Couldn't take it any more- EBCF's are back on [Y-TRBX605]

[vindibona1]

As the title says, I couldn't take it any more. I loved playing this bass. That is until I ran out of my last set of Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. I had replaced them a few weeks ago with D'Addario NYXL's which were (formerly) my go-to strings on my Ibanez BTB675. I like the NYXL's, but not on the TRBX605. I thought I'd give the NYXL's a chance, but the longer they were on the 605 the less I played it. For the last month I exclusively gigged the 675 with regular EB Slinkys and really enjoyed that bass/string combination.

The 605 is a lot lighter than the BTB (or my Jazz5) and just has a nice slim, easy-to-play neck. A great bass for a guitarist cross-over IMO. I missed playing it, even if to change up what I gig with. But I just couldn't do it with the NYXL's.

So with 2 sets of the EBCF's now in hand (and one more on the way) I thought the best thing I could do is take the NYXL's off and put them in the drawer as spares or maybe at some point put them back on the BTB? And the 605's now once again have the EBCF's on it which gives it such a unique and individual sound and feel. In the next 10 days I have a rehearsal and 2 gigs, so I'm going to see how it goes and expect it to feel like home again. I just couldn't take it any longer.

 

[Yahboy]

Glad to see that Cobalt flat work well and sound right to you.

Some body love GHS PW on TRBX 5xx/6xx , but i can sure i have no hearing problem since PW sound absolutely as awful as stock string actually.

 

[vindibona1]

For those interested in exploring the EBCF's, I want to share that, at least for me, the EBCF's need "preparation" before I deem them fully playable.

When they come out of the package they have some sort of sticky substance on them. I don't know what EB puts on them, but they don't feel right. So I routinely try to get the gunk off before installing them and get them "slicker". It's been awhile, until yesterday, that I've had to install a new set. But here's what I did...

1) Wipe them down with a micro fiber cloth saturated with alcohol, then install them.
2) Spray them with a coating of "Finger-Ease" (lubricant), letting them dry them polishing off the excess with a dry MF cloth.

While that helped it didn't fully do the trick and I was surpised as such. I thought about it and realized that ALCOHOL wasn't really the answer and remembered LIGHTER FLUID!

3) My next step was to then wipe them down with LIGHTER FLUID in the cloth. The lighter fluid seems to be more effective at removing gunk than alcohol and should have been my first step, which it will be from now on. As an aside, while I have the lighter fluid out I wipe down the back of the neck which removes all the residual hand gunk which helps to let me left hand get around. FWIW lighter fluid will not harm the finish of your bass or guitar. I've used it on all sorts of finishes including poly and even nitro-cellulose lacquer with no ill effects on the finish. It's the best cleaning solvent for guitars and basses I've found. It's been awhile since I've used the stuff as I did no string changes or maintenance during the 2 years of COVID.

4) Spray some Finger-Ease onto an applicator sponge, cannibalized from a spent XLR8 wipe-on lubricant and wipe the strings again, letting the stuff dry, then buffing again with a MF cloth.

That was last night. And when I got up to practice again today and see how the strings settled overnight, the EBCF's were exactly as I like them. Crisp, but extremely easy to get around on with no "stiction". I was able to get around the neck and fingerboard surprisingly fast with both right and left hand, just as I remembered from before.

 

[Yahboy]

For those interested in exploring the EBCF's, I want to share that, at least for me, the EBCF's need "preparation" before I deem them fully playable.

When they come out of the package they have some sort of sticky substance on them. I don't know what EB puts on them, but they don't feel right. So I routinely try to get the gunk off before installing them and get them "slicker". It's been awhile, until yesterday, that I've had to install a new set. But here's what I did...

1) Wipe them down with a micro fiber cloth saturated with alcohol, then install them.
2) Spray them with a coating of "Finger-Ease" (lubricant), letting them dry them polishing off the excess with a dry MF cloth.

While that helped it didn't fully do the trick and I was surpised as such. I thought about it and realized that ALCOHOL wasn't really the answer and remembered LIGHTER FLUID!

3) My next step was to then wipe them down with LIGHTER FLUID in the cloth. The lighter fluid seems to be more effective at removing gunk than alcohol and should have been my first step, which it will be from now on. As an aside, while I have the lighter fluid out I wipe down the back of the neck which removes all the residual hand gunk which helps to let me left hand get around. FWIW lighter fluid will not harm the finish of your bass or guitar. I've used it on all sorts of finishes including poly and even nitro-cellulose lacquer with no ill effects on the finish. It's the best cleaning solvent for guitars and basses I've found. It's been awhile since I've used the stuff as I did no string changes or maintenance during the 2 years of COVID.

4) Spray some Finger-Ease onto an applicator sponge, cannibalized from a spent XLR8 wipe-on lubricant and wipe the strings again, letting the stuff dry, then buffing again with a MF cloth.

That was last night. And when I got up to practice again today and see how the strings settled overnight, the EBCF's were exactly as I like them. Crisp, but extremely easy to get around on with no "stiction". I was able to get around the neck and fingerboard surprisingly fast with both right and left hand, just as I remembered from before.

Absolutely useful guide .