Flats On A Jazz Bass For Church Playing?

[Vince a]

I've been playing bass less than a year, however, I've been guitar for about 40 years . . . so I'm used to string experimenting.

100% of my bass playing is at church. I do not slap bass for any of the songs - it's all fingers.

Our worship leader likes really low bass, and I try to give him that sound.

My rig:
2006 Fender Am/Se Jazz bass with GHS Boomers roundwounds
Eden NC-210
Tech 21 SansAmp RBI Pre-amp
Fender RT-1000 tuner
Furman Power conditioner
Monster cables

I have plenty of bass, but when we are playing quietly, softly, easy, I'd like to hear less of my fingers on the strings . . . you know what I mean!

Will flats (strings) work for me here? I'd hate to spend $40 plus for some TI flats just to experiment . . .

[Tim Armstrong]

Originally Posted by Vince a

Will flats (strings) work for me here? I'd hate to spend $40 plus for some TI flats just to experiment . . .

Yeah, flats ought to be fine. They're all I use, and I play classic rock, blues, country, bluegrass and zydeco on them...

You might consider GHS Precision Flatwounds, though, very nice and a few bucks cheaper!

Cheers, Tim

[broadcaster]

Flats will work well on a jazz for church or anywhere.

BTW, you can slap on a bass with flats.

Have fun!

[Vince a]

Thanks Tim and bc . . . I'll pick up a set today!

[aunchaki]

I have Fender flats on my 4-string P-Bass clone. It sounds great and cost me $20. I play it exclusively at church.

[refin]

Flats on a Jazz sound great........

[Vince a]

My, my . . . they sure are pricey . . . I stopped in at one of my favorite stores . . . was quoted $58 for a set of 50-105 D'Addario Chromes flat wounds . . . Fender 45-105 flats were $33 . . . guess I'll try online or force myself to go to . . . never mind, I won't say . . .

Just Strings??? Order the GHS . . . $22

[Martinp]

Vince,
get a new store...

[4mal]

no kidding I've been paying in the low 30's for Chromes. about that for TI Super Alloy rounds and $40 for Jazz Flats. Musicians Enemy is now selling TI. I snagged 2 sets of SA's from then at 58 landed a couple of weeks back. They had a 15% off coupon on their website...

[JohnSS]

Flatwounds or groundwounds (D'addario used to call their version Half-rounds) will sound fine on any Fender bass. James Jamerson only used flatwounds. If finger sqeak is still a problem, you can also try tapewounds. A friend of mine uses a P-Bass copy w/EMGs and tapewounds. Lots of fat bass tones, no finger noise at all.

[captain gorgeous]

my bass player plays flats on a jazz. we switched him over because he tends to play up the neck quite a lot and could get clangy. sorted that right out.

i only play flats on my 50s p-bass and did on my dearmond starfire bass before that.

love em.

[Vince a]

Sorry guys . . . one last question on the issue . . .

Do flats generally have more tension that roundwounds . . . thus I will need to adjust the truss rod, etc??? I will measure before and after, as I like the string height that I have now, and want to keep it there!

[broadcaster]

Originally Posted by Vince a

Sorry guys . . . one last question on the issue . . .

Do flats generally have more tension that roundwounds . . . thus I will need to adjust the truss rod, etc??? I will measure before and after, as I like the string height that I have now, and want to keep it there!

Vince, In my experience Fender & LaBella Jamerson flats have very high tension.

D'Addario Chromes & GHS flats have medium tension.

I have never used but have read the TI flats have very low tension.

Stay away from the high tension flats if you want minimum set-up differences.

[Vince a]

Thanks, I figured one of you guys would have the answer.

I got an OK price from the local GC store for the D'Addario flats ($22) or the GHS flats ($20), and I'll install them (I got both) as soon as a set of the GFS Pro Jazz bass pickups, copper shielding, and a Tusq nut for my bass arrives.

I just started playing with pickups, working my way up the price range. It took several (many???) sets to get the pups that I wanted for my Strat and my Teles. One of my friends installed the GFS Alnico pups in his Strat, and I loved the sound . . . what would it hurt to try their bass pups? I haven't seen or read about anyone trying them yet!

[4mal]

I'm not sure that I'd be in a hurry to swap out those MIA pickups. I'm all after hotrodding but the MIA J pickups are pretty good. If I did the three set's I like the best are

Duncan SJB-1 very vintage J sounding. Fairly 'polite'. A great all around J pickup. I run a set in my Reverend J.

Aero Type 1. again very vintage sounding but a tad more raw and punchy than the Duncans. Not as polite in other words. I run these in a Revernd PJ. I've used the full on J set before and they are just as good.

Lawrence J-45. Extremely quiet, very balanced. Enough to sound kind of modern to me. Not compressed modern like a Bartolini but clear and transparent modern. Highly under rated and a steal at something like $120 a set. I don't currently have a bass with Lawrences loaded as my roots rock gig really calls for the more vintage punchy thing. If I went back to my smooth jazz thing - I'd order a set. I have 2 guitars loaded with Lawrences and while I find the quirkiness of dealing with them sort of annoying, the pickups themselves are vey, very good.

I have a set of Duncan SJB-2's lying here. Got 'em from Jamie a couple of weeks ago. I was going to compare them to the Areo bridge, stock Reverends and the SJB1's. Cut some tracks and do my own little shoot out. The SJB1's sound good enough I haven't been able to take 'em out though... the sjb-2's and shoot out will have to wait a while.

The Lawrence is probably the pickup that I would swap for if I wanted something really different. The Aero's are great but if you're not doing swampy funk rock ... maybe they wouldn't be real appropriate in your current setting. I'm thinking that polite would be more in order.

[Vince a]

Originally Posted by 4mal

I'm not sure that I'd be in a hurry to swap out those MIA pickups. I'm all after hotrodding but the MIA J pickups are pretty good.

I really have no intention of swapping them out, unless the GFS's sound that much better . . . I like the MIA pups.

I just haven't read anything on the GFS pups, don't have a project guitar or bass going on right now, and I love to tinker. Besides, I want to add the Tusq and do some shielding . . . so while I'm there . . .

I can always unload the pups or pickup a Squire JB and put 'em in, along with some better pots, etc . . .

[aunchaki]

Originally Posted by Vince a

One of my friends installed the GFS Alnico pups in his Strat, and I loved the sound . . . what would it hurt to try their bass pups? I haven't seen or read about anyone trying them yet!

I swapped the el-cheapo P-Bass pickup out of my Epiphone Accubass and installed an EMG Select from StewMac. It cost $22 or something, so I didn't have much to lose. It's OK. I'm sure there are tons better pickups out there, but I'm happy for now. I'd definitely look at the GFS ones, though. I've had great luck with their guitar pickups.

[refin]

I put flats back on my Jazz yesterday---a prospective bassist for our band is coming in from Detroit today,and likes flats.

[Dave W]

Originally Posted by Vince a

Sorry guys . . . one last question on the issue . . .

Do flats generally have more tension that roundwounds . . . thus I will need to adjust the truss rod, etc??? I will measure before and after, as I like the string height that I have now, and want to keep it there!

Flats almost always feel stiffer than rounds of the same size. But that's not the same as actually being higher tension, i.e., requiring more pounds of tension to tune it to pitch. That's a function of how much the string weighs, which is mostly determined by the size of the core wire, not the outer round or flat winding.

For example, broadcaster said that he thinks Fenders and LaBellas have very high tension. I'll agree that they're both very stiff feeling, But the LaBellas are actually lower than average tension. I moved a set of LaBella 760FM (49-109) to three different basses that had been strung with three different brands of 45-105 rounds, and I had to slightly loosen the truss rod all three times. OTOH replacing 45-105 rounds with Fender 9050ML (50-100) will almost always require tightening the truss rod.

[broadcaster]

I have a set of Fender 9050M's on an old p bass. I recall I had to first loosen up the strings, tighten the truss, than tune back up in order to get the neck straight. Those are some high tension cables...sure sound good though with a piece of foam under the strings back near the bridge.

