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Put on some GHS Precision Flats today...

#81
nerkoids said:
It's funny, but the flats on three of the basses I've used the GHS, all within 2 months tops, sounded at their peak. On my project P-bass, it took all of two weeks to have them sound the way I wanted them to sound. Then again, I do put foam at my bridge...
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I'm one week into it with a fair amount of playing and feel like they are sounding pretty darn good. I may get flamed for this, but I think people claiming that you have to play these strings for 6 months to really get them to shine is a bit exaggerating! I think depending on how often you play and your body chemistry means they should start mellowing out in a few weeks to a month or two, but again, what do I know. We'll see once I've had these strings on the bass for half a year. As mentioned prior though, I do feel the La Bella are way better sounding out of the pack and much better balanced when new. If they mellow out evenly I think they could replace the GHS flats.
 
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#82
Yet another update:

Just to stir the pot here and make things more interesting. As noted above, I've been complaining of the dead low E from the get go, and how it was incredibly unbalanced from the A, D & G. Others have mentioned that this is characteristic of these strings and they even out over time. I've also read other accounts of this being an issue in the past with the GHSs low E and was addressed/fixed.

Well, just for grins I decided to put a second set of GHS Precision Flats 45-105 that I had on my Classic 50's P. Bought this set and the set that was put on the American Standard at the same time form the same vendor. I know that even though they are P basses they're going to sound different, different nut width's, one is maple and the other has a rosewood fretboard, etc. Both basses have the same Fender PV'63 pickup in them, set up very similar.

The GHS Precision Flats on the Classic 50's out of the pack sound VERY even, and the Low E is matched to the rest of the set compared to the set I put on the American Standard where the low E was just a dull thud and just sounded like a string that had run it's course over the years where it lost it's fundamental. It's hard to describe, but basically the way a round wound string starts to sound after it's run it's course where it just doesn't sound right, won't intonate right, when you try to tune it the tuner is all over the place, etc. That kind of thing.

So maybe I just got one of the old sets that had the weird low E before they changed them, of just luck of the draw and got a bad set. Who knows!

One thing worth mentioning, I did string the strings through the body instead of the bridge on the American Standard, while the Classic 50's were strung through the bridge, obviously. Now I know that most people think it's a no-no to string through the body with flats and won't be doing that anymore. Some swear it has no impact on tone, doesn't damage the wraps, etc. Just wanted to put that out there as another different between the two basses.
 
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#84
Vinnie Boombatz said:
One thing worth mentioning, I did string the strings through the body instead of the bridge on the American Standard, while the Classic 50's were strung through the bridge, obviously. Now I know that most people think it's a no-no to string through the body with flats and won't be doing that anymore. Some swear it has no impact on tone, doesn't damage the wraps, etc. Just wanted to put that out there as another different between the two basses.
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I've always insisted on top-loading all flats in order to avoid any potential problems.
The general consensus is the thru-body option does not improve on either the tone or the playability. But it CAN have negative effects when dealing with flats as it is a challenge setting a proper witness point with the flat ribbon wire bent at a sharper angle.
 
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#85
michael_t said:
I've always insisted on top-loading all flats in order to avoid any potential problems.
The general consensus is the thru-body option does not improve on either the tone or the playability. But it CAN have negative effects when dealing with flats as it is a challenge setting a proper witness point with the flat ribbon wire bent at a sharper angle.
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To make this experiment as accurate as possible, I'm going to take the set that I just put on the Classic 50's and put them on the American Standard and top load them and see if anything changes.
 
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#86
UPDATE:

So I took the set of Precision Flats 45-105 off the Classic 50's P and put them on the American Standard, strung through the bridge this time and not through there body. Maybe I damaged the E string before going through the body, or maybe I got a bad set. Who knows. Either way, this set sounds MUCH better all around, E string is better balanced, not a dead thud like the other set, etc. I'm happy with these and they'll be staying on the American Standard. I had to take them off of my Classic 50's P anyway. For whatever reason that neck doesn't like heavier strings and kept requiring me to adjust the truss rod. I put some different strings on that bass.
 
