• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Tension in modern and older flatwound strings including 9050Ls

#41
9050L said:
Interesting. Is it possible that some of these sets got into retail packets ? I wonder. And I wonder how far back in time this practice started ? This is definitely a question for Fender people. Any takers here ?
Click to expand...
It is unlikely that "bulk" strings, that were intended to be sent to the guitar factory/factories would end up in retail packaging. Not impossible....just not likely. Caveat- I speak from my experience as to how things were 12+ years ago. I've worked with several, well known guitar/bass string brands over the years and with all of them, packaging has been a constant evolution. A little trivia- the first strings I ever designed were Trace Elliot bass strings.
 
#42
hasbeen said:
michael_t said:
Wait... I just thought of something...

Could they have been the ones used as factory strings? The Fender-branded strings that come on Fender basses from the factory do not have color-coded ball ends, including 7250M and 9050L; only the ones in retail packages do.

For example, the American Pro Fretless Jazz is factory-equipped with 9050L.

Green silk at the tuner end...

View attachment 7287184

Brass ball ends...

View attachment 7287199
Click to expand...
Winner, winner, Chicken dinner. :-)
:)
Click to expand...
The opening post states "set was bought in the 1980s", back when colour-coded ball-ends weren't a thing (that I know of).


hasbeen said:
A little trivia- the first strings I ever designed were Trace Elliot bass strings.
Click to expand...
A packet of those has been my faithful spare set for ages!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: hasbeen
#46
michael_t said:
Didn't they have green silk as well?
Click to expand...
yes....they did. This thread is what reminded me of my work with them. The first iteration of TE strings had a very bright (neon??) green silk. That's when we (Kaman Musical String) wound them. I was then asked to re-spec and re-source the strings. We then went to a darker, Kelly green silk.
 
  • Like
Reactions: michael_t
#47
9050L said:
OK back to the detective work ! The strings that I really liked had the light green silk wrap at the headstock (see image). That would appear to rule out the original 9050L set as that apparently had "incredible hulk" green headstock wrap. Correct ? There may have been a wrap at the ball end - don't remember. The ball ends themselves were brass. That would appear to rule out the modern 9050L set. Correct ? They were definitely Fender strings. What could they have been ? (Not the 80 set - they were the ones I wanted to try but could never find a set.) I want to narrow the possibilities down to the point that I know which sets to look for, whether played-in or N.O.S. From the production side, were there ever any variations in the parameters listed above ? Are my assumptions correct ? Thanks all !
Click to expand...
@hasbeen - can you shed any light on this ? If any support is needed from Fender customer service to assist check this out, I can follow that up from my side Many thanks !
 
Last edited:
#48
9050L said:
@hasbeen - can you shed any light on this ? If any support is needed from Fender customer service to assist check this out, I can follow that up from my side Many thanks !
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, but I can't add any useful information. By the time I was asked to manage Fender "small goods", the strings were already absent of any silking.
 
#49
OK thanks @hasbeen . @HaphAsSard do you fancy taking a crack at this ? My best guesses based on all the previous posts are the 950L, or the 980L, and just possibly early 9050L - all will be Ensenada I think. I think 80 is ruled out because it had no wrap (check), 850 too because it is medium gauge, but it is just possible it was the factory set off my then new 1974 Fender Jazz bass but I think probably not. Am I missing any set numbers ?
 
Last edited:
#50
9050L said:
OK thanks @hasbeen . @HaphAsSard do you fancy taking a crack at this ? My best guesses based on all the previous posts are the 950L, or the 980L, and just possibly early 9050L - all will be Ensenada I think. I think 80 is ruled out because it had no wrap (check), 850 too because it is medium gauge, but it is just possible it was the factory set off my then new 1974 Fender Jazz bass but I think probably not. Am I missing any set numbers ?
Click to expand...
I don't follow. Did you buy the strings in the Nineties?
Eighties? They cannot possibly be 9050.
Did they come with the bass?
Where have you read about or seen the 80 set having no silk?
 
#51
HaphAsSard said:
I don't follow. Did you buy the strings in the Nineties?
Eighties? They cannot possibly be 9050.
Did they come with the bass?
Where have you read about or seen the 80 set having no silk?
Click to expand...
The bass is a '63 Precision I bought in the very early 1980s. When I got it, it had roundwound strings on it. I went to Fender flats in 1982. However, I cannot be sure that the set I ended up falling in love with was the set I bought in 1982, or whether it was another (I believe 9050L) set I bought much later, I think along with a set of 9050M strings that I never used and are still in their packet (rainbow stripe on the cover). I saw a bass player with what he said was an 80 set sometime around '79 or '80 and I seem to remember them not having silk headstock windings. I was always trying to find a complete 80 set, but managed to buy only a single string, and I don't think that had silk, but I could be wrong. Unfortunately my memory has been half destroyed by eating too much food cooked in aluminium saucepans .....
I will try to get played in sets of the following - 80, 950L, 980L, 9050L (Ensenada), 9050L (redesigned), and maybe a set of strings taken off a then new 1970's bass, and let my ears and fingers tell me what is going on. I have N.O.S. 950's on the way, and I expect a played in 9050L set (redesigned) to arrive as well. The one definite is that the strings were always light gauge Fender strings. As long as I have n't missed anything - @HaphAsSard ?
 
Last edited:
#52
9050L said:
The bass is a '63 Precision I bought in the very early 1980s. When I got it, it had roundwound strings on it. I went to Fender flats in 1982. However, I cannot be sure that the set I ended up falling in love with was the set I bought in 1982, or whether it was another (I believe 9050L) set I bought much later, I think along with a set of 9050M strings that I never used and are still in their packet (rainbow stripe on the cover). I saw a bass player with what he said was an 80 set sometime around '79 or '80 and I seem to remember them not having silk headstock windings. I was always trying to find a complete 80 set, but managed to buy only a single string, and I don't think that had silk, but I could be wrong. Unfortunately my memory has been half destroyed by eating too much food cooked in aluminium saucepans .....
I will try to get played in sets of the following - 80, 950L, 980L, 9050L (Ensenada), 9050L (redesigned), and maybe a set of strings taken off a then new 1970's bass, and let my ears and fingers tell me what is going on. I have N.O.S. 950's on the way, and I expect a played in 9050L set (redesigned) to arrive as well. The one definite is that the strings were always light gauge Fender strings. As long as I have n't missed anything - @HaphAsSard ?
Click to expand...
OK! Shortlist now confirmed (Fender light gauge flatwound) sets as follows - Fender 80, 950L, 980L, 9050L original Ensenada, 9050L current. I am looking for played-in sets of all of these (except the 9050L current set). Can anyone here step up with any of these ? Thanks ! (Feel free to PM) :)
Edit - a set of N.O.S. 950 .053 .061 .075 .094 arrived in the mail just now ..... any played-in sets from the above list available from any TB'ers ? 950.jpg
 
Last edited:
#53
HaphAsSard said:
- also per TwototheValley, sets from the early to middle Sixties were more conventional, round-core affairs, probably also pure nickel. Flatwounds first appeared in Fender literature in 1959 (before that they only had roundwounds, despite the internet vulgate: as we've seen, misinformation was also spread by Fender themselves at that June 5, 1997 link I posted above).
Click to expand...

Not my intention to go too much off-topic on this thread (which is really interesting btw), but would you mind sharing a bit more info about Fender only having rounds until 1959? First time I hear about that, I'm really interested in that :)
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back