It's all a matter of what you are trying to achieve. A Jazz bass with rounds is one thing. A jazz bass with flats is another. For years I played a Jazz bass with rounds and I was always fiddling with my amp trying to get the sound I heard in my head. Then I switched to a P bass with a Jazz bass neck and Labella LTF strings. This was much closer to the sound I wanted. I tried the LTF's on my Jazz and it wasn't quite right, but everybody knows that the bass picks the strings...right? I ended up with some Chromes on my Jazz bass and I really like the way it sounds.
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Flatwounds on a Jazz Bass
- Thread starter GalardiGrooves
- Start date
Taking notes is important. So easy to forget when you’re tone hunting. I keep a Google sheet with a tab for each of my basses, and document when I put new strings on and what my thoughts are. If I go to change them I make a note of what I did and didn’t like and why I’m changing strings on that bass.
I have TI's on my Jazz for 10 months and I'm beyond happy. Beautiful tone and feeling.
One must have J; I think it's the law somewhere. I have one for this reason even though I don't really care for them. Putting flats on a bass to make it sound better is sort of like putting high heels on an elephant to make it walk better. But hey. You do you. Strings are cheap. Experiment until your heart's content.
I have 760FLs on my jazz. I like jazz basses and i like flats, so... But I also have rounds on another J because it didn't take to the flats that well. I'm happier playing flats though.
To my knowledge Geezer never played a Jazz Bass. I'm sure many here will know he achieved his tone on a P bass with very old and dead roundwounds and by plucking around the 15th fret. I think a better example would be John Paul Jones. I.E. "Ramble On."
I'm pretty sure the only way I'll ever like a Jazz bass is with flats on it. I find they don't have any real character (scoopy mids) for me with rounds but I really like the players I've heard using flats with them so I'm thinking that is the route I'm gonna go when I find the right Jazz bass for myself, if I ever do. I'm a P bass guy and my next "platform" for bass will probably be a StingRay.
There was a time when all Jazz Basses came with flatwounds and it's my favorite combination.
Famous players include Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, David Hood (e.g. with The Staple Singers on I'll Take You There) or Joseph Lucky Scott (on Curtis Mayfield's Superfly).
Famous players include Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, David Hood (e.g. with The Staple Singers on I'll Take You There) or Joseph Lucky Scott (on Curtis Mayfield's Superfly).
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Joseph Lucky Scott is the main reason I tried flats on a Jazz in the first place. I use it for all kinds of genres but especially for any kind of soul and funk. Sometimes I'll use a foam mute as well as lots of those early recordings are likely the Jazz with the stock bridge cover/mute on (I'm not a slapper fwiw). I always get comments like "your bass sounds so 'classic', 'legit', 'like a record', etc" in those settings. Folks see you pull out a J and expect a bright zingy tone.
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Joe Osborn was a session legend who rocked a Jazz with La Bella flats. Usually played with a pick, too.
No reason why not. Heck, I had flats on my two Wals for several years!
Go for it! Back in the day flats were the only type of string. Most players who shun flats have never used them, or tried them for a day and swore them off forever. They were a big game changer for me. I like Chromes and now Cobalt Flats have peaked my interest a little. Had a set of LaBellas on a Bass years ago and liked them. The Bass was sold and I have not had any with them on since. My favorite Flats are Rotosound but they don't sell singles in the gauges I need..
Same here, total game changer. I grew up on Roto 66s since the mid-70's 'cause that's just what you used. Then late 80's/early 90's I starting playing in a hipster classic country honky tonk band and we were going for pretty period-correct everything--60's/early 70's vibe. Nobody I knew was using flats (they were actually hard to find in music stores then). Once I slapped them on a Pbass it was pretty much a revelation - there was "that sound". I started using them for all kinds of music after that with great results - people were often kind of surprised, at least in my musical circles. Then when D'Angelo's "Voodoo" came out in 2000 suddenly every bass player was like "whoa, flats!!!"
. I'm 50/50 flats/rounds these days but a flatwound P or J is must-have in your quiver IMHO for a working bassist doing a variety of styles, especially if you do sessions.
With most flats you'll find more body to your sound with fewer high harmonics. - will be fuller but not as bright sounding as round wounds.
I use LaBella white tape wound strings on my '82 Jazz. It has an all-maple neck and 70's era pickup spacing so it's a little brighter than my '65 Jazz was with a lot more sustain too. It came with round wounds in '85 when I bought it and I did like the brighter sound with better and higher harmonics than my '65 Jazz did with flats before it was stolen in 1976. Never did find round wounds that I liked all the way around though.
Then I bought the LaBella White Tape Wounds and that's the best for my Jazz. It's not as bright as the Dean Markley Blue Steel strings or the DR Black Beauty strings I'd use on it before, but it surprised me at just how much of the higher harmonics it did have. It also has more body to the sound and is FAR better balanced string to string. I can play a E on the second fret of the D string or an A on the 2nd fret of the G string without it sounding weak and wimpy. I no longer have to go up to the 7th fret of the previous string to get a full sound out of it. So now I just fret the notes in whatever is most convenient place depening upon where my hand is on the neck at the time.
Seriously, listen to Curtis Mayfield "Superfly"--the whole album. It's a tour de force of killer (fingerstyle) playing on a Jazz w flats by the great Joseph Lucky Scott. Listen to the bass breakdown in "Freddie's Dead"--that is a chonky tone!
For pickstyle, anything with Joe Osborn, lots of Herbie Flowers, Dee Murray with Elton, even Sir Paul on the White Album and later....
For pickstyle, anything with Joe Osborn, lots of Herbie Flowers, Dee Murray with Elton, even Sir Paul on the White Album and later....
And pretty much all classic Jerry Jemmott. 69/70 jazz with flats. With Aretha and King Curtis at Fillmore West, and my fave Freddie King's My Feeling For The Blues album (incidentally also with King Curtis on the horn section and arrangements IIRC).
Also I like the springy, woody sound with everything dimed, goes nice for a lot of country or a acoustic oriented music.
