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jamerson without going flat.

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.

THIS.

From what you are describing, it sounds like the Roto's (which surprisingly have not been suggested) would be a shoe in. They are actually the closest in gauge to his LaBella's also. Trust me. BERNADETTE! :bassist:
 
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.
 
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?

There will be more friction on the hands with flats than rounds because there is more skin-to-string surface area. Simple physics.

I have found that after 30 minutes on a bass with flats, any awkwardness involving feel goes away.
 
Don't worry about what anyone is saying to you over flat wounds. If your fingers don't like them, your fingers don't like them.

Stick some foam underneath your strings right in front of the bridge.

If you don't like the look of that or you want more versatility in your muting, practice playing notes on your left hand with your index and muting with the rest of your fingers in front of it.

If that doesn't work for you, pick with your thumb and palm mute. Be warned though, if you choose this option, you'll likely lose some quickness and dexterity.



You got this.
 
To really get the sound, the La Bellas are by far the first choice. However, whether you go with La Bellas or any other brand of flats or half rounds or whatever, none of them are going to sound like JJ when you first put them on. His strings were left on for years and had soaked up a lot of dirt, sweat, and bar funk- and were really stretched out from years of playing. What you may want to do is try to find someone who has a used set of flats available. The older the better. That way they are loosended up, and wont require as much left hand strength.

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.

Just remember - "The dirt keeps the funk"
 
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.
You REALLY did that? Epic. LMAO.
 
You REALLY did that? Epic. LMAO.

Yes...

That seems like an amazingly effective way of kinking the crap out of a good set of strings.

:hiding:

No kinks. I wrapped them around a piece of firewood and anchored the ball end with a small nail to help hold them. I went slow and also didnt pound them hard enough to cause any breaks. The goal was to "re-bend" them opposite their factory "coiling". It actually took me a while to get them so that when I held them by one end, they hung relatively straight instead of springing into a coil.

Proper intonation is for mama's boys.
No problems so far!
 
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.


Horsehockey
 

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