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It's back! - Fender 9050CL 45-60-80-105

#161
Just another quick update...

The 9050CL has been on my J for three and a half weeks now (after being on my P for the first five weeks) but this is the first time I get to play them as I've been playing my P bass exclusively for the last few weeks.

Boy, do they ever sound and feel good now that they're back on my J! Most flats are pretty much guaranteed to sound good on a P bass, but the Fender 9050s are the only ones I've found so far that match up well with my J. Maybe it's my bass that's being too fussy, I don't know... ;)

I should also mention that the 105-E (9050CL) is a definite improvement over the 100-E (9050L) as it nicely evens up with the rest both in tone and tension with tight, focused lows with good note definition without being overly thumpy or boomy even higher up the neck.

Looks like the 9050CL will be on my J for a long time. :thumbsup:
 
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#162
michael_t said:
Just another quick update...

The 9050CL has been on my J for three and a half weeks now (after being on my P for the first five weeks) but this is the first time I get to play them as I've been playing my P bass exclusively for the last few weeks.

Boy, do they ever sound and feel good now that they're back on my J! Most flats are pretty much guaranteed to sound good on a P bass, but the Fender 9050s are the only ones I've found so far that match up well with my J. Maybe it's my bass that's being too fussy, I don't know... ;)

I should also mention that the 105-E (9050CL) is a definite improvement over the 100-E (9050L) as it nicely evens up with the rest both in tone and tension with tight, focused lows with good note definition without being overly thumpy or boomy even higher up the neck.

Looks like the 9050CL will be on my J for a long time. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Totally agree with your opinion. The CL set really great match with my Cv J , more the time I play it, more I love the tone even just stock pup.
I skip my mind to sell the J for another P.

Will looking for fender 64j pup for CV J soon.
 
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#163
Update...
9050ML has been on my CS P-59 for two weeks now. Tuned down a half step. And it feels and sounds super great really!
9050ML = .050 .065 .085 .100 , BUT.. I swapped the E-100 for a E-105 ;) and it turned out really well. Very nice tension and balance. Again, a half step down.
And the tone and definition is still there! but with a fatter, thicker sound. I just love these Fender flats!
 
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#166
shawshank72 said:
I've had a gripe about this for a long time.
A 110 E string would make it balanced tension and thus perfect. :)
Click to expand...

I know for a fact a 110-E would make you happy, but that would be a long shot as Fender does not have a .110 available for any of the factory sets.

As for the .105 for the ML set, it's just a matter of re-packaging what's already available.
 
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#167
anyone done a good comparison of

labella 760FL
fender 9050CL
Chromes custom balanced set (.45 .60 .80 .105)

?

long story alert - i've been playing flats for close 10 years now and have tried them all (except sadowsky which i don't care to try). the majority of the most recent time i've had pyramid golds and TI jazz flats. I've gotten very sick of the super treble and bass shy content of the TI's and have finally decided to go back to others. I had labella 760FL for a couple years and loved them, had chromes and loved them too. Both were mid scooped and sounded great on my vintage fender jazz (burpy similar tone, chromes a little brighter). i'm back to 760FL for now, but those other 2 sets listed above i'd like to try as well. tonally how would you describe the difference between chromes and fender of the same string size? i've heard they are the exact same string, i've heard they're not. where is the truth?
 
#168
markjazzbassist said:
anyone done a good comparison of

labella 760FL
fender 9050CL
Chromes custom balanced set (.45 .60 .80 .105)

tonally how would you describe the difference between chromes and fender of the same string size? i've heard they are the exact same string, i've heard they're not. where is the truth?
Click to expand...

I've tried all three, except the Chromes I tried were the ECB84 set (40-60-80-100).

760FL - Thick and thumpy like traditional flats should be. Love them on my P, but not so much on my J.

9050CL - They start out with a rather annoying metallic clang, which eventually settles into a pleasing low-mid grind after a month or two. The best flats for my J with meaty, yet focused lows and punchy mids with a gentle growl. I didn't care for them on my P.

Chromes ECB84 - These sounded great on my old MIM P bass, but my J didn't like them too much. The 40-G stayed very bright and twangy, while the 100-E went all thuddy eventually. (The balanced set may remedy these annoyances.)

As for the question regarding the D'A Chromes vs. the Fender 9050...

They do share certain family resemblance, both being manufactured by D'Addario, but they're certainly NOT identical twins; different specs result in different "personalities".

Based on my experience, the Chromes are all about the high-mid clank, while the 9050s are about the low-mid grind. To my ears, the Chromes sound a bit more "metallic", while the 9050s are more "grindy" with a mellower top end.
 
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#169
I thought I'd revive this thread with a question. For those of you are using the 9050CL set, how long are you leaving them on before changing? It takes about a month or two for them to break in or mellow out. But after that, how long does the magic last?
I currently have a set on my 62 avri, but I'm starting to think I've possibly left them on for too long (going on six years).
 
#170
Snackulus said:
I thought I'd revive this thread with a question. For those of you are using the 9050CL set, how long are you leaving them on before changing? It takes about a month or two for them to break in or mellow out. But after that, how long does the magic last?
I currently have a set on my 62 avri, but I'm starting to think I've possibly left them on for too long (going on six years).
Click to expand...

Life expectancy of any set of strings is dependent on what the user considers "useful tone". If the set you have is starting to sound to you personally like they've gone past their useful life, then change them. I would think six years is pretty good for a set of Fender 9050.
 
#171
michael_t said:
Life expectancy of any set of strings is dependent on what the user considers "useful tone". If the set you have is starting to sound to you personally like they've gone past their useful life, then change them. I would think six years is pretty good for a set of Fender 9050.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I know the answer is going to be different for everyone as it is subjective. I still think they sound good but can't help but wonder if my ears have just adapted, or if I'm missing out on what has long since expired. A week old cup of coffe technically still has caffeine... Yada yada yada..
 
#174
michael_t said:
You just responded to my post from March 2016!

Things have changed a bit since then; I'm not as much into flats as when I started this thread. The only set of slightly-used flats I have stashed away are the GHS Precision Flats.
Click to expand...

Michael: Yeah: I came across your 2016 post while reading reviews of XL Chrome flats which I have had for a while. I just re-installed them on my new American Professional P bass. They have a bit more life to them than the Precision flats.
I also just bought a Sadowski SBP-1 preamp/DI pedal from Long and McQuade, so naturally I thought of Roger's basses.:D
What strings are you using now?
 

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