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What flats for my Ric 4001?

Dash Lashes

Dash Lashes

Inactive
Feb 20, 2015
1,113
851
#1
hi y'all! i have a 1980 fireglo 4001, but what flat-wounds am i "supposed to" have on her?!

I've had round-wounds for 20 years, maybe just one set of random flats on bass ever.

i'm inclined to go with pyramid gold flats, but only because i had a set of pyramid flats on a ric 360 electric guitar years ago, but never on bass. I'm open to anything. ive been reading TB for a little while, and i want to try flats now... so im going to have it professionally setup with flats! vintage ric style?

i play hard rock and 90's metal, with a pic
so...WHAT FLATS?
 
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#2
There is no such thing as 'supposed', unless you had a 60s Ric and were forced to put Ric-approved flats to preserve your warranty.

If you want to start with inexpensive, go with either Fender (cheapest) or GHS (best value IMHO). There is a video of Garth Fielding using Chromes 50-105s on a lawsuit Greco copy, and despite the lack of bottom end from his camera mic, there's a lot of chunk and thump with them.

I'd really be curious what a set of GHS would sound on a Ric. I do know they sound killer on a Jazz bass...
 
#4
What are you looking for in the way of tone? The Sir Macca round, deep, almost hollow tone? A grindy tone? A more neutral but versatile tone? From GHS Precision flats to the new Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats, flatwound strings now have almost as wide a tone spectrum as other kinds of strings.
 
#5
iiipopes said:
What are you looking for in the way of tone? The Sir Macca round, deep, almost hollow tone? A grindy tone? A more neutral but versatile tone? From GHS Precision flats to the new Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats, flatwound strings now have almost as wide a tone spectrum as other kinds of strings.
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i think i want my ric to sound like a fender P with that flatwound attack, but growl like a ric. i know i want nickle and read a little about TI Jazz Flats, i think i'd like to try those because of all the hype and because i read they slap nice, so my thinking is that they might get some nice fret clang (i dont actually slap, but i like the frets to be heard a little ;))
 
#6
Dash Lashes said:
i think i want my ric to sound like a fender P with that flatwound attack, but growl like a ric. i know i want nickle and read a little about TI Jazz Flats, i think i'd like to try those because of all the hype and because i read they slap nice, so my thinking is that they might get some nice fret clang (i dont actually slap, but i like the frets to be heard a little ;))
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Then I would try the Fender flats 9050 L set, 45-60-80-100. They have nice midrange growl. The TI flats are very expensive, three times the cost of a set of Fender 9050L's, and are a love-them-or-hate-them string. Since the Fenders are much cheaper, they are a good set to see if you like flats at all. The reason the TI's slap nice is not the nickel wrap. It is because they are smaller diameter than the typical 45's set of flats, so they are more flexible.

Now, your Rick will never sound like a Precision. A P-bass has a softer wood, usually alder or swamp ash, which does not have the treble response that a maple body does; the split P-pickup emphasizes the mids; the two polepieces per string soften the articulation. A Rickenbacker has a maple body which results in a dip in the response at @150 to 200 Hz, extended treble response, single coil pickups with a single pole piece per string that results in the edgy articulation that is part of the personality of a Rick, and the two pickups together give a scooped tone, the opposite of a P-tone.

I own both a custom P/J with an alder body and the traditional maple with rosewood fretboard neck, and a Rick 4002 (yes, "2," not "1" or "3") and I used to own a '76 4001. So the above statements are my personal observations.
 
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#7
iiipopes said:
Then I would try the Fender flats 9050 L set, 45-60-80-100. They have nice midrange growl. The TI flats are very expensive, three times the cost of a set of Fender 9050L's, and are a love-them-or-hate-them string. Since the Fenders are much cheaper, they are a good set to see if you like flats at all. The reason the TI's slap nice is not the nickel wrap. It is because they are smaller diameter than the typical 45's set of flats, so they are more flexible.

Now, your Rick will never sound like a Precision. A P-bass has a softer wood, usually alder or swamp ash, which does not have the treble response that a maple body does; the split P-pickup emphasizes the mids; the two polepieces per string soften the articulation. A Rickenbacker has a maple body which results in a dip in the response at @150 to 200 Hz, extended treble response, single coil pickups with a single pole piece per string that results in the edgy articulation that is part of the personality of a Rick, and the two pickups together give a scooped tone, the opposite of a P-tone.

