Sire v7 and flats?

[lownote]

Sorry if this has come up before, but anyone tried flats on a Sire? I know I could try it without consulting but I don't want to spring for a set of Labellas to find it doesn't work.

[fishfry]

I'd be interested too - though I'd probably stay clear of the higher tension labellas on the sire. Love the neck, I went with TI rounds in the end but finding there is not enough tension on them.

[lownote]

I'm hearing the Lb FL strings are not stiff or high tension..

[jrixn1]

I love flats and play them exclusively on whatever bass I currently have.

I owned a Sire V7 for a while and tried a couple of sets: TI Jazz, and D'Addario Chromes.

Here is a clip of Sire V7 with TI Jazz:

[url="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByytttLU9OSvZlYxWDBfN3pOSnM"]https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByytttLU9OSvZlYxWDBfN3pOSnM[/url]

I didn't really like this combination, as it seems to lack any personality.

TI Jazz were too low tension for me, and I ended up selling them.

The Chromes were a bit better; but, as much as I wanted to love the Sire V7, ultimately I don't seem to get on with jazz basses in general, and it also ended up being sold.

Chromes were my go-to flats for many years, until I discovered Fender 9050s. It goes slightly off-topic, but as a comparison here is the same song with the same band, this time using a G&L L2500 Tribute with Fender 9050 flats:

[url="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByytttLU9OSvaGtjVWRVY1BMaVE"]https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByytttLU9OSvaGtjVWRVY1BMaVE[/url]

I prefer that combination a lot.

[therealting]

The Fender 9050Ls are just about my favourite flats. I have Chromes on my Dingwall Super P and they are great, TI Flats on my 56 P and 9050Ls on all my other flatwound string basses.

[Hippytone]

Personally, from a sound point of view, I'd go for ECB81 Chromes (.045 -.100) rather than La B's on that Sire... they just seem to work really well on a J-type bass. Just give 'em a liberal wipe over with Vaseline when you've got 'em on
The La B's seem to work better on a P.
I've spent years swapping Chromes, TIs and LB 760's around, including fiddling & faffing about with the ensuing set ups, and now.... My Work Is Done

Tension wise; the Chromes are a bit tauter than than the 760FL's, which are a bit tauter than a bog standard set of D'Ad 105 nickel rounds, which are a country mile tauter than the TI JF's

'Course, this was all playing-fields when I was a girl!

Edited February 22, 2017 by Hippytone

[Huge Hands]

I have Labellas on my V7 5 String. If memory serves, they are the 760FSB set. I didn't go "through body" with them as I was worried about string cores snapping (I've had this on another bass) and I love it! It felt like it took a little while for them to settle, but I couldn't be happier. Does everything I want in a bass.

[Grahambythesea]

If you can find them La Bella Low Tension flats would probably be ideal, they are also thinner than most flats so fit a nut cut for normal round wounds.

[lownote]

OK, found a really old set of D'add chromes and fitted those. If the result was school student's homework it would be a B. Oceans of thump but being flats, old and re-used they're not making full use of the Sire's brilliant sound pallette, but then they're not supposed to. Lemons on an orange tree. Still it's worth leaving them on there to try out in a blues band context tonight. I might then end up with a J bass and a P bass spare both on flats.

EDIT: Nope, doesn't work for me... off again, back with the rounds

Edited February 23, 2017 by lownote12