Please recommend old roundwound strings for 60s type P-Bass?

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Absolutely, I agree 100% but it can be rather subtle differences. Changing the strings to a completely different type will change the tone&dynamics of the instrument a LOT more than the difference between a vintage Fender 1960s bass (or any MIA) and a brand new Squier CV60.

I'll have to disagree here. There is no magic string that can turn a Squier into a vintage Fender (or even a new one). Sure, you can change the tonal balance by strings, you can even change it a lot by the way you play. However, no string can make up for the resonant qualities and sustain (or lack thereof). No string can make up for this nice tone definition that good pickups give, and that's something that is very apparent in the mix.
At 1/4 of the price (and much less for a vintage instrument) it is to be expected. There is a very good reason why people still by new and old American Fenders. It's not only the quality of materials and construction.

 

[Phaidrus]

I'd recommend the Fender 7150M pure nickel 45-105 rounds.

Just strung one of my Pbasses (with "Original 62" pickup) with 7150M replacing a set of Pyramid Pure Nickel 45-105 rounds and the tone is considerably fatter, fuller, thicker yet not less articulate. Tension is about the same, perhaps a bit less than the Pyramid. Texture also about the same, perhaps the 7150s are just a hair rougher yet still very normal in that respect. Pbass sounds glorious through my 4x10 cab now.

 

[Phaidrus]

I do, because I played both. The reason is that they are NOT made by the same company. Until about 2012 or so, Fender DID manufacture strings. After that, they closed their string plant in Mexico and outsourced production (possibly to D'Addario, although it has never been officially confirmed).
The older Fender rounds had thinner cores, thinner wrap wire, uncolored ball ends and silk wraps. They were slightly lower tension, felt smoother (due to the thinner wrap wire) and sounded fuller and warmer then the ones available now.
For about a year or so, around 2012-2013, one could find both the old (MIM) strings, and then the new ones (MIA). I had several opportunities to compare them.

PS: I'm sure that if you dig old threads from that time, you'll read many pages of opinions and comparisons (including close up images and sound files) that prove beyond a doubt that they're different.

Do you think it is worth trying to find an old NOS 7150 set instead of buying the current ones? Wouldn't such an old set be dead by now?

 

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Do you think it is worth trying to find an old NOS 7150 set instead of buying the current ones? Wouldn't such an old set be dead by now?

There is a chance that they will be dead. They were not sealed, so for 15 years they may have corroded. They were very good strings, but not worth trying to find them now, IMO.

 

[Phaidrus]

There is a chance that they will be dead. They were not sealed, so for 15 years they may have corroded. They were very good strings, but not worth trying to find them now, IMO.

Thanks. Currently new generation 7150s on this Pbass of mine and they are perhaps the warmest, fullest and somewhat grindy sounding rounds I've ever tried. Which is what I'm looking for. But with all this literature about the original 7150s being so much better, I considered trying a NOS set. As alternatives some other sets come to mind but I'm not sure they'll do the trick: GHS Boomers, Roto Swing 66s, DR Nickel Lo Riders. Any suggestions welcome.

 

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The older made in Mexico 7150s were smoother in texture (I believe the outer wrap wire was a bit thinner) and had black silks, which looked cool. Sonic memory can be deceiving, but I believe they were even warmer sounding than the new, D'Addario made ones. From the current production NPS out in the market, nothing sounds exactly like these, possibly SIT comes closer, but take my words with several grains of salt, since I haven't used SIT strings for several years now.

 

[trothwell]

I sold my Precision bass a couple of years ago (which, of course, I regret, and intend to remedy some day), but my favorite roundwounds on it were GHS Balanced Nickels and GHS Super Steels. Kind of opposite ends of the roundwound spectrum, but I thought they both worked good.