My E string sounds like a flatwound

[agent77]

A few weeks ago I put some new D'Addario XL strings on my Squier MusicMaster. Well yesterday I tuned her up and started playing, and my E string sounds like a flatwound. It has a nice thump, but doesn't "sizzle" like the other three. Going from the E to the A is really annoying. Did I just get a bunk E string? Has this ever happened to anyone else?

[zazz]

That problem is a characteristic of short scale...The low e is on the edge of what can be achieved.....and is the first to fall when the strings lose that zing.

[Will Kelly]

Maybe your string has died, or it might have a twist in it. You can try taking it off and putting it back on.

I just had the same thing happen with a set of GHS super steels... the E sounds like I am playing an upright bass. Hilarious.

[JimmyM]

The twist thing is possible, but short and medium scale basses can often make an E string sound thumpy like dead flats because of the lack of tension. It's less pronounced with other strings because they are thin enough to retain most of their ring, but you'll lose some sustain on all of them, getting progressively less sustainy as the strings get thicker. The way the bass is built also affects it, and with a bolt-on short or medium scale solidbody, you'll get that on their E's.