Which Fender should get the flats

[chris_b]

They would all sound great with flats. That's how Precision basses were designed.

 

[SoulReflection]

They would all sound great with flats. That's how Precision basses were designed.[/QUOTE

Yes but, if the road worn with the 63 pup had a rosewood neck, that would be extra special .

 

[Stewie]

I.just tried roundwounds on a P bass that was given to me. Ouch! After 35 years using flats exclusively, rounds seem harsh, both on the fingers and to the ears. I guess I'll just stick with thumpers.
Whichever you chose, it will feel smoooooth

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

My AV has the covers and the bridge cover has the foam mute. Any one run theirs this way?

 

[Acoop]

I'd start with flats on the Road Worn, it always shocked me they didn't come with them.

 

[GIBrat51]

I have never had flats on a bass until I received my 58 AV that came with them already installed. I play in a tribute band and also at church and only use rounds. So I pulled off the flats and put them away in the case. Since all three basses are essentially the same, with different pickups, I was wanting to put flats on one of these basses.

So I ask TB, which bass would you put them on and why? Whichever gets the most votes I will install them on. All of these basses play and sound great.

From left to right
50's lacquer, 58 AV, Road Worn. Thanks.
View attachment 5195522

I'm probably not the guy you should be asking, because I own 23 basses at the moment - and 21 of them wear flats. One wears tapes (a violin bass), and one wears TI Jazz Rounds; but, only because no other strings I put on it in the last 14 years, made it sound like a bass you could actually use...
So, my answer is going to be... FLATS on ALL of them. However... I'm not one of these "same strings on all my basses" kind of guys. After using flats for over 50 years, I know that they can sound very different from each other. So, armed with that tidbit of knowledge, here are the Flats I'd use:
- '50s lacquer; GHS M3050 Precision Flats. These will definitely thump, but they are about as close as you can come to the original Squier Flats that Fender put on their basses - the P-Bass, until 1981. They have decent low-mids and mids - like the originals - and are stiff, but not too stiff. If you set that bass up like my '78 P-Bass, with the foam mute in the bridge cover; the pickup cover and the thumb rest? That's the bass you'd have played in the late '60s - and, that's how it would have sounded... Which, in my case? Is exactly what I want...
- '58 AV; a set of Fender 9050L's on that bass will give you a modern, mid-rangey sound that will cover a lot of musical ground. These flats are among my favorites; especially if I don't want a "One Trick Pony". Quite often, that is what I want, but those basses don't wear Fender 9050s... And, something I found out some years ago, kind of by accident? The 9050L's on my G&L ASAT bass sound an awful lot like the TI Jazz Flats on my Alembic Epic...
- Road Worn; Time for some real Thumpers. Put a set of La Bella DTF's on this one. The heavy gauge 0760M Original Vintage set, if you have something to prove; otherwise? I prefer the 760FS set, myself. Every bit as "Old School" thumpy, but not as hard on your hands. Or your bass's neck...

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

I'm probably not the guy you should be asking, because I own 23 basses at the moment - and 21 of them wear flats. One wears tapes (a violin bass), and one wears TI Jazz Rounds; but, only because no other strings I put on it in the last 14 years, made it sound like a bass you could actually use...
So, my answer is going to be... FLATS on ALL of them. However... I'm not one of these "same strings on all my basses" kind of guys. After using flats for over 50 years, I know that they can sound very different from each other. So, armed with that tidbit of knowledge, here are the Flats I'd use:
- '50s lacquer; GHS M3050 Precision Flats. These will definitely thump, but they are about as close as you can come to the original Squier Flats that Fender put on their basses - the P-Bass, until 1981. They have decent low-mids and mids - like the originals - and are stiff, but not too stiff. If you set that bass up like my '78 P-Bass, with the foam mute in the bridge cover; the pickup cover and the thumb rest? That's the bass you'd have played in the late '60s - and, that's how it would have sounded... Which, in my case? Is exactly what I want...
- '58 AV; a set of Fender 9050L's on that bass will give you a modern, mid-rangey sound that will cover a lot of musical ground. These flats are among my favorites; especially if I don't want a "One Trick Pony". Quite often, that is what I want, but those basses don't wear Fender 9050s... And, something I found out some years ago, kind of by accident? The 9050L's on my G&L ASAT bass sound an awful lot like the TI Jazz Flats on my Alembic Epic...
- Road Worn; Time for some real Thumpers. Put a set of La Bella DTF's on this one. The heavy gauge 0760M Original Vintage set, if you have something to prove; otherwise? I prefer the 760FS set, myself. Every bit as "Old School" thumpy, but not as hard on your hands. Or your bass's neck...

