James Jamerson never "paid other bass players for their used strings" to my knowledge.

He just kept the same P-Bass hanging in his Motown locker with the same strings on it for the entire period that he held court at Motown. Never changed 'em.

That plus plaing through the little old Ampeg single 15 bass amp, tube powered, "R2D2" as they have now become known, those amps weren't known for their treble response, to put it mildly.

Then there is the Recording Method, which at Motown during that period was done in a rather small space using microphone rather than DI or the likes. A Shure Unidyne (SM-57 as it is now known) or the likes, couldn't be placed very far back from the bass speaker to capture the long waves in that room.

If you don't like the sound of new roundwound strings on your electri bass, by all means try some Flatwound strings, or, if you can find them, some of the plastic wrapped roundwounds, which may not be available these days.

Judicious use of the EQ (tone) controls on your amplification system may help as well, consider cutting the hi-mids and highs somewhat and boosting the lo-mids to lows.

The treble sound comes from the finish on the OUTSIDE of the nickel wraps on the strings. If they become corroded, or pitted as viewed with magnification, then the treble response suffers. One who prefers that "worn string" sound might be able to duplicate same by removing the strings from the bass and soaking them in a bit of salt water for about an hour, then hang 'em up just like that for a few days. After hanging, resoak and BOIL them in plain water to rinse the salt off, which would be detrimental to your frets and fingerboard if left on there, then allow to dry before reinstalling on the bass. A light coating of silicone spray or even as I've seen some bassists use, a light coating of 3-in-1 oil will help to keep those strings from continuing to deteriorate at the surface, which may prove undesirable.

Boiling old bass strings was once a common practice. Not so much for the tone, but to clean the bacteria, dirt, old finger cells and the like from between the winds and allow the string to tune on the fundamental again. This practice would extend the life of the working musician's - rather expensive as compared to gutiar strings bass strings - "back in the day".


--Mac

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