D
For a bit of context: I personally only use flats on brighter sounding P-basses. I've got an AO60 like yours and I found the overwound PV63 pickup a bit too dark&muddy with LaBellas, especially with the stock .100 tone cap. But I've only tested my AO60 with LaBella DTFs not the LTFs you use. In the end I went with rounds (and a lower value tone cap) on that bass.
Fender 9050Ls... I like them on J-basses but the only time I tried them on a P-bass I didn't like the mids. Probably more or less the same thing you're experiencing.
Like you I also don't like TI Jazz Flats, D'Addario Chromes and GHS Pressurewounds on split coil P-basses. The mids got too "clanky" for my taste (although to a lesser degree with the TIJFs, which I love on other basses).
But anyway... Brighter flats that will sound great on a bright sounding P-bass... That's definitely gonna be Roto 77s for me. They are the only bright flats I will ever use on a split coil P-bass. I just love the tone of Roto 77s on a P-bass. Absolutely gorgeous mids and plenty of "heft".
However, the Roto 77s are also a bit different from any other flats out there, If you only like flats, you may find that the Roto 77s stray to far from what you might expect.
A couple of things to be aware of with Roto 77s:
-The surface of the strings isn't as smooth as most other flats. The surface is slightly rougher than Fender flats. Closer to GHS Pressurewounds, at least on the lower strings.
-The monel wrapping give these strings a wonderful, unique tone with absolutely gorgeous mids, but also a rather low output. Even lower output than pure nickel wrapping. This isn't necessarily a problem unless you need to change fast between your two basses on a gig. There will be a very noticeable drop in volume compared to your AO60 w/LaBellas.
-Roto 77s are stiff. A good setup is crucial. The stiffness means Roto 77s can handle a very low action without fretbuzz. When the bass is set up properly, Roto 77s aren't nearly as hard on your hands as some people seem to think. But the bass WILL need a full setup to make these strings comfortable to play. The tension is also higher than most strings of similar gauges, but unless your bass has a very weak neck it should able to handle it just fine, after a truss rod adjustment of course.
-Did I mention Roto 77s are stiff? This also means they won't give you the "bouncy" dynamics/feel that many other flats will give you. Roto 77s have much tighter, controlled dynamics. These are "rock" flats, rather than "soul" flats. Forget about Motown. Roto 77 is the tone of 70s British rock music.
-With Roto 77s being such stiff AND high tension strings it might seem like a good idea to go for a lighter gauge set. In my opinions this is not the case. I normally prefer around 40-100 with flats but with the Roto 77s I only use 45-105. Why? Firstly, I think the 45-105 set has noticeably better tone than the 40-100 set. Secondly, the 45-105 set can handle lower action, which in my experience actually make them more comfortable to play than the lighter set, provided that the bass is set up properly of course. The lighter 40-100 will give you a slightly more "bouncy" feel though, so there's that...
-Roto 77s mellow out in a rather unbalanced way. They're basicially as bright sounding as many roundwounds out of the box. The D+G strings mellow out quite fast. The A-string will need a little longer. The E-string will stay bright for a VERY long time. Pretty much the opposite of most other flats. In my experience they still come across as balanced sounding (and absolutely SUPERB sounding) in the context of a mix/band, but the unbalanced tone across the strings can feel a bit weird when practicing alone.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE Roto 77s, and ESPECIALLY on a P-bass, but when you specifically only like flats you need to be aware that Roto 77s are somewhat different to other flats. But of course, you won't know unless you try them yourself.
Fender 9050Ls... I like them on J-basses but the only time I tried them on a P-bass I didn't like the mids. Probably more or less the same thing you're experiencing.
Like you I also don't like TI Jazz Flats, D'Addario Chromes and GHS Pressurewounds on split coil P-basses. The mids got too "clanky" for my taste (although to a lesser degree with the TIJFs, which I love on other basses).
But anyway... Brighter flats that will sound great on a bright sounding P-bass... That's definitely gonna be Roto 77s for me. They are the only bright flats I will ever use on a split coil P-bass. I just love the tone of Roto 77s on a P-bass. Absolutely gorgeous mids and plenty of "heft".
However, the Roto 77s are also a bit different from any other flats out there, If you only like flats, you may find that the Roto 77s stray to far from what you might expect.
A couple of things to be aware of with Roto 77s:
-The surface of the strings isn't as smooth as most other flats. The surface is slightly rougher than Fender flats. Closer to GHS Pressurewounds, at least on the lower strings.
-The monel wrapping give these strings a wonderful, unique tone with absolutely gorgeous mids, but also a rather low output. Even lower output than pure nickel wrapping. This isn't necessarily a problem unless you need to change fast between your two basses on a gig. There will be a very noticeable drop in volume compared to your AO60 w/LaBellas.
-Roto 77s are stiff. A good setup is crucial. The stiffness means Roto 77s can handle a very low action without fretbuzz. When the bass is set up properly, Roto 77s aren't nearly as hard on your hands as some people seem to think. But the bass WILL need a full setup to make these strings comfortable to play. The tension is also higher than most strings of similar gauges, but unless your bass has a very weak neck it should able to handle it just fine, after a truss rod adjustment of course.
-Did I mention Roto 77s are stiff? This also means they won't give you the "bouncy" dynamics/feel that many other flats will give you. Roto 77s have much tighter, controlled dynamics. These are "rock" flats, rather than "soul" flats. Forget about Motown. Roto 77 is the tone of 70s British rock music.
-With Roto 77s being such stiff AND high tension strings it might seem like a good idea to go for a lighter gauge set. In my opinions this is not the case. I normally prefer around 40-100 with flats but with the Roto 77s I only use 45-105. Why? Firstly, I think the 45-105 set has noticeably better tone than the 40-100 set. Secondly, the 45-105 set can handle lower action, which in my experience actually make them more comfortable to play than the lighter set, provided that the bass is set up properly of course. The lighter 40-100 will give you a slightly more "bouncy" feel though, so there's that...
-Roto 77s mellow out in a rather unbalanced way. They're basicially as bright sounding as many roundwounds out of the box. The D+G strings mellow out quite fast. The A-string will need a little longer. The E-string will stay bright for a VERY long time. Pretty much the opposite of most other flats. In my experience they still come across as balanced sounding (and absolutely SUPERB sounding) in the context of a mix/band, but the unbalanced tone across the strings can feel a bit weird when practicing alone.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE Roto 77s, and ESPECIALLY on a P-bass, but when you specifically only like flats you need to be aware that Roto 77s are somewhat different to other flats. But of course, you won't know unless you try them yourself.
Last edited:
