Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

You would want the 9050SL set, Joey. It's gauged .040, .060, .080, .100. I think the 9050L set used to have a .095, but it's now a .100.

And yes, that was a set of 9050CL strings on my 4001C64. I'm currently debating between being patient and letting them play in a bit more, or switching back to TIs. I've determined that the Fender set us a bit bright for what I want that bass to be, but that could be because they're just not broken in yet. I gig that bass sparingly.

fran4001 wrote:I always recommend Thomastik-Infeld JF344 Jazz Flats. You won't find a lower tension string anywhere. Stand by for MANY more options!

Ditto.....but they do feel a bit loose at times. I also like the Chromes.

coolingitdown wrote:You would want the 9050SL set, Joey.

Not so easy to find that set. Gauged the same as the D'Addario ECB84 set, but could possibly be somewhat lower tension.

rickenbrother wrote: That's good to know, because it seems the lightest set is the 9050L .045 - .100, I thought they had a .040 to .095 set.

There is a 0.40 -0.100 set (9050SL) as well as several others. But for a 4-banger, the 9050SL is the only set with a 0.040 G string. I wouldn't worry at all about the 0.100 E vs 0.095. Unless your '73 has a neck problem. The 0.100 is fairly light in terms of feel (I've got a few basses with various incarnations of Fender 9050s on them).

http://www.juststrings.com/fenderelectr ... sflat.html

T28 wrote:

fran4001 wrote:I always recommend Thomastik-Infeld JF344 Jazz Flats. You won't find a lower tension string anywhere. Stand by for MANY more options!

Ditto.....but they do feel a bit loose at times. I also like the Chromes.

OK... Not to drill it too much... But The Pyramids are about mid-way between TIs and Chromes, tension wise...

Does anyone use LaBella 760 FL's. These and TI's are my flatwounds of choice. The give that great Jamerson tone on a P bass. I am thinking of putting them on one of my 4003's.

rickenbrother wrote:

coolingitdown wrote:You would want the 9050SL set, Joey.

Not so easy to find that set. Gauged the same as the D'Addario ECB84 set, but could possibly be somewhat lower tension.

Jason at BSO has the best prices and fastest delivery for online orders I'm aware of. (Especially if you get set up as a VIP.) I'm giving this guy all of my non-mom-'n-pop business for bass strings and accessories nowadays. I believe he also has a small storefront in SoCal somewhere. PM me if you want more deets.

http://www.bassstringsonline.com/Fender ... p_850.html

For tension, I think Chromes and new 9050s are very similar. 40+ lbs per string in the 45-60-80-105 set. My 2008 4003FL, which has a pretty "wimpy" neck when it comes to the amount of tension it will take, handled 9050CLs no problem.

armybass wrote:Does anyone use LaBella 760 FL's. These and TI's are my flatwounds of choice. The give that great Jamerson tone on a P bass. I am thinking of putting them on one of my 4003's.

The 760FL is a good set, but a bit higher tension-feel than my fingers liked. I am considering the 760FX set some day. Not only would they probably be easier on the fingers but less tension might mellow them out a bit... On the other hand LaBella DTFs are cool to me in that they are fairly aggressive sounding for flats. They are practically as gnarly as half-rounds if you dig in.

Scotty_Guitar wrote:OK... Not to drill it too much... But The Pyramids are about mid-way between TIs and Chromes, tension wise...

Which set of Chromes are you referencing to? I use the Super Soft set and replace the .060 D string with a .055 and get a very nice low tension set that way.

Scotty_Guitar wrote:I've had Pyramid Gold flats on every bass I own (and most of my guitars as well!), and they have the "perfect" tone (for me), seem to be the perfect tension (I'd say a medium-ish tension - about the same as the OE RWs as no truss rod adjustment was required), even for my fairly new 4003.

The initial cost may seem high, but they last far longer (decades instead of months), and will ultimately be the cheapest strings you'll ever buy.

IIRC, there is a tail-lift "fix" too... I cannot attest to any "tail-lift" because I replaced the bridge just prior to installing my Pyramids.

