Looking to buy set of Labella or GHS flats - advice needed

[PaulTMA]

I have a spare bass in the form of an early 80s Squire Precision bass with a more modern Jazz neck attached - 35".  I'm looking to buy a set of Labella or GHS flatwounds for this bass which would be comparable to my other bass, which is a Mustang with 45-90 GHS Medium Scale Bass boomers, 3120 - 34.5" winding.

What gauge of strings would you recommend to get a similar feel on this larger bass?  I'm happy with how the GHS play, sound and feel on the Mustang.

[The59Sound]

Next gauge up I would say? GHS have tension charts on their website. 

[fretlessguy]

I use .40-.95 GHS Precision flats on anything I want flats on. I am quite pleased with them.

[instrumentlevel]

Hey there. Mustang and precision user here who plays both flats and rounds here.  I’ve actually tried to do the same thing (albeit with a 34 not 35), maybe I can offer some thoughts.

First, though, let me try to “manage your expectations” a bit. What you are looking for is going to be tough. I think that you are going to have a hard time getting the 35 scale bass with flats to feel a lot like a short scale with those strings on it. You probably know this, but as a rule (darn physics), short scale basses like the Mustang will have lower tension for the same pitch and gauge as a longer scale bass. That’s why players often find SS to be “loose”, “floppy”, or lacking a “tight low end.” Moving to 35 will be the exact opposite—higher tension for the same pitch.

Your particulars are more complicated because the gauges you note of the strings are unusual. Most sets with 45 top end have 100 or 105 on the bottom end. (At least the ones I’ve played and the ones I saw on a quick check of GHS's site.) So, you have even lower tension in the low end than normal because the string is smaller gauge. 

Add to that you'll be switching from rounds to flats. Most players find flats much stiffer than rounds because of the square vs round winding. They simply bend less with equal force applied to them. So, no only will tension be different, but flexibility will differ, too. 

All in all, a tricky thing you are asking. Going from what is a very, very soft feeling spec to what is usually a pretty stiff spec.

My best recommendation would be LaBella low tension flexible flats. They are on the light side of what you can find in the world of flats (42x100), but are built with a layer of silk in between the middle and outer windings, which improves flexibility. In my experience, they are the softest feeling flats. They also sound nice and thumpy, with the classic flats sound. Plus, they as soooo smooth. They feel like you’re playing a silk shirt.

TI Jazz flats are also popular because of their softer feel, because they have a similar winding approach. A bit heavier, and more expensive. But wonderful. 

So, to get a soft feel, those are probably your best options. Both sets also have “oddly guaged” middle string compared to other sets, to balance out the feel, which is nice.

For comparison, I recently strung a through-body bass with extra light LaBellas because the bridge couldn’t take top load, and very few companies make flats that work though-body. Even though they were lighter gauge, they felt stiffer. (Ended up swapping the bridge so I could use LTFFs on it!)

Like @fretlessguyI also use GHS precision flatwounds. And I really like them. They are, though, a bit stiffer than the LaBella LTFFs. But I use them on my fretless, where I don’t feel the stiffness as much (and I think it actually helps increase the mwah). And they have more in the upper midrange than the LaBella/TIs—“zingier”—which is great on fretless. They would be a good option, too.

So, going from a very soft, round wound, short scale to an extra long scale with flats, I think the LaBella LTFFs will be your best bet. In my experience, they won’t get you all the way to the same feel, but as close as you can get. 

Sorry. Probably more info than you needed there. But it’s a tricky jump you are trying. Knowledge is power and all that...

Good luck with the quest!

P.S.: this focused pretty much on feel alone, because that’s the tricky part. Forgot tone. In the end, flats will never sound like rounds. Just different animals. So, if you like the sound of rounds, stick with Boomers on the long scale bass. 

 

 

Edited January 27, 2018 by instrumentlevel
Forgot part of the question.

[MWH]

Thanks for the lesson, excellent  !