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Which flatwounds for SPB-3 quarterpounder precsion bass pickup?

V

Valentino

Feb 22, 2013
7
1
Tilburg, the Netherlands
#1
I'm thinking of putting flatwounds on my Fender American Standard Precision Bass 2011 with SPB-3 quarterpound pickup. I play fingerstyle and with pick. I like rock but also motown.

What would be a better combination with SPB-3: D'addario Chromes 50-105 or La Bella 760FS? Or would you recommend another flatwound string.

Another question regarding the pickup:
Would flatwounds sound good with SPB-3 or would they in your opinion sound better with the stock pickup?

Do you think that SPB-3 will sound better with DR Lowriders Nickel 45-105 than with flatwounds?

Thanks for your opinions and suggestions!
 
#2
I've only used it a little, but I have thus far found little to like about the quarterpound (a testament to mcdonalds' marketing penetration that everyone seems to add the '-er- to it :P).

With mine, I use flats to downplay the aspects of it that I don't like. If you like its sound, then Low Riders are probably a decent choice. I know there's a lot of love for a Pbass with flats around here, but I have yet to hear a tone I like out of flats that i can't get with tone knob roll off.

If you've got $50 to spare and know how to solder (or want a dead easy project to learn with), get yourself one of the fender '62 reissue pickups and sell the QP. No one in my band hated my PJ with the QP in it, but when I went back to my mexi fender with the '62, compliments about my sound flew at me left and right and the QP was bannished from the studio.

All a matter of taste, but I will echo the sentiment that I've read around here that the QP is fine for some, but it sounds nothing like a precision.

For flats, I like GHS Precision Flats. For rounds, Low Riders are nice, High Beams/Neons are great, and Sunbeams are absolute magic (what I use with my '62 RI P). I haven't tried the High Beam flats, but I'm sure they'd be excellent.
 
#3
Go get yourself a set of ghs precision flats they are fantastic strings. If this is your first forray into flats they are a nice compramise decnet high/mids but they still hae the full bottom end, quicl decay and percussive sound of flats. Steve Harris uses a set of sd qp pickups and roto 77 flat wound strings and his sound is amazing
 
#5
Steve Harris' pickups are signature Duncans- not QPs and his strings are signature Rotosound flats. Also, Pyramids sound great on almost anything if you've got the scratch but I will concur with Wolfgang that you can get pretty close to a flat sound with some muting, playing near the neck with a light touch and a touch of tone roll-off. If you're band is like mine, having the round attack when you dig in on the rock stuff will be more useful than having a minutely better old school tone in a live situation.
 
#8
How about trying Fender flats? They are a relatively inexpensive way to find out if you like flats on that bass. IMHO, the new Fender flats are a lot like Chromes and sound great if you want a brighter flat.
 

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