ghs flatwounds on a P-Bass

[basso_profundo]

Well, I put some ghs flatwounds on my Amercian Standard P-Bass yesterday. I've always played roundwounds and wanted to see what flats sounded like. Mainly I wanted to tone down "The Chunk" a bit because lately I've been playing with a lot of acoustic guitars.

It still sounds like a P-Bass, but one from a motown recording via 1967. More thump-y and not aggressive - definitely will work for acoustic guitars. Not sure how it'd cut through a rock mix with drums, but was tweaking the mids on the amp enough to get that effect.

 

[Twocanbassman]

I have them on my P - their true tone doesn't set in for a good month. Just wait

 

[Fat Steve]

They'll cut through the mix just fine. My drummer loved it when I put the GHS P Flats on my P Bass. Said it "thumped" more.

 

[basso_profundo]

They feel really cool. Sliding up/down to notes is a change, but sounds awesome.

 

[gary m]

Congrats...you've just hit upon the strings that bring a P bass to life. And things just get better with time. Drop the action down low and enjoy!

 

[Grissle]

Add a little dirt and once broken in......Bass Nirvana!

 

[Pimmsley]

GHS P flats + SCPB =

 

[Road-Dog]

Yea, wait till they have been on a year or so. Lost track of how many years I have been using them on my 72 P. I did a lot of acoustic /electric gigs, good for soft slide and quiet thump with treble backed off.
Same bass and strings , open treble up and in rock and blues, cuts thru mix great and solid with drums.

 

[Mystic Michael]

Not sure how it'd cut through a rock mix with drums, but was tweaking the mids on the amp enough to get that effect.

They don't "cut" through a mix, so much as bludgeon their way through a mix. Less sword, more club.

MM

 

[ERicks]

I cut almost all my bass tracks on two records a few years back with one of my P Basses with some GHS flats on them...I think they were the "precision flats." I'll see if I can find some youtube links later.

 

[Lo-E]

Very good combination. They're a good match for P/J basses, too.

 

[fivestringgecko]

I've had GHS Precision flats on my Pbass V for a little under a year now and they're pretty great. Had Chromes on that bass for a couple years, and like the GHS better because they have a little more life in the mids. That bass kills with my 11-piece cover band (5 horns)... Tower of Power, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, some Steely Dan and a bunch more.

The GHS also seem to have a little less tension than the Chromes, which is another thing I like better. Those Chromes can get pretty tiring on a 4 hour gig.

5sg.

 

[Gianni_Bert]

Hi. Which gauge would you recommend for a P-Bass, 45-60-75-95, 45-65-85-105 or 55-70-90-105?

 

[Linnin]

They don't "cut" through a mix, so much as bludgeon their way through a mix. Less sword, more club.

MM

Agree +1111 More Mace or Battering Ram.

 

[michael_t]

Hi. Which gauge would you recommend for a P-Bass, 45-60-75-95, 45-65-85-105 or 55-70-90-105?

I personally don't like any of the factory sets. My suggestion would be to put a custom set together out of singles on bassstringsonline.com.

Either 40-55-75-100 or 45-60-80-105, depending on your personal taste. They're very reasonably priced as well.

 

[moreblues]

i agree exactly with the above post to build your own at same place. i use those exact gauges..the 40-55-75-100 on my g&l jb with #8 neck and the 45-60-80-105 on my g&l lb100 with #12 neck. these gauges will give you balanced tension from string to string...very sweet

 

[MarkA]

Not a P-bass (though I do have and enjoy a fretless P strung with different flats), but I used to have an Ibanez Prestige sixer that I strung with the balanced set of GHS Precision flats. Don't remember the exact gauges, but I put them together as you suggest, from singles at Bass Strings Online.

What I remember about that set: More surface noise than other flats when sliding, but less noise, of course, than rounds. Very articulate, high, low, and in-between. More thump than rounds, but not at all tubby. I *think* these strings are hex core (not positive), so I expected harmonics not to be very good -- they're weren't as good (clear, easy to pop in weird positions) as with a good set of rounds or with TI flats, but they were better than I expected. You have more than the usual octave, 5th fret and 7th fret harmonics available. The tension felt good. That sixer was a neck-through with a super-sweet upper register but felt very slightly noodly down low on the B-string. The GHS flats were a bit on the stiff/taut side, which made that bass feel more solid and articulate down low. Upper register chords worked well, but they weren't as sweet as with rounds (my usual Circle Ks), but that isn't why I put the flats on. I didn't have that bass very long after I put the flats on it -- ended up trading it toward another bass -- but I remember liking the GHS flats a lot overall on that bass. I bet they'd work well on a P-bass!

I personally don't like any of the factory sets. My suggestion would be to put a custom set together out of singles on bassstringsonline.com.

Either 40-55-75-100 or 45-60-80-105, depending on your personal taste. They're very reasonably priced as well.

 

[fourstringdrums]

Hi. Which gauge would you recommend for a P-Bass, 45-60-75-95, 45-65-85-105 or 55-70-90-105?

I prefer the 55-105 set on my P. When I think of a P I just think of thick strings.

 

[Gianni_Bert]

I personally don't like any of the factory sets. My suggestion would be to put a custom set together out of singles on bassstringsonline

Either 40-55-75-100 or 45-60-80-105, depending on your personal taste. They're very reasonably priced as well.

This would be good advice, but as a non-US customer the shipping would cost me more than the strings. I don't know about a european dealer who offers single strings , so I'm afraid I'll have to settle for one of the sets.

 

[Linnin]

Hi. Which gauge would you recommend for a P-Bass, 45-60-75-95, 45-65-85-105 or 55-70-90-105?

I use the standard medium gauge set of 45-65-85-105 and after break in and tweaking your set up, they are perfect and become magic after 6 months.