4 Strings

Just had a look and mine are slightly different. I've seen an old pic advertising a Precision and the position of the silk varied with the string to be longer as it goes from E to G to match the Fender type headstock. With the silk as shown in your picture the strings are generic and would fit any 34" bass. I was hoping mine would be the Fender specific type, hinting they may be original but the silk doesn't start until a few rounds of the capstan. I think it'll take a while to get used to playing with flats, its a sound I have been careful to avoid for >30 years hence countless sets of Swing Bass!

Ok so lots of people got wonderful bargains, unfortunately these seem to turn up just before and after you really need to buy. For your original question, you should allow £800- 1000 for a decent bass. You can get them for less but if you have that much you will be able to buy yourself a decent bass that you want. For this Jaydee will make one for you and it will be uniquely yours, you can get a Musicman Stingray (as opposed to the cheaper versions, fairly decent but not a Stingray) which will satisfy your spec. From each of these you should get change from your sum (esp if the Stingray is 2nd-hand). You should also afford most of the other suggestions too. Keep hold of what you want (even if that changes) and look out for the bargains and you might be able to get what you want before saving £800. However, don't buy what you don't really want, regardless of price.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='787185' date='Mar 26 2010, 04:50 PM']In 1976 I bought a new Precision and it came with factory fitted flats with green silks.[/quote] Really? Thanks for that, the old Precision I have is '78 and was fitted with flats with green silk and I wondered what make they were. From what you say, perhaps they are the original strings. I put them back on yesterday. Seems like Precisions came with different strings, perhaps they could be specified. Back to the original question from what I could find they were flats, possibly Squier or La Bellas.

Wonder if she's using flats!

Off - yes, the Canyon, very nice. I didn't know Tanglewood made the synthetic version either. On - hmm, nice, look forward to the pics.

A pic would help. From memory the bridge on a 600 was brass (coloured). I had a 600 in the early '80s. Loved it, played well, looked amazing and cheaper than those with higher model numbers (enough for me to afford it).

The lad has a 4 string version. Not sure if its a licence thing but its all wood (as opposed to the all synthetic Curbow). Highly unfashionable, I'm sure, but he's not into relic/vintage etc. Its a really nice bass, get used the small body and it plays very well indeed with a big sound and lots of variance with the active. They go ridiculously cheap and he's extremely proud (protective!) of it.

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='786864' date='Mar 26 2010, 12:47 PM']I'd like to point out I play the Original '54 set and don't find it any effort at all - check out The Stax Brothers on Youtube. You'll find I'm not exactly going through the pain barrier. BTW we had no idea that we were being recorded at the time, otherwise I'd have uttered the immortal phrase 'I can usually do much better than that'. As it happens, the same words I used to Elle McPherson as I slipped quite effortlessly back into my Y-fronts.[/quote] How do like them? I'm drifting into the Flat road myself at the moment to play some Motown in a few months. I've put back the old Rotosound flats on my Precision for the purpose. I have nothing to which to compare them. By the way, where did you get your wonderful signature pic?

If he can hear the instruments as he wants already, albeit too loud for his ears, how about him just wearing ear-plugs?

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='672989' date='Dec 3 2009, 11:25 AM']I really like 'em. Never had a problem. Tried a few others including Elites, D'addario and Ernie Ball and was underwhelmed in comparison. Maybe they suit some basses better than others? Great on a precision for me.[/quote] Same here. Used them for >30 years, always ok, most get boiled a good few times. Used to snap Gs (always 35s or, if I can get them, 30s) but that was down to my playing, not snapped a string for many years now. Swing bass every time for me (although I'm recently discovering flats on an old Precision!)

Found some more, this time from the La Bella catalogue: "“ORIGINAL 1954” FENDER® STYLE (Registered trademark of Fender Musical Instruments, Inc.) Flat Wound The 0760M set was used on virtually every Motown gold record in the 1960s. Donald “Duck“ Dunn used the same strings on countless recordings with Otis Redding and Booker T. & the MG’s. They are the fullest and deepest sounding bass strings ever. Set 0760M Medium .052 - G ¡ .073 - D ™ .095 - A£ .110 - E ¢ 760M-B Low “B“ .128 - single" The reference to Motown is surely Jamerson, but the claim of "Original '54 Fender Style" is interesting. Have we found the root? .052 for the G - goodness, no wonder noone could play Jamerson's bass! Right, no more now, I've got work to do!

