TI Jazz Flats ... they really are good.

[joninjapan]

my personal opinion...

I have been playing TI JazzFlats on my Tacoma CB-105 since I got it.

I have been wanting to put them on my p-bass, but being in Japan, meant I had to order them from the US... well not anymore!!

I was in my local shop looking for some flats for my p-bass, I was wanting some Fender 9050L's... they only had ML's. Then I looked to the bottom of the rack WOW!! Jazz Flats!!! I ask the clerk when they got them in, he said a couple weeks back...

Yes these strings are expensive(over 50$US here), but in the case of my Tacoma, I have only had one set... they last for years!! so in the long run they should save money.

On the p-bass they are wonderful, I really like the "softness" of the string... and the tone is great.

[fearceol]

Welcome to the club !

You'll find lots of good reviews about them here on TB.

[62bass]

I agree. I'm a big Thomastic fan. The best flatwound string I've ever used and I started out when flats were the only strings available and a Fender P was the best bass you could buy.

I've got a set on my old P that's over 7 years old now and they still sound good and like they did once they had been played in after a couple weeks. They never seem to die. So their higher price is not an issue. I also have them on 4 other basses-the newest set less than a year old and up to about 5 years on the others. They all sound great. I won't buy anything else.

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

IMO, they helped to define the 'Fender bass' sound of the '60's and '70's. Carol Kaye used them on thousands of sessions. Certainly, other players (Jamerson) used different strings, but TI Flats are a significant part of the lexicon. The fact that they are great on a fretless and are so versatile and playable have them on two of my slabs now.

[david fitch]

Carol Kaye did not use T.I. Flats in the 60's & 70's. She used the stock Fender Bass strings. She says she did not have time to change strings back then and would trade in her P-Bass every couple of years,crazy but thats what she says. I asked her about it on her forum before she kicked me off ( I started asking to many Motown questions ) and thats what she said. So those hits back in the 60's & 70's were done with stock Fender Flatwound strings,Dave

[david fitch]

I.M.O. The T.I. Flats sound great but I don't like the tension. They feel to loose for me. I do like and use the D'addario Chromes. B.T.W. Carol Kaye now uses the T.I. Flats and recomends them. Dave

[king_biscuit]

Originally Posted by david fitch

Carol Kaye did not use T.I. Flats in the 60's & 70's. She used the stock Fender Bass strings. She says she did not have time to change strings back then and would trade in her P-Bass every couple of years,crazy but thats what she says. I asked her about it on her forum before she kicked me off ( I started asking to many Motown questions ) and thats what she said. So those hits back in the 60's & 70's were done with stock Fender Flatwound strings,Dave

LMAO -- too busy to change strings! What a nut!

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

Originally Posted by david fitch

Carol Kaye did not use T.I. Flats in the 60's & 70's. She used the stock Fender Bass strings. She says she did not have time to change strings back then and would trade in her P-Bass every couple of years,crazy but thats what she says. I asked her about it on her forum before she kicked me off ( I started asking to many Motown questions ) and thats what she said. So those hits back in the 60's & 70's were done with stock Fender Flatwound strings,Dave

I didn't know that. Jamerson almost never changed his strings, by the way. Two years would have probably still been nice and fresh for him.

[mrpackerguy]

Big TI Flats fan here. I have 'em on all 6 basses.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by david fitch

Carol Kaye did not use T.I. Flats in the 60's & 70's. She used the stock Fender Bass strings. She says she did not have time to change strings back then and would trade in her P-Bass every couple of years,crazy but thats what she says. I asked her about it on her forum before she kicked me off ( I started asking to many Motown questions ) and thats what she said. So those hits back in the 60's & 70's were done with stock Fender Flatwound strings,Dave

That's true from what she told me and what she has posted on her forum.
Later she used Rotosound flats for a while before settling on Thomastic flats which she uses now.

Not many players changed flatwound strings often back then. That new string sound wasn't the sound they were trying to get.

[michele]

I'm a big fan of TI Jazz flats. Put 'em on and forget about string change: IMO they sound even better when age.
Now I'm toying with the idea of trying the TI Jazz Rounds.
Thomastiks are low tension and that's what scare many people but IMO one should take time with it. Give the bass a proper set-up and work slowly on your tecnique with these strings and soon you'll appreciate 'em and find out that they could meow or roar as you desire under your fingertips!!!

[Mojo-Man]

Originally Posted by 62bass

I agree. I'm a big Thomastic fan. The best flatwound string I've ever used and I started out when flats were the only strings available and a Fender P was the best bass you could buy.

I've got a set on my old P that's over 7 years old now and they still sound good and like they did once they had been played in after a couple weeks. They never seem to die. So their higher price is not an issue. I also have them on 4 other basses-the newest set less than a year old and up to about 5 years on the others. They all sound great. I won't buy anything else.

+1
Have a 5 year old set on my P-bass.
They just get better.
Perfect string for a P-bass.

[Johnny StingRay]

Originally Posted by king_biscuit

LMAO -- too busy to change strings! What a nut!

I love Carol and have learned a ton from her, but that story about just trading in basses instead of changing strings does sound weird. You'd think someone could have run out and got a set and put them on for her or whatever.........the time it took to go into a store to trade up basses would probably take longer than slapping on a new set of strings..........weird.
Oh, and how do you feel about her saying that intonation is not important on a bass? I never agreed with her on that. As a matter of fact I just posted a thread about using the Fender directions for setting intonation to set up the intonation on my StingRay.
Johnny

[rickfan63]

How long does it take to change strings?, 10 minutes perhaps?

[david fitch]

Intonation not important on Bass ? I have never heard that one from her, but I believe she would say something like that. I not going to say Carol is a "Nut" but I will say I think she is "Odd". I really don't like the way (I.M.O.) she has tried to take credit for songs she never played on.

[Caca de Kick]

You guys are probably missing her point as working pro....

We know flats don't need to be changed for years.
But I'm sure just buying a new bass every couple years was a tax deduction.

[david fitch]

Maybe...but she says the reason was she did not have time to be bothered with changing strings.. I really don't care. She also says the Electric Bass is just a "plank" with strings on it.

[david fitch]

Oh Ya..My original point...she was using the stock strings that came on her Fender Basses.

[Sean Baumann]

Anybody have sound samples of TI flats on a P bass?

[rickfan63]

Just a plank with strings on it huh? I wonder what Ken Smith, Roger Sadowsky, Leo Fender, or John Hall would say to that? Technically though she's right, but it's oversimplification to a large extent considering the time, craftsmanship, and expense that goes into a high quality bass. Not to mention learning how to play the thing from our side of it IMHO.