Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats: actual length?

[totalnoob]

If you have measured any of the Ernie Ball cobalt flatwounds (2811, 2812, 2813, 2814, 2815), could you please share the info? EB's website doesn't have it. I'd like to see if I can use them on a 35" scale bass (most of the "long scale" strings fit perfectly fine on this bass).

By length, I mean ball to taper - in case this wasn't clear.

 

[michael_t]

By length, I mean ball to taper - in case this wasn't clear.

It's called "winding length".

I don't use the Cobalt Flats, but I just installed the EB Group IV Stainless Steel Flats on my P bass and the E string is 37.25" from the ball end to the start of the silk.

37.25" should be long enough on a 35" scale as long as they're top-loaded and not thru-body.

 

[michael_t]

Here's the pic of the Group IV Flats on my P bass (top-loaded). The main body of the E string from the nut to the start of the silk measures 1.25".

 

[totalnoob]

It's called "winding length".

I don't use the Cobalt Flats, but I just installed the EB Group IV Stainless Steel Flats on my P bass and the E string is 37.25" from the ball end to the start of the silk.

37.25" should be long enough on a 35" scale as long as they're top-loaded and not thru-body.

Sounds good, many thanks!

 

[GIBrat51]

If you have measured any of the Ernie Ball cobalt flatwounds (2811, 2812, 2813, 2814, 2815), could you please share the info? EB's website doesn't have it. I'd like to see if I can use them on a 35" scale bass (most of the "long scale" strings fit perfectly fine on this bass).

By length, I mean ball to taper - in case this wasn't clear.

Just so happens that I have a set of the 45-100 Slinky Flats (they don't call them "Cobalt Flats" anymore) open, since I'm thinking about putting them on a bass. From the front of the ball to the beginning of the silk, the G string measures right at 37". The E string, however, measures only 36 3/4". Don't know why, but... I measured it twice - just to be sure...

 

[michael_t]

(they don't call them "Cobalt Flats" anymore)

You mean the package doesn't have the line, "THE WORLD'S FIRST AND ONLY COBALT FLAT", at the bottom anymore?

 

[totalnoob]

Just so happens that I have a set of the 45-100 Slinky Flats (they don't call them "Cobalt Flats" anymore) open, since I'm thinking about putting them on a bass. From the front of the ball to the beginning of the silk, the G string measures right at 37". The E string, however, measures only 36 3/4". Don't know why, but... I measured it twice - just to be sure...

Thank you.
Now put those strings on your bass and tell us how they sound!

 

[Yahboy]

If your 35 scale bass guitar bridge are Fender bend bridge type, the winding end (silk start) just sit in nut slot, just trim some silk .

But if the 35 scale bass has Fender himass ( baddass ) , the length are not enough. Experience this situation while measure the EB 2816 on Cort GB35JJ .

hope help.

 

[totalnoob]

If your 35 scale bass guitar bridge are Fender bend bridge type, the winding end (silk start) just sit in nut slot, just trim some silk .

But if the 35 scale bass has Fender himass ( baddass ) , the length are not enough. Experience this situation while measure the EB 2816 on Cort GB35JJ .

hope help.

Thanks. It just occurred to me that the only* Fender items we own are two nice Rumble 15W amps, and some bass (including acoustic) strings. I did think about getting the high-mass bridge sometime, but it's not urgent or important, yet. The bass in question is a made-in-Korea MTD.


*Do you consider Squier to be Fender?

 

[Yahboy]

Thanks. It just occurred to me that the only* Fender items we own are two nice Rumble 15W amps, and some bass (including acoustic) strings. I did think about getting the high-mass bridge sometime, but it's not urgent or important, yet. The bass in question is a made-in-Korea MTD.


*Do you consider Squier to be Fender?

This kind of bridge ?

 

[HaphAsSard]

I don't use the Cobalt Flats, but I just installed the EB Group IV Stainless Steel Flats on my P bass and the E string is 37.25" from the ball end to the start of the silk.

The E string, however, measures only 36 3/4". Don't know why, but... I measured it twice - just to be sure...

Hm.
The difference is significant, and seems hard to explain away with tolerances. Nor with the sets having been produced in different times, under different specs (IIUC they're both recent).

Is it possible Ernie Ball treats the Cobalts as more fragile (hence the over-under-sideways-down installation guide) than the Groupies, so they prefer the former's low E to be too short for some basses rather than too long for others?

 

[GIBrat51]

Hm.
The difference is significant, and seems hard to explain away with tolerances. Nor with the sets having been produced in different times, under different specs (IIUC they're both recent).

Is it possible Ernie Ball treats the Cobalts as more fragile (hence the over-under-sideways-down installation guide) than the Groupies, so they prefer the former's low E to be too short for some basses rather than too long for others?

Since I haven't put them on anything yet, I couldn't say for sure, but the 1/4" difference is too much to be caused by tolerance variations. The "twice thru the slot" thing may be because Cobalts tend to slip on certain tuner posts - as people here have complained about other strings doing occasionally. I suppose I'll find out when I install them. As for the slightly shorter E string? Possibly an attempt to keep the speaking part of the string off the tuner post. Which is another thing people here complain about - frequently...

 

[michael_t]

Hm.
The difference is significant, and seems hard to explain away with tolerances. Nor with the sets having been produced in different times, under different specs (IIUC they're both recent).

Is it possible Ernie Ball treats the Cobalts as more fragile (hence the over-under-sideways-down installation guide) than the Groupies, so they prefer the former's low E to be too short for some basses rather than too long for others?

