Two old sets of flats

[two fingers]

So all this talk of flats has me wanting to give it a try. Having worked at a couple of dealerships (guitar shops) I have a couple of old sets laying around. There's not much call for flats around here so these just sat on the shelf for years. Finally, the boss told me to take them home. He was tired of counting them in inventory. So...what I have

1) Ernie Ball Custom Guage Group IV - part #2808- 40,60,70, & 95 guage strings (package doesn't say what they are made of)


2) GHS Stainless Steel Precision Flatwound - Standard Long Scale- Light Guage - Part #3025 - 45, 60, 75, &95 guage strings

Both are probably from the 80's and have been in the pack since then. Are either of these any good? I'm thinking that they may both be terrible and turn me off to flats forever. I'm looking at putting them on a standard passive J. I play just a little heavy-handed so too little tension may be a problem. As far as tone goes, I play fill-in gigs. I will just take the right bass for the gig, so if this bass were to be "too dull" sounding for some stuff, I would just grab another bass for that gig. But if the payoff is a great tone for old school (motown etc.) then it's worth it to me. Any help would be great. If you guys think that these are no good (which may be why they never sold) then I will scrap them and try something else. Thanks!

[JTE]

As long as the metal hasn't rusted or otherwise corroded, they should both be great sets. The GHS Precision Flats are essentially the same as my favorite flats- the Lakland Joe Osborn sets. I love those strings because they have all the fundemental thump that I expect from a flat while still having a definite note in them- I HATE electric bass that sounds like a kick drum or a dog turd hittng a hot sidewalk..

The E/B if they're that old, are D'Addario strings (EB was D'Addario's west-coast warehouse, their packaging materials were identical, they both had the same somewhat unusual gauges in the standard sets, both started advertising the advantages of a hex core at the same time, and both introduce their phosphor-bronze acoustic guitar strings at the same time...). They should be very good strings too. They weren't called "Chromes" then, but D'Addario makes very very good strings. Freebo (Bonnie Raitt's original bassist back before Don Was and her popularity) recommended EB Flats around 1977.

jte

[two fingers]

Wow... That was FAST! Great info! Thanks! So now I just need to decide which ones to try first. So if I'm getting what you said, the EB strings are in fact the same a D'Addario Chromes?

[57pbass]

I have a set of Roto Sound Jazz Bass Flats on my P Bass since 1980 nd they are still rockin... they tune w/o problem and sound great

[jasper383]

Corrosion and rust might actually improve them.

[JTE]

Originally Posted by two fingers

So if I'm getting what you said, the EB strings are in fact the same a D'Addario Chromes?

Well, I don't know. It's quite possible that D'Addario changed the way they make their flats since those strings were built. I know they didn't call them Chromes back in those days, and I do know that Ernie Ball strings were all D'Addario strings with no special constrution or design at the time. Actually, I think they still are, but I've had people tell me that they swear EB is making their own strings these days...

jte

[two fingers]

Again...Thanks so much for the help. I was gonna toss both sets. Now I just have to figure out which ones to try. Eeney meeney miney MOE!

[JTE]

Well, I'd suggest that rather than "eeney, meeney, miney MOE!", you just get yerself a Precision bass of some sort. Put a set on there, and a set on the Jazz or the Carvin...

I mean, ya got the strings, you should have another bass! BTW, that's what Carol Kaye says she did in the days of her busiest studio work. When the Fender 850s wore out, she just bought another brand new Precision.

jte