); and
3) EBMM Cobalt Slinky flats (0.055-0.110 four string set with an added .130 low B).

The EBMM flats are the ones I have the most experience with and are my usual go-to strings. I've found most prepackaged five string sets are much too light for my tastes, so I end up adding a low B to heavy four string sets. Bassstringsonline.com is great for this.

What is your bass? I found adding an additional string retainer to the Bs on my P5s tightened them up considerably. I noticed the B on my Dimensions was great and used the same stealth retainer.
Click to expand...

That's all very helpful, thanks. The bass I'm restringing is a Cort which has a retainer for the middle 3 strings but not the B. Maybe I'll look into that if I can't solve the issue with a replacement string this time.

The two EBMM sets you mention .... where do they both sit on the brightness spectrum ? (say, Labella Deep Talkin = 1 and D'Addario Chromes = 5)
 
#490
Labella 760FL in my Pbass sound really deep and bassy now. Somemore the thick low mid Fender 63pup seem not a great match with broke-in 760FL. I will swap with Fender 9050CL soon.

I am thinking to upgrade my Squier CV jazz with better pickup set. But after i strung it with Sadowsky 40-100 Flat again, and swap a Fender vintage bridge, i totally change my mind. The Stock CV jazz sound much nicer now.
 
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#491
Yahboy said:
Labella 760FL in my Pbass sound really deep and bassy now. Somemore the thick low mid Fender 63pup seem not a great match with broke-in 760FL. I will swap with Fender 9050CL soon.

I am thinking to upgrade my Squier CV jazz with better pickup set. But after i strung it with Sadowsky 40-100 Flat again, and swap a Fender vintage bridge, i totally change my mind. The Stock CV jazz sound much nicer now.
Click to expand...

@Yahboy, I would be very much interested in your assessment on the 9050CL as to how they compare with the 760FL and the Sads 40-100 as well as 9050L.

So, please report back. Thanks.
 
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#494
michael_t said:
@Yahboy, I would be very much interested in your assessment on the 9050CL as to how they compare with the 760FL and the Sads 40-100 as well as 9050L.

So, please report back. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yesterday i have mention that broke-in 760FL sound become darker. Especially both E and A string.
After think twice, i do a witness points for 760FL . Honestly, this action i WONT do for bass guitar string except if i meet serious intonation problem.

Suprisely, both E and A string are safe from the "Dark side" !!

So, Micheal , my 9050CL assessment will be delay.......Mmmmm.......maybe 10 years later.:D:laugh:

And...... my 9050CL is arrive just now.:bassist:

IMG_20160407_153241_HDR.jpg
IMG_20160407_153403_HDR.jpg
 
#495
Yahboy said:
Yesterday i have mention that broke-in 760FL sound become darker. Especially both E and A string.
After think twice, i do a witness points for 760FL . Honestly, this action i WONT do for bass guitar string except if i meet serious intonation problem.

Suprisely, both E and A string are safe from the "Dark side" !!
Click to expand...

Oh yes, the witness points! Something I learned the hard way as well. ;)

Yahboy said:
So, Micheal , my 9050CL assessment will be delay.......Mmmmm.......maybe 10 years later.
Click to expand...

One of my main goals in life is to be playing the bass till the day I die. I hope to be around at least for another 10 years. :cool:
 
#496
One of my main goals in life is to be playing the bass till the day I die. I hope to be around at least for another 10 years. :cool:[/QUOTE]

Don't worry, get yourself another P bass instead!!!
This time with maple fretboard.:thumbsup:
 
#500
michael_t said:
I currently have a set of Sadowsky Black Label Flats Lite (40-100) on my Am Std P and love them. Highly recommended.
My second favorite is the Fender 9050L (45-60-80-100).

These two are not quite as old-school as either the La Bella or the DR, but not as bright and clanky as the Chromes.
Click to expand...

The chrome clank goes after a few months and i'm a clank-master due to crabby technique. I roll of the highs on the bass until the chromes sweeten up (by that I mean less toppy).
 

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