I recently switched from Chromes back to rounds on the jazz. Dunlop Super brights steel on mine right now, but I am on a kick to go back to Roto 66 steel for all my rounds and have a set in the queue. Full disclosure I can be driven by price deals with rounds. Just saw Super Bright nickels on Amazon for $12.99, so who knows. That is how I got into the Dunlops in the first place and they have worked fine. The fretless gets TI flats.
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What string are you using on your 60s-type Jazz?
- Thread starter JazzyJacuzzi
- Start date
I've two Jazzes I gig with.
Old 64 and a 2014 Elite.
Both are strung with Dunlop SB Nickels in Light Gauge.
They play and feel great, sound great, last longer than most strings I've used over the years, reasonably priced.
They break in (to my ears) a nice round low end sound that retain a nice high end sparkle to the attack of the note.
VERY happy with these strings!
Old 64 and a 2014 Elite.
Both are strung with Dunlop SB Nickels in Light Gauge.
They play and feel great, sound great, last longer than most strings I've used over the years, reasonably priced.
They break in (to my ears) a nice round low end sound that retain a nice high end sparkle to the attack of the note.
VERY happy with these strings!
I have a similar situation…I have an 86 MIJ Jazz, with nj4’s 60’s wind…and yes tort
Not sure over ever found just the right strings. I have never played or purchased rotosounds before, and have always wanted to give them a whirl. how are they tension wise, can can’t do overly stiff or high tension?
Not sure over ever found just the right strings. I have never played or purchased rotosounds before, and have always wanted to give them a whirl. how are they tension wise, can can’t do overly stiff or high tension?
I tend to go back & forth between TI Jazz flats and nickel or NPS rounds. Lots of favorites for the rounds: Pyramid & Tenorio win for the pure nickel, and I love Sunbeams and Nickel Lo Riders for the NPS.
I’ve been on a Jerry Jemmott binge lately, so I’ve ordered a set of 760FL. They were my favourite strings for my American Original 60s Precision. If JJ can make them work on a Jazz, there’s hope.
I love TIs, and they’re the main flats I’ve gravitated to on my stack-knob Jazz. I’m not 100% bound to the flats/Jazz combo, though, and swap some rounds on when the need arises
I usually have labella flats on my Noel Redding jazz, but just put some D’addario roundwounds on for a wedding gig.
I have two 62 AVRI jazz basses and one 75 AVRI. One 62 and the 75 wear TI flats. The other 62, which weighs a lot more than the other two, wears Fender 9050ML flats.
The 62 reissue with the 9050ML sounds exactly like I think a bass should - fat, chewy, a lot of low end, and doesn't get too thin as you go to higher strings. I get a real early John Paul Jones tone/vibe, which is sonic happiness for me!
The 62 reissue with the TI sounds great, but not distinguished in any way. Not extraordinary, but no shortcomings either. Good note definition and a mid-forward, balanced sound.
The 75 is ash bodied with rosewood fingerboard. It is a pretty bright, burbling bass with great note definition. I feel the TI is way too mid-rangey on this bass for the blues and soul jazz that I play. It'd be perfect for funk, fusion, or disco. I'm on the lookout for a string that'll give me way more bottom end. I'll probably start with 9050, since they work so well on my 62 reissue. FWIW, I used this bass on a recording session with two guitars and keyboard player, and the engineer seemed ecstatic about where the bass was sitting in the mix. I'm guessing I wasn't muddying the area with the kick drum and keyboard player's left hand.
The 62 reissue with the 9050ML sounds exactly like I think a bass should - fat, chewy, a lot of low end, and doesn't get too thin as you go to higher strings. I get a real early John Paul Jones tone/vibe, which is sonic happiness for me!
The 62 reissue with the TI sounds great, but not distinguished in any way. Not extraordinary, but no shortcomings either. Good note definition and a mid-forward, balanced sound.
The 75 is ash bodied with rosewood fingerboard. It is a pretty bright, burbling bass with great note definition. I feel the TI is way too mid-rangey on this bass for the blues and soul jazz that I play. It'd be perfect for funk, fusion, or disco. I'm on the lookout for a string that'll give me way more bottom end. I'll probably start with 9050, since they work so well on my 62 reissue. FWIW, I used this bass on a recording session with two guitars and keyboard player, and the engineer seemed ecstatic about where the bass was sitting in the mix. I'm guessing I wasn't muddying the area with the kick drum and keyboard player's left hand.
I think sometime it’s worth revisiting things you at one point didn’t appreciate. Took me over a decade to understand what the Precision was all about.
Also, I tried the La Bellas on a different Jazz, which was brighter and had more growl than my CS.
I just now remembered what it was about the 9050 I didn’t like: they were way too grabby. Do they become less grabby with time?
Fender 9050s and D'A Chromes are notorious for being sticky and grabby when new. That has to do with the residue of the compound used during the final polishing process left on them from the factory, which can turn your finger tips black for the first little while.
Here's what I used to get off of them fresh out of the package:
I have since gotten into the habit of cleaning all new strings with an alcohol wipe before installation.
Reviving this thread as I just purchased Fender CS ‘61 Jazz bass and am having same question about strings for this type of bass.
Hi,
I just put a set of DR Sunbeams 45-105 on my Fender AVRI 62 Jazz. They feel really nice. Quite smooth and flexible no doubt to the round core. That bass usually wears a set of stainless roundwounds but I have wanted to try out the Sunbeams for a while now. They have a nice not harsh hi end that I'm usually used to with stainless steel strings.
Hope this helps,
Brent
+1 for DR Sunbeams. I prefer the 40-100, but found that the E would sometimes slip from the saddle.
Strings selection is very personal and it all depends on your tonal goals. I have three J's - one with nickel rounds, one with pressurewounds and one with flats for three different flavors. What flavor are you looking for?