I'm getting the impression EB Cobalt Flats (Slinky) and Stainless Steel Flats (Group) are not constructed exactly the same way. The Group IV set didn't come with instructions for the quirky installation method recommended for the Cobalt.

 

[GIBrat51]

You mean the package doesn't have the line, "THE WORLD'S FIRST AND ONLY COBALT FLAT", at the bottom anymore?

View attachment 5036894

No, I mean they didn't used to say "Slinky Flatwound" in big letters. They said "Cobalt Flats" in big letters. That's how old the 2 sets I have are... "The world's first and only cobalt flat" that's on the package now? That's down on the bottom - where what some of us consider "the fine print" is located...

 

[HaphAsSard]

No, I mean they didn't used to say "Slinky Flatwound" in big letters. They said "Cobalt Flats" in big letters. That's how old the 2 sets I have are... "The world's first and only cobalt flat" that's on the package now? That's down on the bottom - where what some of us consider "the fine print" is located...

Got pics of the package of one of your sets?

Earliest mention on the forum is from Jan 2015,
New EB Cobalt Flats?
and this is a pic from April of the same year:

New EB Cobalt Flats?

 

[michael_t]

No, I mean they didn't used to say "Slinky Flatwound" in big letters. They said "Cobalt Flats" in big letters. That's how old the 2 sets I have are... "The world's first and only cobalt flat" that's on the package now? That's down on the bottom - where what some of us consider "the fine print" is located...

Got pics of the package of one of your sets?

Earliest mention on the forum is from Jan 2015,
New EB Cobalt Flats?
and this is a pic from April of the same year:

New EB Cobalt Flats?

I'm with @HaphAsSard on this. I don't recall the package for the "Slinky Flatwound" ever saying "Cobalt Flatwound". The only "cobalt" I've seen in big letters is on the package of "Cobalt Roundwound".

 

[totalnoob]

This kind of bridge ?

View attachment 5036985

No, the bridge on my 5-string is different.

 

[GIBrat51]

Got pics of the package of one of your sets?

Earliest mention on the forum is from Jan 2015,
New EB Cobalt Flats?
and this is a pic from April of the same year:

New EB Cobalt Flats?

I'm with @HaphAsSard on this. I don't recall the package for the "Slinky Flatwound" ever saying "Cobalt Flatwound". The only "cobalt" I've seen in big letters is on the package of "Cobalt Roundwound".

View attachment 5039647

Well...
First of all; I wish I could post a picture of these strings. But, as with every other picture I wish I could post - I can't. I have never been able to post a picture from this laptop - and I've been trying since I bought the stupid thing. 99% of the time, I've been unable to even load a picture on the thing. And when I do manage it? I have no idea why it worked that time; as opposed to the 100 times I tried it, doing the same things I did that time... But, it does everything else I want it to, so I'm not spending the money for a new one, just to post a stupid picture...
Next; Near as I can remember, I bought these strings from Amazon in... 2016, IIRC, when I was buying a lot of things from them. As I've said before, I never got around to using them. I don't have much use for bright flats - especially flats as bright as these are supposed to be. Measuring them for this thread, was the first time I opened them. Which, it turns out, is a good thing...
After the "you're wrong" stuff - with pictures - and looking at these strings? Since nobody sells them here, I took a short road trip yesterday, and went to Sweetwater HQ in Ft. Wayne - and bought another set. The results?
Well, you are right - and I was wrong - sort of... My strings do say "Cobalt Flats"... but, they're not real Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt Flats. They're counterfeits. Pretty convincing ones, but... definitely fakes. They have the "How To" sheet in the package, but it's printed - not really well - on a plain sheet of paper. They do have purple silks, but not the Royal Purple of the EBs. It's more of an old, ugly bruise purple. And, they don't look - or feel- quite the same as the real ones. Surprisingly, they did get the slightly shorter E string correct. But... yeah; I bought 2 sets of fake Cobalt flats... and, as of this morning? All that's left of them is the ball ends. The rest of the things are in my recycling bin - and they'll meet the recycling trash truck tomorrow... So, it took quite a while, but I finally did get burned, buying online...

 

[michael_t]

Well, you are right - and I was wrong - sort of... My strings do say "Cobalt Flats"... but, they're not real Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt Flats. They're counterfeits. Pretty convincing ones, but... definitely fakes. They have the "How To" sheet in the package, but it's printed - not really well - on a plain sheet of paper. They do have purple silks, but not the Royal Purple of the EBs. It's more of an old, ugly bruise purple. And, they don't look - or feel- quite the same as the real ones. Surprisingly, they did get the slightly shorter E string correct. But... yeah; I bought 2 sets of fake Cobalt flats... and, as of this morning? All that's left of them is the ball ends. The rest of the things are in my recycling bin - and they'll meet the recycling trash truck tomorrow... So, it took quite a while, but I finally did get burned, buying online...

This explains the discrepancy and the confusion. Thanks for the clarification.

(I really shouldn't be laughing at someone else's misfortune, but this story does make me chuckle a bit. You live and you learn. )

 

[totalnoob]

But... yeah; I bought 2 sets of fake Cobalt flats... and, as of this morning? All that's left of them is the ball ends. The rest of the things are in my recycling bin - and they'll meet the recycling trash truck tomorrow...

As a materials scientist, and a science nerd deep down to my core, I would have loved to find out whether those fakes contained any cobalt at all. You would have enriched the Tree of Knowledge (and this community of ours) if you had recorder your bass with those strings, and then with genuine Ernie Ball cobalt flats.

Also: do you still have the packaging and the "How to" sheet? Pictures of those would be likewise useful for the rest of us to avoid being scammed.

Lastly: name and shame - where did you get them from, so we can all at least avoid that webshop.