Old School!

[Vince a]

Uh oh . . . you've opened up something new (to me) - the foam! I take it as some sort of muting device???

Remember . . . I'm the new one at bass . . . I use my right hand as a mute when playing guitar!

[Tim Armstrong]

Foam mutes help get a more "upright bass" sound. I'm not a fan, myself, but some really dig that effect!

Cheers, Tim

[broadcaster]

Originally Posted by Dave W

Flats almost always feel stiffer than rounds of the same size. But that's not the same as actually being higher tension, i.e., requiring more pounds of tension to tune it to pitch. That's a function of how much the string weighs, which is mostly determined by the size of the core wire, not the outer round or flat winding.

For example, broadcaster said that he thinks Fenders and LaBellas have very high tension. I'll agree that they're both very stiff feeling, But the LaBellas are actually lower than average tension. I moved a set of LaBella 760FM (49-109) to three different basses that had been strung with three different brands of 45-105 rounds, and I had to slightly loosen the truss rod all three times. OTOH replacing 45-105 rounds with Fender 9050ML (50-100) will almost always require tightening the truss rod.

The Labellas I used where the "Jamerson" flats. They have high tension. I have read La bella makes other styles of flats that are much lower in tension, though I have not tried them.

The Fender 9050m's have THE highest tension of any set of flat's I have ever used.

[ne4tt]

Get a piece of close cell foam, and give it a try. I like to use it on my P-style.

The Fender bass bridge covers had a piece of foam for muting.


D'Addario Chromes are a medium tension string.

Got a slightly used set. If you want them, send me an email Vince, with your mailing address. I'll throw in a piece of foam too.

TI Jazz Flats, JF344, are a low tension string. Draws raves, but some feel they are too loose in feel. I like 'em, and have 'em on a J-style bass.

The Roto 77LE flats are a high tension string. Big gauge too. Will require a truss rod adjustment, and setup due to the higher tension.
Have them on a P-style bass. Probably not a good match for a J bass.

DR strings have recently introduced their flats. Haven't tried 'em, but intend to get a set.
Have a set of DR nickle Sunbeam rounds on a J-style bass, and like 'em.

Another source for bass strings is Tom A. Has a good assortment of brands at great prices.
He is a bass player, so he can give you advice too.

Jamie

[Vince a]

Originally Posted by ne4tt

Get a piece of close cell foam, and give it a try.

Got a slightly used set. If you want them, send me an email Vince, with your mailing address. I'll throw in a piece of foam too.

Thanks Jamie for the offer . . . but I did get a set of strings on Sat and put 'em on after changing to GFS Pro Jazz bass pups . . . I really, really like the flats . . . better sounding and so much easier on the fingers!

BTW . . . I had to do a major adjustment/setup after string swap (D'Addario Chromes flatwounds, 45-100 gauge. . . the string height raised about a sixteenth and the intonation was way off . . .

But, since you offered, you could explain to me about the foam . . . what size (approx) and where do you put it? I guess it's easy to figure out . . . it's just a mute???

Again . . . thanks . . .

[ne4tt]

I use a piece of close-cell foam, sized approx 1" square x 3" long.

I slip it under the strings, at the bridge.

Adjust so the "muting" is balanced across the strings.

You don't need to cram it up against the bridge.

jamie

Here's pics of Fender's muting. Not xzackly rocket science.

J bass bridge cover


Early Xperimental Jazz


Early 50s P bass cover

[Vince a]

Again . . . thanks Jamie . . .

I'm at work . . . read your response and I just cut a piece of foam that size from some green shipping foam that we had laying around. Will try it out tonight at home . . . if I like it it . . . I will cut a piece in black . . .

[ne4tt]

Vince,

Like Tim said, the foam was to emulate the upright.

For lack of a better term, "Thunk".

A nice effect that won't break the bank.

jamie

[Vince a]

Got it!!!

Thanks a million . . .