TI flats aren't working for me. Am I crazy?

[millsbass5]

Nnnnope!!! Get some steels and enjoy the grind of a fresh set of wounds.

[petrus61]

Originally Posted by 9mmMike

I love my TI's. I have tried others and only the TI's feel and sound right for me and my P basses. Not for everyone but certainly for me. I have dozens of sets and have not had this "bad E" that has been mentioned.

This ^
I've been through several sets with no bummers. What TI's do NOT like, is changing from bass to bass (I know, most strings don't like this). They will maintain integrity forever and are meant to stay put. I love them and they completely spoiled me. As I said earlier, the closest to me are the GHS Precision Flats but still, they are nothing like TI. In fact, there is nothing like TI, IMO. When I say I was "spoiled", it means that they became my go to, dominating over just about every round or flat I have tried. 'Round' and 'Flat' was kind of removed from the equation when I found TI's. Now, there are TI's and there is everything else.

[Mojo-Man]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

The TI lovers can make you think you're crazy for not liking them, but I absolutely hated them, and no amount of them trying to talk me into liking them could change my mind.

That's the thing about these strings.
You either love them, or hate them.
I love them on any fretless bass.

[soulman969]

I don't know why anyone should be considered crazy for not bonding with the tonality or feel of any string TI's included. I play GHS Pressure Wounds and at least 8 out of 10 guys who try them love them but there's always one who says they not for him and another who absolutely hates them.

If we all liked the same sound we'd all play PBasses with Flats and put a whole lot of companies out of business including Jason's and we don't want do that do we? LOL Bass strings are like Baskin-Robbins only there's more than 32 different ones and of course they don't melt on hot summer day or need to be kept in a freezer.

Life's all about choices and even TI's aren't for everyone. For me no matter how nice they may be I'm not spending $70 on a set of strings when I can be just as happy for a lot less with GHS or LaBella flats.

[Mastermold]

Originally Posted by 9mmMike

I love my TI's. I have tried others and only the TI's feel and sound right for me and my P basses. Not for everyone but certainly for me. I have dozens of sets and have not had this "bad E" that has been mentioned.

TIs seem particularly well voiced for P-basses. They're my favorite string on a P-bass.

[bob atherton]

I have mostly had mixed feelings about TI flats though have had a set on a P bass for years. It gives it a very jazzy, wooden mellow tone.

I have a MM Sterling that I loved the way it played. Incredible neck and such play-ability but I drove me nuts that it sounded so aggressive, and I couldn't get the mid punch that I was looking for. Then I tried some TI flats on it....

It has now become my first call bass. I own four basses and this is the one that I would keep if pushed. The TIs have taken off some of the aggression from the Sterling and made it a very versatile bass indeed.

It works very well in the mix of the band and have had very positive feedback from the band member and audience alike.

PS. At a slight tangent if I may... Has anyone tried the 5 strings sets of TI flats? I am strictly a 4 string player but might be tempted by a Sterling 5 with TI flats. Thanks, Bob

[kingmacaw]

please give me suggestions for those of you who love TI Flats for any low tension roundwounds. i love the feel and sound of my .100 TI flats on my fretless warwick 4. by the way i tried DR low & high beams on two of my fretted basses & do not remember the elastic qualities but removed both from my other basses within 5 days, never liking their piano sound, i prefer more of a bass/double bass sound. TI's definitely have the most upright bass sound i've ever tried. i mainly play old 50's-70's rock & r n' b music. i like to slide & also to hit my strings hard when i play.

(by the way, my opinion of best overall sounding flats - roto 77 monels - but way too much tension. they do have excellent highs & cut through the mix.)

[Gab124]

Originally Posted by bob atherton

I have mostly had mixed feelings about TI flats though have had a set on a P bass for years. It gives it a very jazzy, wooden mellow tone.

I have a MM Sterling that I loved the way it played. Incredible neck and such play-ability but I drove me nuts that it sounded so aggressive, and I couldn't get the mid punch that I was looking for. Then I tried some TI flats on it....

It has now become my first call bass. I own four basses and this is the one that I would keep if pushed. The TIs have taken off some of the aggression from the Sterling and made it a very versatile bass indeed.

It works very well in the mix of the band and have had very positive feedback from the band member and audience alike.

PS. At a slight tangent if I may... Has anyone tried the 5 strings sets of TI flats? I am strictly a 4 string player but might be tempted by a Sterling 5 with TI flats. Thanks, Bob

I did not care for the 5 string set - but I really think it was the bass they were on, a Lakland 55-02. I think that bass was too laid back to begin with and the JF's just took it too far. I now have a 4 string set on my 44-01. That bass has the ChiSonic single coils and can be very aggressive and powerful, the JF's on that one are just perfect in my mind. I have a drop tuner on it and have no problems at all. Great strings for me.

[jeffbonny]

Originally Posted by petrus61

What TI's do NOT like, is changing from bass to bass (I know, most strings don't like this).

