Reality Rings! No Love Like GHS Precision Flats Love. Only a doofus dislikes GHS.
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Put on some GHS Precision Flats today...
- Thread starter Vinnie Boombatz
- Start date
Pbassmanca
In the pocket n' thumpy. So woody, so greasy...
I know this thread is about ghs Flats, but while we are on the topic, that particular pick up from the classic 50s series may not work for everyone in every bass, but the best one I ever heard in a 2004 classic 50s P was just a killer sounding pickup in that particular lightweight Bass. It really, really had that thumpy, woody old school P bass vibe. In a nice complex organic sounding tone if you could call it that. I figure that enough people don't dig that pick up, that there should be a steady supply of them on the used market for a long time to come. *And remember folks, whenever you take the pickups out of a bass if they're not labeled, write which model they are on the back so you don't end up with a drawer full of generic precision bass pickups like some people I know......
I had the medium GHS precisions on my 2008 American Standard for the past 2 1/2 months. I too had the same issue with the dead E string. I raised the PU 2mm's which seemed to help but the issue insisted. I played daily a minimum of 2 hours but with little improvement sadly. Just yesterday after following advice i strung my p-bass with Ernie Ball Cobalt flats. I was looking for something little brighter. And boy are the Cobalts bright. Now the E is super bright and stands out from A,D and G significantly! The difference is noticeable even unplugged! Alltogether i don't like the Cobalts not one bit. They are sticky, noisy and the gaps between the coils are big. Almost like rounds really. The tension is lower too and in comparison to the GHS's they wooble like boiled spaghetti. I am very frustrated and i really don't see the strings losing their extreme brightness soon.
I accidentally (was a gift) discovered the other Ernie Ball flats (Group II, III, IV, etc) have a much more typical not-soft feel, a bright high-mid but not overwhelming and a very even sound across the set. ...wasn’t sure what to expect but liked them better than Cobalts or Chromes in the bright but not quite “Bright Flat” territory. And, since this is a GHS thread, you might find Bright Flats more to your liking than the Precisions, based on your comments and experiences.
Another update...
Been concentrating more on becoming a better player and less on focusing on the things that (to me) don't matter so much and just been coming to terms that the gear I have is more than good enough. Been trying to read charts and learn walking bass lines, etc. Well, the P with Precision Flats just kills for this type of luck, period. Can't imagine a better sound and the strings are still sounding better over time.
Been concentrating more on becoming a better player and less on focusing on the things that (to me) don't matter so much and just been coming to terms that the gear I have is more than good enough. Been trying to read charts and learn walking bass lines, etc. Well, the P with Precision Flats just kills for this type of luck, period. Can't imagine a better sound and the strings are still sounding better over time.
Thanks for your perspective. I feel the same way.
As part of my new year's commitment, I decided to take three weeks off from excessive gear talk (ie no posting). I call it my own "21-Day Talkbass Diet & Detox Program", which has done wonders in putting things in proper perspective. I'm actually learning a lot of new stuff simply by spending more time playing bass than talking bass. Imagine that!
Welcome backThanks for your perspective. I feel the same way.
As part of my new year's commitment, I decided to take three weeks off from excessive gear talk (ie no posting). I call it my own "21-Day Talkbass Diet & Detox Program", which has done wonders in putting things in proper perspective. I'm actually learning a lot of new stuff simply by spending more time playing bass than talking bass. Imagine that!
!
Welcome back
Thanks, @TomB. Good to be back, all refreshed, renewed and re-energized with 1.21 jigawatts of low end power!
Gotta say, I've been working the damn hell out of my stock Fender strings on my 50s Classic (~2016 or '15 make) since switching back to them from the GHS flats, and they've been getting more and more of that fat & dark sound while doing it. Said flats are coiled up and waiting for me to buy a new P to put them on, as they sound like a Motown time warp, but the Fender strings are doing it for this bluesy soul rock band. I'm new to it but the sound has made me indispensible within a month haha
Interestingly, most basses I've come across have the dead spot on the G-string D, 7th fret, but this one is very clearly on C#, the G-string's 6th fret. And it's a mass grave. Lots of dead. I'm fantastically curious about the acoustic science behind the bass dead spot.
Interestingly, most basses I've come across have the dead spot on the G-string D, 7th fret, but this one is very clearly on C#, the G-string's 6th fret. And it's a mass grave. Lots of dead. I'm fantastically curious about the acoustic science behind the bass dead spot.
Oh. My. I had not really bonded with this great MIJ JP with EMG GZR pickups over a couple of years. Too nice and too rare to flip. Yet with D’Addario rounds it sounded meh and played so-so. Tonight I got a wild hair and threw a set of .45-.105 GHS flats on. Quick setup. Whoaaaa! Sweet thump with cutting mids. Easy to play. Bass Nirvana. Now that’s what I’m talking about! 
Another update...