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#87
Vinnie Boombatz said:
Just for clarification, which strings sound better on your Classic 50's P, flats or rounds? I swear, it doesn't matter what strings go on the Classic 50's because they all sound awesome on that bass!
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I gotta get better about checking back in here haha

But yeah! They all sound sweet as can be on this thing, but the GHS 45-105 flats deliver all the bottom fatness on the planet. Seeing your other mention of uneven string tone on them, I did have some high/high-mid "sizzle" when they first got installed, particularly the D & G strings, but I think I got them settled in just from working on Bernadette as much as I did.

(all said, going back to the Fender 7250s has been a hoot and I'm planning to secure a second P to lay the flats on...once the post-Christmas savings account gets resuscitated)
 
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#88
Never had flat string experience. For some reason gave GHS precisions a shot and absolutely love them.
I switched all my basses. 2 Jack Casady Sigs, Alembic 5 string, Ibanez Musician to the GHS flats and Im sold all around. I get the old school Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane sound I wanted, and sounds great during acoustic sets as well. I know Jack uses Blue Steels, but Im pretty sure he might approve of these if he tried them. Certainly the sound of chocolate to me. Read great things about the TI and Pyramids but hesitant they might have too little tension. and Im reading the the Alembic electronics were designed around Flats as well.
and not having to switch strings, as I read, every couple of months is pretty cool as well.
 
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#90
Just thought I'd update the thread.

The GHS Precision Flats are still on the '08 American Standard. They seem to be breaking in really nice. They are mellowing and evening out from string to string little by little. The D and G are still a little bright, but as we all know, they will mellow out over time.

This is the second set I've had on this bass, same gauge (45-105). The first set I commented on how the Low E sounded liek crap. Thud, not thump, dead, dull, lower in volume and just so far off compared to all the other strings. I had strung the strings through the body. I took the strings off and tried them on another bass strung through the bridge and also put them back on the original bass and they still sounded like garbage. Put on another set and strung them through the bridge and the balance was much better even when brand new, consistent in tone and the E string was so much better/night and day difference. Maybe I just had a bad set, maybe I screwed them up going through the body. Who knows.

The strings have a great round, thumpy characteristic to them. I tried some LaBella Deep Talkin' Flats on another P (Classic 50's) and they seem to be a little more polite and even sounding from string to string out of the pack, and have a totally different character than the GHS. Not better or worse, just different. The GHS just seem to have a sort of dirty, growly tone to them. They sound great played with fingers and muted with foam, or palm muted and played with a pick.

Another thing I've discovered too, is not every P bass likes flats. I so badly want to have flats on my Classic 50's P, but with any kind of flats it just sounds uninspiring. With rounds the bass is ridiculously resonant, thumpy and alive.

Also, it also seems like no matter what set of flats Ive tried, be it the new Dunlop set, GHS< LaBella, Chromes, etc., the low E always seems to sound a little "different" in it's tone compared to the other three. Maybe this has something to do with the gauge, as in once you get above a certain string gauge things start to change. I've also read this elsewhere where a well-known player/reviewer had commented in an article that this is just an inherent characteristic of flats.

Either way, I really have no clue what I'm talking about and it's all an ongoing learning process for me, and a test of patience, letting the strings settle in and enjoying how they change in their sound over time.
 
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#91
Vinnie Boombatz said:
Just thought I'd update the thread.

The GHS Precision Flats are still on the '08 American Standard. They seem to be breaking in really nice. They are mellowing and evening out from string to string little by little. The D and G are still a little bright, but as we all know, they will mellow out over time.

This is the second set I've had on this bass, same gauge (45-105). The first set I commented on how the Low E sounded liek crap. Thud, not thump, dead, dull, lower in volume and just so far off compared to all the other strings. I had strung the strings through the body. I took the strings off and tried them on another bass strung through the bridge and also put them back on the original bass and they still sounded like garbage. Put on another set and strung them through the bridge and the balance was much better even when brand new, consistent in tone and the E string was so much better/night and day difference. Maybe I just had a bad set, maybe I screwed them up going through the body. Who knows.

The strings have a great round, thumpy characteristic to them. I tried some LaBella Deep Talkin' Flats on another P (Classic 50's) and they seem to be a little more polite and even sounding from string to string out of the pack, and have a totally different character than the GHS. Not better or worse, just different. The GHS just seem to have a sort of dirty, growly tone to them. They sound great played with fingers and muted with foam, or palm muted and played with a pick.

