Installing flatwounds - Noob question

[subtlestew]

Sounds like the 7ender CS didn't cut that slot correctly in the first place. That E string must have been riding above the bottom of the slot, not fully seated in it (as in, the slot was not really wide enough for that string), otherwise, it too, would have been too low for the first fret.

The bass played amazingly well with the .105 E-string in there. No problems at all with seating or anything else. When the slot was too wide for the lower-tension .100, chaos ensued.

 

[Johnny StingRay]

Looks correct! Nice work! People tend to over do the simple things on these forums and make something as easy as changing strings into something along the lines of preparing for a space shuttle launch………by the way, I’ve changed strings countless times over my 46 years of playing bass…what the hell is a “witness point”???? Weird!

 

[Grinderman]

I just realized in the pictures provided only the low/E flatwound string is installed, the rest of them--A, D, and G--are rounds.

 

[MynameisMe]

That shouldn't happen so it leads to the question, how did you do that? What's your technique for setting your witness points?

Simply firmly pressing down for a moment on the string, just beyond the contact points on the bridge saddles (on the nut side), should do the job fine. At most, one may need to press down on the string on both sides of the bridge saddle with their thumb to get satisfactory seating of the string over the saddle.

It doesn't require being aggressive, like putting full body weight on it or using some other hard object like a tool intended for some other purpose. Don't do that.

I overdid it for sure but flats are more fragile for that than rounds, in my experience.
Also the Labellas if it is string thru I ended up getting the thru body ones. Worked better for me. YMMV.

 

[fretlessman71]

PS: I cut strings 4 finger-widths past the tuner they will be wound around.

I do this as well, unless it's the A string on a Fender-style headstock, then I go for 8 finger widths so the string doesn't pop out of the nut slot.

 

[Jazzpunk]

I just realized in the pictures provided only the low/E flatwound string is installed, the rest of them--A, D, and G--are rounds.

Wanted to confirm it was correct before proceeding. Got 'em all on now and really diggin' em! I was worried that the G would be too thin but the balance between all four strings is really nice. Much better balance between the D and G than my previous round wounds that came on the bass.

Appreciate the feedback from all!

 

[hennessybass]

No disrespect to @hennessybass, but this, unfortunately, doesn't always work. As @burgerdj points out, the cutting of the nut may not work for strings of a different gauge than the original. Just recently, I put TI flats (low tension, .100 wide E-string) on a very expensive fender Custom Shop bass with a nut cut for .105 Fender strings. The E-string of the TIs bottomed out at the first fret, and the bass was unplayable with the TIs without a new nut. (I opted to switch to a different string brand that also had .105 for the E.)

Hopefully none of this will happen to you, the OP, but make sure that the new string fits snugly in the nut slot. Too loose can make for unpleasant rattle problems, too tight can mean it sits too high and has unpleasant action.

No worries...
I just said what I said because the OP (by his own admission) is a noob when it comes to flat wound strings, and (I think) was just looking for a little reassurance that he was on the right track. All the sudden we're throwing stuff at the guy about witness points and re-slotting nuts before he's even gotten to the second string.
Sometimes changing strings can be as simple as changing strings. If the bass plays funny after, then fix the problem - just trying not to overload the guy.

To quote @Johnny StingRay ...

Looks correct! Nice work! People tend to over do the simple things on these forums and make something as easy as changing strings into something along the lines of preparing for a space shuttle launch………by the way, I’ve changed strings countless times over my 46 years of playing bass…what the hell is a “witness point”???? Weird!

 

[hennessybass]

Got 'em all on now and really diggin' em!

I really dig flatwound strings, and love them on my jazz bass.
Conventional wisdom seems to say Flats=P,,, Round=J,,, but a J with flats is pretty cool in my book.

 

[Jazzpunk]

I really dig flatwound strings, and love them on my jazz bass.
Conventional wisdom seems to say Flats=P,,, Round=J,,, but a J with flats is pretty cool in my book.

Yeah, I'm diggin' it for sure!

 

[michael_t]

Conventional wisdom seems to say Flats=P,,, Round=J,,, but a J with flats is pretty cool in my book.

I'm one of those who like the sound of a J with flats.

The only thing, though, is I didn't like the La Bella 760FL on my J when I tried them as they seemed to suck the J-bass character out of my J bass. I find the Fender 9050L to be a better match for my J with their grindy mid character.

 

[Jazzpunk]

I'm one of those who like the sound of a J with flats.

The only thing, though, is I didn't like the La Bella 760FL on my J when I tried them as they seemed to suck the J-bass character out of my J bass. I find the Fender 9050L to be a better match for my J with their grindy mid character.

I dig the 760FL's so far but I get what you're saying. How do the Fender's compare tension/feel wise to the 760FL's? I'm really liking how the La Bella's feel but wouldn't mind checking out some other options eventually.

 

[michael_t]

I dig the 760FL's so far but I get what you're saying. How do the Fender's compare tension/feel wise to the 760FL's? I'm really liking how the La Bella's feel but wouldn't mind checking out some other options eventually.

In terms of overall playing feel, the 760FL (43-60-82-104) and the 9050L (45-60-80-100) are fairly close. In fact, I had the Fender on my J and the La Bella on my P at the same time at one point and didn't notice any drastic difference in stiffness/flexibility switching back and forth between the two.

 

[hennessybass]

In terms of overall playing feel, the 760FL (43-60-82-104) and the 9050L (45-60-80-100) are fairly close. In fact, I had the Fender on my J and the La Bella on my P at the same time at one point and didn't notice any drastic difference in stiffness/flexibility switching back and forth between the two.

I've been using DR Ledgend flats for years (45-65-85-105). I've had really good luck and they have sounded great on a number of different basses. Hard for me to compare with anything else, but I consider them stiff-ish - which I like. They feel great on the fingers.

I've been curious about trying a set of LaBellas. I bet it's been like 15 years since I had LaBellas on a bass.