Feeling like experimenting a few months back, I swapped some 2 1/2 year old LaBellas for a set of DR Flats and BOY was that a jump in tension. I've acclimated to them now and I don't mind quite as much, but I think I'm going to switch back to LaBellas or go for some TIs when I get tired of these DRs. I love the DR rounds but these flats are pretty high tension.
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Very first set of flats?
- Thread starter Woody1999
- Start date
Regarding the tension with Chromes:
I have tried the ECB81, ECB82, and ECB84 sets. I found the tension uncomfortably high with the "82" set and many thinner bass necks may not tolerate it; I found the "81" set to be really unbalanced (tension on the D and G string was jarringly high compared to the E and A strings and this was also reflected in the tone); the "84" set felt comfortable and very well balanced both with respect to tension and tone.
I have the 84 set on several of my basses
I have tried the ECB81, ECB82, and ECB84 sets. I found the tension uncomfortably high with the "82" set and many thinner bass necks may not tolerate it; I found the "81" set to be really unbalanced (tension on the D and G string was jarringly high compared to the E and A strings and this was also reflected in the tone); the "84" set felt comfortable and very well balanced both with respect to tension and tone.
I have the 84 set on several of my basses
The very first set of flats I ever tried was the Chromes ECB84 (40-60-80-100) as I also find the traditional "light-gauge" set (ECB81, 45-65-80-100) way too "uneven" and "lopsided" with G and D that are too tense for my taste.
The ECB84 set felt and sounded great on my old Fender MIM P bass, but the 40G sounded a bit too thin and too bright ("twangy"?) on my Fender Jazz. That's when I discovered the Fender 9050L (45-60-80-100), which I find a lot better-balanced both in terms of tone and tension.
I tried the Fender set what must be about 10 years ago and found them quite dark for my liking, but it is my understanding they were changed several years back. Maybe it's time to give them another shot.
From what I've read, the current Fender 9050s are nothing like the old ones. The old ones, as I understand it, were stiffer and more "old school", while the new ones are brighter and slightly more "modern".
To me, the new ones feel just like a D'Addario with a polished outer wrap. Nothing like the old ones.
Yes, the new Fender 9050s and the D'A Chromes do share certain similarities, which is not surprising considering the fact they come from the same factory. But that doesn't mean they're identical twins; they definitely do have two different personalities.
The traits they share definitely trump the ones they don't as far as my preferences go. The last time I examined them side to side the Fenders definitely had a slightly smaller core wire, but aside from that I found my least favorite trait of the D's (stiffness) to be exactly the same on the Fenders. I'd say the current Fenders have a smoother feel, slightly glassier highs, and about the same playing feel (stiffness) as D's.
linnin, I took your advice and have GHS on three or four basses, and they are very nice, but honestly, I don't hear that much difference between them, the Chromes and the Fenders. Truth, I like the Labellas best, for feel and sound. You know how many strings I have to buy, and that extra twelve bucks for a silkier feel is an issue, except for my number ones.
The standard advice is usually Chromes. But I would rather try LaBella DTB flats first, they are the classic sound of a P-bass with flats. Plus, they come inn all sorts of gauges, while sounding more or less identical (IMO). I've tried them all, except 760FX (extra light). I currently have LaBella 760FS on one of my three basses. Classic, classic sound.
I don't have anything against high tension strings, my jazz bass sounds fantastic at the cost of being a little more difficult to play with super-tight strings. I understand that flats generally have a higher tension for their gauge compared to rounds, and so I'm looking at light sets. I think it would be a bit of relief for my poor hands!
I think I'm gonna get a Fender 9050L set.
Woody
I understand that flats generally have a higher tension for their gauge compared to rounds, and so I'm looking at light sets. I think it would be a bit of relief for my poor hands!
I think I'm gonna get a Fender 9050L set.
My 58-yr-old left hand can't handle anything too tense any more, but I find the 9050L quite manageable. One nice thing about flats in general is they allow a lower action without the buzzing problem due to their naturally stiffer nature. With a proper setup on your bass, they should be fine.
I did a basic setup on the P-Bass a few months ago, should probably look into getting it done by a luthier to adjust the nut and other things I can't do with a screwdriver
Woody
I did a basic setup on the P-Bass a few months ago, should probably look into getting it done by a luthier to adjust the nut and other things I can't do with a screwdriver
When going from rounds to flats, it's always a good idea to check the neck relief, the action and the intonation. You may not need to have the nut adjusted.
As already mentioned, make sure to give them enough time to break in before passing any judgement on them. One nice thing about the Fender flats is their break-in period is relatively short compared to some other flats - maybe a month or so.
Nah the bass belonged to my school and was a complete wreck before, I fixed it up and after that inherited it off them. I had to glue the nut back together (it was split in half) and completely rebuild the bridge, so I'll get a luthier to look at it and check it all over sometime anyway. It still needs new pickups.
Attachments
Ahhh... Gotcha!
Once you have the bass all fixed up and dressed up with the Fender 9050L, make sure to report back.
After fixing up. In total I had to fit one new tuner, glue the nut back together, completely remove the bridge and clean all parts/polish it, replace the faulty tone cap, replace all the rusting and gunk filled screws with stainless steel ones, fix the cable jack, clean everything and oil the fretboard, and the sin of all sins boil the strings as I had none spare and I had to gig with it the very next night at school.
Woody
Edit: actually those pictures are before I cleaned it and replaced the screws, but hey ho.
Woody
Edit: actually those pictures are before I cleaned it and replaced the screws, but hey ho.
