Rickenbacker 4003: Rotosound tapes? GHS flats?

[KoalaBass]

Hi there, I've been wondering if any of you guys had used roto tapes on his/her rick? What did you think, hit or miss? I've had labella DTF Fl for about 5 years on mine, switched to the Fx set but that was too low tension for me. Right now it has D'addario tapes, which are ok but slightly too trebly and sound kinda "transparent" on this bass. I know the labellas are a safe option but I'm curious about other strings.
So roto 88 anyone? I've used them on other basses, sometimes they're just too bassy in some live situations but maybe a nice match with the Rick's natural brightness.
I also have the feeling that ~1yo chromes might a nice match but they take so much time to break in.
Lastly, I'm curious about how the ghs flats might sound on a rick. They were the first flats I ever tried, I have a set on my Silvertone 1444 and it's here to stay.
Any thoughts ?
cheers

 

[iiipopes]

Please don't do Chromes. They start with zing and fade to lifeless thumps. All the others are good to some degree or another, depending on which flavor of flat tone you want, although TI's have too light an A string to truly balance the set.

Have you thought about this: if you're looking for flats on a Rickenbacker, are you going after a more '60's tone instead of the Rotosound Swingbass stainless steel clank? If so, a set to try is:

Optima 4440L RB.
Optima Strings | RB FLATWOUND BASS | Strings for E-Bass

Optima is the "successor" company to Maxima strings, which were the OEM suppliers of flatwound bass strings to Rickenbacker in the '60's and 70's. They claim, and those who have played them confirm, they are really, really close, with moderate gauges and tension that really bring out what a Rickenbacker can do with flats. Even the factory web page shows them on a Rickenbacker bass!

So if you are really into Rick/flats, I would suggest those. A bit pricey, yes, but remember flats last a long, long time. And you can get more input and feedback at the Rickenbacker enthusiasts' site: rickresource.com .

 

[uwrossl]

I agree with not putting Chromes on...well anything. However I love TI's on my Rick and while they are low tension I find them to be well balanced...A string included. But I think the A is too tight on a lot of sets. The Dunlop flats 40-100 also sound really good on my 4003! Plenty of brightness and sustain and nice low to medium tension. Fender flats may be an option too if you want a flat that crosses into roundwound territory. Really nice mids and a little bit of top end zing that's not brittle. I am running them on a P rn but they'll soon end up on my J. May throw them on the Rick for a bit and see how they get along together.

GHS Precision Flats are nice but the E string can a bit tricky to get a long with sometimes and have the quickest decay. They definitely IMO wouldn't give you the Rick brightness if that's what your after. Optima's are a popular choice and a lot of people like Pyramids on their Ricks as well. Any of these will be much more McCartney than Chris Squire.

 

[FunkHead]

Hi there, I've been wondering if any of you guys had used roto tapes on his/her rick? What did you think, hit or miss? I've had labella DTF Fl for about 5 years on mine, switched to the Fx set but that was too low tension for me. Right now it has D'addario tapes, which are ok but slightly too trebly and sound kinda "transparent" on this bass. I know the labellas are a safe option but I'm curious about other strings.
So roto 88 anyone? I've used them on other basses, sometimes they're just too bassy in some live situations but maybe a nice match with the Rick's natural brightness.
I also have the feeling that ~1yo chromes might a nice match but they take so much time to break in.
Lastly, I'm curious about how the ghs flats might sound on a rick. They were the first flats I ever tried, I have a set on my Silvertone 1444 and it's here to stay.
Any thoughts ?
cheers

Did you ever give the GHS Precision flats a try?

 

[cavemanbass]

+1 to some of the points above: love both TI jazz flats and rounds (the .101 set) on my 4003. Pyramid gold flats on my 4004 are outstanding; a bit of thump but also lot of definition. To me they are a sort of middle ground between DTF and TIJF. And I've got a fresh pack of Optima for once I finish a bit of setup my 4001. Fwiw was not a fan of LTF or DTF on any of my Rics, love them on pbass and ABG though…