Tape, round, flat wound onfender bass

[Iofflight]

As suggested TI-Jazz flats but for even lower tension, the TI Jazz-round is exquisite. Feel and playability are sublime and tone is awesome.

I third this option. They are wonderful strings. I use them on my 34" and medium and short scales.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats are not your typical thumpy flat. They have a lot growl and feel great on the hands.
Maybe try the before the TI options since they're only $35 a set.

Good option but I had to do custom singles set: 40-60-80-100-130. Also have a set of LaBella LTF's on my desk and (2) sets of TI Jazz Rounds arriving Thursday. I have trigger-finger which comes 'n goes but intact, otherwise. Here's the real crippling factor: I'm really cheap and it pains me to remove a perfectly good set of roundwounds to install the aforementioned sets!

Riis

 

[Luckydog]

Good option but I had to do custom singles set: 40-60-80-100-130. Also have a set of LaBella LTF's on my desk and (2) sets of TI Jazz Rounds arriving Thursday. I have trigger-finger which comes 'n goes but intact, otherwise. Here's the real crippling factor: I'm really cheap and it pains me to remove a perfectly good set of roundwounds to install the aforementioned sets!

Riis

if you are a reluctant string changer, perhaps TB is not the best place to spend time!

 

[Smith357]

I have used a set of LaBella white copper tapes on a my MIM P for years, I switched to D'Addario tapes a few years back. I like them both, and next set may try another type. My old arthritic fingers enjoy playing tapes, and my ears find the tone pleasing. YMMV

 

[Zooberwerx]

if you are a reluctant string changer, perhaps TB is not the best place to spend time!

Now you tell me...after 20 years. I will be more diligent about wrapping and labeling upon removal, though.

Riis

 

[Levent]

Need guidance on strings as my hands are shot (a couple of surgeries). I play a fender & use round strings. I play 5x a week in different groups.

wondering if anybody has any thoughts on tape wound or flat wound on a fender solid body. They might be easier on the hands.

Appreciate guidance. Thanks.

This is said to be the lightest feeling string, not only by gauge but It's not round or hex core, It's stranded core.
Demo shows tone is very well balanced too unlike other brands low gauges.
Link Removed

 

[Luckydog]

Now you tell me...after 20 years. I will be more diligent about wrapping and labeling upon removal, though.

Riis

I have a plastic tub with years of strings, many with only a couple hours of use. So I am definitely an obsessive string changer. The tub contains an eclectic mix including Elixir poly and nano, 70’s Fender flats, Labella Jamersons, Sadowsky black label flats, Labella HRS, TI flats, and many many others. Each set is loosely coiled in a ziploc freezer bag, and identified with sharpie. You might think that decades of playing would have narrowed my preferences…it has, and I have my #1 preferred string, but I can easily be encouraged to revisit others. Its just strings…its not like I’m flipping cars every 6 months!

 

[Mike Marshall]

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Need guidance on strings as my hands are shot (a couple of surgeries). I play a fender & use round strings. I play 5x a week in different groups.

wondering if anybody has any thoughts on tape wound or flat wound on a fender solid body. They might be easier on the hands.

Appreciate guidance. Thanks.

Not all flats are low tension but T.I.'s are nice and once I tried GHS tape Wounds and they sounded good and had the lightest gage available at the time, they were a little low tension after using Fender Flats which are high tension and I was used to really pulling the strings.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Need guidance on strings as my hands are shot (a couple of surgeries). I play a fender & use round strings. I play 5x a week in different groups.

wondering if anybody has any thoughts on tape wound or flat wound on a fender solid body. They might be easier on the hands.

Appreciate guidance. Thanks.

I played flats on my '65 Jazz only back in the 60's because that was all there was. Then in 1971 or '72 I went with the Fender Black Nylon Tape wounds. Bass was stolen in 1976 and I didn't buy my current bass until 1985. It's an '82 Jazz with maple neck and 70's era pickup spacing. It came with Dean Markley Blue Steel round wounds. replaced them twice with the same strings and then replaced them with DR Black Beauty strings (also round wounds). Then about 4 years ago or so, I replaced those with LaBella white tape-wound strings and I absolutely love those on my Jazz.

Those tape wounds are of course very easy on the fingers but more importantly they have better high harmonics than any other flatwounds I've used and the balance of sound between the strings is better than any other strings I've used. With most round wounds the D and G strings can get kind of trebly and brittle sounding in the first 5-frets. So I would often play the notes higher up on the lower strings. I don't have to do that anymore! The note sounds nice and full. Where I used to play the A octave note on the 7th fret of the D string, I have no problem playing it on the 2nd fret of the G string if the fingering is more convenient there.