I also found this interesting, actually from Fender. [url="http://www.fender.com/news/index.php?display_article=444"]http://www.fender.com/news/index.php?display_article=444[/url] and also this from the Squier site; [i]"Fender entered the picture in the 1950s, when the V.C. Squier Company began supplying Southern California inventor and businessman Leo Fender with strings for his unusual new electric guitars. The V.C. Squier Company became an official original equipment manufacturer for Fender in 1963, and Fender bought the V.C. Squier string company in early 1965 shortly before Fender itself was bought by CBS in May of that year. By the mid-1970s, the Squier name was retired as the strings had taken the Fender name." [/i] So, maybe Fender branded Squier strings were used for the guitars, but what about the basses?

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' post='786680' date='Mar 26 2010, 10:10 AM']Would you do the same to your car?[/quote] Why not?

Piano strings have always been round wound, but the windings in bronze so, despite the steel core, not that great for magnetic pickups (ok for the old microphonic type and the latter day piezo). I imagine steel guitar strings would have been round wound too, although I know tape wound strings were used. Can see here about (the claimed) start of roundwounds for bass ( [url="http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/equipment/bass/equip-entwistlegear-misc.html"]http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/equipment/ba...egear-misc.html[/url] )which would imply the strings supplied with original Precisions would have been flats, mimicking the upright basses of the day. This ( [url="http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/images/strings/1966_Fender_Strings_01.jpg"]http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/images/strin..._Strings_01.jpg[/url] and [url="http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/images/strings/1966_Fender_Strings_02.jpg"]http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/images/strin..._Strings_02.jpg[/url] ) shows that Fender's 'Precision Bass' strings were available as flat wound, tape wound and with unidentified (default round?) windings in 1966. Slightly earlier than Entwhistle, Jamerson used La Bella flats. Interesting that legend has it that he never changed his strings ('the gunk adds to the funk') but he wasn't using Fender strings that, if available, would have come with his bass, which, I understand, was bought new. So, with these little scraps, perhaps La Bella flats were fitted. This offers an indirect look (http://www.fender.com/uk/support/basses.php ) scroll down to 'Strings'. The 7150M are described elsewhere as '...the original nickel roundwound electric bass guitar strings from Fender, the world's #1 bass guitar manufacturer!' so maybe they were round and Entwhistle/Rotosound hadn't discovered them - seems unlikely.

Definitely do it justice, Marcus, you've got the sound nailed and great slapping going there. I love Mark King and you've done a good job. (I'm resisting the 'look a bit pale... get out more... join a band...' comments! Groovy bass too!

Let us know how you get on

Amen to that. If you want it to look worn out, use it and wear it out. Personally I can't see the satisfaction in doing this or, worse buying a guitar with this carried out, even well. If a bass has been used through the years then it has 'character' and the imagination can rise on where the bass may have been. If its been sanded/buffed away, who is it actually fooling? Why would anyone want to fool someone and if the user knows its a fake, there must be zero satisfaction.

Fair point, a blind test would be good. Light strings can't be plucked so hard, especially the E, as it will go sharp, so maybe there's a difference there. I've never used heavy strings so, I admit, the beefy comment is from my perception. (I also argue against maple necks sounding brighter!)

Have used 35s for >20 years. Find it difficult to understand why anyone would use anything else (accepting a bit of beefiness as suggested). So much easier to play, light touches only required, low action etc.

Goodness, its Really A Blistering Bass Everyone, Really! Can't compete with some of those others!

Especially Blimmin 'Orrible

Wow, A Real Wood Item, Clinically Klean But As Subtle as Sh*te

Try all the basses you want, but make sure you try a Stingray. I must admit not to have played an HH but the sound must be huge. Just roll the controls back for control. I am slowly being converted to a one bass trick, its to my Stingray.