Fender Jazz Deluxe

[sixtiesman]

A big hello to all you real bass players!

I am a guitar player really but I am playing bass at the moment.

In 2009 I was fortunate enough to follow advice from friends and acquire a Fender Jazz Deluxe American active, sunburst.....gorgeous! It has a smaller body and is more friendly to guitar players. So instead of playing Shadows tunes on my lovely fiesta red strat, I am playing bass in a sixties tribute band. I replaced the white scratchplate with a tortoise shell one to be more authentic with the sixties. I have to say it is a joy to play. I get to play through a seventies? 400w Fender valve amp and a matching Fender
4 X 12 huge cab. The speakers point inwards......!!

I am now worried about strings. I know nothing about the longevity of bass strings and I have no spares!
I do not know what strings were fitted to this when I bought it ( new ). Does anyone know what strings they are? I would like a set as spare. What do you do on a gig if one snaps? Does it sound really bad if you just replace the one string? How long do they usually last? Any other tips on maintenance?

Any other tips on anything!

Thanks in advance to all you bass experts!

sixtiesman

[Jay Bass]

Hi clive
If this bass was purchased from new Then i would presume it Would have Had Fender Round wound Strings fitted.
These come in various gauges The same as 6 string guitars etc.
Bass strings dont normaly snap or break, i have known them to unwind the outer winding, but not very often.
they usualy start to sound dull and not very responsive or if your hands sweat a lot they start to look rusty.

you dont realy have to change them on a regular basis like standard 6 string guitars etc.
depending on how often you play, probably on a yearly basis?
More often if you are recording etc .
If you are playing Shadows or 60's covers most bass players find Flatwound strings give a more authentic sound
as these were the only string widely available in the early days.
the round wound strings which are usualy supplied on the Bass from new give a more modern sound
more ringing than the thud of the flatwounds.

as for makes like anything else its down to whatever works for you.
i have tried most of the Named brand flatwounds.
Rotosound, Ernie Ball, D'addario, La Bella, Thomastik, Fender etc

the ones i found worked the best for me on my Fender Precision Are
The Thomastiks J34 48/100 and the Fender 9050l 45/100 Both flatwound
The D addario Chromes work best on my Burns bass.
The Fenders Are Half The price of the Thomastiks but work just as well.
a lot of Bass players use the La Bella James Jamerson Flatwounds and get a great sound
i found these too heavy a gauge for me as i play mostly finger style rather than using a plectrum.
I am currently Using The Fender 9050 45/100 Great sound and great value for money.

i have a fender catalouge dated 2003 which states all American p & J basses With string through body
are supplied with
Fender Super bass 8250 m 45 /65/ 85/ 105tw nickelplated steel roundcore/taperwound Strings

as for carrying spares ,if its just for general gigging when you change your strings just keep the old set as spares
that will get you out of trouble.
I usualy Carry a spare Set Of new Strings just to Give me peace of mind,but i have never broken a string in a live situation.

I have attached a copy of Fenders Bass Set up Guide.

hope some of this helps
Regards
Jay

bass set up guide.doc

(35 KiB) Downloaded 693 times

[Paulps]

Hi Clive
Like Jay I have Fender 9050 45/100 Flatwound strings, and find them superb.
If you do change strings, don't forget to check the intonation, as, if the new ones are a different gauge, it may need adjusting. I know when I changed my strings from roundwound to flatwound it was miles out.

Keep on Plonking!

Paulps

[cockroach]

Unless you want the 'modern' twangy bass sound (eeerrrk!), go with flatwound strings- it makes it actually sound like a bass, not a guitar, and the flatwounds are far easier on the fingers, and the frets too...

[sixtiesman]

Thanks to Jay, Paul and John!

Very interesting! Good to know that bass strings don't usually snap!

The bass was new, I think a 2008 but I got it in 2009.

So, probably fitted with roundwound, probably a fender string. I wonder if anyone knows the exact gauge?

I would order the exact same string as it is the only string I've played. After learning the "once a year change", I would probably change them now. After learning the "keep the old ones as spares", I would probably never worry ever again.

The flatwounds sound very interesting although I would at the moment like to stick to what I know for the gigs.
I have another bass, a cheap, but excellent Squier precision with additional jazz pickup. Maybe I could try the flatwound on this one.

Thanks again guys.....

If you're ever up north the kettle is always on!

sixtiesman

[Martyn]

If you are playing Shadows or 60's covers most bass players find Flatwound strings give a more authentic sound
as these were the only string widely available in the early days.
The D addario Chromes work best on my Burns bass.

I recently bought a mint used Burns Marvin Bass and this is fitted with flatwounds, which I really love. So smooth in tone but also much less hard and painful on the aged pinkies and my fingers just slide smoothly over them.
Don't know if you can identify strings by their colours etc but these have blue fibre coatings at the headstock? Would like to buy similar as and when they need changing.
Incidentally, my avatar also shows how ginormous this guitar is - people have commented that it's wearing me, rather than the other way around .
And heavy? When it's in its sturdy Burns case it really is a hernia job lifting it out of the car

However, it does sound absolutely stunning and that makes it all very worthwhile.

Cheers,
Martyn

[Jay Bass]

[/quote]

Don't know if you can identify strings by their colours etc but these have blue fibre coatings at the headstock? Would like to buy similar as and when they need changing.
Cheers,
Martyn[/quote]

Hi
Martyn
The Burns Rostill (Marvin) Bass Were originaly fitted with D'addario chrome flatwounds ECB82
Medium gauge 050.070.085.105. long scale.
these indeed have the blue binding at the top going to the machine heads.
to make sure if you look at the back of the bass were the strings go through the bridge
the bridge end of the strings are all different colours Green, black, Red ,gold.
These are D.addario Chromes XL flatwounds, ECB82
as you say excellent on the Burns bass, i have tried others on the burns but prefer the ECB82's

Regards
Jay

[Martyn]

Hi Jay,
Yup - those are the colours so now I know which make to buy should I need them.
Many thanks for the information.
Cheers,
Martyn