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The string mute and P pickup are much more important than flats to nail the Jamerson tone.
I don't use flats and get a satisfying Jamerson impression with my bass and a cloth mute.
Now if you like Jamerson so much that you want to dedicate a bass to his tone, using rounds seems a bit counterproductive.
I think TIs are the worst choice of flats you can make for a Jamerson tone.

I was waiting for that.I think TIs are the worst choice of flats you can make for a Jamerson tone.
This might be the first time I've heard someone say that flats are more difficult to play than rounds. Sticky? Can't slide? Have you ever actually tried a set?
I understand what he's saying about flats. It took me some time to get used to flats when I first started using them. Try Rotosound 66 SS Roundwounds,let them go dead and use your EQ. I used to use the Rotos and found when they "die" they get very thumpy for a roundwound.
That's very true of Rotosound 66 SS. I also find that DR Lo-Riders once well used can get thumpy as well.
This might be the first time I've heard someone say that flats are more difficult to play than rounds. Sticky? Can't slide? Have you ever actually tried a set?
You REALLY did that? Epic. LMAO.If you can't find some used ones, try "breaking in" a set. I once took a new set of flats and after stretching them as much as I could on an old junk P-bass copy, I wrapped them around a piece of wood, and "tenderized" them with a wooden mallett. Then I put them in a coffee can and boiled them in vegetable oil with some salt, a handful of dirt , and some various shots of booze/alocohol thrown in . I let that mix cool down then let them soak for a couple days. Afterwards, I took them out and left them sit exposed so the residual oil could collect dust- and after that I put them on- and it was a good head start. They still werent as broke in and funky as my oldest set of Fender flats - but it was a good experiment.
I wrapped them around a piece of wood, and "tenderized" them with a wooden mallett.

That seems like an amazingly effective way of kinking the crap out of a good set of strings.
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You REALLY did that? Epic. LMAO.
That seems like an amazingly effective way of kinking the crap out of a good set of strings.
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No problems so far!Proper intonation is for mama's boys.
There will be more friction on the hands with flats than rounds because there is more skin-to-string surface area. Simple physics.
If you can't find some used ones, try "breaking in" a set. I once took a new set of flats and after stretching them as much as I could on an old junk P-bass copy, I wrapped them around a piece of wood, and "tenderized" them with a wooden mallett. Then I put them in a coffee can and boiled them in vegetable oil with some salt, a handful of dirt , and some various shots of booze/alocohol thrown in . I let that mix cool down then let them soak for a couple days. Afterwards, I took them out and left them sit exposed so the residual oil could collect dust- and after that I put them on- it was a good head start. They still werent as broke in and funky as my oldest set of Fender flats - but it was a good experiment.
Your theory says you'd get better traction on an ice-covered road than you would on a gravel road.
The next step up from simple physics considers the nature of the surface area.