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Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats

#41
/\/\3phist0 said:
OK follow up. Dead in just over a week. No more EB strings for me.
the stickiness never went away, they sounded like reg ol flats after a week
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I hadn't tried my two basses with the EB Cobalts in awhile, and after reading what you had posted I decided to see how mine are holding up. Well they still sound good, maybe not quite as bright as before, but I did notice some of the grind or growl that the strings had originally has faded. So they are no longer in roundwound territory for me, but as a standard bright flat they sound good. I may end up going back to Blue Steels on my Jack Casady bass however. That grind is what got me to appreciate the strings, and I miss that on the Casady. Still fine on the Pbass however. I need at least one non grindy bass!
 
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#42
5string5fingers said:
I noticed people saying EB says not to cut the strings. I guess it's too late for me on that one because I always cut my strings before putting them on to prevent over lap.

Why would cutting the string make a difference?
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If you're going to cut them, I would suggest bending the string first where you intend to cut, and then cutting on the outer end of the bend. I've ruined flatwounds before I realized what I was doing. If you don't bend it, it can dead the string because the inner coil shifts under the flatwound part.

I've never had cobalt flats break on me FWIW.
 
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#43
Solar said:
cut mine and they buzz like mad at the nut. Very annoying, but it very well could've been a newbie mistake on my end.
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Just saw this 5 years later. I am pretty sure I did this on the Cobalts on my L2500 and am now paying the price. My G string buzzes like mad at the nut. Thought it may be a setup issue.
 
#45
A five year old thread, but this is my opinion of them.
I first put them on my Ibanez Musician about a year ago. Instant love affair.
The sound and feel of flats, but with almost roundwound sustain.
A little less thump than most other flats, but not that much.
Then, I put them on my Stingray and fretless Ibanez Portamento.
They sound great on both.
They were made for a Stingray, especially to tame their zing.
I recommend them to anyone. ;)

Mike
 
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#46
bazzanderson said:
no issues with mine so far and I'm totally digging them. I have Chromes on my Gibson Thunderbird, Cobalt Flats on my parts jazz bass wired in series and another set of Cobalt Flats just arrived to go on my ESP FB204 (Frank Bello PJ sig bass). Love them on my jazz. They are definitely not as smooth feeling as chromes but it's not an issue at all. They're more flexible than chromes and the tone is definitely a little brighter than chromes (definitely a little more round wound sounding but with little to no string/finger noise). Overall they're very, very playable for a flat. I play in a 3-piece punk-ish band (fingerstyle) and these cobalts sound great in our mix and cut through (similar to how brand new Chromes sound.....maybe even a little brighter). I'm happy with them so far....we'll see how I feel in 2 to 3 months.
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Going to try the Cobalt flats on my stingray special. curious if you're still using them...?
 
#47
Michael Jewels said:
A five year old thread, but this is my opinion of them.
I first put them on my Ibanez Musician about a year ago. Instant love affair.
The sound and feel of flats, but with almost roundwound sustain.
A little less thump than most other flats, but not that much.
Then, I put them on my Stingray and fretless Ibanez Portamento.
They sound great on both.
They were made for a Stingray, especially to tame their zing.
I recommend them to anyone. ;)

Mike
Click to expand...

I'm strongly considering trying these on my Stingray Special. Have you had any of the 'brittle core' or breaking issues that others seem to have?
 
#51
AndyLES said:
One more thing - I emailed their customer support. They said explicitly to NOT CUT THE STRING, and to follow the instructions on the enclosed card to the letter.
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Interesting. I don’t remember not cutting the string as part is the installation card info, but I may have missed it. Anyone have a copy hanging around that they can reference?
I love these strings but have had issues with breaking the G-string during install. EB has been very responsive and sent replacements, but frustrating. Even more of a headache when trying to re-use a set for me. Once they’re on, they’re on, for me.
 
#52
ShawnG said:
Interesting. I don’t remember not cutting the string as part is the installation card info, but I may have missed it. Anyone have a copy hanging around that they can reference?
I love these strings but have had issues with breaking the G-string during install. EB has been very responsive and sent replacements, but frustrating. Even more of a headache when trying to re-use a set for me. Once they’re on, they’re on, for me.
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Yeah, there's no mention of cutting string on the enclosed card. Thing is, you end up with a weird, gross gob of string on the headstock, YET....my basses stay in tune better than they ever had. I'm not kidding (nor am I endorsed by EB).
So...*Shrugs*. I dunno. I guess it works?
 
#54
I have them on 2 of my basses, a Squier CV 60's P, and a Schecter. I put a used set (45-100) back on the Squier after I removed a set of GHS flats, so I could get more punch with less volume in my little apt room. I strung them back up like the instructions say and they worked great. Still bright and punchy. That set was on my SX P for over a year. And the Schecter has worn them for about the same length of time. These and the Dunlops are my current favorites for flats; with Chromes and GHS in the mix as well. I also want to try a set of the EB Group III flats sometime too.
 

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