Currently running Ernie Ball cobalt flats on my mod shop P with a Vintage II ‘60 pickup and it just sounds lovely. My first foray into flats, and these were a good place to start, still have a decent brightness.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Which strings do you use/like/prefer on your P Bass?
- Thread starter vindibona1
- Start date
I’ve been curious about those. How different do they sound from regular La Bella’s?
As of now I have Dogal Jonas Hellborg roundwounds on my main P-Bass, a '75 Precision and Rotosound Swing Bass stainless steel on the other P-Bass, medium light set, 040-095.
@lastminute I previously had 45-105 LaBella DTF on this bass. The bass is a 2012 MIM with Lindy Fralin standard wound pickup, CTS pots, .47uf Orange Drop cap, and cloth insulation wiring. The DTF LaBella strings sounded great! They had a real punch to the initial note attack due to their stiffness. Perhaps due to the electronics of my P bass they were very clear and not muddy at all. (Any strings on this bass are very clear, probably due to the Fralin pickup).
I watched a YouTube video comparing an Olinto P bass to an American P bass and preferred the Olinto sound. My assumption was the Olinto was wearing Olinto strings which motivated me to order a set.
I understand the Olinto flats have a thinner core wire than the DTF flats which makes them more flexible, and they are more flexible. I’ve read the Olinto flats are similar to LaBella LTF flats however I’ve never tried the LTF version. The Olinto flats have thicker G and E strings however they fit my basses’ nut slots without issue.
Tone difference between DTF and Olinto flats. I love the way the DTF sound both isolated (bedroom tone) and in a mix. The initial note punch due to string stiffness comes through. The Olinto’s have more upper mid frequencies than the DTF’s. When I first put them on I was slightly disappointed due to some characteristics of DTF’s that I really like are missing. However….remember how I mentioned I liked the Olinto P bass tone when compared to an American P bass in the YouTube video? Listening to recordings of me playing the Olinto flats in live performances and rehearsal recordings, I really like the Olinto flats! The upper mid characteristics of their tone add a presence to the bass line in a song that’s not harsh, not over the top, just a bit more clear. Plus they fret more easily.
All this is my opinion and you can’t go wrong with either string set.
I too have had EB Cobalt Flats on my USA P5. It's got a beefy sound that surprisingly cuts through when they are (mistakenly) trying to keep me from being too loud in the house. I should confess that because my P5 is passive I usually run it through a Fishman Platinum Pro EQ/DI box as the box has compression, and a bunch of other knobs that don't even come on a pre-amp'd bass.
My two main P bases both have Dimarzio Model p pups but one is light weight ash with maple fretboard with an inherent bright tone with GHS Precision flats that sound fantastic, the other is a heavy ash with rosewood board and has a much darker sound by comparison. So I’ve got some D’addario 40-95 Chromes on the way to replace the same GHS Precision flats and hopefully give this bass better note articulation and definition? So yeah even tho two similar P basses but have big tone differences that require pretty different flatwound strings.
On my p-bass, I have old 80's Barts & I used either Dunlop or GHS Precision Flats. But I have just gone back to DR Stainless Lo-Riders & they sound great! Once they have been broken in, they'll sound even better! 
Last edited:
Been a couple years since I posted this. I have replaced all roto 66’s with the labella IMA strings for rounds. In my opinion, way better strings.
I have 4 P's if I include my '87 G&L SB1 in the mix.
My CS'59P sports a 9yr old set of V1 Sadowsky Blue Label Flats. If TIJF's are too floppy for you, then this is the string to try. I'm running 040 - 100's. These have a slight bit more tension (pull) than the TI's, and are hex core (thinner than what is in similar gages) with a stiffer construction. Still highly flexible and expressive, but don't fret out when you dig in. If more stiffness is required, there is always the 045 - 105 set as well. This is my primary player. This bass and string match up sounds killer live and recorded.
My '08 Am Std P is loaded with a OV62 pup. It is currently strung with an old set of Daddario XL's that just won't die (045 - 105). Bit of a 'meh' thing for me..... but hell, if they're good enough for George Porter jr, then they should be good enough for me! I will admit, I'm flirting with the idea of getting a set of the TI Super Alloys for this bass.
I recently acquired a '15 Am Std P with a Fralin installed (standard wind I believe). I threw on a set of Olintos to test out...... the jury is still out on them, but stay tuned, because they sound really promising.... I've been on the hunt for a Sadowsky Black Label Flats replacement for years, and these sound and feel promising.
M '87 SB1 is currently wearing a set of LTF's..... but only until I decide what to do with this bass. I was hoping the LTF's would find a home in the SB1, but alas, there is no cure for the dull, mushy sounding and mushy feeling LTF's. They sounded promising at first on one of my Fenders..... but any magic in the mids they had died at breakin. I have an older set of the V2 Sadowsky Blue Label Flats stored away.... I'm thinking of putting those on..... or maybe a set of tapes..... we'll see.
My CS'59P sports a 9yr old set of V1 Sadowsky Blue Label Flats. If TIJF's are too floppy for you, then this is the string to try. I'm running 040 - 100's. These have a slight bit more tension (pull) than the TI's, and are hex core (thinner than what is in similar gages) with a stiffer construction. Still highly flexible and expressive, but don't fret out when you dig in. If more stiffness is required, there is always the 045 - 105 set as well. This is my primary player. This bass and string match up sounds killer live and recorded.
My '08 Am Std P is loaded with a OV62 pup. It is currently strung with an old set of Daddario XL's that just won't die (045 - 105). Bit of a 'meh' thing for me..... but hell, if they're good enough for George Porter jr, then they should be good enough for me! I will admit, I'm flirting with the idea of getting a set of the TI Super Alloys for this bass.
I recently acquired a '15 Am Std P with a Fralin installed (standard wind I believe). I threw on a set of Olintos to test out...... the jury is still out on them, but stay tuned, because they sound really promising.... I've been on the hunt for a Sadowsky Black Label Flats replacement for years, and these sound and feel promising.
M '87 SB1 is currently wearing a set of LTF's..... but only until I decide what to do with this bass. I was hoping the LTF's would find a home in the SB1, but alas, there is no cure for the dull, mushy sounding and mushy feeling LTF's. They sounded promising at first on one of my Fenders..... but any magic in the mids they had died at breakin. I have an older set of the V2 Sadowsky Blue Label Flats stored away.... I'm thinking of putting those on..... or maybe a set of tapes..... we'll see.
I have Daddario Nickels on all of my bass guitars. Thinking about putting flats on one of my P basses..
I have a '96 G&L SB-1 with LaBella Deep Talkin' Flat 760FX, the lightest set - I much prefer them to the LTFs I tried on it before.
The 760FX have some of the thump of the heavier DTF and are an easy-playing flatwound with really good overall tone.
On this bass, I also loved broken-in GHS Balanced Nickels rounds, or good ol' D'Addario Nickel XL rounds.
On my Fender Honeyburst Precision with GZR, I installed 40-95 GHS Precision Flats on a lark and they've stayed on for a while.
They have a focused center of pitch and emphasize different mids than most other flats do.