So it's been two months since putting the GHS Precision Flats on my '08 American Standard P. The bass always sits on my my stand, is my go-to bass and what I reach for when practicing, noodling on the couch, etc. Unfortunately I'm not playing with a band currently after leaving the one I was with recently, so no real-world gig reports with the strings, but I have rehearsed with them.
So, two months in and I have to say I will most likely be switch ing over to La Bella Deep Talking Flats, and I'll explain why.
If you've followed this thread at all you'll know I had complained about how these strings sounded new, with the low E being a bit dull/thuddy compared to the rest of the others strings when new, and even tried a second set that seemed better out of the pack, but even 2 months later the strings do not sound very balanced at all. The low E is so dead and thud sounding compared to the other three strings. The other three strings have mellowed, and sound balanced to each other, but still almost sound like they are from a totally different set compared to the low E. It's hard to describe, but the low E string almost sounds mushy and attenuated/almost lower in volume, and routinely would get lost in the mix while rehearsing, like is kind of disappears compared to the A, D & G strings. It's like a muddy, mushy sound despite tweaking with the EQ.
In comparison, I put a set of La Bella Depp Talkin' Flats on another Precision bassI have. Both basses have the same pickup in them, so although it's not a 100% perfect comparison (one bass has a maple board, theater rosewood) it's darn close. The La Bellas have a low end that will shake the walls for sure, but they are much more balanced with bit more definition. Both sets are rich and warm, but the La Bellas have less mud and more tump, not dull thud that that low E has on the GHS strings.
I know others will probably chime in and say that I need to give it more time, play them more, etc, etc. But what I'm discovering is that as the low E seems to sound more and more mushy and thud and almost no sustain (I know they are flats and they shouldn't really have a pronounced sustain, just trying to be as descriptive as I can) it's like that low E has already, or is going totally dead and just doesn't match the rest of the strings, while the La Bellas are much more balanced, with a really nice thump and punch and have aged much more evenly and pleasingly to my ear.
So it's been two months since putting the GHS Precision Flats on my '08 American Standard P. The bass always sits on my my stand, is my go-to bass and what I reach for when practicing, noodling on the couch, etc. Unfortunately I'm not playing with a band currently after leaving the one I was with recently, so no real-world gig reports with the strings, but I have rehearsed with them.
So, two months in and I have to say I will most likely be switch ing over to La Bella Deep Talking Flats, and I'll explain why.
If you've followed this thread at all you'll know I had complained about how these strings sounded new, with the low E being a bit dull/thuddy compared to the rest of the others strings when new, and even tried a second set that seemed better out of the pack, but even 2 months later the strings do not sound very balanced at all. The low E is so dead and thud sounding compared to the other three strings. The other three strings have mellowed, and sound balanced to each other, but still almost sound like they are from a totally different set compared to the low E. It's hard to describe, but the low E string almost sounds mushy and attenuated/almost lower in volume, and routinely would get lost in the mix while rehearsing, like is kind of disappears compared to the A, D & G strings. It's like a muddy, mushy sound despite tweaking with the EQ.
In comparison, I put a set of La Bella Depp Talkin' Flats on another Precision bassI have. Both basses have the same pickup in them, so although it's not a 100% perfect comparison (one bass has a maple board, theater rosewood) it's darn close. The La Bellas have a low end that will shake the walls for sure, but they are much more balanced with bit more definition. Both sets are rich and warm, but the La Bellas have less mud and more tump, not dull thud that that low E has on the GHS strings.
I know others will probably chime in and say that I need to give it more time, play them more, etc, etc. But what I'm discovering is that as the low E seems to sound more and more mushy and thud and almost no sustain (I know they are flats and they shouldn't really have a pronounced sustain, just trying to be as descriptive as I can) it's like that low E has already, or is going totally dead and just doesn't match the rest of the strings, while the La Bellas are much more balanced, with a really nice thump and punch and have aged much more evenly and pleasingly to my ear.
Your description of the La Bellas is spot on. Great flats, as you have found out.
Great observations. One caution: from time to time, I have experienced a dead E string even with La Bellas. So like fine wine, there is some bottle-to-bottle variation that is hard to control for. Please keep us posted on your findings.
I dont disagree with that and
I agree, sometimes there's a bad apple int he bunch, but given that I've experienced what I've described with the GHS Precision Flats twice now, regardless if it's really a dead string or if it's just the inherent character of the strings, it's something I don't really like. So far I've had two sets of Labella Deep Talkin' Flats in both 760FL and a set of 760FS I put on a bass I just sold to a buddy, and they both sounded great and were consistent. I still like GHS Boomers a lot though for a round core string.
I hear you on the E. I experienced the exact same thing from the moment i strung them. I tried raising the pick up but that didn't have a huge effect. I swaped them with cobalts.
I noticed this with one set (older) more than a new set. I also tended to notice this at home. In a live setting or practice is a large space I didn't notice it the E. But it has gotten some better at home with more playing. But the old set just has a problem I think. The new sounds great.
