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Need help picking flats for this '71 Pbass
- Thread starter funkmasterron
- Start date
If that's short scale then I think they are rotosound 77s. The long scale are red and the short are light blue. The monel steel they use for the flats is amazing.
Aside from cleaning it up and maybe adjusting the action, what are you planning on doing to it? Looks like it just needs some grime taken off.
So heavy-gauged sets are out, as are expensive sets: good to know. The caveats about tone expressed above still stand, though.
- If being "period-correct", and/or if your friend already has a roundwound-stringed bass, it makes sense to go all in with vintage-sounding flats: La Bella LTF-4A or 760FX (light tension); 760FL, 760FS or 760FGS (medium tension); GHS 3025 (light) or CM3050 (medium); DR FL-45 (medium); Pyramid Gold 640/1 (medium; only a little above your price range, if bought from the right US-based online places);
If the bass is going to be the only one in your friend's arsenal, he may or may not want it to cover a little more ground:
- Galli JF4505 (medium); Ernie Ball Group IV (light) and III (medium); La Bella OSF-4 (medium); Optima 4099 L (medium); Dunlop DBFS40100 (light) or DBFS45105 (medium)- with the latter two brands pushing it a little regarding price (under 60 bucks anyway) - each in its own way straddle the line between "vintage" and "modern" flats;
- ditto, but with a marked midrangey flavour, for Fender 9050L (light) and Rotosound SM77 (medium);
- there's also a category of comparatively bright flatwounds, such as the S.I.T. PF45105L (medium); Gibson SBG-FWLS (light) and SBG-FWLS12 (medium); D'Addario ECB80 (light), ECB84 and ECB81 (medium); Ernie Ball 2815 (light), 2814 and 2813 (medium).
I've tried to leave out the more exotic, as well as domestic-made but pricey offerings.
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I have 4 P-basses, all with different strings at this moment. My choice of bass (and by extension, strings) depends on the song. The strings change around from time to time, but I always, always have La Bella DTFs on at least one. It is The Sound. And I really feel comfortable with the tension. My '66 has La Bellas on—the ones it was wearing when I got the bass earlier this year—and they're god-knows-how-old, and I am planning on never, ever changing them.
My second choice is Fender 9050M. Good bite in the upper-mids, similar tension to the La Bellas. And good contrast with the La Bellas in terms of what I get out of them.
I'm new to the TI thing and the jury's kinda still out, for me. I've played a couple gigs with them and really liked their tone for the retro singer-songwriter vibe, but they're kinda floppy for me, and I generally find the tone varies from string to string—breaking in at different rates, I suppose. I find the sustain has dropped off a lot as time has gone by, too, which gives the strings kind of a foam-muted sound. I happen to like that, but it's not right for every context.
I got a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt flats and am going to try them on my 74 P. I've been using them on my Stingray Classic and Classic5 (to which I am also new) and they've been great there. I won't be able to dial in the EQ in the same way—I mean, I play my P's fully open—but I'm curious how they'll compare to the Fender flats in terms of bite.
So now I'm inspired. Tonight is string change night! For that, you have my gratitude.
My second choice is Fender 9050M. Good bite in the upper-mids, similar tension to the La Bellas. And good contrast with the La Bellas in terms of what I get out of them.
I'm new to the TI thing and the jury's kinda still out, for me. I've played a couple gigs with them and really liked their tone for the retro singer-songwriter vibe, but they're kinda floppy for me, and I generally find the tone varies from string to string—breaking in at different rates, I suppose. I find the sustain has dropped off a lot as time has gone by, too, which gives the strings kind of a foam-muted sound. I happen to like that, but it's not right for every context.
I got a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt flats and am going to try them on my 74 P. I've been using them on my Stingray Classic and Classic5 (to which I am also new) and they've been great there. I won't be able to dial in the EQ in the same way—I mean, I play my P's fully open—but I'm curious how they'll compare to the Fender flats in terms of bite.
So now I'm inspired. Tonight is string change night! For that, you have my gratitude.
