Sadowsky Flats?

TehRoflCopter · #1 02-08-2007, 04:27 PM

My dad just informed me that he grabbed the Stupid Deal OLP Stingray 5er the other day and it should be coming in soon. He got it for laying down bass on recordings (he's a guitar player). We got to talking about what sound he was looking for, knowing that he likes big thick passive tone, and I asked him why he bought an aggressive, treble-y sounding bass when he wants P bass tone. His response, "I don't know."

So I suggested that we maybe get some flats to throw on it and warm it up a bit. But it's a 5 string, and since it's 34 scale and a cheap bass the B probably wont be too tight, which led me to think about Sadowsky strings, which have the tapered B I love so much. I just checked, and their flats are indeed tapered, so I guess my questions are 3-fold:

1.) Will flats thicken up the OLP a bit?
2.) Will Sadowsky flats do the job well?
3.) If no to 2, are there any other tapered flats on the market?

Thanks!

ibz · #2 02-09-2007, 02:23 PM

1.) Yes, on my 4 string OLP MM it certainly did.
2.) Sadowsky flats are among my favorite flats I've tried. Very balanced, great B. Although they're a bit on the higher tension so some setup work might be in check to get the best out of them.
3.) I see no reason to look else where for what you mentioned. They're good strings!

PSPookie · #3 03-10-2007, 07:32 PM

Bump.

I'd like to hear more about these Sadowsky flats. I'm going to change out the strings on my Ibanez SR905 soon and I'm considering either the Sadowsky flats (the guy at the Atlanta Bass Gallery recommended these) or D'Addario chromes.

Any opinions?

I am currently using a set of Ernie Ball flats. They are my first flats and I dig the flatwound sound, but I have a feeling there are better strings out there.

king_biscuit · #4 03-10-2007, 10:06 PM

As far as I can tell, the Sadowsky flats are just La Bella Deep Talkin' flats. btw, I think EB flats are really fine strings.

pickles · #5 03-11-2007, 09:16 AM

I've got a sadowsky set and a labella 760FL set ... and they seem slightly different to me. The labellas have a little more low mid thickness and the sadowskys have a bit more upper mids and brightness.

A subtle difference, but enough to make me think they are not the same string.

I could be wrong ... and both are great.

JansenW · #6 03-11-2007, 09:24 AM

I use the Sadowsky SBF45B standard flats on my NYC SAD VPJ5 and am very happy with their sound and playability.

Tim F · #7 03-11-2007, 09:48 AM

I believe KingBiscuit's right---Labella makes the strings for Sadowsky. I ran 'em on my P-Bass for a while, but never developed a "relationship"---gonna try TI's next, as I think the lower tension might be more to my liking. I know folks who swear the Sadowky's are IT---to each his own! Had GHS Flats on my short scale stuff for years---seemed OK....also like D'Addario's stuff in general. I come from the time when ya bought strings, ya got flats...'cause that's all there were! Tons of choices now...consider yourself blessed...hard to buy "bad" strings now! Sooner or later, ya find something that makes ya feel "at home". If ya flog the DB too....hooboy, the whole string thing starts gettin' REAL subjective!

Smallmouth_Bass · #8 03-11-2007, 10:10 AM

Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats get very good reviews around here. Their tension is supposed to be lower than most flats out there and they are quite expensive. I just ordered a set.

D'Addario Chromes are pretty good too.

CamMcIntyre · #9 03-12-2007, 07:19 PM

I've got Sadowsky Flats on a Jazz Bass 5 i just picked up. So far-i'm liking them. They still sound "new" to me though. Granted-the bass for comparison has strings on there that are around 6 years old.

take it easy.

JimmyM · #10 03-12-2007, 10:51 PM

There are like 6 factories that make strings for everyone, and the differences are in the alloys. Different companies like Sadowsky specify their own alloys. Never tried them, but I'm not big on taperwounds, so I probably won't.

pickles · #11 03-13-2007, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamMcIntyre

I've got Sadowsky Flats on a Jazz Bass 5 i just picked up. So far-i'm liking them. They still sound "new" to me though. Granted-the bass for comparison has strings on there that are around 6 years old.

take it easy.

I've had mine for about a year and they still sound pretty bright. The 760FL set has more thud.

Bobby King · #12 04-03-2007, 10:19 PM

I love the Sadowsky Flats and I think that they are different than Labellas. The Sadowskys have a brighter sound and different feel. I've tried the LaBella set that comes in .105-.045 and I think the Sadowskys are much better.

Scutterflux · #13 04-08-2007, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Bobby King

Quote:

I love the Sadowsky Flats and I think that they are different than Labellas. The Sadowskys have a brighter sound and different feel. I've tried the LaBella set that comes in .105-.045 and I think the Sadowskys are much better

Do they have less tension?

Bobby King · #14 04-08-2007, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scutterflux

Do they have less tension?

I wouldn't say less tension, about the same, but there's a little more brightness and snap to the feel. They're similar though.