I really love these LaBella tape wounds. The white (semi-opaque) tapes are the brightest of their options whereas the black tapes are the darkest sounding. They also make white over copper core and white over gold core and those are in between the two. I really like the sound of the white tapes myself and they look good with my white Jazz. Anyhow, I highly recommend the LaBella Tape Wound Strings.

 

[jdjk7]

Need guidance on strings as my hands are shot (a couple of surgeries). I play a fender & use round strings. I play 5x a week in different groups.

wondering if anybody has any thoughts on tape wound or flat wound on a fender solid body. They might be easier on the hands.

Appreciate guidance. Thanks.

In general, what will make a bass be easier to play are:
-shorter scale length (makes for less finger stretching and also reduces the tension needed for a given pitch)
-lighter gauge strings
-lower action

If you don't want to buy a new bass, you can only change the string gauge and the action. As others have said, even string gauge is not a great indicator, because things like construction of the winding (flatwound, roundwound, etc), the diameter of the core vs diameter of the windings, whether the string is tapered, untapered, or exposed core, etc, will influence how one model of string feels vs. a different model.

There are also different metrics for how we define "easier to play" that need to be understood... for example, stiffness vs pliability. You can have strings that are equal in stiffness but one is more pliable than the other. How? I don't know. That's a question for someone who knows the physics better.

Lower action will reduce the distance your finger needs to press the string down, but it can get a bit complicated (for the uninitiated) to get a proper low action without any notes choking, fret buzzing, etc, and the overall setup of the bass and your technique will also play into this. If you play quite hard, you might not be able to get low action on a bass with lighter gauge strings, because they simply are too loose not to hit the fretboard when you strike them.

 

[mikewalker]

Lots of great advice above.
For me, "the most comfortable" strings are TI Jazz Rounds, or Labella Tapewounds

 

[Bassnkeys]

I’ve had all three types on my Fender P-basses. Tapes caused me issues due to lack of proper shielding. I’ve liked TI flats and EB Cobalt flats the best. Prob try EB Cobalts (as said above) — as you’ve said nothing about sound, but feel. Flats can really vary in sound — you’d have to rabbit hole-it in TB and YouTube to compare. EB’s will sound closest to what you’re already used to, and won’t break the bank.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

I'm assuming you want both, less stiffness/more flexibility and a smoother feel (as opposed to just using light gauge rounds) while retaining the brightness of rounds(?).

The EB Cobalt flats are probably my #1 string - especially coming from rounds.
They are the best choice for a flat that can pass for a round.
I use the 105s, but was recently reading a comparison of the flexibility of their lighter gauge compared to TIs.

I got sets of La Bella Tapes for the 1st time in November.
Both the White & the White Gold, and am really pleased with the results on their respective basses - after getting use to their feel. They are the most flexible strings I use, next to, or maybe even including TI flats, but brighter.

The TI Jazz Rounds may be an option, but I haven't installed the set I have yet - hopefully others can (or have) chime in on their flexibility vs TI Flats.

EDIT:

Tapes caused me issues due to lack of proper shielding

good point. I was worried about that, but had no issues on 2 Fender Ps. (one shielded, one not). Clearly - YMMV

 

[iiipopes]

I have used them all over the last 47 years. As far as "easy on the hands," if you play that much, you should have good calluses on your fingers that it should not matter. If you are to the point that arthritis is getting in the way, then go to one gauge lighter strings.

I will respectfully disagree with one item above: TI flats flop like rubber bands and they are way too expensive for what they are. The A string is especially egregious. If you must go this light, use La Bella LTF's instead, which are more balanced and have some character that can actually be slotted into a mix. YMMV.

 

[Iofflight]

I haven't found the TIs floppy on my short or long scales but I've heard that complaint from others. I've had several of my basses set up with La Bella LTF vs TIs and there is one instance where the La Bella worked for that bass, which has overwound hot pickups up and the La Bellas being darker tamed it a bit. The midrange emphasis that the TIs have were completely wrong for that bass. The TIs are way better for me on the JMJ mustang which also had the La Bellas and Fender flats at some point and the price on the flats in particular aren't much of a disincentive since they've been on my basses for half a decade at this point.

Currently I've got Dunlop flats on the my Acinonyx and those are interesting somewhere between Chromes and Tis. I also picked up some Hellborgs for my p bass but haven't gotten them on the bass yet.