@JeezyMcNuggles
@coy garcia
Perhaps it's time to string my Pbass with a set of Chromes that have been waiting in my drawer for years.
Adi Oasis on Instagram: "Dumpalltheguns from my album #lotusglow ( live at @theindependentsf ) @jamin_jamal @druvvylyfe #livebass #clavinet #dumpalltheguns #adibass"
@coy garcia
Perhaps it's time to string my Pbass with a set of Chromes that have been waiting in my drawer for years.
Adi Oasis on Instagram: "Dumpalltheguns from my album #lotusglow ( live at @theindependentsf ) @jamin_jamal @druvvylyfe #livebass #clavinet #dumpalltheguns #adibass"
I always used LaBella DTF (Deep Talkin' Flats) on my P-bass for that classic Jamerson-Dunn-Cogbill style thump, but gigging with them wore me out because of their extreme high tension and stiffness, somewhat akin to wrestling with a bear. I tried some more "modern" brands but they never settled into the familiar organic thumpiness that I got with the DTFs. Then I discovered LaBella LTF (Low Tension Flats) and everything is lollipops and roses now. They have a bit less of the harmonics-laden clunk of the heavy DTFs, but they still retain most of the attack and percussiveness of their stiffer siblings without the finger pain & cramps after a four set show. They also have
that amazingly smooth finish that LaBella flats are known for. Definitely my new go-to for flats on the P.
that amazingly smooth finish that LaBella flats are known for. Definitely my new go-to for flats on the P.
Me too! I’ve tried a lot of strings, but the Rotosounds are my favorite. I have them on my 1954 P-bass and every other P, Tele and Jazz I own…. Well, actually 1 P has round-wounds.
=> "doesnt have any specific criteria [...] family heirloom [...] wants the bass to be playable but won't be playing it much"
Shame if not played much, but for that, perhaps semi-modern middle of the road Fender 9050L ("Light" 45-100, but feel perhaps a little bit closer to medium for you coming from RWs) ... between $20-$30 a set, very good well made strings (designed by a TB member here), will cover a lot of territory, nice mids if you/he wants them.
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May I suggest La Bella 0760M 52-110. The original 54's. But tuned down to D standard tuning. They are very stiff and downtuning them turns a struggle into a very enjoyable playing experience. They sound blooming fantastic in D.
La Bella doesn't have tensions for these strings, but adding 5% more tension per string might be about right. That gives the strings around the same tension in D standard as your typical set of 45-105 nickel rounds in E standard on 34" bass.
La Bella doesn't have tensions for these strings, but adding 5% more tension per string might be about right. That gives the strings around the same tension in D standard as your typical set of 45-105 nickel rounds in E standard on 34" bass.
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=> "I got a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt flats"
Tip: Wipe them down with 99.9% isopropyl alcohol dampened cloth before you install them, and then with a very *lightly* dampened cloth with body safe mineral oil (or use something like fastfret)... gets rid of their unique sticky gunk production residues & protects them a bit: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/eb...unds-rust-or-not.1627155/page-2#post-27903010
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Which flats? It depends on what kind of tone you want from that bass.
If you're like me, and want it to sound like it did when it was new? The lighter gauge GHS Precision Flats. They're pretty much clones of the original Squier-made Fender factory flats that P-Bass's came with until 1982 or so. My A-necked lefty '78 P-Bass wears them under the bridge cover (with a foam mute) and the pickup cover. If pretending its the late '60's isn't your thing? Well... excluding the flats I use that aren't exactly mainstream (I have flats on 22 of my 25 basses), here are some - emphasis on the "some" - flats you might use - from the brightest to the thumpiest - IMO...
- EB Slinky Cobalt Flats
- D'Addario Chromes
- TI Jazz Flats
- Fender 9050L's
- Optima 4440 RB "Rickenbacker Bass" Flats
- Sadowsky Blue Label Flats
- Rotosound RS77LD's
- La Bella 760Fl's or FS's (not a lot of difference, other that slight gauge variation)
- La Bella 0760M Originals (the Jamerson set)
There are lots of others, though. some I haven't tried yet; and some that are somewhat hard to find - and expensive when you do. They will fall somewhere in between the extremes, but... usually not too far to one side or the other of the Fender 9050's, which - IMO - are pretty much the center point of the flat wound spectrum. Some of those non mainstream flats I like for their feel; some for their stiffness (or lack of it); and some of them? Just because I'm sorta goofy that way...
