Switching To Flatwounds On P-Bass?

scottrolf

scottrolf

Jul 13, 2011
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Bandon, OR
#1
Five of the six basses I own all have round wounds with the exception of my Fender Jaco signature J fretless which has the flats. Love it BTW.

I am tempted to convert my current production Am Std P-bass to flats but don't really know what I'm in store for tone-wise. I love the tone of the flats on the Jaco but sometimes would like that same tone with a fretted bass. Will the pickups on my P react well with flats or are they more designed for rounds?

Thanks,
 
#3
scottrolf said:
Five of the six basses I own all have round wounds with the exception of my Fender Jaco signature J fretless which has the flats. Love it BTW.

I am tempted to convert my current production Am Std P-bass to flats but don't really know what I'm in store for tone-wise. I love the tone of the flats on the Jaco but sometimes would like that same tone with a fretted bass. Will the pickups on my P react well with flats or are they more designed for rounds?

Thanks,
Click to expand...
Roundwound strings didn't exist when the P bass and its pickup were designed.
 
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#5
There are a few midpoints you can also try. Pressure wounds are just a little flatter than round. Then ground wound and half rounds get closer to flat. Tape wounds are round strings with a thin tape over them that make them feel flat. You'll see lots of fans of various types. My preference is D'Addario Chromes and that is what is on my P currently. I've got a slightly hot pickup, and I find myself rolling back the volume just a bit from full gets me a very nice sound. No pickup/string/output complications. Jump on in :)
 
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#7
When I got my AS Precision I wanted to put flats on it straight away, and I had been using roundwound strings since 1987 & now I doubt I'll ever put roundwounds on my Precision. The only gripe I had was that I couldn't get the Fender 9050 flats in 45-105 gauge (my favorite), but Dunlop do a 45-105 set & there not bad at all.
 
#8
Shawn Luckman said:
When I got my AS Precision I wanted to put flats on it straight away, and I had been using roundwound strings since 1987 & now I doubt I'll ever put roundwounds on my Precision. The only gripe I had was that I couldn't get the Fender 9050 flats in 45-105 gauge (my favorite), but Dunlop do a 45-105 set & there not bad at all.
Click to expand...
Fender makes a 9050CL Custom Light which are .045 - .105.
 
#10
IronLung1986 said:
It's a popular thing to do. I've tried chromes and half-flats, and for me it takes away too much of the clarity and articulation. I like some harmonic hair on the sound of my P, so I stick with rounds.
Click to expand...
This.

I like a P with LaBellas. That strong fundamental is just killer. But there is a lot of tonal information that is missing when rocking flats that makes them limiting for certain styles.
 
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#12
Flats on a P bass!!?? I don't think it's been done. Try it and report back to us!

JK. In all seriousness, round wound bass strings weren't around when the P bass was created, so the more appropriate question is "how will rounds react with the pick up?". They used to all have flats. And yes, it's a very nice sound, closer to the upright bass it was designed to emulate.
 
#14
While P pickup designs have changed over the years, I think sounds may differ more between different types of flats. You may want to try a few different ones before you find one you like on your P... it's fun, I'm just trying Labellas on my P (odly enough, I think this is the first time I'm trying them on a P, heh)
 
#15
I bought my Lull PJ5 with DR strings on it and the sound was great. I put GHS Precision flats on it and IMO the sound improved significantly.

Sometimes I want a little more twang and I play my Lakland but there's something about a P with flats that makes me smile.

It might not be everyone's cup of tea but if you own a Precision of any type you owe it to yourself to try it with a set of flats.
 
#18
I've put flats on all my basses and I'll say that I love the Tomastik Flats, and had bought them because I thought I'd prefer the lower string tension, but I soon discovered that I really really love the much less expensive DiMarzio Chromes. The string tension is indeed higher than that Tomstiks, but I like how it gives me a tighter response. Flatwounds ona P-Bass is just fantastic.
 
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