Another thing I've discovered too, is not every P bass likes flats. I so badly want to have flats on my Classic 50's P, but with any kind of flats it just sounds uninspiring. With rounds the bass is ridiculously resonant, thumpy and alive.

Also, it also seems like no matter what set of flats Ive tried, be it the new Dunlop set, GHS< LaBella, Chromes, etc., the low E always seems to sound a little "different" in it's tone compared to the other three. Maybe this has something to do with the gauge, as in once you get above a certain string gauge things start to change. I've also read this elsewhere where a well-known player/reviewer had commented in an article that this is just an inherent characteristic of flats.

Either way, I really have no clue what I'm talking about and it's all an ongoing learning process for me, and a test of patience, letting the strings settle in and enjoying how they change in their sound over time.
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Year of manufacture of your ‘50s P? Recent ones have what @JimmyM calls “the worst pickup ever made,” AKA the pre-2012 American Standard P pickup. Try putting in a Fender Pure Vintage ‘58 pickup. Night and day, and heavenly tone with flats. JMHO of course.
 
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#92
R&B said:
Year of manufacture of your ‘50s P? Recent ones have what @JimmyM calls “the worst pickup ever made,” AKA the pre-2012 American Standard P pickup. Try putting in a Fender Pure Vintage ‘58 pickup. Night and day, and heavenly tone with flats. JMHO of course.
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Shame that "Jimmy-Hate Pre-2012 P pickups " just sound nice on Roadworn P .
 
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#93
Vinnie Boombatz said:
Another thing I've discovered too, is not every P bass likes flats. I so badly want to have flats on my Classic 50's P, but with any kind of flats it just sounds uninspiring. With rounds the bass is ridiculously resonant, thumpy and alive.
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A good Classic 50's Precision with dead rounds is the sickest P bass tone I have ever played with my own hands. I'm on the lookout for "the one".....:smug:
 
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#96
R&B said:
Year of manufacture of your ‘50s P? Recent ones have what @JimmyM calls “the worst pickup ever made,” AKA the pre-2012 American Standard P pickup. Try putting in a Fender Pure Vintage ‘58 pickup. Night and day, and heavenly tone with flats. JMHO of course.
Click to expand...

Both my 2017 Classic 50's and 2008 American Standard P have Fender PV '63 pickups in them. But funny enough, yeah, the stock pickups in both sounded identical, and I didnt think they sounded bad, just REALLY like the PV '63 better! I repurposed the Classic 50's pickup and put in in a mid-90's back label MIM P and think it sounds great.

For whatever reason I just think the Classic 50's sounds better with rounds. I can't put my finger on why though. The bass is so light and resonant and rounds just seem to work on it for whatever reason, Fender 7250M's are on it now. But the PV'63 with GHS flats on the '08 American Standard is a growl monster.
 
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#97
Pbassmanca said:
A good Classic 50's Precision with dead rounds is the sickest P bass tone I have ever played with my own hands. I'm on the lookout for "the one".....:smug:
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Thats hilarious you say that because when I bought the Classic 50's used it had the deadest set of rounds on it, and it sounded INCREDIBLE! Sounded meh with flats. I'm waiting for these Fender 7250M's to die!
 
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#98
Vinnie Boombatz said:
Another thing I've discovered too, is not every P bass likes flats.
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What kind of Fake News is this!:D

Each bass has it's own likes, that's for sure. I haven't had Pbass yet that didn't sound good with TIs, however. I found it also depends a lot on the cab. I've play through some on a bass with flats sounded great, then others that lost the magic. There are a lot of variables. Most of my Ps have TIs or GHS PWs. Oddly enough I've been so happy with those that I've never tried the Precision flats on a P. Other things, just not a Pbass.
 
#99
dagrev said:
What kind of Fake News is this!:D

Each bass has it's own likes, that's for sure. I haven't had Pbass yet that didn't sound good with TIs, however. I found it also depends a lot on the cab. I've play through some on a bass with flats sounded great, then others that lost the magic. There are a lot of variables. Most of my Ps have TIs or GHS PWs. Oddly enough I've been so happy with those that I've never tried the Precision flats on a P. Other things, just not a Pbass.
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Labella DTF's just not a P-bass? ...seriously?
 

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