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Do my Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats have a problem?

kerryg

kerryg

Jul 15, 2007
832
2,992
Vancouver BC, Canada
#1
Hey folks - I'd never been a flatwound guy except when, say, specifically trying to get retro tones on a P-bass. But because of what I'd heard here I've just taken a pretty big leap and put TI Jazz Flats on my Roscoe SKB 6'er, which had been getting less and less play over the years.

As promised, the TI Flats on this hypermodern 6'er were a revelation and in the first 24 hours I'm completely falling in love with them. However, I might be having an issue with string consistency:

- the G string seems to be a bit "woodier" sounding than the others, ie has less "ping" than the other strings. Mostly noticeable when slapped.

- the B string on the other hand seems a tad indistinct, inarticulate and "wuffly".

Just to rule out some possibilities:
1) I've been playing this Roscoe for fifteen years as my main gigging and recording axe and I've had more sets of roundwound strings on it than I could count. I know this bass very, very well, and it has the most amazing B of any I've ever heard - it's not the bass.
2) I took great care not to twist the cores, letting the ball end "spin out" before applying tension.
3) the strings were seated on the saddles with an appropriate amount of downward pressure

Since I'm new to TI flats in this role, my questions to the TI JF gurus are -

- is this normal? Just what TI's sound like? I'd heard advance rumours that the G string could be a particular issue.

- a natural part of the strings "settling in", and I can expect a more consistent tone in a few weeks?

- or does it sound like I just got a couple of bad ones and should contact the dealer or TI for replacements?

Thanks in advance for all input -

- Kerry
 
#2
I can only comment on 4-string bass but from my experience, TI's do need a bit of time to "even out". But when they do there's nothing better to me. If your after old school tone on a P-bass though, they wont ever mellow out that much.
B.
 
#3
first things first, setup your bass.

the TI flats string gauges are WAY different than standard strings. You need a proper setup to realign them. After adjusting the truss, bridge saddle heights and then lastly the pickup height, try again and see if the "wierd" sounds are still there.

i had to do a drastic setup when i switched, i love them though, great strings for recording and live.
 
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#4
Yeah, do a setup first. However I have had nothing but trouble with TIs and so has one of my pals, so we've pretty much sworn them off for issues like you are describing--each string has a mind of its own and setting up a bass to play well with these seems unusually challenging to me every time. In the case of the four string set, the E and A strings always require much higher action that I like to keep them from fretting out with a straight neck, while the G and D strings are fairly well-behaved... which makes truss rod adjustment a tricky thing, and compensating at the bridge only goes so far.
 
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#5
Not to do the zombie thread thing, but I just recently put a new set of TI flats on one of my basses and I've got to say, the tension is very low and perfect for this particular bass. However, there is an undeniable inconsistency between the strings. The G and D sound and feel fantastic; woody, thumpy, and perfectly smooth to the touch. The A and E sound hollow and sort of honky, and do not feel smooth... as if the outer flat winding was not wound tight enough, leaving space and a tangible coarseness. I've put probably 15 hours of playtime on them already and nothing is changing in the least, so it's not a matter of needing to be broken in. Also, the bass is perfectly set up; intonation, pickup height, etc.
I hope this is not the norm... because if I could get a flat TI E and A that are as nice as the G and D of my set, I'd be ecstatic. Having spent $70 on the set though, I won't be buying a new set anytime soon
 
#11
Holy I-zombie thread. Only thing I wanna know is Hey Kerry, did those strings you put on in 2011 make the cut over the long term on your 6 or did you blow them off? I gotta admit that even being a diehard TI flat user for many years I've never dug the low B much the couple of times I tried a 5 string set.
 
#13
I had purchased 2 used sets of TIs and both sets are very,very even sounding. All strings feel and sound like they should be in the same set.

Now they are used and somewhat broken in so not sure if that is why they sound so even.

Just another view...
 
#14
I have a problem with the B string. Either the thickness (136) or the length of the string (32") makes it impossible to adjust the intonation. Octave and 12th fret cleanly, but C C# D D# is a disaster. Put a 120 round wound, moved bridge till the end and now it tuned erfect. Maybe the tapered is needed. While looking for a B string replacement that fits the other four strings in intonation and sound. Looking for Galli , LaBella DR flats . Any ideas?
 

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