So this is going to be a long post, with everything you'd want to know, and perhaps a lot you won't. So here goes...
This particular set of flatwounds comes up fairly regularly in this forum. There does not seem to be a lot of users though - from what I have seen. So information is somewhat scarce. They especially come up in threads where people are looking for flatwounds that have no silk. More on that later. At any rate, I have been curious about these for a while so I ordered some and thought I would do a deep dive. Skip to my conclusion below if you don't care about what follows.
First off, here is the bass I wanted to use for install. It is a 51 RI P bass, and its string through. 34" scale - but often needs extra long scale strings due to the string through nature. The strings you see here are Fender 7250M - they are a little shorter on the G than I'd prefer, but they work fine and sound good for nickel plated steel rounds:
Here are some pictures of some measurements I took of them. My method was to attach them to my work bench and stretch them length-wise by hand and measure with my yard stick. As you can see, they were longer so I used second ruler and marked the extra dimensions on my tabletop. I was surprised that the fatter part of the E wrap was as long as it was - according to my amateur measurements - 38.5". That puts it in DR territory, for a comparison. The next step in winding hit 39". I had some unused Fender 9050L's available, so I also compare them side by side, as you can see below. I also measured the full length of the G string, as that string is notorious for being too short when used with this bass (when using typical long scale strings). It came in at a full 49", which is plenty long enough to get multiple wraps on the post.
The next set of pictures is showing what the wraps look like - for the G I did not trim. For the others, I measured 5" past the post, put a bend in the string, and trimmed. These just show the E and G, but you get the idea.
Finally, here is a close up picture of what the silkless wraps look like - the string itself is smooth, but this part of the string is pretty rough feeling.
Having removed silk on flats before, this reminded of me of what it looked like, to be honest. Not a whole lot to say about it.
So, I can only compare these to what I know - this is a list of the flats I have experience with:
How do they feel? They feel on the stiffer side of things, more like a medium set of Chromes. The most recent flats I had on this bass were Labella 760FS, and they feel stiffer than those. Not way stiffer, but still. I do not know tension figures, but what surprised me is that I did not need to adjust the relief in the neck, at least not yet. I will let them settle and see. But there was not a big change there between these and the rounds they replaced. Definitely play differently, of course. They are not shiny, like the LaBellas - more of a dull gray, like Chromes or Fenders. They are super smooth - I can't feel any of the wraps when I play them.
Conclusion: Honestly, once I installed them, looked at the wraps, played them a bit, the first thought in my mind was that these are rebranded GHS Precision Flats. I know better than that, but the similarities stuck out to me. They are slightly stiffer feeling, but not radically so. It will be interesting to see how they age.
I will try to update as I play them more. I'd also like to try them on my MIM Jazz Bass - which I'll do eventually. Maybe even try them on my ABG. We'll see.
I hope this was helpful for other string nerds like me, as well as providing some thoughts if you are considering a purchase either now or in the future. Ask any questions below. Thanks!
This particular set of flatwounds comes up fairly regularly in this forum. There does not seem to be a lot of users though - from what I have seen. So information is somewhat scarce. They especially come up in threads where people are looking for flatwounds that have no silk. More on that later. At any rate, I have been curious about these for a while so I ordered some and thought I would do a deep dive. Skip to my conclusion below if you don't care about what follows.
First off, here is the bass I wanted to use for install. It is a 51 RI P bass, and its string through. 34" scale - but often needs extra long scale strings due to the string through nature. The strings you see here are Fender 7250M - they are a little shorter on the G than I'd prefer, but they work fine and sound good for nickel plated steel rounds:
Here are some pictures of some measurements I took of them. My method was to attach them to my work bench and stretch them length-wise by hand and measure with my yard stick. As you can see, they were longer so I used second ruler and marked the extra dimensions on my tabletop. I was surprised that the fatter part of the E wrap was as long as it was - according to my amateur measurements - 38.5". That puts it in DR territory, for a comparison. The next step in winding hit 39". I had some unused Fender 9050L's available, so I also compare them side by side, as you can see below. I also measured the full length of the G string, as that string is notorious for being too short when used with this bass (when using typical long scale strings). It came in at a full 49", which is plenty long enough to get multiple wraps on the post.
The next set of pictures is showing what the wraps look like - for the G I did not trim. For the others, I measured 5" past the post, put a bend in the string, and trimmed. These just show the E and G, but you get the idea.
Finally, here is a close up picture of what the silkless wraps look like - the string itself is smooth, but this part of the string is pretty rough feeling.
Having removed silk on flats before, this reminded of me of what it looked like, to be honest. Not a whole lot to say about it.
So, I can only compare these to what I know - this is a list of the flats I have experience with:
- Daddario Chromes
- Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats
- Fender 9050s
- DR Legends
- LaBella DTFs
- TI Jazz Flats
- GHS Precision Flats
- Rotosound Monel
How do they feel? They feel on the stiffer side of things, more like a medium set of Chromes. The most recent flats I had on this bass were Labella 760FS, and they feel stiffer than those. Not way stiffer, but still. I do not know tension figures, but what surprised me is that I did not need to adjust the relief in the neck, at least not yet. I will let them settle and see. But there was not a big change there between these and the rounds they replaced. Definitely play differently, of course. They are not shiny, like the LaBellas - more of a dull gray, like Chromes or Fenders. They are super smooth - I can't feel any of the wraps when I play them.
Conclusion: Honestly, once I installed them, looked at the wraps, played them a bit, the first thought in my mind was that these are rebranded GHS Precision Flats. I know better than that, but the similarities stuck out to me. They are slightly stiffer feeling, but not radically so. It will be interesting to see how they age.
I will try to update as I play them more. I'd also like to try them on my MIM Jazz Bass - which I'll do eventually. Maybe even try them on my ABG. We'll see.
I hope this was helpful for other string nerds like me, as well as providing some thoughts if you are considering a purchase either now or in the future. Ask any questions below. Thanks!
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