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What strings for new G&L L-1000?

Mike Vee

Mike Vee

Inactive
Oct 8, 2012
3,718
8,234
Los Angeles
#1
Hello All. My only current bass is a 2011 American Special Precision stung up with LaBella Low Tension Flats. This bass is beyond perfect for a P-bass and these are my FAVORITE strings. I will never let go of this bass or change the strings. I have medium-small hands and these just sound and play perfectly for me.

Now, I just bought the G&L for a more "in your face" brighter type tone but I do not like regulars rounds, at all. I want a different sound, something a little brighter for funky 70s/80s soul/funk bass/blue-eyed soul bass and even some alternative rock tones, like older REM and Smiths type stuff.

I was thinking of GHS Pressurewounds (light) or TI Flats. Thoughts?
 
#2
Mike Vee said:
I just bought the G&L for a more "in your face" brighter type tone but I do not like regulars rounds, at all. I want a different sound, something a little brighter for funky 70s/80s soul/funk bass/blue-eyed soul bass and even some alternative rock tones, like older REM and Smiths type stuff.

I was thinking of GHS Pressurewounds (light) or TI Flats. Thoughts?
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I'm a regular user of GHS PWs (40-96). I wouldn't describe their tone as "in your face brighter type of tone". I like them for their tight punchy lows and crunchy mids, but not for brightness.
 
#3
michael_t said:
I'm a regular user of GHS PWs (40-96). I wouldn't describe their tone as "in your face brighter type of tone". I like them for their tight punchy lows and crunchy mids, but not for brightness.
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Sorry what i meant to say was brighter than LaBellas with a mute, some growl, but not like rounds with all the finger noise and finger/fret destruction. This below is perfection in tone for me and it's what i want out of this bass, or as close as possible. I realize this has a different pickup configuration and location, but close:

 
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#4
Mike Vee said:
Sorry what i meant to say was brighter than LaBellas with a mute, some growl, but not like rounds with all the finger noise and finger/fret destruction.
Click to expand...

Ok, I get the idea. What I love about the GHS Pressurewounds is "punch and crunch without zing". And yes, they're much smoother in texture than any rounds (except maybe TI Jazz Rounds) while providing plenty of the roundwound tone.
 
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#7
I was thinking TI Flats would be a good fit. They do mellow out and are quite mid focused.

For something quite different than the Labella's you could try some EB Cobalt Flats. A much different sound than a traditional flatwoumd and more "in your face." Jason at Fret Nation has a balanced tension set that I really like. I reckon the Cobalts would get you into 90's alternative territory and probably close to the 70's sound you're after.
 
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#12
Pressurewounds are good strings and they're a good compromise between rounds and flats, IMO, but they still feel more like rounds than flats. Much smoother, but still more like rounds. They're also marketed in slightly different gauges as Ken Smith Compressors.

I think TI Jazz Flats without a mute might be just what you want but you should be warned that the tension of those strings is much, much lower than the LaBellas you're used to. For that reason, you might like Dunlop or Cobalt flats better. Not because their tone is better but because you may find them more comfortable to play.
 
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#13
Mike Vee said:
Now, I just bought the G&L for a more "in your face" brighter type tone but I do not like regulars rounds, at all. I want a different sound, something a little brighter for funky 70s/80s soul/funk bass/blue-eyed soul bass and even some alternative rock tones, like older REM and Smiths type stuff.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're looking for a Sterling sound rather than a G&L L-1000
 
#15
I have Thomastik Jazz Flats on mine and I love them. Between the bass, the amp (Genzler) and the variety of pedals I have, I can get my bass to do just about anything I want. And when I need a little more, I have an L2000 with Thomastik Jazz Rounds on hand for that purpose.
 
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#16
TI Jazz Rounds are very tame as far as rounds go - very little zing and almost no finger noise. They are also quite low in tension. The only downside is that they are expensive.
 
#18
Mike Vee said:
TI Jazz ROUNDS? Never heard of them!
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michael_t said:
Tell me about TI jazz rounds - vs other super light gauge sets
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I use them on a '94 Gretsch Broadkaster (big, short scale hollow body). I posted about them on the thread michael_t referenced, in fact. I read that post last night, and it occurred to me that it might be confusing. Particularly to anybody who's read some of my other posts about that bass/string combo...
I've posted that, with other strings, the Broadkaster sounded like "a toad in deep mud". Which might sound as if I'm saying that it was extremely bassy/thumpy. With a couple of the strings I tried on it; yeah, it was. With others, it was quite bright; given it's pickups, some strings were obnoxiously so. What I was trying to say, was that; bright or thumpy, the bass was always very, very muddy and inarticulate. And, when I put the Jazz Rounds on it, all that muddy nonsense just - went away. I had just put the JR's on the bass when I posted in that thread; yes, the JR's were very bright. Because, for various reasons, the Gretsch isn't a bass I play a lot, it took a quite while for the JR's to break in. But, they finally did; and, I've been very happy with them. The 'Kaster is still a little too bright for my taste, but my amp's controls easily take care of that. While I'm not a fan of rounds - and never have been - these strings don't bug me much. I have flats that feel about the same, and some that squeak about as much as the JR's do - which is to say; not a lot... IMO, their only real drawback (other than being rounds), is that they're almost as flexible - and pricey - as the TI Jazz Flats. We can only hope that they last almost as long as the flats do... So, yeah, I'd say - give them a try. They might be what you're looking for...:cool:
 
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