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Are Thomastik strings easier on the hands
- Thread starter Swipter
- Start date
Never played LaBellas, but I use TI flats on a Rick 4003 (a little shorter scales than the usual 34"), and for me they are very easy on the hand, but very very flexible. I would say they are not for everybody. I like it. Fells like a could spend hours playing them
songwriter21
I have an obsession for wood. The musical kind.
$86 for uncoated rounds (Non-Elixir, anyway). Holy cow.
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I use both the TI Flats and Rounds - with the rounds being ever lower tension as mentioned. I like the tone of both but use the rounds more.
Contra-intuitive, but on the fingers flats can be tricky if you are sliding down the string while fretting or plucking, they can be more sticky than rounds and can leave the fingers sore.
Alternative low tension/lighter gauge rounds that I also enjoy: Dunlop Super Brights or DR Pure Blues
Contra-intuitive, but on the fingers flats can be tricky if you are sliding down the string while fretting or plucking, they can be more sticky than rounds and can leave the fingers sore.
Alternative low tension/lighter gauge rounds that I also enjoy: Dunlop Super Brights or DR Pure Blues
If you like the tone of La Bella’s I’d recommend sticking to the brand. Try their Low Tension Flats.
TBH, I didn't really care for them but they were never played enough to get broken in. They have been on the bass for four years but played maybe eight times. They stay in tune really well but every time I would play, before my issue, I thought how much more tension they had than my D'addario EXL170 strings on my jazz. I didn't really enjoy them.
Another part of the problem is I dig in when I play Rush bass parts. I could not dig in with those strings. I probably need to work on lightening my overall fingering technique for all genres.
The JF344 set is much less tension!
Your arthritic hands will thank you.
And Labella low tension flexible flats are in the same league as the Thomastiks. Slightly more tension but not much. I use the Labella LTFF set as I also have arthritis.
I've had a set of TI Jazz Flats on my P Bass for about 8 years, easy on my 65 year old hands
Well...
First; are we confusing pounds of pull-to-pitch Tension with "feels hard to play" Stiffness? Because they are not the same thing...
I have the TI Jazz Flats on my Alembic Epic, and the TI Jazz Rounds on my Gretsch Broadkaster. To be honest? I personally don't know what the actual pull-to-pitch tension of the TIJR's is; I do know what it is for the TIJF's. As far as Stiffness is concerned? I find the Rounds to be noticeably stiffer than the Flats. They certainly aren't bridge cables, but... I don't have to change my technique to play the Rounds with a pick. I definitely have to, with the Flats; which is why they're on the only bass I finger pick all the time...
As for putting TIJF's on a P-Bass? Well... lots of people do - and lots of people like them on that bass. Personally, I would not; mainly because, for what I play with my P-Bass? I don't want the harmonic overtones that TI's are famous for, on that bass. I have a whole bunch of basses, so a lot of them are sort of One Trick Ponies. My '78 P-Bass is one of them. I want it to sound like it did when it came from the factory - with light gauge Squier Flats under the mute in the bridge cover. So, it has flats that are very close analogues to those flats - under it's mute in it's bridge cover... And, for me? They work much better for me when I play with a pick...
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I use the TI Jazz Flats on several of my basses. Very comfortable. Much more articulate than I had experienced with flats before. They haven’t worked with everything, but my P, J, and PJ basses love them. Other low tension options are now out there as well. One thing that I love about the TI Jazz Flats is the balance from string to string…very even in my experience.
Kim
Kim
I love the TI Jazz Rounds. I have a very light touch and both the feel and tone are great for me. In fact I am looking to buy a set or two if anyone has some lightly used ones.
I tried the TI Jazz Flats and while they were very good, I prefer the rounds for most applications.
I tried the TI Jazz Flats and while they were very good, I prefer the rounds for most applications.
The TIJFs are quite a bit more flexible that the EXL170s and even more flexible than the 760FLs. Not only are they lower tension (by a good margin), they're also round core, which typically makes strings more flexible than hex cores (which those other strings have). You'll probably need a little higher action unless you work on playing more lightly, but I think you'll find they address your need. Tonally, give them some time to break in (ideally, a few months) before rendering final judgment.