I own both a custom P/J with an alder body and the traditional maple with rosewood fretboard neck, and a Rick 4002 (yes, "2," not "1" or "3") and I used to own a '76 4001. So the above statements are my personal observations.
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thanks for the input! i think, for me, it's a pyramid (long history w/ rickenbacker) vs. TI (which i never heard of before TB). but like i said, im open to anything as it will be 6 months before my ric is set up (needs hella work). I have used ghs rounds w/ success, so would try their "p. flats"
 
#8
Actually, Pyramid strings were used by Hofner, not Rickenbacker. The OEM Rickenbacker flats were made by Maxima. The gentleman who owned the Maxima company died many years ago, and production ceased. The current Optima company, as the "successor" company, which also has a 45-100 set of flats, is reputed to be the closest to the old Maxima flats. From what I can gather, both the tone and the tension of the Optima set is between the Pyramids and the TI's. So that is another possibility, but they are also expensive.
 
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#9
iiipopes said:
Actually, Pyramid strings were used by Hofner, not Rickenbacker. The OEM Rickenbacker flats were made by Maxima. The gentleman who owned the Maxima company died many years ago, and production ceased. The current Optima company, as the "successor" company, which also has a 45-100 set of flats, is reputed to be the closest to the old Maxima flats. From what I can gather, both the tone and the tension of the Optima set is between the Pyramids and the TI's. So that is another possibility, but they are also expensive.
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wow cool info that is news to me and that makes me happy to find out about Optima as an option!:woot: i am quite interested in the Optimas, now that i am aware of them...
k6ISJui.jpg
 
#10
iiipopes said:
Actually, Pyramid strings were used by Hofner, not Rickenbacker. The OEM Rickenbacker flats were made by Maxima. The gentleman who owned the Maxima company died many years ago, and production ceased. The current Optima company, as the "successor" company, which also has a 45-100 set of flats, is reputed to be the closest to the old Maxima flats. From what I can gather, both the tone and the tension of the Optima set is between the Pyramids and the TI's. So that is another possibility, but they are also expensive.
Click to expand...
What set of Optimas are flat?
 
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#12
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#15
Yes, everybody will eventually get on here and give the one-liner, "I like [X] strings." But unlike my explanations, they will never tell you why. Frankly, I don't like the Fender flats on my 4002, although they sounded great on my custom P/J, and if they still made the 9050CL set, I would still be using them. I use GHS Progressives in 45-60-80-105 or D'Addario tapewounds on my 4002, but those strings do not fit what the OP has indicated he wants. I have enough experience with different basses and strings to read the OP's post carefully, ask follow up questions, and make an educated guess as to what might fit somebody else's playing style and instrument and why, and not just wave the flag for my particular personal setup, and if I do, I will make the disclaimer, as I did above.
 
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#16
I play 70s inspired hard-rock/heavy metal with a flatwound-equipped Ric as well. I've tried just about all the options- TIs, Rotos, D'addarios, Labella, GHS, and Sadowskys. The Sadowskys have been the ones I keep going back to on all my fretted flat-equipped basses- nice tension without feeling like bridge wires, and a great midrange growl, punch, and articulation. I've been using the same .045-.105 set tuned down a half step for about 1.5 years on my Ric and they sound perfect! The Fenders are the one set I've wanted to try for a while, but I'm so pleased with the Sadowskys that I'm in no hurry to switch 'em out. I love the tone of TI's too, but the particular midrange punch of the Sadowskys seems to fit better in our band (and I do prefer the heavier tension when I'm not on my A game!).

Mids are really the kicker with flats, as they are inherently much more scooped than rounds, and both the Sadowskys and TIs have relatively strong mids for flats.
 
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#17
I'll add that our guitarist had a rarely-used early 4003 with Chromes that sounded as aggressive as any Ric I've ever heard, but I think it was just a particular bass/string combo thing (and the fact that the strings weren't fully worn in). On my Ric the Chromes were much too scooped and clanky for my taste.
 
#19
Roto 77 flats are great! I liked the tone from them better than Chromes. They really excel for Drop D, or total Drop Tuning. At normal tuning, they were too stiff for me, which is funny because they are supposed to be the same tension as Roto 66s, and 66s felt fine for me.
 

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