My 78 P is wearing D'Addario Chrome flats, I keep rounds on my Geddy Lee, and my fretless J is sporting Pressure wounds at the moment.
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P-Bass Players - Flatwounds or Roundwounds (POLL)
- Thread starter needmoney
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Steve Harris and Tony Franklin.
And I love swimming upstream.
Seriously, those are the combinations I like.
Fretless with roundwounds to sound more aggressive rather than the typical fretless mellow. (Just got a fretless precision.)
Fretted with flatwounds to reduce "clank". And to break away from the typical precision sound that sometimes get the (negative) definition of one-trick-pony.
My passive P, PJ, and Jazz all have flats (Chromes). They have that "hollow grind" sound that I love!!
My Active P 5er sounds best to my ear with Chromes.
My active P and J have rounds (I like the Fender Taperwounds).
I have a '51 RI P bass with Labella Flats and foam mute that really nails that Motown vibe.
So, a la Chef......BOTH!!
My Active P 5er sounds best to my ear with Chromes.
My active P and J have rounds (I like the Fender Taperwounds).
I have a '51 RI P bass with Labella Flats and foam mute that really nails that Motown vibe.
So, a la Chef......BOTH!!
I took the original poster's name off that comment because I ABSOLUTELY cannot believe someone would say that. It could not be MORE wrong!!!
The sound of a Precision bass with flats IS the very definition of the bass line in rock and roll. It was THE instrument and strings used in rock & roll - it established and defined the genre.
It just shows what short memories some folks have.
My '63 P still has the flats on it that I installed in 1972. Trust me, it rawks.
+1,000 -- My thoughts exactly.I took the original poster's name off that comment because I ABSOLUTELY cannot believe someone would say that. It could not be MORE wrong!!!
The sound of a Precision bass with flats IS the very definition of the bass line in rock and roll. It was THE instrument and strings used in rock & roll - it established and defined the genre.
It just shows what short memories some folks have.
rkingly
"Playing Reverend Basses on a Regular Basis"
Rounds on all my P's w/one exception, my 68 P wears flats.
I like flats & half rounds, have them on several other bass's,
But there's nothing quite like a P w/rounds 4 rock n roll.
I like flats & half rounds, have them on several other bass's,
But there's nothing quite like a P w/rounds 4 rock n roll.
There wasn't an option for both so I picked rounds..
I tried the flats on the Hwy one first, but it just wasn't working out. I had a dead spot that I didn't know about when I was using the flats, but then I put the rounds back on and the dead spot went away.. Then I put the flats on my MIM P-Bass and it just loved the strings.
So I kept the Rounds on the Hwy One P-Bass and Flats on the MIM P-Bass.. But I do like the sound of rounds on a my basses more then I do Flats.
I tried the flats on the Hwy one first, but it just wasn't working out. I had a dead spot that I didn't know about when I was using the flats, but then I put the rounds back on and the dead spot went away.. Then I put the flats on my MIM P-Bass and it just loved the strings.
So I kept the Rounds on the Hwy One P-Bass and Flats on the MIM P-Bass.. But I do like the sound of rounds on a my basses more then I do Flats.
I have flats on my fretless P-copy & SS rounds on my 73, & don't really *prefer* one or the other. I need more options, including carrots.
I love flatwounds on my Fender P-bass, especially GHS Precision Flats for a gorgeous old-school tone. But I play rock exclusively, so I use rounds more often, and voted accordingly. For recording, I'll probably throw the GHS flats back onto my Precision, and keep rounds on my SB-2.
Oddly, my favorite strings on my Precision are the GHS flats and Dean Markley Blue Steels, which seem like opposite ends of the spectrum. Despite their brightness, the Blue Steels have nice thump, I think due to the relatively low tension.
Oddly, my favorite strings on my Precision are the GHS flats and Dean Markley Blue Steels, which seem like opposite ends of the spectrum. Despite their brightness, the Blue Steels have nice thump, I think due to the relatively low tension.
That's my answer too. I didn't vote.
If I did only have one, I'd have to go with flats though.
I appreciate all the 'one of each' comments, but the reason I didn't put it in the poll (yes I did think of it) is I'm trying to see which strings people 'prefer'.
If you like both that is great, but what would you choose if you only had one P-Bass?
If you like both that is great, but what would you choose if you only had one P-Bass?
Flats all the way on my Highway 1 P bass!
If I want my bass to sound like a Rickenbacker, I'll play my Rickenbacker, which has rounds!!
If I want my bass to sound like a Rickenbacker, I'll play my Rickenbacker, which has rounds!!
For a split-coil P, I prefer rounds, nickelplated steel Fender "Super Bass" brand. For a single coil P, I prefer flats.
