G&L Club Part 7

[dave64o]

Never owned an SB-2, but I put them on my L-2500 to tame it just a bit and I liked it enough to have kept this set of string on the bass for 3+ years. I think they worked out exactly the way I hoped they would. There's plenty of brightness for me but now it doesn't get harsh when I have the volume up on the bass.

FWIW, I've had them on several basses and have been very pleased with them on each. There's enough high end to mix well but without any twanginess or harshness and they work great with the kind of blues and classic rock my band plays. They're my favorite flat overall. I do also love Labella Deep Talkin' Flats, but they aren't the best fit for what I'm playing now.

 

[dedpool1052]

I've got a really nice SB2 Tribute that just sits.
I tell myself it's not too bright but I don't like the bass in the recorded band rehearsals.
Maybe it's time I try some flats before selling it.
Anybody think Chromes are too bright a flatwound string?

I've had a couple G&Ls strung with chromes.

Yes, chromes are bright, initially.

Roll the volume controls back, while the chromes settle in. It'll help tame that strident high-end.
Once they settle, you can run the volumes higher if needed.

 

[MrB64]

Why not adjust the highs down in the EQ until they settle?

 

[TDR1138]

I was wondering if there was a point where the added treble was meaningful and the reduction in the mids only negligible. But perhaps with MFD+Chromes, the reduction of the mids isn't enough to create any kind of hollowness?

I wouldn't say hollowness, but it does take out that midrange bark while remaining clear on the top and full in the lows. I don't open the tone all the way up. With it rolled to about the 6-8 range, it cuts enough of the single coil hum that it's not too noticeable and cuts the clacking of the strings out, too.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I've got a really nice SB2 Tribute that just sits.
I tell myself it's not too bright but I don't like the bass in the recorded band rehearsals.
Maybe it's time I try some flats before selling it.
Anybody think Chromes are too bright a flatwound string?

Chromes on an SB-2 from 3'35"

 

[deepestend]

Chromes on an SB-2 from 3'35"

i always found chromes a little stiff for me. Played them for years and they are great, though.

these days I like the ghs flats with purple silk and the labella flats.

my trick is to always go with light gauge. You think you want heavy ones, but the light ones are so much easier to play and sound just as good after a while. Also, bends and bouncy playing is so much easier giving you a lot more control over your tone.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

You think you want heavy ones, but the light ones are so much easier to play

Yes I know want heavy strings, because light strings I find harder to play. Don't worry, you're not obliged to understand how that works.

 

[Lucky Chuck]

Anybody think Chromes are too bright a flatwound string?

I've read that Chromes are some of the brightest flats. I wanted to go the other direction so went with GHS Precision Flats. (Both are pretty high tensioned.)

 

[TDR1138]

I have the GHS flats on my L-1000. Definitely a nice sting for a thick vintagey tone. They definitely thump.
Chromes are brighter at first, but when they break in, the brightness goes away, but they retain more of a higher mid presence than the GHS. Makes them a little more articulate sounding, IMO.

 

[deepestend]

All joking aside, I played heavy gauge chromes for years and then got a free set of light flats. I always thought I needed heavy strings for a heavy tone but playing light flats changed my mind. YMWV, of course…

 

[FearNoEvil65]

 

[dave64o]

Beautiful finish, and the strap complements it nicely!

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I always thought I needed heavy strings for a heavy tone

Within reason, a string that is more taut is more nervy — so if one has a very light touch, it will nonetheless start ringing out. Just as highly-strung humans are more excitable, whisper to heavy-ish gauge strings, and they speak clearly.

Some photo evidence to support my comments about G&L's "vintage tint" being very nice but not really reminiscent of the passing of time:

 

[MrB64]

Within reason, a string that is more taut is more nervy — so if one has a very light touch, it will nonetheless start ringing out. Just as highly-strung humans are more excitable, whisper to heavy-ish gauge strings, and they speak clearly.

Some photo evidence to support my comments about G&L's "vintage tint" being very nice but not really reminiscent of the passing of time:

View attachment 4944158

View attachment 4944159

View attachment 4944160

This is kinda weird, Ricky. That neck finish on your LB-100 looks just like the Satin Light Tint that's on the neck of my L2K. The Satin Vintage Tint on my JB is much more yellow. This picture was taken close to a window with only midday sunlight.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

This is kinda weird, Ricky. That neck finish on your LB-100 looks just like the Satin Light Tint that's on the neck of my L2K.

That'll teach me to hurry them up, dang it.

The Satin Vintage on my SB-1 is a bit darker than the Gloss Vintage on this LB-100, yeah. But still nowhere near the color of the Squier.

If there's to be a difference, I'm happier with it this way round. And I don't mind, I wasn't wanting a vintage effect — just a bit of warmth to balance the Ruby Red Metallic

 

[gunai]

Some photo evidence to support my comments about G&L's "vintage tint" being very nice but not really reminiscent of the passing of time

This my 2018 G&L satin vintage tint neck over a 33 years its senior MIJ Yamaha neck.
It matches what I saw in photos when deciding on my options, yours on the other hand very much matches a light tint rather than a vintage one, as pointed out.
The "light tintedness" of your G&L aside, your Squier seems to be quite a bit darker than my mid 80s Yamaha as well, but I'm not informed in any way to tell if this is due to differing exposure to the sun, smoky dive bars, or whatever else.

 

[MrB64]

That'll teach me to hurry them up, dang it.

The Satin Vintage on my SB-1 is a bit darker than the Gloss Vintage on this LB-100, yeah. But still nowhere near the color of the Squier.

If there's to be a difference, I'm happier with it this way round. And I don't mind, I wasn't wanting a vintage effect — just a bit of warmth to balance the Ruby Red Metallic

Yeah, it still looks great.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

your Squier seems to be quite a bit darker than my mid 80s Yamaha as well, but I'm not informed in any way to tell if this is due to differing exposure to the sun, smoky dive bars, or whatever else

It's only 12 years old, a Matt Freeman Signature, which, from the look of this stock photo, started its life already given a rich appearance by someone with a different conception of what a vintage tint might be:

Once it has its Dimarzio pickup, my LB-100 will be a homage to this early-to-mid-80s Ibanez Roadstar*

so I wouldn't have minded my Vintage Gloss having a bit more depth. Perhaps I need to start smoking cigars while playing it.

By the bye, I notice that the flatsawn sides of the neck take the color a bit better than the quartersawn fretboard and back. I guess that makes sense — the open grain sucking it up?

* the mother of all gold stars is available to anyone who can work out why I want a homage to that bass
[list price in 1984: $280 – about $800 today]

 

[deepestend]

I had one of those roadstar basses and stupidly sold it for nothing!

I had that exact color combo and it was my first real bass. Bought it for $50 and could never get the electronics to work correctly. Now, it wouldn't be an issue for me at all, but at the time I was clueless about things like properly soldering a jack and doing a set up and let it go.

 

[TDR1138]

Comparing tints…

Left: 2022 light tint gloss
Right: 1989 standard gloss