Flatwounds on a J Bass - overall thoughts and experiences?

[MrRiff]

Flats on a jazz are the 60's and 70s signature sound on endless recodings. Joe Osborn for example.

 

[FretRiff]

Interesting video. (Turn on trslated subtitles.)

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Thanks for all the replies, I've tried to read them all and I'll certainly take it all on board. I've got a gig coming up in a couple of weeks where I may well need my J Bass, but after that I'll probably change it up to flats and see how it sounds.

I'm still undecided on whether to go for a brighter flat like the Ernie Ball Chromes, or something more vintage-sounding like the LaBellas, but I'll mull it over.

And long-term, my plan is to win the lottery and get a Rick with flats. Can't fail.

You can think all you want but why not try both approaches and see what sounds best … to your ears? I got an Am Pro 2 jazz two years ago and ended up trying a half dozen string brands. When I finally settled on the winner, i knew exactly why it was the right choice. For me.

 

[Bortron]

You can think all you want but why not try both approaches and see what sounds best … to your ears? I got an Am Pro 2 jazz two years ago and ended up trying a half dozen string brands. When I finally settled on the winner, i knew exactly why it was the right choice. For me.

I'll probably try flats at some point (when I've not got a gig coming up). Although since I started this thread I've gone slightly mad with my money and ordered a Rickenbacker 4003S, so that McCartney tone will be easier to get from that obviously. I'll likely stick flats on that.

 

[L-u-A-R]

What is a veld pick? Googling and not finding anything.

Ah, my bad, it would be 'felt' - I spelled it for an Afrikaans reading.
One of these:

Timber Tones - Felt Tones Picks - Timber Tones

Felt Tones ukulele picks deliver a soft, warm attack with gentle feel, ideal for smooth strumming, mellow tone, and comfortable ukulele playing.

www.timber-tones.com

 

[michael_t]

I've gone slightly mad with my money and ordered a Rickenbacker 4003S, so that McCartney tone will be easier to get from that obviously. I'll likely stick flats on that.

Here a perfect flatwound for the Rick...

Invalid Link Removed

Thread 'Optima RB Flats: Why so overlooked?'

Oct 7, 2019

I just installed some Optima RB nickel flats on my main P Bass and am pretty blown away. To me, they bridge the gap between Pyramid Gold flats and Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats - a little more low mid bump than TI but greater high mid focus than Pyramids.

Time will tell how they break in, but I usually don't care for flats when new. That's not the case with these; they have clarity but aren't clanky or unbalanced.

I'm sort of scratching my head about why these are not more popular (?)

• e-flat
• Replies: 82
• Forum: Strings [BG]

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[petermwright]

Ah, my bad, it would be 'felt' - I spelled it for an Afrikaans reading.
One of these:

Timber Tones - Felt Tones Picks - Timber Tones

Felt Tones ukulele picks deliver a soft, warm attack with gentle feel, ideal for smooth strumming, mellow tone, and comfortable ukulele playing.

www.timber-tones.com

Cool, thanks for clarifying!

 

[TwototheValley]

Recently put some vintage Fender F-80 flatwounds on a jazz which had Sadowsky Black Labels on it previously.

Post in thread 'Who actually used Fender's original flatwounds?'
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/wh...ginal-flatwounds.1562520/page-2#post-29079343

I have different flats on several Jazz basses…it's my preferred sound. I think the design of the jazz bass and ability to adjust the blend of pickups brings out more details and contrasts in the character of different types of flatwounds which may not be so apparent with a precision bass.

 

[michael_t]

View attachment 7232475

Recently put some vintage Fender F-80 flatwounds on a jazz which had Sadowsky Black Labels on it previously.

How old would they be? I mean when were they in production? Interesting the way the green silk looks almost identical to the current 9050 flats.

Looks like the winding length (ball end to taper/silk) is quite a bit longer than the typical "long scale".

 

[TwototheValley]

How old would they be? I mean when were they in production? Interesting the way the green silk looks almost identical to the current 9050 flats.

Looks like the winding length (ball end to taper/silk) is quite a bit longer than the typical "long scale".

These are the "sunset" packaging, so mid-70s supposedly. I'm away from my gear right now but here's a pic of a similar package:

Yes, they are quite a bit longer than today's typical "long scale" strings. As I noted elsewhere, the silks are a different shade to the 1960s version, more greenish than blue-green (70s version on bottom in pic below).

 

[michael_t]

These are the "sunset" packaging, so mid-70s supposedly. I'm away from my gear right now but here's a pic of a similar package:

View attachment 7232769

Yes, they are quite a bit longer than today's typical "long scale" strings. As I noted elsewhere, the silks are a different shade to the 1960s version, more greenish than blue-green (70s version on bottom in pic below).

View attachment 7232772

Here's the 9050L on one of my J's...

 

[Mike Vee]

IMO there's no better string for a jazz bass than TI JAZZ flats. The slightly looser tension works better on a jazz for me since I play closer to the bridge, so anything tighter is too tight there. And the sound is just amazing. I have never liked any other string on jazz bass honestly. When I go Chromes or LaBella it's on a P-bass. I've tried pretty much every other popular flat on a jazz bass and never liked it. My second runner up would be TI Rounds, but they are just too floppy.

 

[PBandJazzBass]

+1 for TI flats. They sound great on my Fender J bass.

 

[vlad_drac]

It's been years since I've done it, but I really enjoyed DR Legend flats on my jazz with DiMarzio Model J pickups. Might need to revisit that setup again.

 

[BruceG68]

I have TI Jazz Flats on my 2021 G+L Fullerton Deluxe JB and am having a hard time connecting with them.It seems somehow in my 3 piece blues rock band my tone is just doesn't cut thru the mix at all.Im thinking about changing pickups and/or strings.Any suggestions?

 

[DJ Bebop]

I have used flats on a Jazz but it has been decades. I've been a Swing Bass user of rounds almost all the time since. Now that I picked up my second 5-string Jazz-type bass it might be time to try flats again on my Fender Jazz 4

 

[Mike Vee]

I have TI Jazz Flats on my 2021 G+L Fullerton Deluxe JB and am having a hard time connecting with them.It seems somehow in my 3 piece blues rock band my tone is just doesn't cut thru the mix at all.Im thinking about changing pickups and/or strings.Any suggestions?

I had that same bass and didn't like TIs either, even though I always liked them on all Fender jazz basses. I didnt keep it long enough to figure it out though. They don't sound like Fenders for some reason. You could try replacing the pickups with Pure Vintage 64 Fenders. They are the best.

 

[PaperbackRyder]

I find the TI Jazz Flats to be way too loose.
On my 62 RI Jazz, from 1982, I have tried just about everything in our 43 years together.
Settled on EB Cobalt flats for all 3 of my J basses. The set on my 62RI must be close to ten years old now.

 

[kevk]

Much prefer playing flats, and use a variety of them. Began experimenting with my Jazz basses a couple years ago…just like with my P basses, optimum flats-matching has been very axe specific. 3-Lull's (same JJ's/preamp's) J4=TI's, M4=Olinto's, J5=Dunlop's…

 

[ElectricBass72]

Got Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on my 60's Vintera J..............