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Alternative to TI flats

O

oldcatfish

Jan 8, 2011
1,549
967
#1
Ok flatwound experts,
I am considering a string change for one of my p basses. It has had dAddario nylon table wounds for the last year. I like the tone ok, but hate the floppy feeling. So the bass gets very little play time.
I have chromes on another bass and in general like them a lot, even though they are a touch stiffer than I prefer.

Listening to sound clips I love the TI flat sound....but don't think that I can deal with the floppy feeling, if they are like the tape wounds. Especially not for the price.

Are there any similar sounding flats that aren't so floppy and are lower priced? I realize that the sound won't be exactly the same, but is there anything else remotely close?

Thanks for any suggestions.
 
#6
Thanks for the responses.
Labella are definitely on my short list. I'm also considering GHS Precisions and Sadowski-- though I can't find a sound clip for those.

DR Legends....I haven't heard of those before. Can you describe them a little more compared to Chromes?
 
#10
To my hands, the Legends are incredibly smooth. Much smoother than Chromes. The windings are barely detectable. The E and A felt and sounded broken in right out of the pack, and the D/G followed suit a few days later. I would say that their tension isn't floppy, but certainly less tension than Roto 77s or Chromes.

Sonically, they don't have the high end of Chromes, but have a nice throaty mid presence. I have them on a Precision equipped with Fender '62 pups.
 
#11
Hmm....if the Sadowski's are floppy like TI's they are out.
Now I'm even more curious about the Legends. kedo, your description sounds like it would work very well in a band mix. Has anyone compared them with GHS Precision's?
 
#13
mrb327 said:
I like the Fender flats, and as an added bonus you get a choice of gauges as opposed to TI flats. These have a brighter more aggressive sound to me than do the TIs.
Click to expand...

Bright is what I don't want. I have Chromes on my other p bass and I usually keep the tone rolled all the way off. But, that bass is quite a bit more bright sounding anyway, and the Chromes really kind of bring that out even more. I'm looking for something a bit more mellow. thanks for the suggestion though.
 
#14
Sadowsky are better then TIs in my opinion. I have them on my P and a back up set incase one breaks! They have slightly higher tension then TI....but probably the lowest tension of all the ones left...very smooth even sounding..and feel just great! I have tried them all and they are my favorite flat....light gauge.
 
#15
Dredmahawkus said:
Sadowsky are better then TIs in my opinion. I have them on my P and a back up set incase one breaks! They have slightly higher tension then TI....but probably the lowest tension of all the ones left...very smooth even sounding..and feel just great! I have tried them all and they are my favorite flat....light gauge.
Click to expand...

Which ones do you have?
 
#17
9mmMike said:
The feel was very similar. I did not get to play them in a gig so I cannot compare the sound (in a mix) but they were the first string that I'd have trouble identifying as "not" TI's in a blindfold test.

Other flats that I have/had are:

Chromes
Roto's
Fender
Black Diamonds
Click to expand...
Dont mean to hijack the thread but what did you think of the Black Diamond flats?
 
#19
shawshank72 said:
Dont mean to hijack the thread but what did you think of the Black Diamond flats?
Click to expand...

There were too stiff yet lifeless for me. Keep in mind that I am a big TI fan. I really wanted to like the Black Diamonds but I ended up taking them off and putting TI's on the ('74 P) bass and I fell in love with the bass all over again.
Could be that I did not play them enough to break them in but I had them on for a few months. Never gig'd with them though, just practiced.
I have a set of Sadowsky's to try next.
 

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