P-Bass w/ Flats.. first experience

[ThePoloHobo]

Nothing like a brand new useful tone in your color palette, and probably the cheapest and least labor-intensive way to get it.

Indeed! I've been modding my jazz around getting ultimate round-wound growl. I can get smooth tones with the pre, but nothing compared to the sound of the P w/ flats. I'm using d'Addario chromes, and they got a nice warm growl to them, but still just a great non-aggressive tone. Finally, a bass I can use on our less rocky, more soulful/bluesy type stuff. Also, I need a backup anyway.

 

[Kukulkan61]

I've always used round wounds till about 5 years ago,I put a set of Chromes on my 61 P and fell in love all over again,I have 4 P basses and their all sporting flats with the exception of one that's got a set of pressure wounds which I like too,hell I even have Chromes on my VM Squier Jaguar bass,don't think I'll ever go back to rounds,won't have to change strings for a very long time also since flats get better with age,I'm set!!!

 

[fenwickbacker]

Easy answer . . . get 2 P's - one w/ rounds and one w/ flats . . .

 

[jcorneli]

 

[friendlybass]

Now try an EB-3 with flats and tell me what you like better

 

[ThePoloHobo]

Now try an EB-3 with flats and tell me what you like better

You know, funny you should mention this, made me remember I was jamming on one in GC the other day. It had a better setup than every other bass in the "Rumble Room".. *sigh* and you know its bad when you don't even have to pick up the bass to tell the action is higher than Afroman. I love the SG look and it had a nice unique sound. I have played many a P bass with rounds and they just don't do it for me. At $299 I might as well just bring the EB-3 home with a new set of flats and try it out for 30 days. Thanks for the suggestion, I had totally forgotten about it!

 

[friendlybass]

You know, funny you should mention this, made me remember I was jamming on one in GC the other day. It had a better setup than every other bass in the "Rumble Room".. *sigh* and you know its bad when you don't even have to pick up the bass to tell the action is higher than Afroman. I love the SG look and it had a nice unique sound. I have played many a P bass with rounds and they just don't do it for me. At $299 I might as well just bring the EB-3 home with a new set of flats and try it out for 30 days. Thanks for the suggestion, I had totally forgotten about it!

My sg special sounds killer with flats, its the uprightiest tone ive gotten out of any bass guitar

 

[Lokosh]

Flats all the way for me: LaBella Deep Talking Bass Medium. Both my 78 P and my 57 MIM nitro reissue wear these lovely strings.

 

[Phalex]

The first time I played my P bass strung with flats my drummer was like "What the hell did you do? THATS AWESOME!!"


I gotta say, I liked it too, but the drummer raving about the fat meaty sound I was getting really cemented the deal.

 

[Stranger Danger]

I'm really liking the CV or Matt Freeman P.. I suppose I'll not worry about what it says on the headstock. If it sounds good, it is good!
And mostly because I love the look of maple fretboards and there doesnt seem to be many MiM's with maple.

They make maple boarded mim p basses in every color. They are readily available.

 

[morgansterne]

Our drummer has an affinity p that i rescued with new strings and a setup. I had to try it because in fifteen years of bass playing I'd never owned a p. I assumed it was junky but after some tlc its pretty nice! My jazz has flats so I put new rounds on the p. Sunday we're rehearsing again. Now I'm gonna have to bring em home and swap my flats to the p cuz y'all have made me curious.

 

[Fit4pain]

A new Mexican P at GC is 539.99. I played one today while I was there and it was fantastic. I play a G&L LB 100 with Sadowsky flats as my main player and I have a 63 Fender P with Fender flats and I love them both but I was really susprised at how great that MM P Bass played and sounded. Well worth a look.

 

[Jughead6]

Anyway, now I am on the hunt for a P bass around $500, but not necessarily a Fender, suggestions? The bass must have the exact P-bass spacing.. I've read a lot of P/J's have the pickup in a different position. I don't really need the bridge pickup anyway.

The best P bass I've ever played is a Gibson Victory Standard. They were built for a short time in the 80's and were intended to compete directly with the P bass.

They have a smaller sized offset body which is great for fans of the Jazz body shape. I have tried to love Fender P's but they just don't feel right to me after years of playing J's.

But I fell in love with the first Victory I saw and now I own two. They totally rock with flatwounds. When I take one out for a gig people always come up to me afterwards wanting to know what it is.

Only thing is they are pretty rare and would probably set you back a bit more than $500.

Anyway, just want to spread the love for unusual basses.

 

[Shawn Luckman]

I can't wait for the flats on my precision to break in I could kick myself, for not getting a P bass with flats years ago even as a spare bass

 

[drummer5359]

I currently own five Precisions, Four of them are fitted with Fender flats. I practice a lot on the one fitted with round wounds just for the sake of callouses. Also, rounds have more string noise. Practicing on the bass not setup with flats has helped to clean up my technique weirdly enough.

But, I LOVE the sound of Flats on a P-bass. In this town there doesn't seem to be a lot of people playing flatwounds, I've staked it out as my sound.

 

[nashvillebill]

While this Affinity P sounds good, the pg is cracked around the jack and the tuning machines are crap.

Well if the bass plays good, and its owner is willing to sell it...you can buy quality tuning machines relatively cheap, and new pickguards are not expensive either.

 

[ThePoloHobo]

Jughead that is a badass lookin' Gibson! never seen one before! very nice.

I think the guitarist wants to hang on to this Affinity for writing bass stuff for his songs. I'm really wanting to try an EB-3 with flats though just to have something different.. essentially the same cost as a MiM P at $300.

 

[Basshappi]

The EB3 is a completely different animal than a Precision, but in a good way.

 

[Jughead6]

Jughead that is a badass lookin' Gibson! never seen one before! very nice.

I think the guitarist wants to hang on to this Affinity for writing bass stuff for his songs. I'm really wanting to try an EB-3 with flats though just to have something different.. essentially the same cost as a MiM P at $300.

That's not one of mine, that's just a photo that I ripped off the internet. But thanks, they're pretty cool to look at.

I imagine an EB3 would sound a bit different from a Fender P, but at least you wouldn't be just another Fender P player. There's so many of them!

Good luck with the search.

 

[TheCouchBassist]

Had my jazz in for a setup and my guitarist said he'd let me borrow his bass he had never mentioned. Turned out to be an Affinity P, '01 or so. I threw some flats I had laying around on it....

and I'm madly in love with this sound! I must own a P bass now. I never liked the sound of a P, but I never played one with flats! This one happens to be a gem of a Squier, sets up well.

Anyway, now I am on the hunt for a P bass around $500, but not necessarily a Fender, suggestions? The bass must have the exact P-bass spacing.. I've read a lot of P/J's have the pickup in a different position. I don't really need the bridge pickup anyway.

Yeah, when I think of all the times I used to mock the "P and Flats" crowd I have to smile as I now play a P and Chromes exclusively.