hooky_lowdown

Thanks people. I'm a flats guy on a p, but wanting something a little brighter than Chromes (my string of choice) for more 'rock' stuff.

I think you answered your own queston, when you mentioned Fender flats. These are half the price of many other flats, are modern flats - bright, clarity and can really thump if you dig in. Dunlop, EB Cobalts, Chromes and Fender flats as you say are the modern sounding flats. The Dunlop flats are the brightest sounding, if you want less highs, then Fender flats would be the way I would go.

I've tried Olympias, and they are not bright sounding flats, more old school and duller sounding than even Labellas. They are not as smooth to the touch as more expensive flats, in fact they are slightly rough. The set I tried had different length silks for each string which was a little bit odd.

My favourite flatwounds. There are two types of flats, old school and hybrid flats. Old school (eg Labella) have that vintage deep thump. Hybrids ( eg Chrome's or Fender) have a brighter tone and more clarity.

Thinking of trying some Daddario half wounds, but would like to know a couple things: A) how long do strings last till they die? B) do they come with silks?

To clarify - we are talking about the Bass Big Muff, not the guitar Big Muff?

Add a 0.1 cap to a cheap bass (£200 or less) and some decent strings and suddenly it will sound x10's better. I don't know why manufacturers use 0.047 caps with cheap strings with the already cheap pickups and electrics. The 0.1 cap will reduce all the nasty harsh and "tinny" sounding highs, and give an even bass response across all strings, bringing it closer to mid-range basses in terms of sound. The humble cap gets overlooked by many people, but choosing the corrtect value for the music style you play will have a BIG difference on your sound.

Purists will say PIO makes a difference, but in reality any decent modern cap will out perform any "old" style cap. That's evolution!

Will medium scale strings (35.5" windings) fit a full scale (Fender) headstock, or will the silks start before the nut?

You have a decent set up there with a 50s RW p bass and 700RB. What cab(s) are you running the RB through, if it's a 4x10, then 2x15 would be a natural progression to give more punch, although some 4x10s can be very punchy. I'm guessing you are looking to be heard more in the mix, but if you don't have a sound or tone in mind, changing pickups doesn't seem a good way to find the tone you want. Different strings will have a greater impact on your sound than changing the pickup. The value of the capacitor will make a greater difference than the brand. Orange Drop are good caps, a 0.1 cap cuts a lot of high end, leaving lots of punchy low end, the standard 0.047 cap sits in the middle, has less low end than the 0.1 cap and more high end, or a 0.022 cap (which is essentially a guitar cap) lets lots of high end through, and less low end. Having a light touch may be the issue with you needing more punch, so a hotter pickup (something around 14k) would be a good way to go to, the obvious suggestion would be a Seymour Duncan Quater Pounder (SPB-3).

I see, well, there are a few ways to get more punch, boost the mids on your GK amp will be quick and simple. The TI flats would be the wrong option, they are more mellow sounding and wouldn't give the punch you are looking for. Either Chromes or Fender flats would be better suited as they are higher tension than the TI's and will give a more dynamic and punchy sound. The 0.1 cap in the 50s RW is ideal, so I wouldn't change that. I have a Yamaha RBX260 with stock Fender MIM pickups and loom with a 0.1 cap, with cheap flats and it is a monster with regards to punch - in fact I think it's too punchy and I had to lower the pickups significantly to reduce the punch. The pickups are hot, around 14k, and along with the 0.1 cap and flatwounds, it is the Mike Tyson of any p bass I've ever played. Also, playing with a pick will give more punch too.

Does anyone know when Fender switched their capacitors in the p bass from the original 0.1 to the (now) standard 0.047 ?

The PBX's would be a downgrade on the stock pickups in your 50's RW P bass. Both PBX and PBXN's would give a more "modern" sound. What is it exactly you don't like about the sound from the RW bass? If you're looking for a "brighter" - more modern sound, simply changing the capacitor from the stock 0.1 cap to a modern 0.047 cap would help boost the high end, would cost you no more than £1.

Looks like the same tuners used on Squier Bronco's? I had an early Korean '89 P bass with Schaller tuners etc, was a beauty, got it dirt cheap, sold it (regretably) for x4 times what I paid. Not sure about the later Korean squiers - looks like the same parts used when manufacture switched over to china, which makes me believe it's comparable to an early china Affinity p bass.

Managed to get a good solution by lowering the pups, they are now more than 1 cm below the strings, which works much better now.

I generally play P basses with flats, love the sound, but the thump I get from the Yamaha is immense, far too much for any songs I know and that’s with everything on full and with a pick, if I roll off the tone or play fingerstyle the thump is even bigger. It’s a real punch in the gut sound. I guess the best I can describe it as a Jamerson sound on steroids. I think the hot pups are the issue, maybe I should use more vintage pups - lower output.

My upgraded Yamaha 260 is a little monster, it's now my go to bass, and is a thumping machine. Its set up as follows: Old flatwounds + MIM Fender pup (hot 14k) + CTS pots and 0.1 cap. It's the thumpiest (is that a word?) and punchiest bass I've ever played, I really like it but I'm having difficulties finding a context to use it. What songs have a pounding/thumping bassline?

That will be a 40 yr old bass, the neck on those are pretty poor, so I would be very worried about high tension strings - they may break the neck! Tapewounds are a little thicker in guage than standard strings, so they may not fit the nut properly, you may need to file the nut for each string. This link may help you... http://www.shortscalebass.co.uk/short-scale-string-choice

Thanks, good to know.

Broke the plastic cover on my old yammie 270, covering the electrics. Anyone know where I can source a replacement?

I think the pickups in those old Kay’s are microphonic, plug it into an amp and speak into the pickup, it’s basically a microphone! despite the low quality, if you run it through an overdrive pedal, it sounds pretty good.

Not sure about the weight, but this in the classifieds would be monster if you live anywhere near Manchester...

Ashdown 330 Touring 115H would be ideal for your needs, or Ashdown Rootmaster series. The Touring can be had for under £200 secondhand. Great rock tone paired with a p bass.

You may want to check earlier posts in this thread. 😉