I also liked the TIs. But they felt too loose... I prefer the Pyramids. These two brands are the only nickle flats available. All others are stainless, except the black "plastic" tape-wound...

if the pyramid gold bass strings are as good as the guitar strings i'd be tempted, but i'm a little bit worried about tail-lift now a few people have mentioned it - the back of my 4001's bridge/tailpiece unit has always been lifted up a little off the body for as long as i've had it (i thought it was just normal for quite some time). perhaps i ought to go with TIs to be on the safe side?

the roundwounds i have on it at the moment seem quite loose already and i don't mind that - i can't remember what they are but they have no fabric at the end that you wrap around the tuning posts...

Matt4001 wrote: if the pyramid gold bass strings are as good as the guitar strings i'd be tempted, but i'm a little bit worried about tail-lift now a few people have mentioned it - the back of my 4001's bridge/tailpiece unit has always been lifted up a little off the body for as long as i've had it (i thought it was just normal for quite some time). perhaps i ought to go with TIs to be on the safe side?



the roundwounds i have on it at the moment seem quite loose already and i don't mind that - i can't remember what they are but they have no fabric at the end that you wrap around the tuning posts...

That said, you probably want to go with the TIs. The Optima set, i've heard, is also fairly low tension and sounds really rich, mellow, and Macca-like.

Happy hunting!

coolingitdown wrote:That said, you probably want to go with the TIs. The Optima set, i've heard, is also fairly low tension and sounds really rich, mellow, and Macca-like.

Happy hunting!

yep, i think i'm gonna go with TIs - since bass is only a secondary instrument to me that i use for recording sometimes, and the bass is going to be spending long lengths of time in its case while i'm away studying and working, it's probably better to have lighter strings even if they do end up being a little loose for my liking - it's not really being used as a workhorse, so if it's putting less strain on the neck and stopping the tailpiece lifting anymore, that's probably the most sensible option.

having said that, maybe i should try optimas, since they are cheaper - i assume it's this 45-100 gauge set? this is the only set i can find in stock anywhere at the moment http://www.thomann.de/gb/optima_4099_flatwound.htm

indecision

I use both the Optima and TIs on my Ricks.
The Optima's are much darker and very "old school" in thumpyness.
They are a little higher tension as they are just a little heavier than the TIs.
They actually sound like dead Maximas.
The TI's are brighter, and you can get some grind out of them. So I tend to prefer the TI's.
The TI's are also kinder to the more fussy and difficult to adjust necks (if that's an issue...)

jps wrote:

Scotty_Guitar wrote:OK... Not to drill it too much... But The Pyramids are about mid-way between TIs and Chromes, tension wise...

Which set of Chromes are you referencing to? I use the Super Soft set and replace the .060 D string with a .055 and get a very nice low tension set that way.

Just guessing, 'cause I don't have them anymore... But the largest was .100... I'm thinking the smallest was .045 or .050... But I don't think they were labeled "Super Soft." They sounded way too close to RWs for my taste, and felt pretty stiff, too.

TI flats are great for recording!I didn't realize just how deep the 4003 was until I heard it recorded with the TIs. Carol Kaye swears by TIs as well.

jps wrote:

Scotty_Guitar wrote:OK... Not to drill it too much... But The Pyramids are about mid-way between TIs and Chromes, tension wise...

Which set of Chromes are you referencing to? I use the Super Soft set and replace the .060 D string with a .055 and get a very nice low tension set that way.

I don't think the .055 gauge Chromes string is available right now. The only single Chromes available now are .032 and .132.

FretlessOnly wrote:There is a 0.40 -0.100 set (9050SL) as well as several others. But for a 4-banger, the 9050SL is the only set with a 0.040 G string. I wouldn't worry at all about the 0.100 E vs 0.095. Unless your '73 has a neck problem. The 0.100 is fairly light in terms of feel (I've got a few basses with various incarnations of Fender 9050s on them).

No neck problems on any of my Ricks. I want them to stay that way! That's why I'm picking a set of flats for the '73 very carefully. Other than a couple of sets of Chromes, I'm just getting reacquainted with flatwounds after using only roundwounds for many years.

rickenbrother wrote:

jps wrote:

Scotty_Guitar wrote:OK... Not to drill it too much... But The Pyramids are about mid-way between TIs and Chromes, tension wise...

Which set of Chromes are you referencing to? I use the Super Soft set and replace the .060 D string with a .055 and get a very nice low tension set that way.

I don't think the .055 gauge Chromes string is available right now. The only single Chromes available now are .032 and .132.

Yeah, that is why I am preferring TI JFs now.