Flats for super long 5 string?

[Thurisarz]

I recently bought a five string which is stringed thru the body, and now i'm looking into stringing it up with flats or tapes.

The previous owner put D'addario nickel super longs on it which fits the bass perfect, so i'm afraid of using regular longs.

The sets for fivers i have seen are,
Rotosound (flats and tapes)
TI
D'addario (flats and tapes)
Pyramid (flats and tapes)

I like lighter strings so the Pyramids look interesting but can i use any of these sets stringed thru the body? Are any of the sets "super longs"?

Thanks in advanced!

[joesgarage]

Thomastik-Infeld makes a 5 string extra long set of flats that should fit, JF365 is the model #. They're kind pricey though.

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Is your bass a 35" w/ Through Body?

If so, you can look into:

GHS Precision Flats = Available with 38" Winding Length from Silk to Silk with their Long+ version.
D'Addario Super Long 5 String Flats

Rotosound 5 string Flats are just Long Scale - 32-34" scale is printed on the string sleeves...

The T-I 5 String Super Longs are available as well...

[Thurisarz]

My bass is 34" w/through body stringing. Thanks for the tips! Are these flats keen to breakage when stringed thru body? I know La bella don't recommend stringing thru body.

[SLaPiNFuNK]

The ones listed above do not mention anything about stringing through body.

Any string "could" break if it is used in a string through body setup depending on the string through body angle etc...

LaBella's statement on the string through body is not exactly that it does not work on string through body instruments, it is more that they do not work on "most" string through body instruments.

If the angle is not as sharp where the string through body meets the bridge / saddle than the strings will work on a string through body.

Keep in mind flats in general are not as flexible of a string as most rounds, so getting around sharp corners it more difficult.


So with this in mind... For your particular case with the 34" Through Body instrument, it is possible that some long scale strings will work. This all depends on how much extra distance your instrument requires for its string through design. You will need to do some measuring.

For D'Addario strings measure from the Ball End to the Nut:

D'Addario Short fits instruments where Ball End to Nut is up to 32"
D'Addario Medium fits instruments where Ball End to Nut is 32" - 34"
D'Addario Long fits instruments where Ball End to Nut is 34" - 36"
D'Addario Super Long fits instruments where Ball End to Nut is 36" - 38"