Which flats for which bass?

[Shaunpski]

Hi All,

I've caught the bug for flats and just put some Chromes on my parts P (CV body, MIM neck, Gotoh 201 bridge, SPB-1). I'm liking those so much, I reached out to bassstringsonline (Jason was great to deal with) for some light Sadowsky Black Label flats which are being shipped. My other bass is a bone stock 2008 MIA Jazz. Jason was adamant to not string the Sadowskys through the body of the J, and I'm OK with that. Any opinion if I should transfer the Chromes (light gauge also) to the J and go through the body, or just leave them on the P and put the Sadowsky's top loaded on the J? I play blues and classic rock in a pick-up three piece. Just trying to get a feel for which strings better complement which bass. Your opinions are appreciated!

Here's a visual just for grins.

Shaun

 

[FatStringsRule]

One of each, Aah I remember those days !
I should get a v string American std p bass. That am dlx Dimension bass is hard to resist though.

 

[hotbass57*123]

I have chromes on my p and j top load. I think they sound different which each bass. Just try and see. Nice basses also.

 

[Bassist4Eris]

I have no experience with the Sadowskys, but the brightness of the D'addarios is well-suited to a J bass. By reputation, the Sadowskys are more old-school flats, and might accentuate the P thump. So that's what I'd probably do. And I always top-load flats, unless the packaging specifically states it's OK to do otherwise.

 

[iiipopes]

Jason knows his stuff. But if your G string ends up twangy compared to the rest of the strings, it is small and flexible enough it might be worth trying the string through to see if that puts a little more down force on the G saddle and helps with twang.

 

[shrimpflea]

La Bella's on the P-Bass and Chromes or Fenders on the Jazz...that's what I did.

Flatwound String Reviews

 

[Robus]

I have Sadowskys top-loaded on my P and Fender 9050L through the body on my Jazz.

Sadowskys would not be my choice on a Jazz. They are a bit dark and have thump but work better on a P, IMO. I didn't care for Chromes on either bass.

If and when I ever change strings on the Jazz, I'll probably go top loaded. Even pressing the strings down at the saddles to create a good witness point, the through-body seemed to give me higher action for a long time on the Jazz. It does seem to have settled in a bit more lately. Maybe I did it wrong. But that's a tight angle for those strings to bend around at the saddle. I can't hear any advantage in tone or sustain with the strings through the body, so for me it's easier to go top-loaded.

 

[bassbully]

I top load only. I find basses that go thru body are a hassle and do nothing to improve tone. They sometimes require extra long scale strings..another hassle.

 

[Shaunpski]

Thanks, everyone! I'm feeling Chromes for the J and Sadowsky's for the P. Still undecided about through body. The strings are somewhere between California and West Virginia--still have a few days to think about it.

 

[Surly]

I've used both of those strings, but only on a P, both top loaded. They are both in the realm of "brighter flats".

 

[mpdd]

had to go with the pink packing foam mute for now, let us know how it works out

 

[Shaunpski]

Well, I got the Sadowskys in and put them on my P. I moved the Chromes over to the J Bass and went through the body. The majority opinion was to top-load the chromes on the J, but I went through the body for the simple reason one of the ferrules was loose and I preferred to string through as opposed to mess with the ferrule. I was able to intonate both basses without any problems. I really like the results! The J is tuned to standard pitch and sounds great. The P is tuned a half step low as that is where the band plays and I am really digging the Sadowskys--yep, plenty of "thump." If the Chromes protest going through the body of my J, I would seriously consider Sadowskys for the J as well.

As an aside, Jason at Bassstringsonline was great to deal with. Very responsive to my questions and very prompt shipping. As another aside, I got some LaBella flats for a new Squire Mustang and proceeded to ruin the A string when the fabric un-wrapped on the tuner end when I tried to re-string it. That was not a cheap mistake. Thanks everyone for your opinions. Have a great Sunday!

Shaun

 

[MontzterMash]

While I don't move roundwounds between basses I found that flats last so long that sooner or later I'm moving them between basses. So, I stopped stringing them through the body. Didn't seem to make a difference in sound, but definitely made my strings happier.