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so which flats is FLEA playing?
- Thread starter snowdan
- Start date
Old ones. 
But on a more serious note, I would suppose GHS. They supply him with his signature strings, why not a few flats?
But on a more serious note, I would suppose GHS. They supply him with his signature strings, why not a few flats?
Supposedly he's kept the same ones on there since he got it. Back in those days (Pre-CBS 60's) my guess is there were few to choose from... Fender, La Bella, and Rotosound being the only ones that come to my mind.
I like alot of Flea's basslines, and I love old Fenders and flatwounds, but not at the same time! I am beginning to think flea is a serious dumbass. Anybody that would try to play Blackeyed Blond and Areoplane on a preCBS Fender with 44 year old flatwounds would have to be.
He switches between the Modulus and the Fender depending on the tunes. Obviously, some songs require the hi-fi slap tone.
Listening to the lines on Stadium Arcadium, it's hard to imagine that some of those tones, esp. the slap stuff, are achieved with flats, but who knows but the man himself...
95JettaCity said:
Funny, as I recall the Jazz is pretty much world renowned for being "the bass" to gig with. Now was it the Jazz that couldn't be heard, or just Flea's technique/EQing?
I just read a quote from Flea's tech in Bass Guitar Magazine that the strings on his Jazz are "old GHS flatwounds". It does not say anything about gauges etc. But they are GHS for sure.
The same interview also says that Flea has gone back to using his modulus (strung with his sig. set GHS Boomers) at live shows, as 95JettaCity said. The Jazz sounded great on stage and in in-ear monitors but got a bit lost in the FOH mix.
In my opinion that has more to do with flats vs. roundwounds than the jazz itself not being able to cut through as well as the modulus. Especially for the type of music RHCP play. The typical flat string is more mellow than a roundwound, and mellow is not what I associate with Flea's tone...
But if he recorded Stadium Arcadium on the jazz with flats I must say it suits him pretty well, so go figure....
The same interview also says that Flea has gone back to using his modulus (strung with his sig. set GHS Boomers) at live shows, as 95JettaCity said. The Jazz sounded great on stage and in in-ear monitors but got a bit lost in the FOH mix.
In my opinion that has more to do with flats vs. roundwounds than the jazz itself not being able to cut through as well as the modulus. Especially for the type of music RHCP play. The typical flat string is more mellow than a roundwound, and mellow is not what I associate with Flea's tone...
But if he recorded Stadium Arcadium on the jazz with flats I must say it suits him pretty well, so go figure....
Here's what I don't get...he says the Jazz wasn't cutting through enough...so why doesn't he put roundwounds on it? Of course it wasn't cutting through...flats don't do that!
Dummy.
Dummy.
JimmyM said:
Im willing to bet that flea ain't no dummy, he's been playing bass for a long time. maybe he just uses that bass for the old flatwound tone, so theres no need to change the strings, that would affect the sound he'd be trying to go for with that bass
I've heard Flea talk before...he's not actually a dummy but he's no rocket scientist. And I still stand by what I said before...roundwounds cut more. Tons of people use J's and they cut just fine if they use roundwounds.