Being a long time TI flat user I know exactly what you're talking about but it's been my experience that a used set will settle in on a new bass (or to being re-installed on the same bass) after two or three days. Freshly installed though they can sound horrendously uneven. I've got a set a friend gave me several years ago that has been on and off my p bass more than half a dozen times as I've gone back to rounds for whatever reason. As much as I experiment with other strings I find myself consistently coming back to TIs on my main basses.

[ljazz]

Originally Posted by Mastermold

TIs seem particularly well voiced for P-basses. They're my favorite string on a P-bass.

I think the TI's sound best on basses that have a firmly focused low mid tone. Wider sounding axes fail to bring out the singing mids of the TI's like a good p bass does.

[Srirachaglo]

I'm so thankful for this thread, because I thought I was crazy for NOT being blown away by TIs on my P bass or Ric. I think they are 1/2 of a great set: the G and the D strings (they are amazing). But no matter how I set up my basses, the E and A just felt and sounded off: weaker output than the other 2, less articulation and thump, and buzzier from the low tension no matter what I did. If the A was at least .75 and the E was more than .100+, I think we would have a truly perfect set of strings on our hands.

Looking forward to giving these 760FLs a try!

[Mastermold]

Originally Posted by Srirachaglo

I'm so thankful for this thread, because I thought I was crazy for NOT being blown away by TIs on my P bass or Ric. I think they are 1/2 of a great set: the G and the D strings (they are amazing). But no matter how I set up my basses, the E and A just felt and sounded off: weaker output than the other 2, less articulation and thump, and buzzier from the low tension no matter what I did. If the A was at least .75 and the E was more than .100+, I think we would have a truly perfect set of strings on our hands.

Looking forward to giving these 760FLs a try!

La Bella 760FLs are great but make sure you keep them on for at least 2 or 3 months of solid daily playing before you make up your mind, they take that long to season and some players never give them the chance to properly break in and give up too soon.

[OzzyGreg]

.
Whether or not flats work for anyone is of course totally subjective.
Horses for courses, whatever floats your boat etc.

Personally, I don't like them on my Precision (got Rotosound 99LDG round "Piano" strings on that one), but I do like them on my fretless and a couple of other basses.

D'Addario Chromes are probably my favourite flats. Medium tension, with almost the brightness of rounds, but no finger noise. Perfect for me.
I've got 'em on my Marcus Miller Jazz. They will be staying put for the forseeable future.

[kingmacaw]

well found my perfect roundwounds-TI jr344's. strangely they are a very light .89 4 string guage but using my g-k or polytone 15" setups the lows are plentiful using my pre-gibson tobias growler. because of the light guage i find that i must use a lighter touch than used before w/ my normal .100 setups. they have that wonderful TI sound. obviously, i am a TI lover & nothing else can really replace them for me. these jazz rounds should cut thru the mix with the bass sound i like best - as opposed to the piano sounding strings that many other players enjoy. to each his own but "i've found my nirvana."

[guvnor99]

Which TI strings would be better suited for a fretted PJ bass? The ones called Jazz Bass, the ones called Powerbass, or the Infeld Superalloy?

[dj5]

In my experience wiping off the oil they come coated with with alcohol stops the "sticky feeling" they have when you first try them.
It takes a good while to adapt to the low tension too, they dont feel like rubber bands after a couple of weeks - you have to be subtle with them to get the best tone IMO - and the B string is excellent. AND NO FINGER NOISE!
But, if you don't like them, you don't like them.
As someone said, don't take them on and off - they don't like it. And they're cheap by comparision with the competition- as far as I can see, they never go dead or wear out, so they are cheaper the longer you leave them on!

[Not yet]

Originally Posted by kingmacaw

well found my perfect roundwounds-TI jr344's. strangely they are a very light .89 4 string guage but using my g-k or polytone 15" setups the lows are plentiful using my pre-gibson tobias growler. because of the light guage i find that i must use a lighter touch than used before w/ my normal .100 setups. they have that wonderful TI sound. obviously, i am a TI lover & nothing else can really replace them for me. these jazz rounds should cut thru the mix with the bass sound i like best - as opposed to the piano sounding strings that many other players enjoy. to each his own but "i've found my nirvana."

What he said..... Took them on and off P bass 5x before left them on for a month of gigging. Do take some time to get right

Personally love the low tension for my style and tone.... Never lookin back

[dcarwin]

Didn't read full thread, so may have already been posted:

If you like the sound of TIs but not the gauge, I suggest pyramid golds. Still nickel, just a bit thicker.

[Giorgetto]

Compared to the TI's, I liked the light gauge La Bella 760FL's much more. I couldn't get used to the gauge and really low tension on the TI's. However, most of the time I use the standard gauge760FS's.

[Pimpernel Smith]

kingmacaw:
I recently put the T-I Jazz Round wounds JR324 on my Hofner bass. After 40 years of playing with Pyramid and T-I flats. The sound is exciting, so alive and deep. They are a great surprise and now a favorite set of strings.