Flats on a fretted Jazz bass.

[paul_5]

Jaco only needed Rounds...

[Misdee]

You've also got to bear in mind, modern amps and cabs can make any bass with flats sound different to the olden days when valves and boomy cabs were the only option. There's an awful lot of  hi-fi bass rigs about nowadays that can give a much more precise and detailed version of the flatwounds sound. That clarity, power and punch can negate some of the reasons why bassists ditched those strings in favour of roundwounds.

[Beedster]

15 minutes ago, Misdee said:

You've also got to bear in mind, modern amps and cabs can make any bass with flats sound different to the olden days when valves and boomy cabs were the only option. There's an awful lot of  hi-fi bass rigs about nowadays that can give a much more precise and detailed version of the flatwounds sound. That clarity, power and punch can negate some of the reasons why bassists ditched those strings in favour of roundwounds.

This ^

[ossyrocks]

I'm off out being the house bass player at a funk jam tonight. I had toyed with the idea of taking a P bass with recently installed rounds (which I don't normally use), but have settled on a Jazz with LaBella flats, just because I don't get to play the jazz live so much, and it just sounds great with these strings on it. I agree with @Misdee too, amps have much more influence/affect over tone than they used to. Tonight I will be using a GK Legacy 800 into a Barefaced cab, and I'm very much looking forward to it. 

[AlexDelores]

I put a £20 set of flats on my MIM Jazz on Tuesday night and so far, they’re actually pretty good. 
 

I’m pleased to say that the bridge pickup didn’t instantly stop working the minute they were fitted too, and when I picked it up on Wednesday, it hadn’t turned into a P Bass 🙏