Which flats? It depends on what kind of tone you want from that bass.
If you're like me, and want it to sound like it did when it was new? The lighter gauge GHS Precision Flats. They're pretty much clones of the original Squier-made Fender factory flats that P-Bass's came with until 1982 or so. My A-necked lefty '78 P-Bass wears them under the bridge cover (with a foam mute) and the pickup cover. If pretending its the late '60's isn't your thing? Well... excluding the flats I use that aren't exactly mainstream (I have flats on 22 of my 25 basses), here are some - emphasis on the "some" - flats you might use - from the brightest to the thumpiest - IMO...
- EB Slinky Cobalt Flats
- D'Addario Chromes
- TI Jazz Flats
- Fender 9050L's
- Optima 4440 RB "Rickenbacker Bass" Flats
- Sadowsky Blue Label Flats
- Rotosound RS77LD's
- La Bella 760Fl's or FS's (not a lot of difference, other that slight gauge variation)
- La Bella 0760M Originals (the Jamerson set)
There are lots of others, though. some I haven't tried yet; and some that are somewhat hard to find - and expensive when you do. They will fall somewhere in between the extremes, but... usually not too far to one side or the other of the Fender 9050's, which - IMO - are pretty much the center point of the flat wound spectrum. Some of those non mainstream flats I like for their feel; some for their stiffness (or lack of it); and some of them? Just because I'm sorta goofy that way...
Interesting, I've always had the impression Roto RS77LDs are brighter and less thumpy than the Fender 9050s.
I've noticed that quite a few people seem to feel that Roto 77's are fairly bright flats. I had the 77LD's on my '78 Fender P-Bass for several years; had them on my '18 Gibson Thunderbird, too. To me, they were anything but bright. I'd class them - on those basses - as somewhere between Optima RB's, and heavy gauge GHS Precision Flats. A very strong low end, but also noticeably good low-mids and mids. Top end? Yeah, it's there, but... there ain't much. On the basses that currently wear Fender 9050L's in my herd? To me, they sound an awful lot like the TI Jazz Flats that my Alembic wears - minus the orchestral harmonics. When they were on my P-Bass, they sounded the same as my basses that wear them now. In fact, I replaced them with the set of GHS P-Flats that the P-Bass bass wears now, because they just weren't thumpy enough. Even with a foam mute in the bridge cover...
So, I don't know. Maybe my ears are just weird, but, to me? Fender 9050L's aren't very thumpy - at all...
I've noticed that quite a few people seem to feel that Roto 77's are fairly bright flats. I had the 77LD's on my '78 Fender P-Bass for several years; had them on my '18 Gibson Thunderbird, too. To me, they were anything but bright. I'd class them - on those basses - as somewhere between Optima RB's, and heavy gauge GHS Precision Flats. A very strong low end, but also noticeably good low-mids and mids. Top end? Yeah, it's there, but... there ain't much. On the basses that currently wear Fender 9050L's in my herd? To me, they sound an awful lot like the TI Jazz Flats that my Alembic wears - minus the orchestral harmonics. When they were on my P-Bass, they sounded the same as my basses that wear them now. In fact, I replaced them with the set of GHS P-Flats that the P-Bass bass wears now, because they just weren't thumpy enough. Even with a foam mute in the bridge cover...
So, I don't know. Maybe my ears are just weird, but, to me? Fender 9050L's aren't very thumpy - at all...
Have you tried both regular 45-105 and heavy 50-110 Roto 77s?
Currently 9050M on a Pbass of mine and it would be good to know whether the heavy Rotos have similar or higher tension.
As of 9050s being thumpy, like you said, I don't think they are particularly thumpy.
