Flatwounds on a J Bass - overall thoughts and experiences?

[Bortron]

I've always been a roundwound player, mostly because 1: that's what all the basses I've ever bought have shipped with, and 2: because I like plenty of treble in my sound, whatever the bass.

With that said, one bass tone I've always loved and craved is Paul McCartney's late-years Beatles tone (from '66 onwards) - think "With A Little Help From My Friends", or "Something", that really full and rounded tone that sounds so beautiful and punches through the mix. I know there were a lot of factors behind that tone, including his switch to a Rickenbacker 4001 (at first), and, perhaps more significantly, changes to the recording techniques used as he chased a more Motown sound. I'm also aware that he probably used flats on his Rick. I know he also used a Jazz Bass in the later Beatles years, but I'm not sure what sort of strings he used on it, or which songs exactly he used it on, and searches have thrown up conflicting answers.

Anyway, I have a Squier Paranormal Jazz '54, which currently serves me primarily as a back-up gig bass, but also as a live bass on a single song my band plays that needs a really trebly tone that my Squier Rascal can't quite reach. I play with a pick, and achieve this tone by using the bridge pickup, tone at 100%, and EQing to cut the mids and boost the treble and bass. I do also sometimes use it for funky pick-played basslines too, in an Andy Rourke (The Smiths) vein, with a balanced EQ and both pickups at 100% tone.

I've thought about experimenting with flats, and this seems to me the ideal bass in my line-up to try them on, but there are two main questions I have before taking the plunge (and spending money on potentially two sets of strings if I don't like the results):

1: Would flats on a Jazz help me get close(r) to that post-'66 McCartney tone?

2: Would flats completely get rid of that absolute maximum J Bass treble, or just alter it a little?

Any tips or experiences from any J Bass flats users would be hugely appreciated!

 

[GrapeBass]

@Bortron My Fender FSR MIM Jazz, loaded with CS60s p/ups and wrapped with 9050Ls; this setup gives me a decent amount of earthy punchy tone. Because of the single coil p/ups, I've found the tone control very useful (even with well the worn in 9050Ls).

Will it "get close(r) to that post-'66 McCartney tone?" That's always debatable, but I'd say you'd be on the right road (string choices).

My advice, make sure you work in the flats that you do try. Give 'em time, the low end will tighten up and the highs will sweeten - it could take over a month+ so be patient.

Good luck

 

[jeff62]

Aside from not being able to go wrong with Fender flats, if your preference is rounds I'd recommend Ernie Ball Cobalt flats. They are a bit brighter than normal flats and have that extra punch to be inbetween a typical round and a typical flat.

 

[DJ Bebop]

“Flats on a Jazz with a pick?”

 

[onda'bass]

I love flats on a jazz. Chromes are some of my favorite, but currently I have SIT flats and they are similar to chromes & most bright flats.

 

[Bodeeni]

I run flats on my jazz basses quite a bit. Usually Chromes, some DTFs. For live, I find the jazz/flats gets lost in the mix more than my P basses. Although my 2 fretless J basses have TI flats and they do better.

 

[michael_t]

My experiences tell me not all flats sound equally good on a J. My favorite is the Fender 9050L, which has a unique midrange character that seems to complement a J bass nicely. Full-bodied punch with a hint of grind. Not too old-school.

 

[mellowgerman]

I would recommend checking out Ernie Ball Cobalt Flatwounds. They are true flatwounds but are hands down the brightest available. I find that most string options that are advertised as being the best of both worlds (flats and rounds), usually end up compromising the extra low-mid punch that I like so much about traditional flats, but the EB Cobalts keep that characteristic. So with these strings uniquely, I think rolling off the tone to cut some of the highs will get you pretty close to a traditional flat sound.
Here's a little recording I did recently to demo the series/parallel pickup switching tone difference, but it happens to be on a bass with two jazz style pickups and EB Cobalt flats. Worth mentioning, these Tobias noiseless pickups aren't traditional jazz single coils (I would describe them as warmer and a bit thicker in comparison) but should give you a good idea of what these strings sound like with both volume and tone wide open

 

[J-Bass RMR]

After several years of "experimentation" (and decades being a rounds user)
My J-basses are currently strung with;

TI Flats (would get you closest to that vintagey-McCartney Jazz sound)
EB Cobalt Flats (especially with a fresh set - you'll definitely get that J-Bass "treble")
Dunlop Flats (best "chameleon" flat that responds well to the tone knob to take you in either direction.)

