Man...I'm loving these AVRI62's!! Which strings?

[rpavich]

So I've been playing bass for about a month now...I'm a reformed guitarist 40 years and I was tired of it.

I took to bass pretty well...the coordination thing is most of my issues...cleanly making notes...plucking correctly etc..

Well..when I got my AVRI62 J-Bass I put flats on it because I was squeaking like a mouse...due to the round wounds.

But now a month later I got this AVRI62 P Bass, it came with round wounds...I played it and it didn't squeak, and I realized it was mostly "me" that was the finger noise issue not the round wound strings...so here is my question:

Is the "P-Bass + Flats" and the "J-Bass + rounds" the classic combinations?

Right now it's backwards and I'd like ONE of these two to have round wounds (I think) just for variety...if you were to put the rounds on one of these two...which would it be?

 

[jeff62]

Give the Ernie Ball Cobalt flats a try. Rounds power in a flat format. You'll be happy. The other option I'd highly recommend is SIT Silencers (basically flattened nickel rounds) -- they aren't truly flat but almost. They sound like nicely broken in roundwound strings.

 

[rpavich]

Oh cool thanks so much I'll do that.

 

[TN WOODMAN]

Your assumption is correct: p & flats, j & rounds.

I agree this works well & is the classic setup but I also have basses strung the opposite.

If you like the way your brace plays & sounds as is, by all means continue. If you want to experiment, reverse & try.

If I have a bass where everything feels right, the set up is perfect-I’m superstitious-Let It Be.

 

[rpavich]

My only regret is that on the J bass, I adjusted the truss rod and it was frozen (unknown to me at the time) and it broke...had to buy a warmouth custom neck to duplicate the 7.25" radius, vintage frets and such...it was 400 bucks but the actual original AVRI62 necks are as much as a whole guitar! 1,800!!!

 

[Mike Vee]

I like to stay within flats territory at all times. I hate rounds.

Within the flats range, many tones can be acquired. For me, nothing beats TI flats on a jazz bass. In fact, I don't like a J bass with ANY other strings.

P bass can accept a wider variety of flats, but the bass will pick. For me it's always TIs, LaBella (either LTF or FX), Fenders, or extra light Chromes with a 55D. What sounds and feels good one one bass may not suit the other.

 

[rpavich]

I like to stay within flats territory at all times. I hate rounds.

Within the flats range, many tones can be acquired. For me, nothing beats TI flats on a jazz bass. In fact, I don't like a J bass with ANY other strings.

P bass can accept a wider variety of flats, but the bass will pick. For me it's always TS, LaBella (either LTF or FX), Fenders, or extra light Chromes with a 55D. What sounds and feels good one one bass may not suit the other.

Thanks so much for the detailed info...I'll poke around and experiment a bit..
For what it's worth...the bass is WAAYYY more susceptible to sounding different with different strings and between each model of bass than guitars (in my opinion...)

 

[urkel3000]

Yeah electric bass tone is like 80% strings and 15% setup imo

 

[Aledal]

The LaBella Olinto flats on the P Bass are worth a try in my opinion, they moved up from my understudy P, to my backup P to my Lifer/No.1 P Bass in the span of 3 months.

 

[Shoreline Gold]

Yes, usually flats for P, rounds for J, but go figure, I've got flats on one of my Js. The other J has GHS Pressurewounds, which not only are great strings, but work much better for me live than flats do. Still love flats when I can, though.

 

[Pocket Dave]

I like flats, I like rounds, different applications, different gigs, etc. Find what you like.

Though keep rounds on at least one bass. With time, you'll find your technique evolves to minimize the squeak and avail yourself of what rounds have to offer. Also, that tone control on the bass? It works.

Meanwhile, next time you find a froze-up truss rod, don't force it. Hit it with WD-40 and wait a couple hours before trying it again - go easy. I've saved two this way.

 

[Crispus]

Let the bass pick the strings, you’ll know when you get there. Plenty of great examples of both basses using both types of strings.
Have fun!

 

[thepapercut]

View attachment 7286747

What do you think of those Ampeg VB cabinets? I’m eying the 112 at the moment.

 

[Just Wrong]

DR Sunbeams on the Jazz and La Bella 760FL on the Precision

 

[CletusMarley]

I second the EB Cobolt Flats. I love them.

 

[Akiyama]

"Matured" Fender 7250s on my Fender Jazz for me. I am using Pure Vintage 62 pickups.

 

[Makten]

Just move the strings from one bass to the other. You could even move the bridges with strings attached, so you won't need to intonate and you don't have to uncurl and thread every string through a tiny hole.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

I have the new Ian Martin Allison strings on one of my jazzes. Really cool strings.

 

[Aussie Player]

I was auditioning rounds on several of my basses today and the finger noise was what I was whoning in on. I tried various basses in both Class D and vintage Tube amps and reached the blantant result that GHS Balanced Nickels were by far, the most quiet strings to slide your fingers across.

They had already stood out to me for their clear punchy longevity with one set being on a jazz for almost 4 years now and still ringing clear and keeping pitch and intonation, but with the added no noise factor, I am going to restring everything with them now.

They also impressed me with less abrasion and no stickiness when moving quickly across frets for fast riff playing.

I also tried the various strings unplugged so the amp wasn't a factor in testing them.

 

[thepapercut]

Olinto Flats. I also have the Ian Martin Allison strings ready to go next. Both would be good options for you.