New to flats and just got a new jazz bass. Love the LaBella Deep Talkin flats on my P I just put on a few days ago and I dont really like the feel or clanky sound at times with the rounds on the jazz. Seems like Chromes are popular with jazz basses. Will it still retain the same tones or will it darken it and make it sound more like my P? Hard to tell from a few YouTube clips. Thanks.
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Kill it? No! Change it quite a bit? Heck yeah Man! IMO for the better but it's all in what you're looking for.
I say do it. The worst thing that can happen is you decide to switch back to rounds.
I say do it. The worst thing that can happen is you decide to switch back to rounds.
Try the flats. Chromes are a good way to tell whether or not you like flats on your J. They're not that expensive (compared to some brands like TI) and they're probably the most versatile flats out there.
I haven't found a set of flats that match up better with my Jazz than the Fender 9050CL so far. The La Bella 760FL sounded too "muted and suppressed" on my J, while the Fenders can bring out some of the grind and growl.
I have Chromes on My Fender A/C Jazz. They are still breaking in but I love them so far. They are definitely bright if you crank the tone knob. I can't quite get the P-bass "Punch" I am looking for but it's very close.
Flats flats and more flats
I fell for the power of this forum
Nothing against flats but I eventually ended back on rounds ..
Yes flats will kill your round wound j bass tone
And rounds will kill your flats tone
It is a personal choice
The jazz will sound great with rounds or flats
It's just a question if which sound you want
Also, flats like rounds are very diverse by brand
You might find one set of flats you love and another that you just can't live with
As an example and as another point The tension of ti's is different to say labella
Some people on tb swear by labella and others live by the creed of ti's
Personally and from experience, they are both good but in my view, both totally over rated ... good yes, but not si good that you never go back to rounds
I found it really refreshing going back to rounds after being on flats for a couple of years
I fell for the power of this forum
Nothing against flats but I eventually ended back on rounds ..
Yes flats will kill your round wound j bass tone
And rounds will kill your flats tone
It is a personal choice
The jazz will sound great with rounds or flats
It's just a question if which sound you want
Also, flats like rounds are very diverse by brand
You might find one set of flats you love and another that you just can't live with
As an example and as another point The tension of ti's is different to say labella
Some people on tb swear by labella and others live by the creed of ti's
Personally and from experience, they are both good but in my view, both totally over rated ... good yes, but not si good that you never go back to rounds
I found it really refreshing going back to rounds after being on flats for a couple of years
I've decided that flats sound best on Precision Basses and StingRays and Jazz Basses sound best with rounds, and better than Precisions with rounds, due to the pickup placement. StingRays with rounds are really kind of their own thing.
I have Chromes on my Jazz Bass and it snarls more than it did with the roundwounds that it came with.
Do what I do...when you feel like flats on your Jazz, throw them on. If the next day you feel like rounds, take them off. Minor setup issues aside (if any), I just decided to use what I felt like at that time and not look at it like I have to have them on for long periods of time. They will sound great on a jazz, especially in a mix with a band.
Will flats kill the tone of my jazz?
I think they may do the opposite.
You may hear more of the instrument and less of the zingy string thing.
I think they may do the opposite.
You may hear more of the instrument and less of the zingy string thing.
Personally, Deep Talkin' flats are lifeless and dull. Not for me. They were ok on my jazz.
Chromes, on the other hand... I have these on my L-2000. They're perfect. I can only imagine how good they sound on a Jazz.
Bear in mind that flats were standard equipment on Jazz Basses in the early days. Most or all of Joe Osborn' classic grooves, for example, were played on a Jazz with flats.
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I've got ti flats on my favorite jazz. It's never sounded so good, or been so easy to play.
- Sep 14, 2009
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- Endorsing Artist: GullanskyLab pickups
On my MIJ fretless Jazz I use Fender 9050: paired with the aggressive DiMarzio Model J they give me a wide spectrum of tonal options.
Unexpensive too.
Unexpensive too.