Thanks man! That is some great info.

 

[Yahboy]

50's lacquer = La bella LTF4A (old School)
58 AV = Ti JF344 (bring up the scoop PV58 pup mid voice)
Road Worn = EB Cobalt flat 2814 (cut in loud band mix )

All flat but all has different voice from old school to Modern tone. Meanwhile, all three has pretty close stiffness on my hand..... yes, i use three of this flat on my bass too. Squier CV50P = LTF4A, Vintera 50s P = JF344 and Hybrid Matt Freeman PJ = EB 2814.

I dont need roundwound bass string and those flat are lasting. (except my B standard PJ bass wear Sadowsky blk nickel round.)

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

50's lacquer = La bella LTF4A (old School)
58 AV = Ti JF344 (bring up the scoop PV58 pup mid voice)
Road Worn = EB Cobalt flat 2814 (cut in loud band mix )

All flat but all has different voice from old school to Modern tone. Meanwhile, all three has pretty close stiffness on my hand..... yes, i use three of this flat on my bass too. Squier CV50P = LTF4A, Vintera 50s P = JF344 and Hybrid Matt Freeman PJ = EB 2814.

I dont need roundwound bass string and those flat are lasting. (except my B standard PJ bass wear Sadowsky blk nickel round.)

Nice!

 

[Matt O]

I voted '58, but maybe consider letting the bass decide. Get a set of flats and string one up, doesn't matter which, rehearse with the band. Swap the flats onto the next bass and rehearse. Rinse and repeat. You should know which bass likes flats after the third rehearsal. Or if they all pretty much sound great with flats, which imo P basses tend to do, buy two more sets and say g'day to rounds completely.

 

[Grinderman]

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,

Catch a tiger by the toe.

If he hollers, let him go,

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe

Flats should sound fine on any of them, but I use flats the least by far, so I'd put them on the bass that you use the least, unless you want to use flats all the time. And then I'd put them on any but the black one.

All of your black P basses are Jimmy's reserve fleet. We can never be too sure.

 

[bassrique]

I have never had flats on a bass until I received my 58 AV that came with them already installed. I play in a tribute band and also at church and only use rounds. So I pulled off the flats and put them away in the case. Since all three basses are essentially the same, with different pickups, I was wanting to put flats on one of these basses.

So I ask TB, which bass would you put them on and why? Whichever gets the most votes I will install them on. All of these basses play and sound great.

From left to right
50's lacquer, 58 AV, Road Worn. Thanks.
View attachment 5195522

50's lacquer? Does Fender sell it as that or is there another name?

 

[Grinderman]

50's lacquer? Does Fender sell it as that or is there another name?

Fender Classic Series 50's Precision Bass. Now out of production. There were ones finished with urethane and a sub-line (or top-line?) finished with lacquer. These are a great value.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. No, affiliation.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

As none of them have a tort PG, none should get flats. Flats only work with tort. It's Bass Law.

 

[MrAB4003]

None - I would put tapes on one of them and pressurewounds / semi flats / half rounds on another one of them.

 

[Ghastly]

IMO, all of them.

I used flats for over 30 years but about 20 years ago I switched to nylon tapewounds.

Yes, all of them... tapewound.

 

[Sam Dingle]

Flats on the one you use least so you'll keep them on.

 

[2F/2F]

All three, and get yer chrome covers on there.

 

[themickster]

I have never had flats on a bass until I received my 58 AV that came with them already installed. I play in a tribute band and also at church and only use rounds. So I pulled off the flats and put them away in the case. Since all three basses are essentially the same, with different pickups, I was wanting to put flats on one of these basses.

So I ask TB, which bass would you put them on and why? Whichever gets the most votes I will install them on. All of these basses play and sound great.

From left to right
50's lacquer, 58 AV, Road Worn. Thanks.
View attachment 5195522

Buy another P and put one flat on each bass.

 

[bordinco90]

All 3 IMO! Out of the 3 though, I would say the Road Worn.