Balanced tension flatwounds?

[lowsideonacurve]

Originally Posted by FretlessMainly

The TI Jazz Flat 346 set has a 0.136 low B and guess what? It's floppy like the rest of them.

I've had the same set of TI Flats on three different basses, they felt floppy on two of the basses and stayed on the one that felt best. In fact they don't feel floppy at all now.

My point is, they'll feel different from bass to bass. While swapping the strings around, I found the same true with the other two brands of strings.

[chuck norriss]

Labellas are great. Balance is their m.o. Worth checking out.

[markanini]

According to STC 040-055-075-100 Chromes should make a pretty balanced set:

len 34"

G,,  37.75# dabc == 0.0401"
D,,  37.75# dabc == 0.0556"
A,,, 37.75# dabc == 0.0759"
E,,, 37.75# dabc == 0.0989"

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Shame they aren't available as singles (yet ;-))

[iiipopes]

Folks, at least for four strings, there is a balanced set out there: the Fender 9050CL flats in 45-60-80-105. That's what I use. Now, considering similar construction, that would make a B string have to be in the neighborhood of 135 to 140.

As far as 4 strings, you can get D'Addario singles in these gauges, and they're very close to perfectly balanced as well.

Nothing is perfect. Within two pounds per string is excellent, five pounds difference per string is average.

And if you can't get a conventional flat that large, if you can get a single, Rotosound 77 makes a 130 B string, and the tension is higher for the given diameter of string than anything else out there.

[MarkA]

After overthinking everything related to this, I've ordered the following:

For my fretted six, GHS Precision Flats, gauges .128, .100, .075, .055, .040, .028. The B will be a little lighter than the E, and the C will be lightest of all, but it should be pretty well matched I think. Also considered .095 for the E and .070 for the A; that would have matched B, E, and A all very closely, but with a little jump in tension from A to D. Whatever. Will start with these and see how I like them.

For my fretless five, a set of DR Hi-Beams flats (also known as DR Legends flats). Didn't seem to be gauge options for those, so 045 .065 .085 .105 .125.

The GHS are hex core, the DR round core -- I think I'll like the round core feel/harmonics better, but, again, we'll see! Both sets are new to me. The GHS look like they'll come out to roughly the same tension as the TIs, after all, but I'm hoping they'll still feel sufficiently taut and responsive on my six.

Labellas, TIs, and some others were in the mix, but the GHS are the most economical to try, so they get tried first!

Thanks to Jason (Slapinfunk) for his patient responses to my many PMs, and to everyone else for their advice here.

Will report back after I've had some time with the strings.

[laklandplayer]

I've been dealing with a bout of tendinitis and was looking for a really light set of flats.

I've been using circle k balanced round-wounds and have been intrigued by their set gauges so I took a chance and made a 5 string flat set out of d'adarrio chromes to use on my fender am std 5 string.

From just strings I ordered a .32 to use as a g and then ordered the .50-105 set for the d thru b strings. Going into it, I really didn't think a 105 would work for a b string but it does!

The tension and string balance are great, the low b sings, it isn't floppy at all. I set my intonation and the bass sounds wonderful.

I had a 40-100 w/ a 130 B set of cobalts on the bass and when I put this new custom flat set on it, I had to tighten the neck 1/4 turn. Even with these light gauges the flat set had more tension than EB Cobalts.

The dadarrios sound great, with excellent sustain and feel.

Just sharing my experience, happy new year.

[MarkA]

Thanks for sharing! I wouldn't have thought to go that light -- in fact, if I could've found a GHS B heavier than .128, I'd have ordered one. Another interesting option. Have you been playing them long? Hope it continues to work for you!

Originally Posted by laklandplayer

I've been dealing with a bout of tendinitis and was looking for a really light set of flats.

I've been using circle k balanced round-wounds and have been intrigued by their set gauges so I took a chance and made a 5 string flat set out of d'adarrio chromes to use on my fender am std 5 string.

From just strings I ordered a .32 to use as a g and then ordered the .50-105 set for the d thru b strings. Going into it, I really didn't think a 105 would work for a b string but it does!

The tension and string balance are great, the low b sings, it isn't floppy at all. I set my intonation and the bass sounds wonderful.

I had a 40-100 w/ a 130 B set of cobalts on the bass and when I put this new custom flat set on it, I had to tighten the neck 1/4 turn. Even with these light gauges the flat set had more tension than EB Cobalts.

The dadarrios sound great, with excellent sustain and feel.

Just sharing my experience, happy new year.

[SLaPiNFuNK]

We must remember there is a difference between tension and flexibility.

[laklandplayer]

Originally Posted by MarkA

Thanks for sharing! I wouldn't have thought to go that light -- in fact, if I could've found a GHS B heavier than .128, I'd have ordered one. Another interesting option. Have you been playing them long? Hope it continues to work for you!

I've used it a couple of times in a large venue and plays and sounds great. I can even dig in hard and they hang in there with no problem. They really sing with a pick too.

I could tune the whole thing up a 4th and have an e to high c if I wanted. But this is working out really good, I'm sold.