Jazz Bass With Flats

[Chiliwailer]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1460967499' post='3030132']


My current Jazz GAS involves a Jazz body, a P neck and La Bella 760FS flats. And possibly a good Pre of some sort.
[/quote]

Series / parallel switch too?

[Conan]

Herbie Flowers?

My ears tell me that on the early Tom Petty stuff, Ron Blair probably used flats on his Jazz too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO2-4YAV8sM

[discreet]

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1460967787' post='3030134']
Series / parallel switch too?
[/quote]

Yes, why not..? And an active/passive switch.

[Chiliwailer]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1460970100' post='3030157']
Yes, why not..? And an active/passive switch.
[/quote]

Starting to get GAS envy over here...

EDIT - in keeping with the OT, TI's for me though please. My fingers are too naturally dubby for those lovely LaBella's.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Chiliwailer

[discreet]

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1460970343' post='3030162']
Starting to get GAS envy over here...
[/quote]

Put your wallet in the safe, walk carefully to the sofa and read a book on an unrelated subject for an hour or two...

[FinnDave]

I've never tried flats on a Jazz, tried them for a short time on a Precision but did't like the feel or the dull sound, now all my basses are strung with D'Addario rounds.

[Chiliwailer]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1460970546' post='3030165']
Put your wallet in the safe, walk carefully to the sofa and read a book on an unrelated subject for an hour or two...
[/quote]

Good advice there, though picking up my Lull generally eases any unjustified GAS

[discreet]

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1460970826' post='3030170']
Good advice there, though picking up my Lull generally eases any unjustified GAS
[/quote]

Thanks for that, now I have Lull GAS.

[Chiliwailer]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1460972113' post='3030181']
Thanks for that, now I have Lull GAS.
[/quote]

There is a solution (and it's great with flats...)

[url="http://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Mike_Lull_M4V.html"]http://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Mike_Lull_M4V.html[/url]

[discreet]

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1460972263' post='3030184']
There is a solution (and it's great with flats...) [url="http://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Mike_Lull_M4V.html"]http://bassdirect.co...e_Lull_M4V.html[/url]
[/quote]

Oh God. Though I'd prefer this one...

http://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Mike_Lull_mv4_OW.html

Thankfully the neck width is too narrow, so lucky escape there!

[luckydog]

OK, I'm tempted and must try them. You had me at Joe Jackson........

LD

[skywalker]

Squier CV Jazz with TI Jazz Flats - lovely.

[uk_lefty]

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1418778172' post='2633372']
I have two J basses. One strung with rounds and one with flats. I like to switch between depending on the feel I have in my head for a tune.They both get outings to rehearsals. I prefer rounds on my P bass with the tone rolled back.
[/quote]

I'm going to show this to the wife next time she asks why there's a new guitar in the house!
I had flats on my jazz a while back as an experiment and to reduce fingertip blisters. I loved the old school "hollow" sound it gave. And kept flats on it for about a year.
My jazz now has very light stainless steel rounds (pyramid funk ss, enjoying them a lot!) And it brings out different nuances in the bass and makes me approach playing it differently.
The jazz is just a very versatile bass, and for me strings are more important than pickups and tonewoods etc. They're the first point of contact for the tone

[spectoremg]

[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1460927254' post='3029933']
Listen to these tapewounds on a jazz, I have them on 2 p's and assumed they would sound bad on a j. But I think I'm going to give them a shot on my jazz too, that tone is pretty magnificent.

[media]http://youtu.be/Y6JfR_ReGuw[/media]
[/quote]I like that. How do you find the 'grip' of the tapewounds compared to rounds?

[project_c]

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1461180342' post='3032281']
I like that. How do you find the 'grip' of the tapewounds compared to rounds?
[/quote]

I can only comment on the the tapes I use (D'Addario ETB92's) - when they're fresh, they have a slightly 'papery' texture to them, which I love. Still really smooth and easy on the fingers, but there's a little bit more texture to them than flats - not grip as such, but just a subtle texture. They feel less grippy to me than brand new flats sometimes can. That goes in a short time and they become smoother the longer you play them, and their tone also gets fatter. You have to like a dry thumpy tone to enjoy these strings, but compensating by playing more dynamically and with a bit more snap is really satisfying. Try them for motown / dusty old funk / straight ahead jazz. I wouldn't use them for slap tho.

[DorsetBlue]

Love the chromes on my Squier VM Jazz, although it has been relegated to second bass by my Chowny, due to the latters less weight. Chromes will likely be fitted to the Chowny in the future too.

[dlloyd]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1418570274' post='2631247']
Joe Osborn, Jazz bass with flats - lots of Simon and Garfunkel, 5th Dimension, and other West Coast sixties pop.[/quote]

This.

I put LaBella Deep Talking flats on my jazz when I realised that Joe Osborn played on so many tunes of that era that I thought had an amazing bass sound.

[Dan Dare]

D'Addario Chromes on my Jazz. Sound great.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1461229677' post='3032597']
This.

I put LaBella Deep Talking flats on my jazz when I realised that Joe Osborn played on so many tunes of that era that I thought had an amazing bass sound.
[/quote]

... and played with a pick I believe.

[spectoremg]

[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1461190980' post='3032404']
I can only comment on the the tapes I use (D'Addario ETB92's) - when they're fresh, they have a slightly 'papery' texture to them, which I love. Still really smooth and easy on the fingers, but there's a little bit more texture to them than flats - not grip as such, but just a subtle texture. They feel less grippy to me than brand new flats sometimes can. That goes in a short time and they become smoother the longer you play them, and their tone also gets fatter. You have to like a dry thumpy tone to enjoy these strings, but compensating by playing more dynamically and with a bit more snap is really satisfying. Try them for motown / dusty old funk / straight ahead jazz. I wouldn't use them for slap tho.
[/quote]Thanks for the reply - I'm gonna try some.

[cachao]

TI flats on a Sire Jazz sound good to my ears. I also have Pyramids on a Peavey Zodiac.

I took in a friend's Jap Jazz for an overhaul, and strung it with some old Chromes I had lying around. Sounded great.

[skej21]

D'Addario chromes on my old MIJ '62 RI Jazz. Sounded incredible!