Balanced tension flatwounds?

[lowsideonacurve]

The TI Jazz Flat 346 set has a 0.136 low B and guess what? It's floppy like the rest of them.

I've had the same set of TI Flats on three different basses, they felt floppy on two of the basses and stayed on the one that felt best. In fact they don't feel floppy at all now.

My point is, they'll feel different from bass to bass. While swapping the strings around, I found the same true with the other two brands of strings.

 

[chuck norriss]

Labellas are great. Balance is their m.o. Worth checking out.

 

[markanini]

According to Invalid Link Removed 040-055-075-100 Chromes should make a pretty balanced set:

len 34"

G,,  37.75# dabc == 0.0401"
D,,  37.75# dabc == 0.0556"
A,,, 37.75# dabc == 0.0759"
E,,, 37.75# dabc == 0.0989"

 

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Shame they aren't available as singles (yet ;-))

 

[iiipopes]

Folks, at least for four strings, there is a balanced set out there: the Fender 9050CL flats in 45-60-80-105. That's what I use. Now, considering similar construction, that would make a B string have to be in the neighborhood of 135 to 140.

As far as 4 strings, you can get D'Addario singles in these gauges, and they're very close to perfectly balanced as well.

Nothing is perfect. Within two pounds per string is excellent, five pounds difference per string is average.

And if you can't get a conventional flat that large, if you can get a single, Rotosound 77 makes a 130 B string, and the tension is higher for the given diameter of string than anything else out there.

 

[MarkA]

After overthinking everything related to this, I've ordered the following:

For my fretted six, GHS Precision Flats, gauges .128, .100, .075, .055, .040, .028. The B will be a little lighter than the E, and the C will be lightest of all, but it should be pretty well matched I think. Also considered .095 for the E and .070 for the A; that would have matched B, E, and A all very closely, but with a little jump in tension from A to D. Whatever. Will start with these and see how I like them.

For my fretless five, a set of DR Hi-Beams flats (also known as DR Legends flats). Didn't seem to be gauge options for those, so 045 .065 .085 .105 .125.

The GHS are hex core, the DR round core -- I think I'll like the round core feel/harmonics better, but, again, we'll see! Both sets are new to me. The GHS look like they'll come out to roughly the same tension as the TIs, after all, but I'm hoping they'll still feel sufficiently taut and responsive on my six.

Labellas, TIs, and some others were in the mix, but the GHS are the most economical to try, so they get tried first!

Thanks to Jason (Slapinfunk) for his patient responses to my many PMs, and to everyone else for their advice here.

Will report back after I've had some time with the strings.

 

[laklandplayer]

I've been dealing with a bout of tendinitis and was looking for a really light set of flats.

I've been using circle k balanced round-wounds and have been intrigued by their set gauges so I took a chance and made a 5 string flat set out of d'adarrio chromes to use on my fender am std 5 string.

From just strings I ordered a .32 to use as a g and then ordered the .50-105 set for the d thru b strings. Going into it, I really didn't think a 105 would work for a b string but it does!

The tension and string balance are great, the low b sings, it isn't floppy at all. I set my intonation and the bass sounds wonderful.

I had a 40-100 w/ a 130 B set of cobalts on the bass and when I put this new custom flat set on it, I had to tighten the neck 1/4 turn. Even with these light gauges the flat set had more tension than EB Cobalts.

The dadarrios sound great, with excellent sustain and feel.

Just sharing my experience, happy new year.

 

[MarkA]

Thanks for sharing! I wouldn't have thought to go that light -- in fact, if I could've found a GHS B heavier than .128, I'd have ordered one. Another interesting option. Have you been playing them long? Hope it continues to work for you!

I've been dealing with a bout of tendinitis and was looking for a really light set of flats.

I've been using circle k balanced round-wounds and have been intrigued by their set gauges so I took a chance and made a 5 string flat set out of d'adarrio chromes to use on my fender am std 5 string.

From just strings I ordered a .32 to use as a g and then ordered the .50-105 set for the d thru b strings. Going into it, I really didn't think a 105 would work for a b string but it does!

The tension and string balance are great, the low b sings, it isn't floppy at all. I set my intonation and the bass sounds wonderful.

I had a 40-100 w/ a 130 B set of cobalts on the bass and when I put this new custom flat set on it, I had to tighten the neck 1/4 turn. Even with these light gauges the flat set had more tension than EB Cobalts.

The dadarrios sound great, with excellent sustain and feel.

Just sharing my experience, happy new year.

 

[SLaPiNFuNK]

We must remember there is a difference between tension and flexibility.

 

[laklandplayer]

Thanks for sharing! I wouldn't have thought to go that light -- in fact, if I could've found a GHS B heavier than .128, I'd have ordered one. Another interesting option. Have you been playing them long? Hope it continues to work for you!

I've used it a couple of times in a large venue and plays and sounds great. I can even dig in hard and they hang in there with no problem. They really sing with a pick too.

I could tune the whole thing up a 4th and have an e to high c if I wanted. But this is working out really good, I'm sold.

 

[CM63]

We must remember there is a difference between tension and flexibility.

That's what i'm looking for!
I have bought so many flats from you in search of the right tension, what I should be asking you about is flexibility!
While I have enjoyed the hunt my wallet (and my wife) have not.
I'm looking into lighter guages, as my hands are killing me!
I play a Med scale Ibanez ABG, and a miKro, and love tapewounds but with the ABG the open E and all of the D string just does'nt cut it.
I know flats are it for me, but if all else fails I will have to go back to more flexible rounds.

 

[MarkA]

That's what i'm looking for!
I have bought so many flats from you in search of the right tension, what I should be asking you about is flexibility!
While I have enjoyed the hunt my wallet (and my wife) have not.
I'm looking into lighter guages, as my hands are killing me!
I play a Med scale Ibanez ABG, and a miKro, and love tapewounds but with the ABG the open E and all of the D string just does'nt cut it.
I know flats are it for me, but if all else fails I will have to go back to more flexible rounds.

What flats have you tried?

I don't have much experience with acoustic bass guitar (is yours 32" scale?), and I've only ever noodled on a Mikro (just under 30" scale, right?) once but, at the risk of repeating an olde refraine, if your hands are killing you, maybe you should check the setup of your instruments and your technique.

I've considered trying TI flats on a fretless fiver that I have. Never tried the TI B string, but I have a set of TIs on a fretted, four-string Brubaker Brute and they are wonderful on that bass (34" scale). They feel flexible but not floppy -- easy on the hands, provided one plays with a relatively efficient technique and relatively light touch. I've tried them on another bass, on which they did feel floppy. I think that if your bass is fairly solid, they'll be okay.

I liked the GHS flats on the aforementioned Ibanez 6 string, and I really dig the DR flats on a fretless, 5 string Carvin Icon (not sure I'd call them balanced, but they don't feel too far out of whack), but they both feel like a little more work for the left hand than the balanced tension Circle K rounds I usually use, whereas the TIs feel at least as easy (both the Circle Ks and the TIs are flexible, and the TIs are a little lighter in tension).

LaBella tapes feel easy-on-the-hands to me, too, but you've said tapes aren't what you're looking for (though, if the E and A feel funny, I'd want to make sure that everything's in order at the nut and bridge contact points).

 

[Mastermold]

The La Bella FL set is good.