I like plenty of treble in my sound

What's often overlooked in these discussions is; what's the rest of the set-up/ rig?
using a "vintage" or modern voiced amp, & ditto for cabs has a large effect on the brightness that comes through.

Also - IME - the use of a LPF is very effective in "taming" strings. It behaves very differently than a treble or tone control.

 

[Swipter]

I had fender 9050L on my jazz for many years. They work well and last a while.

 

[JimmyO]

Aside from not being able to go wrong with Fender flats, if your preference is rounds I'd recommend Ernie Ball Cobalt flats. They are a bit brighter than normal flats and have that extra punch to be inbetween a typical round and a typical flat.

Yup. I put EB cobalt flats on my 93 MIJ J a few months back to mix things up, but I didn’t want to totally abandon brightness. Fell in love with the sound instantly. My favorite J settings is to roll off the tone a smidge, the neck about 1/4, and then just get to skwonking over the bridge pickup. They sound perfect.

 

[mambo4]

I'm card carrying member of the Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats Cult,
I used TIJFs on my Jazz (Lull MV4 - passive mode) back in 2012 (DI'd from a genz-benz GBE 600 ):



I think It may have more upper mid "burp' to it than MacCartney's tones inthe tracks mentioned

 

[Cleezmo]

I have DR Legend Flats on my 'designated Old School' bass, a '90 Peavey Dyna-Bass, which is essentially Peavey's '90s take on an active Jazz. I run it in passive and it sounds great. Tone knob and blend can change the tone considerably. The Legends are more thumpy, if I wanted more snap I'd go EB Cobalt flats, if I wanted maybe a bit wider tonal range I'd maybe try Dunlop flats.

My guitar player has an early '80s Fender Jazz with flats on it (not sure which brand), and its sounds good too.

So yeah, flats on a Jazz can sound great if that's the tone your going for.

 

[Altitude]

I was curious about this as well, so a while back I put together a set of comparative samples of the same tracks using rounds and flats on the same bass. Here it is, maybe you’ll find it helpful.

Thread 'Valenti J5 Soundclips (Rounds v. Flats Content)'

Aug 25, 2018

(I can see how this post could go in any of the Basses, Strings, or Recordings forums. Mods - please do your worst!)

Recently I decided to try a set of Chromes on my Valenti 5 string J bass. As a contribution to the ongoing "flatwounds vs. roundwounds" debate, I thought it would be fun to create some comparison soundclips of that bass with the rounds and the flats, so that you could all hear them and argue about which sounds better.

First, the bass. This is a Valenti 5-string Jazz bass with a maple neck and an ash body. It has Nordstrand NJ5 pickups and a Sadowsky preamp. This...

• Altitude
• Replies: 19
• Forum: Basses [BG]

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[micguy]

The use of flats on a Rickenbacker 4001 may not have been Paul's "choice". Rounds were really new at that point, and Ric's shipped with their flatwound strings (and warnings not to use other strings) - Paul probably played the thing, thought it sounded OK (way more sustain than a Hofner!) and continued on. He probably hadn't played rounds, and flats lasted long enough that changing strings on a bass wasn't something you thought of doing often (if at all) back then.

 

[Turtle71]

I have D'addario Chromes on my Jazz, they sound great, nice warmth, and the Chromes have just enough zing to let the traditional jazz bass flavor come through.

 

[billiard]

A producer here in town has a 59' Jazz bass prototype that was the Everly Brothers touring bass. It has flats and sounds absolutely perfect.

 

[SuperTheBass]

Flats were fun for like a month

 

[pbass2]

Flats on a J is one of THE classic sounds.

 

[JimmyO]

A producer here in town has a 59' Jazz bass prototype that was the Everly Brothers touring bass. It has flats and sounds absolutely perfect.

I would love to see photos of that thing if they’re available anywhere.