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Flat recommendations and advice for PBass


Basszilla
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HI all

Recent convert to using flats on a pbass - great sound.

Any recommendations? Soundwise - I like a nice full and warm bottom end and the string needs to be flexible. I use both fingers and pick.

Scale wise - is there anything I should bear in mind when purchasing them? I string them through body on my 2004 pbass.

Cheers

Tim

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[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1447793535' post='2910514']
But through-body is not always a good idea with (some) flats.
[/quote]

Also, the extra distance through the body sometimes requires longer strings e.g. my 30in scale Mustang needs 32in scale strings - otherwise the silk would not be clear of the speaking length of the string.

Edited by JapanAxe
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[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1447794330' post='2910535']
Also, the extra distance through the body sometimes requires longer strings e.g. my 30in scale Mustang needs 32in scale strings - otherwise the silk would not be clear of the speaking length of the string.
[/quote]

THe GHS 3050M are long enough for through-body on 34" scale.

Edited by EssentialTension
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[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1447793535' post='2910514']
GHS Precision Flats 3050M are OK strung through-body.
[/quote]. They also have a nice, even sound and a very smooth feel.

For flexibility, you can't beat TI flats, but the sound is very mid-forward. Personally, I love TIs on Rics and Jazz Basses, but I find them too mid heavy on Precisions.

You might also want to explore Sadowsky Black Label flats for a very even feel and tone.

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[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1447827454' post='2910678']
Have you been listening to them whilst wearing ear muffs?
[/quote]

No, but I like to hear the notes, the sound I like obtain ranges from cello like to acoustic classical guitar like. Something I couldn't get with other types that I tried. They were absolutely fine if you wanted to sound like James Jamerson, but I don't.

A lot were also very high tension, particularly the D'Addario Chromes.

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Also worth a mention are La Bella FL Deep Talkin' and Status Graphite Half-rounds.

La Bella FLs are bloody expensive and not always easy to obtain, but they do sound wonderful. I started using them when I bought my first proper vintage Precision, on advice from Basschatters who know this stuff inside out ... Clarky, Beedster, and Wateroftyne. They're not so good on longer scale basses like the 35" Mike Lulls I play now.

The Status Half-rounds offer a genuine compromise between the feel of flats and the snarl of good rounds on a P.

I converted to Lakland Joe Osborn strings when I started playing 35" scale since all Lakland 5-strings are 35" AFAIK. Those Osborns then turned out to be re-packaged GHS strings, which takes you back to Essential Tension's post up at the top.

The fact that they fit 35" scale so well also means that they are excellent for string-through-body on a 34" scale bass.

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[quote name='Basszilla' timestamp='1447857751' post='2910985']
So...I think it's a toss up between Labellas and TI, leaning toward the Labellas.

My bass is a string through body 04 US Pb. With that said, is there a particular set I should go for?
[/quote]

With ordinary La Bella Deep Talking 760 flats do NOT string through the body.

La Bella do make a string through version but I have no idea what they sound like.

Edited by EssentialTension
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If you're going string-through then you need to check that the LaBellas will actually reach the nut before the silks start.

Mark where the nut touches the string you currently have (Tippex is good) and take the string off, measure it carefully from ball-end to mark, then ask your chosen string supplier to confirm the precise length of the LaBella from ball-end to silk.

Obviously you shouldn't have a problem ... they make these strings to fit the basses!

The fact is, I have several times found the first 1/4" of the silks on one or more strings on the "wrong" side of the nut.

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Rotosound Flats have red silk but so do La Bella 760FL and also Thomastik Jazz Flats and probably some others.

Some flatwound strings don't like the break angle at the bridge when strung through the body. GHS Precisions and Thomastiks are both fine in my experience. Given that La Bella actually label a set as suitable for string through body, I have always strung La Bellas through the bridge.

The oddity in this is of course that the original Precision bass was string through body only and used flats.

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[quote name='Basszilla' timestamp='1447857751' post='2910985']
So...I think it's a toss up between Labellas and TI, leaning toward the Labellas.
[/quote]

Just in case it saves you a few quid... I'm a long-time user of the LaBella FLs. They're fab, but to me they're interchangeable with the significantly cheaper GHS Precision Flats. Both great strings.

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