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Flatwounds on a through-body bridge
- Thread starter Toothyfish
- Start date
I just installed a set of La Bella Deep Talkin Bass (Through Body) Flat wounds 760FS .045-.105 from Sweetwater on a Fender Elite Through Body they fit and sound great!
I used to use Rotosound flats on my thru-body tele bass back in the day. No problems.
It's currently strung, thru-body, with a set of DR flats. No problems.
It's currently strung, thru-body, with a set of DR flats. No problems.
Well, I managed to break the E string thru-body stringing a Peavey T-40 with the standard La Bella Deep Talkin’ Flats. Nasty sound when it failed. La Bella’s not kidding about that. The thru-body version worked fine.
On my 5-strings I thru-body the top 4 strings and bridge-mount the B.
On my 5-strings I thru-body the top 4 strings and bridge-mount the B.
For all the indisputable experience of people who have done it for years without issues, I am inclined to question the advantage of it. More sustain, they say. Given the care that goes into learning how to mute the things, I doubt it is that much of a quality. I also doubt it is that much more to start with or more in a way that matters. My top loaded basses have enough sustain already.
The next thing is how strings are used. If they are installed once and left there until they are cut off, fine. But if they are removed and replaced, then put back or used on another instrument with a different geometry, then lesser angles can make a difference and top loading is more practical anyway. I share one set of flatwound between a fretless and a fretted bass, both top loaded. I have swapped them with roundwound every now and then just for the sake of variety. I might not want to do this through bodies with a different thickness.
I use Roto 77s on all my basses. All through the body, no issues ever. 1952 P, 1968 Telecaster, 1963 P and more.
I have Chromes on both of my string-through-body basses and haven’t had any issues. 3 years and counting on one of them.
Never thought about it before. Never made a difference. Have done it with all manner of flats. Maybe I’ve just been lucky to have chosen the right flats for the job, because I’ve never seen any advisory about this before—which I would take seriously were it ever printed on the product packaging.
When I got my first set of Labella flats about 10 years ago, I did not see the warning on the package... they arrived in the mail, I was excited, so I tore open the package, took out the strings and strung them up through the body on my P-bass at the time. POP! Broke a string before it was even up to full tension. Then I saw the warning on the package and felt really stupid.
HOWEVER, that is the only time I ever had a flatwound break by going through the body. Of course, I never tried going through-body again with LaBellas. Never had a problem doing this with D'A Chromes and wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
*Did it with a few other brands too, but I can't remember which ones and not enough times to be comfortable telling somebody else it's safe with them.
HOWEVER, that is the only time I ever had a flatwound break by going through the body. Of course, I never tried going through-body again with LaBellas. Never had a problem doing this with D'A Chromes and wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
*Did it with a few other brands too, but I can't remember which ones and not enough times to be comfortable telling somebody else it's safe with them.
I put 50 - 110 Chromes on my old string through p bass, no sweat
There was a time, many years ago, I used 55 - 115 GHS flats on a string thru. Again, no issues, other than very sore fingers at the end of 3 sets.
Strung my Sire P7 with some Rotosound 77's yesterday. Opted for through-body stringing and encountered no issues.
