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Praise Report: GHS Precision Flats

#1,521
NKBassman said:
I may wait just a bit to change the strings out because damn that bass sounds good right now with Boomers on
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That's the kicker for me on my Jazz bass. I want to put the pressure wounds on but the well broken in Fender 7150 nickels just sound so good right now! This is a reminder to me of why I probably need at least two more Jazz basses and perhaps two or three more P basses just so I can always have my strings of choice at the ready when I want to hear and play them....:D
 
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#1,522
Broke this puppy out for play time this morning. Still sounds fabulous, and plays soooo sweet. The neck & action have settled down into their own slice of heaven. Haven't had to make an adjustment in over three years. Five year old GHS Precision Flats are like fine well aged whiskey. Smooth & Powerful. I made a special preset just for this bass on my now 4 month old Fender Rumble Studio 40. Used the Fender Super Bassman amp model with a hint of studio reverb. Super Soulful.
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#1,524
Linnin said:
Broke this puppy out for play time this morning. Still sounds fabulous, and plays soooo sweet. The neck & action have settled down into their own slice of heaven. Haven't had to make an adjustment in over three years. Five year old GHS Precision Flats are like fine well aged whiskey. Smooth & Powerful. I made a special preset just for this bass on my now 4 month old Fender Rumble Studio 40. Used the Fender Super Bassman amp model with a hint of studio reverb. Super Soulful.
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Great report.

How do you play that bass backwards? Just don't ride that way. Might happen if you don't take Michael's admonition.:D

Just bought a used set from a TBer. They only have about an hour on them so they might last a lifetime! Now I need to figure out what bass I want to put them on.
 
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#1,525
dagrev said:
Just bought a used set from a TBer.
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Lets hope they weren't damaged by through body stringing or cut wrong. I've never bought used strings.
dagrev said:
They only have about an hour on them so they might last a lifetime!
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If they're OK, I can attest they will last at least 5+ years.
dagrev said:
Now I need to figure out what bass I want to put them on.
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Why your Fender Precision Bass of course!
 
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#1,526
Linnin said:
Why your Fender Precision Bass of course!
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Exactly right! But which one!

Have a set on my '58 in the avatar. My 05 sounds fantastic with Balanced Nickles, Fender Hotrod sounds great with PWs, the '64 awesome with TIs. I tried the PFs on my '55 but was too muddy and not distinct at all. Was kind of thinking trying them on one of G&L L2000s. I think it will tame the aggressive upper mids and shore up the bottom well.
 
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#1,529
Linnin said:
Sounds like a good plan. Do it.
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I did. Put the almost new PFs on my BABE limited edition with ebony FB (not seen in the pic below). It sounded fantastic. One of those times where you really love to listen to your tone while playing kind of fantastic. Best any L2k I've ever owned has sounded. It was great in all tonal configurations. Fat and punchy all at the same time. With a pick it sounded good in the Jazz ("K" wiring) position where only one coil of the PUs is on. I'm glad I gave this a shot as I'm pretty sure I sound "The" string for this bass. Seems like a perfect match for what I'm looking for. Love the feel and can't wait till they get broken in well. It will only get better.

upload_2018-9-9_15-9-49.jpeg
 
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#1,533
Linnin said:
Hmmmm [deep in thought] could it possibly be GHS 3050 Precision Flats .055-.105? Could it be? Could it be? :hyper: Great choice of bass, by the way :thumbsup: :bassist:
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I have that set on my SX with the maple fretboard, basically a late 50's p bass. It fits the bass perfectly - very thumpy and bassy with great note definition.

Back to the topic at hand, I'm about to switch back to the GHS 3025 set on my jazz bass. I find that the T.I.'s are a very special breed of strings that are great for certain things, but I dislike the lack of bass and the rough feel on the E and A. I find that the 3025 set is perfect for my jazz bass.
 
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#1,536
nerkoids said:
About to finally pull the trigger on getting a new bass. Going to have to order some more strings. Guess which set I'm going to get for a 50s P-Bass/Tele Bass?
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I have a 1955 P and they just sounded kind of nondistinct. It's got a Lawrence Q-filter and bourne pots (not my doing) and I think that is a problem in sucking the life out of it. I really thought the PFs wold sound great, but ended up with TI Jazz Rounds to get it sounded good with my rigs.
 
#1,537
dagrev said:
I have a 1955 P and they just sounded kind of nondistinct. It's got a Lawrence Q-filter and bourne pots (not my doing) and I think that is a problem in sucking the life out of it.
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An actual 1955 Fender Precision? I've got a custom lefty with the bassic electronics of the '51-'57 Precision. Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder single coil pickup. Love those four large AlNiCo V pole pieces. CTS 250Kohm pots with a 0.047uf orange drop tone cap. No treble bleed. Switchcraft jack. As simple as it comes. Fender 9050 55-105 flats. Sounds like a million bucks.
 
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#1,538
Linnin said:
An actual 1955 Fender Precision? I've got a custom lefty with the bassic electronics of the '51-'57 Precision. Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder single coil pickup. Love those four large AlNiCo V pole pieces. CTS 250Kohm pots with a 0.047uf orange drop tone cap. No treble bleed. Switchcraft jack. As simple as it comes. Fender 9050 55-105 flats. Sounds like a million bucks.
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Yes. I bought it in the very early 80's. Took it to George Gruhn and he immediately recognized it as the "Turtle Bass" and said it had been in Europe for about 10 years (at that time). Whoever had it before me did the mods and I'm working on making the pots and cap period correct. Since it was already altered I was considering a Nordy pre, but I think I'm going back original. But with my current rig (Ampeg V-4BH and Heritage 410) it just lacks punch. it has lows and highs but lacks a lot in between. Even thought for sure PWs would do it, a used sent was just blah. (They work fantastic on my Regenerate Heritage Plus (modern take on a '55).

No one has really been able to tell me what the current electronics are doing to the sound.
 
#1,540
Three months so far with Precision (flats) on Precision (bass)...

I haven't been able to spend as much time on my P bass as I had initially hoped but every time I pick it up, it feels very familiar and at home.

One thing I still don't understand is all the talk about flats starting out uneven in tone and taking a long time (ie months) to settle and balance out eventually. The set I have (3025, 45-60-75-95) started out sounding nicely balanced to begin with and there is no sign of the E string going all "dull and lifeless" so far. I'm perfectly okay with the idea of flats taking a long time to break in as long as all four strings do that at the same time.

I guess I'll just keep playing them to see what happens in the next 1-5 years.
 
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